Podcasts about maine politics

Tonight on America at Night with McGraw Milhaven: Scott MacFarlane returns for the weekly “MacFarlane Mondays” segment, bringing the latest headlines and insights from Washington as he breaks down the stories shaping the national conversation. Michael Shepherd, Politics and Investigative Editor for the Bangor Daily News, joins the show to discuss the political landscape surrounding Graham Platner, examining whether the candidate is positioned for an unexpected victory or facing a difficult path ahead. Shepherd provides analysis on the race, voter sentiment, and the broader implications for the political environment. Later, Stephen L. Brusatte, bestselling author and renowned paleontologist, discusses his book “The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present.” Brusatte explores the remarkable evolutionary journey of birds, tracing their lineage from the age of dinosaurs to the diverse species that populate the world today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gerald Talbot, a pioneering civil rights leader and the first Black person elected to the Maine Legislature, has died at age 94. Talbot spent decades advocating for civil rights, fair housing and educational equity throughout Maine. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest news from a leading Black-owned & controlled media company: https://aurn.com/newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textAlthough MMA Risk Management Services (RMS) staff can't keep the snow from flying, they can help prevent people from slipping on snow and ice.  This week, Dan Whitter, RMS's Loss Control Manager, joins Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell to share practical tips for avoiding slips, trips and falls.  He also outlines the steps municipalities can take to ensure their facilities, equipment, and staff remain safe throughout the winter season. In addition, Dan discusses the grant programs available to members enrolled in RMS programs—the Ed MacDonald Safety Enhancement Grant and Risk Reduction Grant—designed to keep staff and equipment safe from harm and costly damage.  

Send us a textNick Cloutier, current assessor for the Town of Scarborough, and soon-to-be Waterville city manager, joins Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell to provide an update on the Legislature's Real Estate Property Tax Relief Tax Force.  Appointed by the Speaker of the House, Nick represents the interests of Maine's tax assessors on the task force. In this episode, he outlines a range of solutions, from amending current programs such as the Property Tax Fairness Credit, to deliver immediate relief to homeowners, to long-term reforms requiring constitutional amendments.  Among these proposals is the introduction of a tiered mil rate system.  Nick also urges listeners to share their perspectives with the task force before it begins to draft its official recommendations.  

Send us a textOn this edition of the podcast, Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell are joined by Kathleen Billings, Stonington's renowned town manager, a dedicated member of MMA's Legislative Policy Committee, and one of three municipal appointees serving on the Real Estate Property Tax Relief Tax Force. Kathleen brings a strong coastal community perspective to the discussion.  From the rise in second-home ownership and the dwindling availability of year-round housing, to inflationary pressures driving up the cost of providing essential public services and the ongoing struggle to recruit and retain public safety personnel and other municipal employees, Kathleen is on the front lines of it all.  Motivated to find thoughtful solutions, Kathleen would “rather try to do something and fail, than nothing at all.” 

Send us a textThis week, Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell are joined by Janet Kelle, MMA's Human Resources Director.  With more than 30 years of HR experience, most recently with Husson University, Janet quickly made her presence known at MMA.  In this edition, Rebecca, Amanda and Janet dive into the wide range of human resource services available to MMA member municipalities.  These include succession planning, employee handbook reviews, and compliance guidance, as well as a variety of fee-based services, such as recruitment assistance, background checks and budget consultation.  Janet also highlights the many resources available on the MMA website, which she describes as a “one stop shop for all things HR.” Municipal officials will have an opportunity to meet Janet at the MMA Annual Convention on October 8 & 9 in Bangor.  Be sure to stop in to say hello and participate in an opportunity to win a prize.  

Send us a textThis week Carollynn Lear, Bangor City Manager joins Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell to discuss the first meeting of the Legislature's newly established Real Estate Property Tax Relief Tax Force.  Of the task force's 13 voting members, Carollynn was appointed by Governor Mills to represent the interests of larger communities.  Having served as the deputy commissioner for the New Hampshire Department of Revenue, she brings to the table an in-depth knowledge of the issues associated with the over-reliance on the property taxpayers to fund a variety of government programs and services.  To learn what Carollynn hopes to accomplish over the course of the study, please click here.  Listeners interested in receiving task force updates are encouraged to subscribe to MMA's opt-in study summary email list by emailing Laura Ellis at lellis@memun.org or visiting the Maine State Legislature's website here for the official task force interested parties email list.  

Send us a textOn October 8-9, 2025, Maine's municipal leaders will gather at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor for MMA's Annual Convention.  This year's theme, From Partnership to Progress, highlights how collaboration can lead to the implementation of successful and sustainable solutions.  This week, Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell are joined by Peter Osborne, MMA  Education Services Director to discuss the planning that goes behind the convention.  They are also joined by Shiloh LaFreniere, Jay Town Manager and MMA Executive Committee member, who discusses how the Planning for Tomorrow Together session dovetails with the convention theme. Municipal officials looking to reconnect with peers, engage with vendors, and explore a wide range of topics that impact the delivery of municipal services, are encouraged to visit MMA's website here.  

Send us a textIn this brief episode of 'Potholes and Politics,' hosts Rebecca Lambert and Amanda Campbell dive into key legislative updates and study bills of municipal interest in Maine. They discuss the recent legislative adjournment, the upcoming issue of the Maine Town and City magazine, and various significant study bills, including those on property taxation, unfunded mandates, unregulated stormwater pollution, and school funding. The episode also touches on their upcoming trip to the NLC Staff League Summer Conference in Minneapolis and the importance of networking with municipal colleagues nationwide. Tune in for a comprehensive overview of current legislative efforts and future plans to address critical municipal issues.

Send us a textIn this episode of 'Potholes and Politics,' co-hosts dive into the messy world of local legislative sessions. They tackle intense debates about the state budget, revealing that the budget is safe and no government shutdown looms. Topics also include the dramatic Growth Management Act dialogues, General Assistance reforms, and jaw-dropping housing bills. Major highlights include a tussle over election reforms, public comment periods, and absurdly technical housing legislations. They humorously yet professionally dissect the implications for local governments and commiserate over the absurdities of legislative processes. Finally, the episode bids a heartfelt farewell to colleague Rebecca (aka the Notorious RG) with laughs, reflections, and promises of future guest appearances.

For the first time in 2024 Maine primary voters will be able to cast a ballot for any party candidate on Super Tuesday. Some moderate Democrats like host Cynthia Dill have plans to use the semi-open primary law strategically to block Trump by voting for Nikki Haley. Will the plan work? Phil Harriman, former Republican state senator and political commentator weighs in.

Notwithstanding independent U.S. Sen. Angus King's inclusion in the very online “Twitter Files” hullabaloo, the final full week of February was relatively quiet in Maine politics. For that reason, this week's edition of the Pulse will be brief as we empty the notebook.

With decisions made on legislative leadership and referenda signatures being submitted, what’s next for politics and policy in Maine is becoming more clear. On this episode of the Beacon Podcast, Esther, Ben and Mike discuss the Our Power referendum, the selection of Rachel Talbot Ross as Speaker of the Maine House and more. Ask a…

Former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap joins the show this week to talk about his recent success, and what the stench of Eliot Cutler does to ranked choice voting and the upcoming elections.

In this week's Pulse: sidewalk chalk, dirt road wars, semi-open primaries, the Maine Democratic convention, and the quiet death of the tribal sovereignty bill.

Analysis of Maine politics and election issues from redistricting to infrastructure bond to upcoming campaigns

Analysis of Maine politics and election issues from redistricting to infrastructure bond to upcoming campaigns

On this episode of the podcast, we're celebrating Pride Month and talking about Out in the Kitchen: A Cookbook for those with non-discriminating taste compiled in 1995 by Maine Won't Discriminate, a political coalition based in Portland, Maine. The cookbook was raising money to fight an anti-gay rights referendum that was on the ballot in Maine in the mid-1990s. We talk with Susan Sanders and Nancy Wanderer who were part of Maine Won't Discriminate, and have 8 recipes in the book. And for our cooking segment, Karl made Nancy and Susan's recipe for Spanakopeeta, Margaret made Tom Andrews' Wicked Good Maine Lobster Chili and Backyard Rhubarb Pie, and Don made Oyster Dip and Gougeres.In this episode we also start a conversation about the large specialty Midwestern community cookbook publishers (which will be continued in an upcoming bonus episode), and discuss at length how community cookbooks reflect changing communities and new charitable causes in American society.For the recipes from today's episode, visit: https://communitycookbook.com/recipesTo see images from today's cookbook and photos of the food we made, visit our Instagram feed or Facebook page.https://www.instagram.com/communitycookbookpodcast/https://www.facebook.com/communitycookbookpodcastIf you want to watch the 1994 Frontline documentary "Hilary's Class" that features Nancy Wanderer and Susan Sanders, you can find it here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/hillarys-class/---------------------------------This episode is sponsored by Rabelais: Fine Books on Food & Drink---------------------------------Hosts: Margaret Hathaway, Karl Schatz, & Don LindgrenProduced by Karl Schatz & Margaret HathawayEdited by Karl SchatzIntro music: Singing for Our Lives performed by Women in HarmonyOutro music: Singing for Our Lives performed by Holly NearPodcast theme music & break music by Ziv Grinberg.Recorded on Riverside. Edited with Descript. Hosted on Simplecast.

It's Part 2 of a continuing conversation about the Learning Facilitators program, a partnership of the Maine Department of Education and Eastern Maine Community College. This program is designed to increase the paraprofessional and educator pool in Maine. Matt talks with members of the first cohort and their in-school mentors about their experiences in the program so far.

Matt talks with Deqa Dhalac and Joe Schmidt from the Maine Department of Education about racism, bias, diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools, curriculum, and education system.

Matt begins a conversation with Kellie Bailey, Social and Emotional Learning Specialist from the Maine Department of Education, and returning champion and #1 Fan Julie Smyth, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Saco Public Schools, about the new social and emotional learning curriculum recently released by MDOE: SEL4ME. This is Part 1 of a continuing series of conversations on SEL Matt will be having with Kellie, Julie, and more!

Matt talks with Emily Doughty (Maine Department of Education) and Megan London (Eastern Maine Community College) about the new Learning Facilitator program. This MDOE-EMCC partnership program is designed to increase the educator workforce in Maine and build educator capacity and supports across the state. Learn more about the program here: https://mainedoenews.net/2020/11/12/learning-facilitator-program-great-resource-for-schools-free-for-trainees/

Matt and his bot (also named Matt) triumphantly return to talk about some DOE updates, including some major assessment changes.

Matt talks with Stephanie Canter, outgoing chair of the South Kingstown RI school board, about racism and bias in our systems, and how policies can help support to solve these issues. Follow her on Twitter at @stephrcanter.

Matt has a very special episode of MEM today, as he talks with Susan Lieberman (CountMEIn), Cecilia Sirianni (Outreach Services Coord., RSU #57) ,and Angela Madigan (Principal, RSU #57) about attendance, and what it means in these times of COVID.

Matt has some DOE updates as the legislative session nears. Get out there and vote, and vote safely!

20 Minutes of Sanity is back... just when we need it the most.

Matt @DrewetteCard talks with Courtney Belolan (@belolanc), executive director of the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association @MaineCLA , about how teachers, schools, and districts can begin the process of identifying and removing bias in our curriculum and systems, and learn about how @MaineCLA has some powerful upcoming opportunities to support educators in this important work.

Matt and Matt return with updates on attendance and sports in the fall. Plus, talk of early Maine winters.

Matt (and Matt!) return with legislative updates from over the summer. How did that happen?

Matt (but not the other Matt) return for a season of hope, offering updates on what has happened in Maine since we last spoke, along with some advice from a Matt.

Matt and Matt return by finishing up talking about Maine's framework for returning to classroom instruction. We say "finishing up", but we went on for an hour. And there is something about metal lathes in there, too.

Matt and Matt are back, reviewing Maine's framework for returning to classroom instruction. At least, part of it. It's a very long and complex document! We talk about safety and SEL considerations, and more to come next week!

Matt and Matt do the bi-coastal pod, and talk about what has happened over the past two weeks in Maine, California, and elsewhere. Lots to catch up on!

Matt and Matt continue to hang around the pod and update you on what's going on this week in Maine educational matters, including some amazing CDC guidance for re-opening schools (spoiler alert: it's going to be super tough).

Matt and Matt have an even longer episode than usual (most people would say longer than necessary), as they celebrate 100 episodes!

Matt and Matt go all Wayne Gretzky and talk about LD2167, signed into law on March 18 (we know, we are a little behind on this one). We go through what it all means for educators, and have some updates about other things we have heard about in the last two weeks. See the links on our twitter page at @MaineEdMatters or on Facebook, or our website at maineeducationmatters.weebly.com.

Matt and Matt talk about standardized tests, what they are good for now, and how our educational systems can be improved as a result.

Matt and Matt still don't know how to work with Facebook live, but they do know how to run through the workings of education in Maine during week 4 of remote/distance learning. They talk about spring sports being canceled, recommendations that schools in Maine close for the remainder of the school year, attendance during these times, what student-centered learning means, a letter in the Bangor Daily News from Rep. Tori Kornfield, and more!

Matt and Matt talk a little prognostication about where they think education could, or even should, go after in-person learning returns. This is one of our favorite episodes!

Matt and Matt continue through the coronavirus crisis, talking about education updates, COVID-19 data, and lots of listener questions!We talk about COVID-19 health data, Zoom meeting etiquette, recording video meetings with learners, grading in a crisis, best remote learning tools. We then get to a bunch of listener questions. We love them, including our Ernest Borgnine retrospective. And boogers. #onbrandWe'll be back next week with more nonsense!

Matt and Matt are back with updates from the world of education in the time of coronavirus.Bookmark these DOE sites: https://www.maine.gov/doe/covid-19/ and https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed/covid19 for the most up-to-date infomation.

Matt and Matt return, this time from their homes! As the coronavirus has Mainers settling in for a long haul, they catch up on the few things the Legislature has done since the last episode, discuss some of the unknowns of the near-future, and what it means for schools around the state. Educators are doing an amazing job, and the best they can. We are all in this together, as HSM said.

Matt and Matt review the testimony of March 9 (the immunization bill), along with some votes that have come out of committee and even new laws (how did this happen?!!?)

Matt and Matt keep you up to date with what is happening in the Education Committee. Today, we preview LD 2046, an Act Regarding Immunizations; we review testimony from a public hearing; we talk about 2 votes in the House (leftover bills from last session); and the Maine election results about immunizations - it obviously never ends.Here is the presser we mentioned about Pres. Trump trying to figure out what a coronavirus is, and how vaccines work. https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1234605879170936832Follow us everywhere at Maine Education Matters.

Matt and Matt get fancy in this one - live testimony from a representative! Yes, it looks like Matt and Matt have hit the big time. The usual here: previews, reviews, votes, and #borgnine. Listen in and rate/review us - and tell a friend about us!

Matt and Matt return with a smorgasbord of stuff happening at the Legislature. They preview a public hearing on the 27th about educational policy, review some bills that were heard (along with the results of the votes, if they have been taken), and talk about the referendum on the ballot March 3 - immunizations!

Matt and Matt preview the public hearing of February 18, review testimony presented on February 6, and catch up on some votes.0:00 - 1:31 introduction, and some .5 speed nonsensePreviews: 1:31 - 7:552-18-20LD 1857: An Act To Protect Teachers from Punitive or Retaliatory TransfersReviews of testimony: 7:55 - 12:36From 2-6-208:15 - 9:57 LD 1947: An Act To Fund Capital Improvements to Career and Technical Education CentersLD 2022: An Act To Provide Funding for Capital Improvements and Equipment for Careerand Technical Education Centers and Regions9:57 - 12:36LD 1999: An Act To Amend the Maine Education Savings ProgramReviews of votes: 12:36 - 16:0812:36 -13:04 LD 860: An Act To Establish the Maine Community College System No-cost Tuition Program (Anticipated Divided Report, 2-5-20)13:04 - 13:41 LD 882: Resolve, To Require the Examination of the System of Learning Results (ONTP, 2-5-20)13:41 - 14:33 LD 1813: Resolve, To Ensure Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments (OTP-AM, 2-5-20)14:33 - 15:00 LD 2024: An Act To Remove from the Calculation of the Cost of Education the Maine Public Employees Retirement System Teacher Plan Unfunded Actuarial Liability (Anticipated Divided Report, 2-5-20)15:00 - 16:08 LD 2035: An Act To Modify Teacher Certification Expiration Dates for Teachers Who Use Family Medical Leave (OTP-AM, 2-5-20)16:08 - end: where can you find us, and more nonsense #borgnine

RLC Radio sits down with Eric Brakey to discuss Maine Politics, his time in the Statehouse and his possible run for congress in 2020. https://ericbrakey.com/