Community Voices For Change

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired November 24, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.
The podcast is an interview of Reverend Nathan Pepo who is the Bishop of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  He talked about the church's progressive stances on a number of issues such as its commitment to social justice and the recent lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem regarding Ice Agents seizing immigrants on church property.  For over 30 years, the Federal Government restricted immigration enforcement at houses of  worship and other sensitive locations, acknowledging that to carry out raids, arrest and surveillance at those locations could deny people of faith access to their places of worship and violate religious freedom rights. The current actions have caused church attendance to decrease, forced congregations to lock their doors, and silenced the ministries that make worship communities safe for all people, regardless of their immigration status.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired Nov 17, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of Heather Patuett who is the CEO of  the Good Shepherd Food Bank which provides food assistance to over 600 agencies in the state. Heather talked about this work and how the ongoing delay in providing SNAP benefits is having on people living in Maine.  Nearly 170,000 forks currently receive benefits.  At 13.8% of the population, Maine's food insecurity rate is higher than the national average and includes 50,000 children which is the highest rate of child food insecurity in New England.  She also talked about the Governor's plan to release $1.25 million to help offset food banks SNAP  losses and that the State Attorney General  Aaron Fry  has joined a multistage lawsuit seeking to force the Trump Administration to use $5 billion in contingency funding approved by Congress to continue providing benefits under SNAP.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired November 10, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ. of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The show is an interview of Ray Madoff who is the author  of "The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy," which was recently published by the University of Chicago Press.   She talked about how the rich and powerful in the United States are able to manage not paying taxes. Besides not taking a salary, they are able to acquire wealth through inheritances and the investments they make.  The ultra rich primarily grow their wealth through asset appreciation which is generally not taxed until the asset is sold and can be avoided entirely if held until death whereas working American wages are taxed immediately.  She also talked about what can be done instead going forward such as taxing the recipients of inheritances under the income tax system and taxing  unrealized gains at death on the final income tax return of the decedent.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired Nov 3, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of  Hillary Schneider who is the Director of the Health Insurance Marketplace in the Maine Department of Health and Human Service.  The show focused on the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits which will roll back financial assistance for millions of Americans who purchase health insurance through the ACA marketplace and what Mainers can do about it.  The premium tax credit enhancements also help people buy coverage on their own when employers don't provide it.   This includes part-time workers, gig workers, small business owners, self-employed people and people who work in industries that don't usually provide health benefits.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 27, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of James Myall who is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy.  He has recently written an "Analysis of the Proposed Minimum Wage Increases for the City of Portland, 2026-2028."  He talked about why there is a need to raise the minimum wage in Portland which is currently $15.50 per hour to $19 in 2028.  He described which group of workers would benefit the most:  women, workers of color, and workers under the age of 25 and workers over the age of 65.   He also briefly mentioned the long term effects on the economy and who is behind the effort to defeat the proposed ballot question and why they are opposed.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 20, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of Ethan Strimling, a former Mayor of Portland who talked about why Portland, Maine's  rent control is saving renters $500 a month thanks to the ordinance which was first passed in November 2020.  He also talked about the latest effort by the Greater Portland Board of Realtors to undermine the effort to make housing more affordable and stable for tenants.  He talked about the  recent study which was commissioned  by the GPBR which claims homeowners are paying more in taxes because of the ordinance.  At most, it could cost 60 cents more per day,  but even that is questionable.  An independent study is needed to  determine what effect, if any, rent control is having on the value of housing in Portland.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 13, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview with Sam Boss, the Maine AFL-CIO Apprenticeship, Work Force & Equity Director.  Sam talked about the new exciting program which is being launched called the Union Pathways of Maine.  This new effort builds on the success of the Union Construction Academy Pre- Apprenticeship Program which has trained diverse workers across the state.  The new program will serve as an entry point for job seekers  who want to pursue stable, unionized careers while developing a diverse pipeline of future union members who understand the values behind being part of the broader labor movement in Maine and the nation.  The program is free to attend and will most likely be offered several times going forward.  The program is open to folks who have completed high school or  have an equivalent education.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 6, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.The show interviews Shenna Bellows, Maine's Secretary of State. The show focused on how she first got involved in the work that she currently does as one of the three constitutional officers of Maine State Government. She described her key responsibilities and the role that she plays in the state's election process including writing the questions which appear on the state ballot. She also talked   about the controversy regarding question one on the ballot in November. She explained why Republicans were opposed and the Maine Supreme Court decision affirming the ballot language. In closing, she assured listeners that the agency has both systems and procedures in place to ensure Maine’s elections are free, fair, and secure.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired Sept. 29, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of Seth Berry who is a leading critic of Central Maine Power Company.  He was the lead House sponsor of LD1708, the Maine bill to create a consumer owned electric utility company.  The show today focused on Central Maine Power's latest efforts to raise electric rates by over $1.4 billion dollars over the next 5 years.  Seth pointed out that there is a need for investments to keep the grid reliable and to replace old equipment, but Maine families can't afford more "eye popping rate hikes."  He agrees that there is a need for new investments,  but the money should come from a reduction in the "company's inflated, risk-free profits - not from the deflated pockets of hardworking Mainers." He urged listeners to go to the PUC's website and send a comment to let the Commissioners know how the proposed hike will affect you and your family and that you can't afford to pay an extra  $420  per year for electricity.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired September 22, 2025
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast  is an interview of Kate Sykes who is a member of the Portland City Council representing District 5.  She is also the co-chair of Portland's Social Housing Task Force which was created in March 2025 to explore the creation of a social housing program in the city.   The group has been given a year to study and propose "a framework for government-led social housing, prioritizing permanent affordability, environmental sustainability and inclusivity". Kate talked about social housing which exists in many European cities as well as in Maryland and how it is different from the public housing that has been built over the past century here in the United States.  At the first  meeting which was held last month,  committee members began a discussion of how the city might approach owning and operating housing for middle class residents, a  population segment that many recent developments don't appear to target.