Let's Connect

University of Southern Maine's President, Dr Jacqueline Edmondson chats with Kristina Egan on Let's Connect Radio. Hear from Dr Edmondson about her love of teaching, her experience as a 1st generation student and her vision for the future of the University of Southern Maine.

Kate Snyder talks with Belinda Ray about her recent term as mayor – the high points, the challenges, and what it’s been like to serve in municipal government in today’s increasingly polarized environment

WindowDressers deploys the power of volunteerism to make sure that every community has access to affordable insulated window inserts. Jessica Williams, Executive Director of WindowDressers, and Sofia Reali, a program assistant, speak with host Tom Bell.

Andrew Fersch and Laura Minich Zitske talk with host Tom Bell about Piping Plovers and efforts to protect their habitat in Maine. Andrew is the author of the children’s book, “The Piping Plover,” about the endangered seabirds that live at Higgins Beach in Scarborough. The book is illustrated by Bruce Hutchison of Cape Elizabeth. Laura is a wildlife ecologist and Coastal Birds Project Director at M...

Greg Payne, senior advisor to Gov. Mills on housing issues, talks with host Kristina Egan about Maine’s massive housing shortage and its implications. Maine needs as many as 84,300 new homes of all kinds within the next seven years to meet current and future demands. A state study in October concludes that failing to build or reinvest in more homes may have serious implications for Maine’s labor f...

Three communication experts in local government: Jessica Grondin, Director of Communications for the City of Portland, Shara Dee, Communications Officer for the City of South Portland, and Allison Carrier, Marketing & Communications Manager for the Town of Scarborough, how to make sure their citizens have the facts so their local governments can be effective.

Theresa Galvin, the Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Falmouth, David Low, a Falmouth resident who is a member of the Climate Action Planning Committee, and Anna Paddock, a Sustainability Associate at the Greater Portland Council of Governments, discus what Falmouth is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while preparing for the impacts of a warming climate.

Cashel Stewart, Sustainable Transportation Coordinator at the City of South Portland, and Jim Tasse, Assistant Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, talk about E-bikes. How do they work? What are the regulations? Are they safe? How can E-bikes help us save the planet?

Transit agencies in our region are electrifying their fleets. Learn the reasons why, with Hank Berg, general manager of Casco Bay Lines, Chad Heid, Executive Director at Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit, Rodney Carpenter, the bus agency’s deputy director, and Jonathan Gagne, Sustainability Program Coordinator at the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

Host Kristina Egan speaks with three of the five candidates running for mayor of Portland: Pious Ali, Andrew Zarro and Justin Costa.

Kristina Egan, Executive Director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments, interviews mayoral candidates Mark Dion and Dylan Pugh. This is the first of two WMPG radio shows focused on the five candidates running for mayor of the City of Portland.

Chris Lyon, Shana Cook Mueller, and Krystal Williams share what it means to be in a multiracial friendship.

Cape Elizabeth Town Councilor Penny Jordan and Greater Portland Council of Governments Planning Director Matt Panfill discuss the new state housing law LD 2003 and Cape Elizabeth’s proposed ordinance amendments.

Sen. Jill Duson (D-Portland) and Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) discuss their efforts to work across the aisle in the Maine Legislature.

Dennis Ross, president of WJZP FM, the only minority-owned radio station serving Portland, speaks with host Joshua Brister about the importance of community radio.

Dean Klein (consultant), Brian Townsend (Executive Director of CommonSpace ), and Cullen Ryan (Executive Director of Community Housing of Maine ) discuss the region’s growing population of homeless people and efforts to remove barriers to build more affordable housing.

Neil Kiely (Androscoggin Bank Chief Executive Officer), Margo Walsh (MaineWorks Founder & Owner), and Fiona Wilson (UNH Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer) discuss what B-Corps businesses are and what role businesses play in creating a more sustainable world.

Sadie Donnell (blind Gorham resident) talks with Kevin Jensen (Gorham Economic Development Director) about the challenges people with disabilities face when navigating our region’s transportation system.

Portland Press Herald reporter Rachel Ohm, who has written in depth about the homeless in Portland, and Amber Lesperance, who lives in a homeless encampment on Marginal Way, discuss what it’s like to be homeless and the factors causing an increase in the region’s homeless population.

Danielle West (City of Portland City Manager) talks about Portland’s most pressing issues, including housing.

Christine Grimando (Portland Director of Planning & Urban Development) and Nell Donaldson (Portland Director of Special Projects) discuss ReCode Portland —an effort to update Portland's zoning to help build more housing and create more livable, walkable neighborhoods.

Dave Reidmiller (Director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute) shares how climate change will impact Maine and what efforts are underway to help coastal communities adapt to a changing climate.

Mary Fernandes (Casco Selectboard Member) and Victoria Pelletier (Portland City Councilor) are trailblazers; Mary was the first Black woman ever elected to the Casco Selectboard, and Victoria is the second Black woman ever elected to the Portland City Council. In this episode, they share their experiences serving their communities as Black women and discuss how they’re paving the way for others.

Allison Burson (National Greenway Director at East Coast Greenway), Rob Lavoie (Gorham Town Councilor), and Dick Woodbury (former Maine State Senator) discuss the importance trails and what efforts are underway to expand the trail network.

Grier Miskell (Housing Navigation Coordinator at Quality Housing Coalition) and Aaron Geyer (Director of Social Services for the City of Portland) speak with Tom Bell about a new home-share program to provide housing for asylum seekers who on Aug. 16 could be homeless when the Portland Expo shelter shuts down.