Potholes & Politics: Local Maine Issues from A to Z

Send us Fan Mail The Legislature is back in session and back in person!  What has changed since Covid? What has remained? How does it effect the public policy debate? These will be the continued questions we explore.  This week our podcast and Legislative Bulletin covered bills effecting municipal operations and the public hearings that happened.  5:00 - LD 202 - Clarifies the rules on sales of ca...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 7 - New Year, New Legislature, New Co-Host How does the Advocacy Team determine what bills to place before the Legislative Policy Committee to determine the municipal position on any Legislative proposal?  What is more important than a title of a bill? What is in store for our newest Co-Host and part-time advocate full time Municipal Issues Specialist, Rebecca Lambert?  Wi...

Send us Fan Mail Housing and Homelessness in Maine is primarily discussed through the lens of Maine's largest cities. This episode Potholes and Politics features three local government leaders, Aroostook County Administrator, Ryan Pelletier, Madawaska Town Manager, Gary Picard and Presque Isle City Manager, Martin Puckett discussing the housing crisis, and growth in homelessness in Maine&apos...

Send us Fan Mail As Maine prepares for elections next week, Rebecca sits down with, current Deputy Director of the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council and former 2020 Director of Elections for the State of Georgia, Chris Harvey, to discuss the increasingly hostile environment for those delivering democracy in our towns and cities.  Chris and Rebecca discuss the tendency for munic...

Send us Fan Mail Join us on the exhibit floor at MMA’s annual convention, where your podcasts hosts capture the sounds and energy from members, vendors, and partners in attendance.  Check out this bonus episode to find out who sat down at Potholes & Politics’ recording booth and what was on their mind during this celebratory two-day event.   Interview Timestamps:  7.05 Debbie Laurie – Bangor C...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 4 - How We Get There From Here: Step 1 Join us as we “drive” around the topic of Maine’s road. In the course of three interviews, Episode 4 travels from the Town of Jackman, through Augusta to chat with MDOT, all the way south to Town of Gray.   In Jackman we explore the local reality of maintaining a network of roads. The conversation covers state-local partnerships, the...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 3 – The Invisible Blue Line Episode 3 of Potholes & Politics examines a vital state and local partnership, “the invisible blue line”, in which state law enforcement support the operations of local police departments. Examining the cooperation between state law enforcement and local officials to safely host “Maine Day” in Orono highlights when and how this partnership w...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 2 - MMA 101 – What is MMA and What do They Do? Episode 2 of Potholes & Politics offers listeners an overview of the Maine Municipal Association, our services, governance structures, and plans for enhanced support of municipalities as they face unprecedented challenges. This episode will be good to revisit for new listeners who may want to understand the function and pu...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for MMA’s first podcast episode! This episode summarizes the themes and purpose of the podcast and introduces its hosts Rebecca Graham and Neal Goldberg. Email the show hosts with your ideas at at mmapodcast@memun.org . Corrections and Clarifications 6.55 : While the MMA office does have two levels, with many wonderful people working on both floors, Peter and Alicia work “...