Community Voices For Change

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Community Voices for Change is a talk show highlighting the work of individuals and organizations working to enhance the greater good of communities. Producer and Host Richard Rudolph begins each show with music from Sam Cooke’s Ain’t That Good News Album -“A Change is Gonna Come”. The show is also based on the writings of Howard Zinn and other writers who believe if we can get organized “Small acts” multiplied by hundreds, thousands of people we can transform our communities, the state and even possibly the world. Our sound engineer is Dennis Kirkpatrick.

  1. 1d ago

    Todd Chretien, Candidate for the Portland, Maine City Council

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 26, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. Today's program is an interview of Todd Chretien who is running for the Portland, Maine City Council seat representing District 5. He  lives in the district and has taught at Deering High School, prepared school lunches at the Central Kitchen and currently works with immigrant families as a Spanish interpreter. He also delivers organic produce straight from Fair Share Farm to many doorsteps in the city.  He is a progressive candidate who wants to fully fund Portland's schools, build housing that people can afford and cut property taxes on working-class homeowners and renters by making the rich and corporations pay their fare share.  He said he will push to expand property tax relief for working families, while raising taxes on wealthy businesses in Portland like Amazon, high-priced law firms, and national hotel chains.  He also talked about what can be done to establish "Ice-Free-Zones" in the city and how the city can make streets safe to navigate on foot and by bike.  He also plans to fight to expand public transit options on the major arteries so commuters have options, so we can all become less car-dependent.

  2. Oct 19

    Space Control Weapons

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 19, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. The show is an interview of Bruce Gagnon who is the coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. He was the co-founder of the organization when it was first formed in 1992 and has given speeches in over 29 countries and has spoken on many college campuses including the University of Maine. His talk today focused on the current U.S. effort to deploy so called "space control weapons" to defend U.S. forces on the planet and why we should oppose the U.S. effort to control and dominate space.  Whoever controls the increasingly limited parking spaces in the low earth orbit will be at a considerable advantage and will be able to see and direct weapons not only to targets in space, but also on the earth. The U.S. and its NATO allies also want to move their 600 year western colonial domination to the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies for resource extraction. He pointed out why we should be concerned about who will pay for the trillions of dollars for the collective offensive space programs especially since we are already $40 trillion in debt.He believes there is a deep sickness in the minds and hearts of leaders in Washington who believe that 4% of the global population living in the U.S., should be the masters of Space.  Instead, "Space should be a realm for exploration and inspiration, a place for humans to grow further in knowledge and wisdom."

  3. Oct 5

    Nuclear Power, Climate Progress, and War

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired October 5, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. Today's installment is an interview of Linda Pentz Gunter who is the executive director of the U.S. based nonprofit Beyond Nuclear, which advocates for a world free from nuclear power and nuclear weapons.  Ms. Gunter is also the author of a new book: No to Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroy Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War which has been recently published by Pluto Press.  The book is a delight to read for it not only makes the case against nuclear power and the damage it has already caused, it points out the resources, costs and time associated with nuclear power makes it an ineffective tool for addressing climate change.  The author  also points out that nuclear power and nuclear weapons sectors have disproportionately harmed indigenous people and communities of color as well as women and children, the most susceptible to harm from radiation exposure and what's  wrong with the effort to possibly build small advanced modular nuclear reactors which supporters say could make nuclear faster and less expensive.  She also points out that we must recognize that the choice to continue with nuclear power rather than use cheaper, faster and safer renewable energy derails climate progress and perpetuates access to nuclear weapons that could destroy us all. In closing,  the author writes -  "It is time to say a resounding no to nuclear."

  4. Sep 28

    Mainers Pay the Price for Expensive Health Care

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired September 28, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. This program is an interview of Andy O'Brien who is the Communication Director of the Maine AFL-CIO.  He has recently written a substack and a shorter piece which appeared recently in the Maine Beacon - "Hospital lobbyist thanks Collins while Mainers pay the price for expensive health care" which pointed out that Senator Collins has repeatedly supported deep cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, voting to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act and blocking efforts to lower drug prices including a $35 insulin cap.  Andy pointed out that Senator Collins wants us to believe that she is uniquely responsible for bringing home every federal dollar to Maine, but every Senator brings home federal money because that's their job and that Maine's entire Congressional delegation plays a role in securing federal money for various projects.  Andy also talked  about how she used her power to cut more funding to Maine than she is bringing in.  She had the power to stop Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill (OBB) but didn't.  She voted for the bill when it mattered and took a symbolic vote against it when her vote wasn't needed.  Senator Collins and her allies frequently tout her support for the Rural Health Transformation program which is projected to provide  $950 million for Maine,  but it is far short of the $2.7 billion needed  to offset the impact of the OBB cuts.    This same bill cuts $1.1 billion over 10 years from food assistance programs which help struggling families, people with disabilities, veterans and other Mainers who have fallen on hard times. The OBB also has put $5.3 billion in planned Maine clean energy investments at risk.

  5. Sep 21

    Amtrak's New Portland Station

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired September 21, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. The program is an interview with Peter Cole,  the President of the Maine Rail Group and Bruce Sleeper,  the President of TrainRiders Northeast.  The interview first focused on good news regarding the Amtrak Downeaster Service from North Station, Boston to Brunswick, Maine.   The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority has recently been awarded a $48 million grant to construct a new passenger rail station on St. John Street, between Northern Light Mercy Hospital and the Fore River Parkway.  Relocation of the Downeaster Station from Thompson's Point to CSX's mainline will eliminate the 15 minute backup maneuver needed to get to and from the existing station on Thompson's Point. The new station site is further down on St. John St  from  the original historic station that was torn down in 1961 and is  within walking distance to the Maine Medical Center and Northern Light Mercy Hospital.  There will also be access to convenient public transportation to downtown Portland. Other good news mentioned included the 8.3 miles of double tracking on a portion of the rail line between Andover and Reading in Massachusetts, and $1.06 billion grant award to replace the 1930 "Draw One" Charles River Bridge to North Station in Boston.  Our guests also talked about the ongoing effort to expand passenger rail service to Bangor and are hopeful that with the election of a new Maine governor some progress can be made regarding this matter.

  6. Sep 14

    Social Housing Programs

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired September 14, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. This program is an interview with two members of the Social Housing Task Force which recently released its Final Report and Recommendations to the Portland City Council regarding the creation of an ongoing Social Housing Program, a dedicated Social Housing revolving fund and begin implementation through two initial pilot programs.  Kate Sykes who is a Portland City Councilor who chairs the task force talked about two different housing problems.  The existing housing system is not producing enough houses to meet regional needs nor is it producing homes that many working and middle-income households can afford. Both Kate as well as Catherine Buxton who is a member of the task force talked about the key principles behind social housing and how it is different from traditional Federally supported public housing.  It would be permanently affordable, mixed income rental housing owned by the City of Portland. It's intended to address the persistent gap in Portland's housing production. It would provide housing for workforce and middle-income households who are not consistently served by existing subsidized housing programs, and would retain the public value created through city investment.  They also talked about two pilot models that the committee is considering and the next steps that the City Council will need to take which will include accepting the Final Report, endorsing the Social Housing Program and its core principles and adopting a resolution initiating implementation.

  7. Sep 7

    Our Power vs Maine Public Utility Commission

    The September 7, 2026 program is an interview of Seth Berry, the Executive Director of Our Power who is an intervenor  in the utility  rate case which is currently before the Maine Public Utility Commission.  Seth Berry, who is  a leading critic of Central Maine Power, talked about why his organization is opposed to its request  to raise electric utility rates and the impact it would have if  the Commission  grants its request.   He pointed out the utility last year earned 5.88% return on its equity investment which includes the amount of money that a utility can earn on approved grid assets including poles, wires, substations and transformers.  The new request to raise the rate of return on equity would provide an additional $189 million in profits.  The proposal, if granted, would amount to an increase of about $18 on the distribution portion of a household's monthly bill.  If approved, the typical customer's bill would rise by about $216 more per year.  The new rates would go into effect in May 2027.  The Commission's decision will determine both the price customers will ultimately  pay for grid-improvement work and the amount of profit that CMP can earn.

  8. Aug 31

    The Center for Working Class Politics

    Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired August 31, 2026 WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 7:00 PM Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD. The program is an interview with Jarrett Abbott who is the Director of the Center for Working Class Politics which is a research institute dedicated to surveying the political and economic attitudes of working-class voters, statistical analyses of elections, and the construction of a comprehensive database of progressive candidate demographics, strategy, and messaging. The interview focused on a recent report that Professor Joan Williams and Jarret Abbot have put together, "The Lefts' Coalition Crisis:  Understanding the Massive Divide Between Working Class and College Educated Voters, and How to Bridge It."  The report points out that the left needs to develop class competence. We need to connect with people whose top priorities are paychecks, prices and personal safety.  It is not just about winning elections as crucial as  that is when democracy is under attack. It's  about understanding that people need a sense of personal and economic security before they will support the changes that progressives are calling for.  While Liberals are primarily concerned about costs / working class folks are also concerned about cost, but economic security is the highest working class priority. Protecting Social Security, Medicare, lowering rents and housing costs, drug prices, Medicare and affordable childcare.  All of this requires a steady income stream, a secure economic future, rising wages, creating jobs and boosting economic growth.  Given these working class concerns, the key to success is to keep focus on the economy.  The lesson is not that working-class voters are unreachable.  It's that you can't reach them if you don't prioritize the issues that they care most about.  The report also points out that class competence can increase working-class support for progressive policies on hot button culture and climate issues.  The key is mutual respect accompanied by class-competent reframing around working-class values can move public opinion in a progressive direction.

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About

Community Voices for Change is a talk show highlighting the work of individuals and organizations working to enhance the greater good of communities. Producer and Host Richard Rudolph begins each show with music from Sam Cooke’s Ain’t That Good News Album -“A Change is Gonna Come”. The show is also based on the writings of Howard Zinn and other writers who believe if we can get organized “Small acts” multiplied by hundreds, thousands of people we can transform our communities, the state and even possibly the world. Our sound engineer is Dennis Kirkpatrick.

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