Speak Up with Laurel Libby

Laurel Libby
  • 4.4 (14)
  • Politics
  • Updated Biweekly

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is on a mission to give everyday folks the insight and confidence to speak up and make their voices heard, in Maine and beyond. Each episode breaks down the issues of the day… separating fact from fiction, translating policy into plain language, and connecting local challenges to the national conversation. Through interviews, deep dives, and practical guidance, Speak Up empowers everyday citizens to become educated, get engaged, and take action for a stronger, freer future.

  1. 2d ago

    Proof the Lewiston Victims Fund Broke Its Promise | Bonus Episode with Amy Sussman

    Amy Sussman is back. Her nephew Max Hathaway was killed in the October 2023 Lewiston shooting, on the day he graduated high school. Two years ago she learned what donors were never told: of the $6.6 million raised for victims and survivors, $1.9 million went to 29 outside nonprofits instead, while victims and survivors split $4.7 million, an average of $29,000 a person. In this bonus episode, Amy brings the paper trail. An email from the fundraiser's own consultant and a letter on Maine Community Foundation letterhead, both promising 100% of donations to victims and survivors. She walks through what changed after that promise was made, what the Attorney General's office told her when she asked them to reopen the case, and what happened this week when she finally sat down with Governor Mills' staff after fourteen requests. This episode covers: The exact documents promising "100%" to victims, read on cameraHow $6.6 million broke down between victims and 29 nonprofitsWhy the Root Cellar returned its $65,000 and 28 others have notThe City of Lewiston's $810,000 into the fund, and the oversight question it raisesWhat Amy asked Governor Mills' office, and what she's asking Maine's Government Oversight Committee at their September 16th hearing If you gave to this fund, or you just believe Mainers deserve to know where their money went, this is your update. The high-stakes Government Oversight Committee hearing is September 16th. Amy is on the agenda this time. We'll let you know what happens. Subscribe for the full "Speak Up with Laurel Libby" series and every follow-up on this story. Sign up for updates at www.leadmaine.com

  2. Sep 1

    A Maine Entrepreneur, Farming Since AGE NINE

    Brayden Nadeau started following his grandfather around a Maine farm basically from birth, and farming it for real at nine years old. By sixteen he was running his own vegetable stand, farming 10 to 15 acres, raising 18 head of cattle, and turning a Facebook page into national attention from Rachael Ray and Lester Holt.On this episode of Speak Up, Laurel sits down with Brayden, his grandfather Dan, his mom, and his grandmother at the farm on Hatch Road in Auburn to trace how a nine-year-old's fascination with a seed turned into a business. Dan opens the episode talking about what has actually changed in Maine farming: shrinking land, rising costs, and a market that keeps getting harder to hold onto. Brayden picks up from there: the garage full of vegetables that became his first stand, the honor-system box that got broken into, and the $10,000 donation that came out of nowhere on live TV.This episode covers: How a nine-year-old talked local landowners into letting him farm their landThe break-in at his farm stand and how the community rallied around himThe Rachael Ray donation and how a local Facebook page turned into national newsWhat his grandmother had to navigate protecting a kid from sudden media attentionHis advice to any young person who thinks they are too young to start something Find Brayden's Vegetable Stand at 470 Hatch Road, Auburn, Maine, or on Facebook at Brayden's Vegetable Stand.Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby:▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby/videos▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW▶ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672

  3. Aug 18

    Follow the Money | Episode 16 with OJ Oleka

    How fraud becomes your tax bill...What if the reason Augusta keeps asking you for more money is that no one stopped the money it already lost? Dr. OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, shows exactly how fraud takes root in a state budget, and what Maine could do about it.In this episode you'll hear: What treasurers and auditors actually do, and why an elected officer can stop a bad payment when an appointed bureaucrat has no reason toHow a routine $5,000 contract becomes fraud one small overage at a time, and returns as legislative "investments," the word politicians use when they want to raise your taxesWhat the January 2026 federal audit found in Maine's Medicaid autism-services program, and why post-payment review was the missing pieceThe two fixes Lead Maine is advancing for MaineCare: in-person inspections that happen in person, and holding payments in escrow when a provider is under suspicion of fraudWhy Oleka calls fraud a "feature of the system," and the stewardship-versus-entitlement divide underneath every budget fight About Dr. OJ Oleka: He has led the State Financial Officers Foundation since October 2024 and testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee in April 2026. He previously served as assistant treasurer of Kentucky under Treasurer Allison Ball.Resources mentioned: State Financial Officers Foundation: https://sfof.comSFOF 2025 Oversight Report: https://sfof.com/fraud-oversight/HHS-OIG audit of Maine's autism-services Medicaid payments (Jan. 2026): https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/all/2026/maine-made-at-least-456-million-in-improper-fee-for-service-medicaid-payments-for-rehabilitative-and-community-support-services-provided-to-children-diagnosed-with-autism/OJ Oleka testimony, U.S. House Oversight Committee (April 2026): https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Oleka-Written-Testimony.pdf

  4. Aug 4

    Transforming Education with Accountability and High Standards | Episode 15 with Mike Miles

    Mike Miles took over Houston ISD (170,000 students, the largest district in Texas) in June 2023. The district was broken: 121 D and F schools, 1,900 chronically absent teachers, zero focus on instruction quality, financial chaos, and worst of all, kids failing year after year.In just three years, HISD transformed. From 121 D and F schools to nearly 200 A and B rated schools13 of 20 state exams: above state average (previously zero)Reading and math proficiency gains three years in a rowTeacher salaries: highest in Texas ($83K-$101K)Chronic absenteeism: from 1,900 absent teachers to near zero How?? With systemic, wholesale reform: New curriculum + direct instructioNew evaluation + pay for performanceTeacher coaching + daily supportReal accountability + real consequencesSpeed: 85 schools completely overhauled in one summer Mike's message to Maine (and every state struggling with education): Kids are never at fault. Adults are the problem. Set high expectations. Move fast. Refuse excuses. Pay teachers well. Hold everyone accountable. The roadmap exists. The question is: are we willing?More about Mike Miles: Mike's book: "By Design: How to Transform School Systems" (Amazon)Paradigm Leaders Fellowship (training next-gen education leaders)Third Future Schools (charter-district partnership network)goodreasonhouston.org

  5. Jul 21

    What Does it Take to Prosper? | Episode 14 with Owen McCarthy

    Owen McCarthy grew up in a trailer on his grandfather’s land in Patten, Maine, the son of a logger and a school lunch worker. He became the first in his family to finish college, co-founded the Maine health-tech company MedRhythms, and this spring ran fifth of seven candidates in the 2026 Republican primary for governor. Owen McCarthy sat down with me in-studio for a post-primary look at why he ran, what building a company in Maine taught him about the state’s business climate, and the specifics of his Maine 2040 plan. In this episode: How MedRhythms uses foot-worn sensors and real music to help stroke and Parkinson’s patients relearn how to walkWhy McCarthy moved the company from Boston to Maine, and what he says is the hardest part of building a health care company hereMcCarthy’s case for why young Mainers leave the state, and where Maine ranks for new business formationThe campaign-trail issue McCarthy says he heard about most: electricity costsMaine’s record education spending alongside record-low reading scoresThe “smart bets” in McCarthy’s Maine 2040 plan, from maritime innovation to a state crypto frameworkThis year’s AI data center fight in Augusta, and what McCarthy says it signaled to investorsA constituent’s anger over the Gateway Community Services MaineCare fraud caseMcCarthy’s case for provider-to-provider telehealth and why he says “coverage is not the same as access”What McCarthy learned about Maine, and himself, in the 2026 primary About the guest: Owen McCarthy of Gorham, Maine, is co-founder of MedRhythms, a Maine digital therapeutics company. He grew up in Patten, Maine, was the first in his family to finish college, and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from Harvard. He served as a University of Maine System trustee and on the American Telemedicine Association board, and was one of seven candidates who ran in the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary. Please subscribe! Follow Laurel: X www.x.com/Laurel_LibbyFacebook https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: X www.x.com/lead_maine Facebook www.facebook.com/leadmaine More on www.leadmaine.com

  6. Jul 7

    Living in Faith, Freedom, and Service in Downeast Maine

    Maddy Curtis is in her early twenties, a homesteader in training from Washington County, and she came to politics through history, not headlines. In this conversation, we talk about why no single election decides everything, finding common ground across deep divides, and what a grounded life looks like in modern Maine. What you'll hear: Why Maddy believes Maine is turning around over the long haul, not in one electionWilliam Wilberforce and the case for patience in politicsGeorge Washington's secret Culper spy ring, the young heroes history forgotHow to disagree without writing people off (including working with the ACLU)Wholesome living, homesteading, and where our food really comes from About Maddy Curtis: A member of the Washington County Republicans, recently elected state committeewoman, and head organizer of the Freedom's Legacy Conference. She lives in Pembroke, Maine.Resources: "Washington's Secret Six," Eric Metaxas, WallBuilders (David and Tim Barton), Drive Thru History (Dave Stotts) Subscribe: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby/videos | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW | Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: X www.x.com/Laurel_Libby | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Follow Lead Maine: X www.x.com/lead_maine | Facebook www.facebook.com/leadmaine More on www.leadmaine.com #SpeakUp #LeadMaine #Maine #MainePolitics #History

  7. Jun 23

    MaineCare... Got FRAUD? | Episode 12 with Steve Robinson

    Maine spends $1.4 billion a year on MaineCare, one of every four dollars the state spends. When a provider overbills, the state often calls it an "improper payment"... even if there is fraud involved... and lets the provider pay it back out of future claims. Steve Robinson of The Maine Wire explains how that works, and the two rules Lead Maine is asking DHHS to put in place.In this episode: How MaineCare became the largest and fastest-growing line item in the state budgetRecoupment": how providers found to have been overpaid can repay out of future claims, with few criminal referralsWhy low cost-sharing drives ER overutilization, longer waits, and lower quality for everyoneThe cross-subsidy in your paycheck: how low MaineCare rates push private insurance premiums upThe two rules Lead Maine is proposing: in-person verification before billing, and a payment pause with escrow when improper payments are foundLead Maine is submitting petition signatures to DHHS to begin rulemaking on these two rules, with a public comment period coming this fall. Sign up at www.leadmaine.com to be notified when it opens. About Steve Robinson: Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire, the leading source of investigative reporting on MaineCare fraud, waste, and abuse in Maine. www.themainewire.com The Robinson Report on Substack: www.AsMaineGoes.com Follow Steve Robinson on X: www.x.com/SteveRob Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby: ▶ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby ▶ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW ▶ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel: ▶ X: www.x.com/laurel_libby ▶ Facebook: www.facebook.com/laurellibbyMEhouse Learn more about Lead Maine at www.leadmaine.com #SpeakUp #LeadMaine #Maine #MaineCare #DHHS #MainePolitics

  8. Jun 9

    Speaking Up for Maine Moms | Episode 11 with Libby Fotter

    What happens when a Maine mom who doesn't follow politics sits down with her state rep and just starts asking questions? Libby Fotter, a homeschooling mom of four daughters from Auburn, joins Laurel for a conversation that covers how the Maine Legislature actually works, from the inside, for anyone who has ever felt like Augusta was happening to them without their input. No political experience required.In this episode: How Maine's Legislature is structuredWhat constituent requests actually look likeHow a bill gets writtenWho actually elects Maine's Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer (hint: it's not voters)The worst bill of the session: Maine's new millionaire tax, what it does to the top income tax rate, and why Laurel believes it will cost the whole stateLaurel's favorite bill idea she's never submitted, and why timing mattersPlus, a birthday text from a teenager that will be instantly recognizable to any parent of a Gen Z kid. Subscribe to Speak Up with Laurel Libby:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurel_libby Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/75Y2G40k0gWwFH6cncgiuW?si=2e9b9fe49f114a51 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speak-up-with-laurel-libby/id1870102672 Follow Laurel:X: https://x.com/laurel_libby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelLibbyMEHouse Learn more about Lead Maine's work at www.LeadMaine.com

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4.4
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Speak Up with Laurel Libby is on a mission to give everyday folks the insight and confidence to speak up and make their voices heard, in Maine and beyond. Each episode breaks down the issues of the day… separating fact from fiction, translating policy into plain language, and connecting local challenges to the national conversation. Through interviews, deep dives, and practical guidance, Speak Up empowers everyday citizens to become educated, get engaged, and take action for a stronger, freer future.

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