Episode Description
Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired June 22, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host: Richard Rudolph, PhD.
The program is an interview with former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling who is an opinion columnist at The Maine Beacon. The show focused on a recent piece: "A Tenant Bill of Rights" which was published in May 2026. Ethan talked about why a tenant bill of rights is needed and what it would include. He pointed that over 300,000 people in the state are renters who live in Maine's 155,000 units. Most pay more than they can afford. Rent increases are in double digit numbers well above inflation and raises in pay. Tenants can be evicted for no reason and most housing affordability solutions in Maine have focused on property tax relief. The tenant bill of rights would include - Prohibiting no-cause evictions, putting a cap on all rent increases to the rate of inflation, requiring landlords to negotiate with organized tenant unions, and requiring a 90-day notice for all rent increases. It would also limit security deposits to one month's rent and ban broker application fees to apply for an apartment. It would also allow tenants to recover legal fees/damages for illegal evictions and require significant civil penalties against landlords for violations. It would also create a cabinet level office at the state level to protect tenants.
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host: Richard Rudolph, PhD.
The program is an interview with former Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling who is an opinion columnist at The Maine Beacon. The show focused on a recent piece: "A Tenant Bill of Rights" which was published in May 2026. Ethan talked about why a tenant bill of rights is needed and what it would include. He pointed that over 300,000 people in the state are renters who live in Maine's 155,000 units. Most pay more than they can afford. Rent increases are in double digit numbers well above inflation and raises in pay. Tenants can be evicted for no reason and most housing affordability solutions in Maine have focused on property tax relief. The tenant bill of rights would include - Prohibiting no-cause evictions, putting a cap on all rent increases to the rate of inflation, requiring landlords to negotiate with organized tenant unions, and requiring a 90-day notice for all rent increases. It would also limit security deposits to one month's rent and ban broker application fees to apply for an apartment. It would also allow tenants to recover legal fees/damages for illegal evictions and require significant civil penalties against landlords for violations. It would also create a cabinet level office at the state level to protect tenants.