The People's People from Spectrum News

*/ ?>

Latest Episodes:

Rep. Jason Smith: The son of a preacher man becomes a congressman Sep 01, 2022

There are many roads that lead to becoming an elected official. As the son of a preacher/auto mechanic and a nurse, Jason Smith’s self-described blue-collar background found him working a series of jobs, graduating early and pursuing a career as a lawyer. After that it wasn’t long before he found himself a Missouri state representative at the very young age of 25. Smith speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about his upbringing and tells some moving stories about why his work in politics means so much to him. He also shares how he convinced a loan officer to give him the money to buy the family farm, as well as his rather unique approach to naming his donkeys.

Rep. Ann Wagner: From Broadway dreams to a career in politics Aug 24, 2022

As a child, Congresswoman Ann Wagner aspired to Broadway stardom. But her hardworking parents made sure she had something to fall back on — even if they didn’t necessarily expect it to be elected office. But after working at two well-known Missouri companies, she found herself married and living in Jefferson City, and that’s exactly what happened.

Wagner speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about her St. Louis upbringing and the experiences that have made her who she is today. They also discuss the value of a dollar, how the arts can affect your life, and how a Christmas party conversation with the president changed everything.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft: Politics at the Dinner Table Aug 17, 2022

Jay Ashcroft grew up in politics. It’s been a part of his life forever, and the family dinner conversations often centered around it. His childhood also included meeting presidents and Arnold Schwarzenegger, sitting first row for the St. Louis Cardinals, and sneaking around the governor's mansion. And while he also worked as a lifeguard, a Dairy Queen worker, an engineer, a teacher and a lawyer, it is, perhaps, unsurprising that he has ended up where he is now - as an elected official.

Ashcroft speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about his road to becoming Missouri Secretary of State. They also touch on raising a family, and his family’s response to his decision to enter politics, which met with a rather surprising reaction from his mother.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe: Insights from the life of a restless entrepreneur Aug 10, 2022

Perhaps there’s no direct path from childhood to Lieutenant Governor, but Mike Kehoe’s story has a few more surprises than one would expect. Raised in northern St. Louis by a hardworking single mother, Kehoe was the youngest of six. He went from being a teenager washing cars at the Ford dealership to owning one. He also became a first-generation farmer. And, of course, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri.

Kehoe talks with journalist Lindsey Christ about his journey, and why he feels his life experience makes him a good politician. He also discusses the importance of core values, common sense and writing on paper plates.

State Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha: Deeply rooted in Kona life Feb 01, 2022

Dru Mamo Kanuha was just 28 when he was first elected to represent the people of his Kona community. Though his family can trace its local lineage back 12 generations, Kanuha has forged a path in politics all on his own. In this episode of the podcast, he explains how much the local canoe club meant to his childhood sense of community and how it still plays a role in his life today.

Though Kanuha started out helping his father with contracting work and then went to college planning on becoming a marine biologist, he has found a place as the Hawaii State Senate majority leader.

Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth: A high school dropout credits his rise to faith Jan 26, 2022

With several life stories that read like a movie script, Hawaii Island Mayor Mitch Roth had a circuitous path to elected office. In this episode of the podcast, he discusses the impact of several key moments in his life, from a teenage plan to take a trip around the world, to a side-job caring for his boss’s elderly mother, to almost losing his life twice.

Roth didn’t plan to run for office and then when he initially did, he says nobody expected him to win. Now, a year into the role of mayor, he is focused on using his life experiences to make a difference for Hawaii County.

State Senate President Ron Kouchi: Decades of service to Kauai Jan 19, 2022

Hawaii State Senate President Ron Kouchi hoped to be a high school history teacher and enjoyed reading novels in his spare time. But to get out of a job he was too embarrassed to quit, he began campaigning at age 24 for the Kauai County Council, and that was the beginning of a long career in public service.

In this episode of the podcast, Kouchi discusses how he ended up in Iowa for college, what he learned from playing sports, the advice his father gave him, and what he now tells people just beginning their careers in politics. He also discusses the impact of local politics and how his particular life experiences have informed his advocacy over the years.

And Kouchi reveals why he thinks his colleagues chose him for a leadership role in the state senate (it involves Japanese curry and pale ale chili).

U.S. Rep Ed Case: How a restless soul from Hilo found his way to D.C. Jan 11, 2022

Congressman Ed Case has had a life full of adventures, from a childhood “close to nature” in Hilo to working as a jackaroo on a sheep farm in Australia to weathering the culture shock of a small liberal arts college in New England. He first ended up in Washington D.C. almost accidentally as a young man but has found he loves public service and representing the state his family has called home since 1896.

In this podcast episode, Case talks about how he met his wife at his thirtieth high school reunion and how his grandchildren now play a crucial role in his life. He also explains how he sees three distinct roles within his job as a U.S. representative.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami: Once rebellious kid, now island leader Jan 04, 2022

Derek Kawakami has gleaned lessons from all sorts of life experiences, from hustling to grow his paper route as a young boy to feeling like an outsider as a teenager to parenting while trying to build a career in public service.

The mayor of Kauai thoughtfully reflects on his life experiences in this episode of the podcast and shares insight into how he structures his days and what his whole family watches together at night (hint: they don’t easily get scared or squeamish). As a local kid who had to be convinced to run for office, he says he grew to love his job so much that he then had to learn to learn a new lesson: how to sometimes say no.

State Senator Lynn DeCoite: A Farmer, a Hunter, a Grandmother, a Senator Dec 21, 2021

State Senator Lynn DeCoite is a third generation homestead farmer who grows purple sweet potatoes when she is not traveling from island to island representing her constituents in the so-called “canoe district”. She is also a proud grandmother of two, a devoted member of her community and an active hunter, who says she often has to remember to wash the blood of her hands before starting work for the day.

In this episode of The People’s People, Senator DeCoite talks about how she ended up becoming an elected official, even though she “hated politics” and tell stories from her life, like about the first time she got on an airplane and flew to the mainland, with her soon-to-be husband.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi: From tenement to football to TV to City Hall Dec 14, 2021

Rick Blangiardi is new to elected office but not leadership. After a long career as a television executive, he became mayor of Honolulu in January 2021. Yet Blangiardi’s road to City Hall began on the other side of the country, in a tenement in Cambridge, MA, where he says he was raised “in a household full of expectations.”

In this episode of The People’s People podcast, Blangiardi reflects on the twists and turns of a long career and the opportunities and ties that led him to move to Hawaii three separate times. He discusses the influence of his mother, his promise to his children and why the responsibilities of his current job are the most intense, and gratifying, of his professional life.

Lt. Governor Josh Green: A doctor in the State Capitol during a pandemic Dec 07, 2021

Josh Green first ran for office hoping to work on some of the issues he had seen first-hand as an emergency room physician. But his experience and expertise took on an unanticipated relevance during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in addition to his role as lieutenant governor, Green became Hawaii’s Covid response liaison.

In the first episode of the Hawaii season of The People’s People podcast, Lt. Governor Green discusses his role in helping manage Hawaii’s pandemic policies and the personal impact the virus had on him and his family. He tells journalist Lindsey Christ about his weekend work in the emergency room, and how his patients react to him now that he is a statewide leader.

The wide-ranging conversation includes details about Green’s childhood in Pittsburg and how he met his wife in Hawaii. And he is the first elected official to take the Hawaii lightning round, answering pressing questions like whether he prefers Spam or Portuguese sausage and whether he would choose brunch or pau hana.

Introducing "The People's People: Hawaii" Dec 01, 2021

Listen to new episodes starting on December 7th.

What do you know about your elected officials? Do you know what makes them, and the districts they represent, unique? Or why they ran for office in the first place? When we talk about politics, the national conversation seems to overshadow everything. But when it comes to the policies that impact your everyday life, your neighborhood officials are just as important as who’s in the White House. Join award-winning Spectrum News journalist Lindsey Christ as she helps you get to know “The People's People,” what makes them tick and the work they do on your behalf. Each season, we’ll focus on a different part of the country and for the second season, we’re heading to the state of Hawaii.

Mayor of Augusta David Rollins: Making government more civil and bringing back local pride Oct 19, 2021

David Rollins says that back in the 1960s, very few people in Augusta, Maine would have expected a certain high school athlete to one day be mayor. But looking back at his 16 years of civic service, Rollins says this may have been the best period of his life. He ran for office in an attempt to bring more civility to the local government, and he says he will retire this year filled with pride at his city’s revitalization.

Rollins speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about why it’s important to get involved and how he thinks Augusta has changed. And he explains the very special reason he has decided not to run for a third term as mayor.

Mayor of Portland Kate Snyder: Leading her city through the pandemic Oct 12, 2021

Kate Snyder always keeps a tab open on her computer with the mayor of Portland’s powers and duties, as written in the city charter, to remind herself what her role is—and isn’t. She is only the third full-time, popularly elected mayor in modern Portland history and says she is still helping define what that means for the city, especially as everything changed during the pandemic.

Journalist Lindsey Christ speaks with Mayor Snyder about how she ended up living in Maine and eventually got into politics, her love for her city and the challenges Portland faces. And the mayor loves a lightning round—so stay tuned to see how she answers our burning questions about life in Maine.

Mayor of Auburn Jason Levesque: From local boy to drill sergeant to mayor Oct 05, 2021

With family roots that extend back in Auburn many generations, Mayor Jason Levesque is an advocate for his city and state. He tells journalist Lindsey Christ why he returned to his hometown after years away at college and in the U.S. Army. Mayor Levesque also shares how confident he is in Auburn’s resilience, and that, even after weathering the impact of the pandemic, he believes the city is poised for growth. Levesque entered politics later in life, after building and selling a business, and he explains why he ran for office and how his first political opponent is now a friend.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins: A work-ethic that stems from picking potatoes Sep 28, 2021

While Senator Susan Collins is often in the national news for her decisions in Washington, her conversation with journalist Lindsey Christ focuses on who she is and how she became such a significant national figure. Senator Collins describes growing up near the Canadian border with two parents who believed it was wrong to complain if you don’t get involved. Her first job was manual labor that paid in pennies and an early encounter with a senator from Maine inspired her future career. Collins also discusses a dramatic moment in the U.S. Senate that almost resulted in her missing a vote – and ruining her perfect record. Learn what she thinks is the biggest challenge facing Maine and how she answers our burning lightning round questions, like whether she would choose a weekend at the ocean or a lake.

Governor Janet Mills: From hitchhiking through Europe to leading the state of Maine Sep 21, 2021

Being the chief executive of a state during a pandemic is a job nobody could prepare for, but Maine Governor Janet Mills learned to work through challenges and thrive through adversity at an early age. In the debut episode of The People’s People podcast, Governor Mills speaks with journalist Lindsey Christ about the more unusual experiences that helped shape her into becoming the first woman elected governor of Maine. That includes taking on a newspaper route at the age of five, “slinging hash” in a restaurant, being a psychiatric aide at a hospital and helping raise five stepdaughters. And Governor Mills explains why being the first woman to be a district attorney in New England was a starker experience than when she broke the glass ceiling in the executive office. They discuss how while Mills was making the tough decisions for Maine during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was also learning to live with the same restrictions as other Mainers, which included trying to bake over video calls with her grandchildren.

And Governor Mills is the first to take on The People's People lightning round of sticky questions only a Mainer could answer - like whether she would rather sleep in a tent or an RV.