Statehouse briefings and small-town stories from the Michigan Municipal League
In Live with the League, the Michigan Municipal League's State and Federal Affairs team talks through housing bills, preemption, budget season and energy policy, taking viewer questions from the chat. Alongside those briefings sit narrated posts from the League's People and Place blog, like an architect's move from Alaska to a miner's house in Negaunee.
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We Love Where You Live is the audio home of the Michigan Municipal League, and it carries two very different kinds of episode. Episodes titled Live with the League, each with a date, are livestreamed briefings on what is happening at the Capitol and what it means for Michigan communities. Emily Kaliszewski, the League's Assistant Director of Member Experience and Learning, hosts, and John Lamacchi fills in for her on 'Live with the League — 4.13.2026 — Talking CEA with Houghton & Negaunee'. The substance comes from the State and Federal Affairs team, introduced on air as John, Jen and Dave, whom the host calls on one issue at a time. Housing runs through several of the briefings. They cover a newly introduced housing package, talk of preemption and what it could mean for local government, and a close look at draft accessory dwelling unit language. Answering a viewer's question about year-round residency, Jen explains that the draft would stop communities from counting ADUs toward capacity caps or requiring owner occupancy, tools some communities use to balance year-round and seasonal populations. The advocacy advice is direct: leave legislators no doubt about where a community stands, and keep the message consistent. The range goes well beyond housing. One briefing sets out an agenda running from campground legislation and energy policy to drones and property tax reform conversations. Within it, distributed energy gets a working definition, electricity produced close to where it is used, illustrated with solar panels on city buildings, a battery at a wastewater treatment plant and EV fleets that can shift their charging. Other episodes cover Governor Whitmer's budget recommendation, election bill updates, and the staggered legislative spring break, after which budget talk is expected to pick up. League business fills the edges: Capitol Conference registration, a National League of Cities conference, a Bay City summit on trust and effective engagement, and an on-demand learning platform with courses on ethics, lobbying, local government and finance. Past Community Excellence Award winners join one episode to talk about authenticity and about doing more of what a place is already good at. The second strand is quieter and more personal. Narrated posts from the League's People and Place blog tell stories of place, among them that of architect Ryan Morse. He graduated in the early 2000s with no prospects for work, drove 4,000 miles in six days to an internship in Alaska, and spent more than a decade building a career in Fairbanks. After COVID, with his family far away, he wanted to return to the northern Great Lakes, and his research pointed to Marquette County. Negaunee offered historic homes at prices a young, single person could reach, and he bought a 1900-era miner's house near downtown after about two days in a hotel. Set beside the housing briefings, his remark about simply being able to buy a house brings the policy talk down to the scale of one person.
Made for: Suits a listener who wants a staff-level read on Michigan housing, budget and energy legislation from the League's own policy team, and who is happy for League announcements and a narrated small-town story to share the same feed.
What sets it apart: Its policy analysis comes from the League's own State and Federal Affairs staff, who are pushing positions on the bills they explain rather than commenting from outside. It also sets those briefings next to narrated blog stories, such as an architect's move to a miner's house in Negaunee.
For nearly 150 episodes, the Michigan Municipal League podcast brought you insightful interviews on municipal innovations and politics. Now, this is where you can listen to posts from our blog, People & Place, as well as listen to previous Live with the League shows.Read our blog here: https://mml.org/resources-research/blogs/Watch previous Live with the League videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@MichiganMunicipalLeague
The budget arrives late; now your road funding question has a plot twist.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded look at Michigan community awards, local pride, and the practical civic work behind good ideas.
Live with the League turns the Community Excellence Awards into more than a civic showcase. John Lamacchi's conversation with past winners frames the Michigan Municipal League program as a way to understand how local projects take shape, why they reflect the places behind them,…
A practical League briefing on Michigan housing policy, the budget calendar, CapCon, and training opportunities.
This Live with the League episode gives Michigan legislative updates a practical, member-focused shape. Emily Kaliszewski is joined by John, Jen, and Dave for a conversation that moves through housing policy, the budget calendar, CapCon, and academy training without losing sight…
A practical briefing on housing legislation, preemption, and the local work needed to keep communities in the conversation.
Local housing policy is framed here as a matter of local voice, practical capacity, and the ability of communities to plan ahead. Emily Kaliszewski, the League's Assistant Director for Member Experience and Learning, turns to Jen for a clear read on where the housing…
A grounded briefing on housing preemption, ADU language, and how League members can reach legislators.
Housing legislation is moving through the House with real consequences for local government, and Live with the League keeps the focus on how that process may land in communities.
A grounded look at Michigan legislation, from campground rules to distributed energy and the local systems in between.
Michigan's legislative agenda is handled like a live working file, starting with House Bill 5430 and campground rules on temporary residence, then shifting into distributed energy and what it could mean for communities.
A practical League briefing for newly elected officials tracking events, grants, legislation, and training.
Local government work gets a practical, resource-focused treatment as the League previews its Capital Conference, MyFundingHub, legislative updates, and academy-related training.
New York policy after the headline fight.
Georgia early-learning updates, made practical.
Live with the League opens with John Lamacchi filling in for Emily on the Michigan Municipal League show and interviewing Houghton city manager Eric Wara and Mona Lang of Negaunee about winning the Community Excellence Awards.
Live with the League spends most of its time on Michigan housing preemption, the $160 million My Home proposal, and the bill numbers 5529-5532, 5581-5585, 5660, and 5661.
Emily Kaliszewski hosts John and Jen for a housing-focused discussion of Michigan’s nine-bill preemption package and the My Home Program bills, House Bills 5660 and 5661.
An architect shares his journey of moving back to his home region in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and settling in the small town of Negaunee.
Live with the League opened with Emily Kaliszewski, John Lamacchia, Jen Rigstrink, and Dave Hodgkins on a nine-bill Michigan House housing package that touches lot sizes, ADUs, parking, and site-plan review.
["Michigan local officials get a fast update on campground rules, expired tax abatements, drones, energy, property taxes, elections, and roads.", "Emily Kaliszewski hosts from the Ann Arbor office with the state and federal affairs team, and Budget Director Jen Flood becomes central to the budget discussion.", "House Bill 5430, the sunset fight over PA 210 and PA 255, and the governor's previewed $90 million senior property-tax cut are the biggest near-term headlines.", "The episode also covers Senate Bills 731 and 732 on distributed energy, Senate Bills 691 and 698 on election dates, and the 30th Senate District special election."]
Live with the League covers Capital Conference in Lansing on March 10–11, MyFundingHub’s database of over 1,100 grants, and Michigan legislative developments.
Emily Kaliszewski hosts We Love Where You Live’s Live with the League episode on the League’s 2026 leadership message and Michigan legislative priorities.
Emily Kaliszewski hosts Dave, Jen, John, and Harasana of the Michigan Municipal League about Michigan’s year-end legislative agenda and priorities for 2026.
Emily Kaliszewski interviews Frankfort Superintendent Josh Mills about a Benzie County analysis calling for 1,508 new homes by 2027, including 1,294 for purchase.
Emily Kaliszewski hosts Taylor Pine, John Lamacchia, and Dave Hodgkins on Michigan local-government developments, including Upper Peninsula community projects, road funding, revenue sharing, property-tax postmarks, and oath deadlines.
We Love Where You Live examines Michigan municipal priorities in “Live with the League — 9.22.2025 — The Latest from Lansing,” including the state budget, election legislation, tipping fees, housing, and convention takeaways.
Live with the League — 10.6.2025 — We Have a Budget!
This episode discusses the American Rescue Plan Coalition and short-term rental issues with guests from Michigan municipal organizations.
This episode discusses a new state treasury portal for ARP funding and a program called Serve My City that helps local communities access federal resources.
A municipal league podcast discussing upcoming webinars and hot topics like the American Rescue Plan, short-term rentals, and gravel mining with a guest from the National League of Cities.
The episode features an interview with journalist Rick Haglund about Michigan communities' efforts to help local businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.