Ask The Mayor: Recent Episodes
Emilie Syberg
Each week, WBAA's news team chats with the mayor of a West Central Indiana community on Ask The Mayor. It's a discussion about the most pressing civic and social issues of the day and a chance to let citizens get to know their elected leaders a little better.E-mail questions for any of the mayors to ask@wbaa.org.Ask The Mayor airs live Thursdays at 12 p.m. on WBAA News (AM 920 and 105.9 FM) and is rebroadcast the same evening at 7.
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on plans for Ivy Tech building to be used for career and tech center
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on $3.8 billion investment from manufacturer SK Hynix
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s Erin Easter on city efforts to pause approvals for Air Bnb’s
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton on preparing for next month’s total solar eclipse
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on “disappointment” with latest legislative session
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on driving privilege cards for undocumented residents
As the region faces a housing shortage, Easter worries about the Area Board of Zoning Appeals approving more Air Bnbs. Plus, we’ll hear the mayor’s thoughts on legislation to create permitting around large water withdrawals not getting a hearing.
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses ongoing study of Market Street Railroad crossing
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses Governor Holcomb’s visit to Tippecanoe County
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on decision to stay away from LEAP pipeline issue
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses a county ordinance blocking large water withdrawals
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses potential of commercial flights out of Purdue airport
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses how near total abortion ban could impact business
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski police department’s new “community service officer” positions
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on a proposed tenant union in Greater Lafayette
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses the grand opening of the city’s public safety building
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses new candidates in the upcoming election
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets discusses grand opening of Sapphire Bay aquatic park
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses Nucor Steel announcement and growing workforce demands
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses upcoming panel on Lebanon LEAP district
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses plans to reduce traffic fatalities
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses Montgomery County’s new solar co-op
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses possibility of annexing land outside the town of Dayton
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets talks about an accident that killed eight residents in Mexico
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses the new penguins at Columbian Park Zoo
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on expanded smoking restrictions within the city
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses planned development of Shortz Nature Park
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses concerns over new location for syringe exchange program
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on the city’s climate plan and efforts to bring Purdue on board
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton on state of the city and how Crawfordsville hopes to grow
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski roundtable with Gov. Holcomb and state of the city
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses rising Purdue admissions and the city’s housing crunch
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton on why he’ll focus on “backburner” issues in 2023
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets discusses plans for funding from national opioid settlement
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses new social worker position with police department
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses plans for his final year as mayor
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton says announcement he’ll run for reelection “not an easy decision”
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets discusses the departure of the city’s parks superintendent
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses how the city plans to spend money from opioid lawsuit
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis defends ordinance penalizing panhandling along city streets
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses plans for new early learning facility and hopes of addressing region's “childcare desert”
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets talks about the theft of some of the city’s new automated trash totes
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses possibility of losing BMV location within city
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton plans to attract remote workers to the city
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets discusses READI grant funding and the impact of inflation on the city budget
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Mayor Tony Roswarski on incentivizing remote workers to move into Lafayette
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses struggle with Alzheimer’s: “I’m experiencing a little more challenges”
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses struggle with Alzheimer’s: “I’m experiencing a little more challenges”
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses why he plans to nix ordinance restricting the use of drones
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets discusses how opioid settlement funds will come to the city
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski discusses Wal-Mart shooting and crime reduction beyond law enforcement
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses the city’s continued growth - and how officials are preparing for it
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis discusses SkyWater’s $1.8 billion investment
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on the retirement of Deputy Chief Jim Skinner after 42 years
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on Mayor John Dennis’s early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis, Indiana’s post-Roe landscape
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on reactions to his early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton discusses meeting local housing needs and the Republican Party convention
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on passing a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on installing cameras to capture license plates around the city
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton on the potential development of “hundreds” of homes and apartments
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on how annexation will impact city budgets and the need for more police
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on the struggle to fill open positions and efforts to keep Lafayette affordable
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on a tax abatement for Rolls-Royce and the city’s reasoning behind paying stipends to attract remote workers
Ask the Mayor: Frankfort’s Judy Sheets on upcoming road projects and what it takes to bring new businesses to the region
Ask the Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski on construction projects and upcoming events in the city
Ask The Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on incentivizing remote workers to move to the city
Ask the Mayor: Crawfordsville’s Todd Barton on local control and attracting new businesses to the region
Ask The Mayor: Lafayette’s Tony Roswarski On Installing New Cameras Across the City to Monitor License Plates
Ask the Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on the city’s decision to opt back into opioid litigation and concerns about legislation to end handgun permitting
Ask The Mayor: Frankfort's Judy Sheets on the impact of chip shortages and staffing problems
Ask The Mayor: West Lafayette’s John Dennis on snowstorms, conversion therapy, and potential cuts to the city budget
Ask The Mayor: Crawfordsville's Todd Barton On State of the City and cuts to local budgets moving through the legislature
Ask The Mayor: Lafayette's Tony Roswarski On Holcomb's State of the State and the latest COVID-19 surge
Ask The Mayor: West Lafayette's John Dennis On Facial Recognition Ban and New City Climate Sustainability Job
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Frankfort’s parks department reported another park vandalism incident this week, after multiple instances of this issue over the past year. The city plans to hire someone specifically for nighttime park security. How far would their responsibilities extend, and would this new role help mitigate future issues?
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Lafayette’s city budget was presented this month, with raises for city employees and reminders that COVID-19 will continue to impact the financial outlook on a number of fronts in the coming year. What are the spending priorities, and what will local officials continue to watch as they consider where to cut costs?
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: West Lafayette’s city council discussed whether to ban the use of facial recognition technology at their meeting on Monday. Some council members raised concerns about the technology's use and its racial bias, while others pointed to it as an important tool of law enforcement. Regardless, Mayor John Dennis has said he will veto the ordinance if it comes to his desk.
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Montgomery County headed into the red this week on Indiana’s COVID-19 metrics map, as statewide daily case counts continue to rise to levels not seen since the start of the year. Local school systems are shifting to remote learning as more and more students test positive for COVID, and reopening plans are being adjusted to allow for mask requirements. What comes next as local officials try to stop a possible surge?
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: tragedy struck in Clinton County Wednesday as two women were shot and killed at a Frankfort factory. How is local law enforcement working to determine what happened, and why? And how does a community cope with this type of violence?
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: West Lafayette puts a mask mandate back in place for city buildings as CDC masking recommendations change in response to the delta variant, while Tippecanoe County commissioners signal they don’t have plans to issue restrictions. How can local elected officials – and the health department -- work together in the coming months?
This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Montgomery County’s health department issued a plea to residents this week to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the school year gets closer and the Delta variant continues its spread. After the Indiana Department of Health elevated the county into its orange category this week, how do local officials plan to slow the rising tide of infections among the unvaccinated?