#735 | Thursday, September 17, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

September 17th, 2026  |  1 hr 27 mins

2027 election cycle, 2027 elections, Indianapolis, anderson indiana, board of works, candidate recruitment, citizen engagement, citizen involvement, citizen oversight, citizen power, city of muncie, county government, dan ridenour, delaware county, delaware county indiana, democratic candidates, east central indiana, elected officials, george jeffrey howe, government accountability, government leadership, government reform, government transparency, henry county, henry county indiana, indiana politics, jeff howe, libertarian candidates, local candidates, local elections, local government, local leadership, local politics, madison county, madison county indiana, marion county, mayor dan ridenour, muncie, muncie board of works, muncie government, muncie indiana, muncie politics, muncie redevelopment commission, municipal government, new castle indiana, political accountability, political campaigns, political candidates, public meetings, public office, public servants, public service, randolph county, randolph county indiana, redevelopment commission, republican candidates, run for office, running for office, winchester indiana

In Episode #735 of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey focuses on what he sees as a growing breakdown of public service and citizen engagement across East Central Indiana and beyond. Bilbrey briefly reviews the September 16 Muncie Board of Works meeting before turning to the September 17 Muncie Redevelopment Commission meeting, examining its decision-making, accountability, and the roles of Mayor Dan Ridenour and Jeff Howe. From there, the discussion broadens to local government across Muncie/Delaware County, Anderson/Madison County, Winchester/Randolph County, New Castle/Henry County, and Indianapolis/Marion County. Bilbrey argues that too many public officials have forgotten whom they serve while too many citizens remain disengaged. With the next local election cycle beginning in 2027, Bilbrey challenges citizens who believe local government needs better leadership to get involved—organize, campaign, challenge incumbents, and consider running for office as Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or otherwise. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#729 | Tuesday, September 08, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

September 8th, 2026  |  2 hrs 24 mins

2026 election, 2026 general election, campaign behavior, campaigns, candidate responsibility, candidates, citizen oversight, city of muncie, county budget meetings, county council meeting, delaware county, delaware county budget, delaware county government, delaware county indiana, east central indiana, elected officials, government accountability, government spending, government transparency, henry county, henry county government, henry county indiana, henry county politics, henry county sheriff, henry county sheriff's office, indiana elections, indiana politics, local government, local politics, madison county, madison county council, madison county government, madison county indiana, madison county politics, mckinley neighborhood, mckinley neighborhood muncie, muncie, muncie budget, muncie government, muncie indiana, muncie politics, political candidates, proposed 2027 muncie budget, public meetings, public office, public servants, randy howard, taxpayer money

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey returns from the Labor Day holiday for Episode #729 of The Political Spotlight as the program gets back on track heading toward the 2026 general election. Bilbrey begins in Muncie and Delaware County, previewing the City of Muncie's proposed 2027 budget, ongoing county budget discussions, and the developing McKinley Neighborhood situation—both stories that will receive deeper attention in future episodes. From there, the spotlight moves to Henry County, where Bilbrey discusses concerns involving a former employee of the Henry County Sheriff's Office. Then comes a broader discussion about candidates, campaigns, and the responsibility that comes with seeking public office. What should someone understand before filing to run? What does a candidate's behavior tell voters about how that person might act once entrusted with public power? Bilbrey uses the latest developments involving Randy Howard to dig into those questions. Finally, the program heads west to Madison County, where a heated County Council meeting reminds viewers why citizens should pay much closer attention to local government. Madison County's council is the county's fiscal body and holds regular public meetings. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#728 | Friday, September 04, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

September 4th, 2026  |  2 hrs 8 mins

Part 2, citizen oversight, commissioners meeting, dr katherine callahan, elected officials, government accountability, government transparency, indiana politics, lapel, lapel council, lapel councilor, lapel government, lapel politics, local government, local politics, madison county, madison county commissioners, madison county government, madison county indiana, madison county parks board, madison county politics, open door law, open door violations, parks board, part 2 of 2, political accountability, public meetings, public records, residency issue, residency requirements

(Part 2 of 2) Once again, Dr. Katherine Callahan, a contributing correspondent from Madison County, Indiana, joins Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey for this 728th episode (part 2 of 2) of The Political Spotlight to discuss the past couple of weeks of political and governmental developments in and around Madison County! From residency issues involving a Lapel Councilor to the insanity of the recent Madison County Commissioners meeting, and the open-door violations and more involving the Madison County Parks Board... this is going to be an informative show, as always! #ThePoliticalSpotlight (This is part 2 of a 2-part series)

#727 | Thursday, September 03, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

September 3rd, 2026  |  1 hr 44 mins

Part 1, citizen oversight, commissioners meeting, dr katherine callahan, elected officials, government accountability, government transparency, indiana politics, lapel, lapel council, lapel councilor, lapel government, lapel politics, local government, local politics, madison county, madison county commissioners, madison county government, madison county indiana, madison county parks board, madison county politics, open door law, open door violations, parks board, part 1 of 2, political accountability, public meetings, public records, residency issue, residency requirements

(Part 1 of 2) Dr. Katherine Callahan, a contributing correspondent from Madison County, Indiana, joins Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey for this 727th episode (part 1 of 2) of The Political Spotlight to discuss the past couple of weeks of political and governmental developments in and around Madison County! From residency issues involving a Lapel Councilor to the insanity of the recent Madison County Commissioners meeting, and the open-door violations and more involving the Madison County Parks Board... this is going to be an informative show, as always! #ThePoliticalSpotlight (This is part 1 of a 2-part series)

#718 | Monday, August 17, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

August 17th, 2026  |  2 hrs 29 mins

911 director fred cummings, 911 dispatch, anderson, anderson government, anderson indiana, anderson politics, delaware county, delaware county commissioners, delaware county emergency communications, delaware county government, delaware county indiana, delaware county politics, dr katherine callahan, elected officials, election board, emergency communications, emergency dispatch, emergency management, emergency meeting, first responders, flood emergency, flood relief, flooding, fred cummings, free-for-all, government accountability, government transparency, historic flooding, homeland security, local government, local politics, madison county, madison county commissioners, madison county council, madison county election board, madison county emergency management agency, madison county government, madison county indiana, madison county politics, muncie, muncie delaware county 911 emergency communications center, muncie government, muncie indiana, muncie politics, public safety, public safety communications, public servants, rainy day fund, rainy day fund 1186, recent historic weather event, southern baptist disaster relief, the election board meeting

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey welcomes Madison County correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to discuss recent developments in Madison County and Anderson, including the July 30, 2026, Election Board meeting, the historic flooding, and the August 17, 2026, "emergency" Madison County Council meeting that involved Rainy Day Fund money for flood relief. Bilbrey then returns to Delaware County and the ongoing questions surrounding the Muncie–Delaware County 911 Emergency Communications Center during the August 12–13, 2026, flooding. Delaware County 911 Director Fred Cummings addressed the County Commissioners on August 17, 2026, offering new information and appearing to walk back parts of statements made during the previous week’s emergency meeting. Bilbrey examines what has changed, what has been clarified, and the significant questions that still remain about Delaware County’s public-safety communications system. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#632 | The Non-Public 'Public' Test of Madison County's Voting Machines! | The Political Spotlight

April 3rd, 2026  |  2 hrs 25 mins

2026 election cycle, abdul-hakim shabazz, cease and desist letter, city of anderson, contributing correspondent dr. katherine callahan, madison county election board, madison county health department, madison county indiana, madison county politics, meeting, mike gaskill, public test, republican in bad standing, scott mellinger, state senate district 25, stephenie mellinger

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey welcomes contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan back to the show after an extended break to discuss all the chaos surrounding the 2026 Election in Madison County, Indiana. Of particular interest to Bilbrey is the 'public' test of the voting machines conducted by the Madison County Election Board during a 'public' meeting yesterday (Thursday, April 2, 2026). The Election Board members went through the motions while being unusually distant and unresponsive to the citizens in attendance. You won't want to miss this 632nd episode of 'The Political Spotlight'. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#575 | What’s the Deal W/Madison Co Sheriff John Beeman & the Sumner Case? | The Political Spotlight

December 18th, 2025  |  1 hr 56 mins

dr. katherine callahan, former county councilor steve sumner, fugitive from justice, howard county maryland, madison county indiana, madison county politics, madison county sheriff john beeman, political activist, record requests, sharon bailey barker, twenty-thousand dollar reward, united states marshals service

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey dives deep into the strange case of former Madison County Councilor and preacher Steve Sumner, who spent more than two years as a fugitive before his arrest, following a $25,000 reward offered by Dr. Katherine Callahan.

Bilbrey walks through the arrests of Sumner and his girlfriend, Sharon Bailey Barker, their extraditions back to Indiana, and the troubling questions surrounding who provided the tip, who should receive the reward money, and why the Madison County Sheriff John Beeman acted so strangely, trying to get Callahan to issue payment to someone who did not call in the tip. Answers begin to surface—after Bilbrey receives the records he requested from Howard County, Maryland. But this story is only getting started. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#573 | Park Board Mtg! + MadCo's No Vote to New Precincts! + Boards 10-96! | The Political Spotlight

December 16th, 2025  |  2 hrs 12 mins

Death Penalty, carl roy webb boards ii, contributing correspondent dr. katherine callahan, democrats, elwood police, governor of indiana, judge andrew hopper, line of duty death, lt. governor, madison county circuit court division 3, madison county commissioners, madison county indiana, madison county politics, mayor dan ridenour, micah beckwith, mike braun, muncie indiana, muncie park board meeting, muncie politics, parks superintendent carl malone, police officer noah shahnavaz, prairie creek reservoir, redrawing voting precincts, republicans, state of indiana politics

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey discusses the events that took place at the City of Muncie's December 2025 Parks Board Meeting. Prairie Creek Reservoir was the main topic at the meeting. Then, Bilbrey welcomes contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to the show to talk about the Madison County Commissioners' December 2025 Meeting. During the meeting, the Commissioners voted no on the effort to redraw the county's voting precincts. Finally, Bilbrey and Callahan discuss the recent decision by Madison County Circuit Court Division 3 Judge Andrew Hopper, who ruled that Carl Roy Webb Boards II—the man charged with the shooting death of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz—is not competent to stand trial. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#568 | The Bare Minimum of an Already Broken Process! | The Political Spotlight

December 2nd, 2025  |  2 hrs 6 mins

anderson city council, anderson indiana, anderson politics, caucus, dr. katherine callahan, madison county commissioners meeting, madison county indiana, madison county politics, redrawing the local precincts, voters registration

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey welcomes contributing correspondent Dr. Katherine Callahan to the program to discuss the events from the Madison County Commissioners meeting on Monday, December 1, 2025. Bilbrey and Callahan also talk about the upcoming City Council caucus in Anderson. Finally, they review the day's events from the Indiana State House. #ThePoliticalSpotlight

#567 | December 1, 2025 - Review of the Day’s Governmental Happenings! | The Political Spotlight

December 1st, 2025  |  1 hr 51 mins

delaware county commissioners meeting, delaware county indiana, delaware county politics, indiana general assembly, indiana politics, indiana redistricting, indiana state house of representatives, indiana state senate, madison county commissioners meeting, madison county indiana, madison county politics, muncie city council meeting, muncie indiana, muncie politics, redrawing precinct maps

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the events from various government meetings held throughout the day (Monday, December 1, 2025).

Bilbrey covers the following meetings in this 567th episode:

• Delaware County Commissioners Meeting...

• Madison County Commissioners Meeting...

• State of Indiana General Assembly - House of Representatives (Day 1 of the 2026 Session)...

• City of Muncie City Council Meeting...

Tune in for Bilbrey's review and commentary on the proceedings of these meetings. #ThePoliticalSpotlight