The Political Spotlight - Episodes Tagged with “Muncie Finance Committee”

#742 | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 742nd episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the third and final meeting of the Muncie City Council's Finance Committee, held Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Bilbrey highlights several revealing moments from the discussion of the proposed 2027 budget for Prairie Creek Reservoir.

He also offers more on the Delaware County Republican Party and what he views as its ongoing effort to influence Muncie City Council leadership ahead of the October 5, 2026, meeting.

Finally, the spotlight returns to Winchester, Indiana, where Bilbrey reviews public records he received from City Clerk-Treasurer Kerry Sayre and explains what they reveal about the VOA "Winchester House" disaster.

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VIDEO version of Ep 742: https://youtube.com/live/jQJU7lEv33k

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#741 | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey covers political developments in three communities across east-central Indiana in this 741st episode of The Political Spotlight.

If you live, work, or play in Muncie, Winchester, and/or Henry County, this episode is for you! If you're tired of political nonsense and want to hear how others are fighting back, this episode is for you! Or if you like it when someone calls the balls and strikes as they should be, tune in; this episode is for you!

First up, Bilbrey examines an unusual social media post from the Delaware County Republican Party promoting the upcoming Muncie City Council meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026.

It's not just a meeting reminder; it reads more like a "call to action"! Bilbrey views the post as the latest sign of what he believes has been a yearlong effort by the local Republican Party to influence—and potentially take control of—the Muncie City Council's leadership.

From there, Bilbrey turns to emails he received from Muncie City Councilors Nora Powell (D-District 2) and Sara Gullion (D-District 4) regarding the two recent Finance Committee meetings on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, and Thursday, September 24, 2026.

He also reminds citizens that the committee has one final budget meeting on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, before the full council takes up the proposed 2027 budget at its Monday, October 5, 2026, meeting.

Then, once again, the spotlight shifts east to Winchester, Indiana, as Bilbrey shares the response to a public-records request he sent to Clerk-Treasurer Kerry Sayre seeking answers about who controls the city's official Facebook page—and, more specifically, who was responsible for a controversial post last week that left citizens up in arms.

Bilbrey shares what he learned and explains why, in his view, the response confirms what he has long known about Mayor Bob McCoy.

Finally, Bilbrey wraps up the program in Henry County by sharing a list of questions he sent to Democratic sheriff candidate David Bockover, as The Political Spotlight continues preparing for the upcoming 2026 general election season.

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VIDEO version of Ep 741: https://youtube.com/live/IA1VfHdl8Pg

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#739 | Thursday, September 24, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Piggybacking off the last episode... In this 739th episode, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey shows why he is so bloody frustrated with our elected public servants by reviewing the second meeting of the Muncie City Council's Finance Committee.

It was, AGAIN, a difficult watch!

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VIDEO version of Ep 739: https://youtube.com/live/9yWEHFMRsAE

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#738 | Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey is nearing his breaking point...

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VIDEO version of Ep 738: https://youtube.com/live/6nrU7B7sc8I

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#737 | Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 737th episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey takes a close look at several local-government meetings across East Central Indiana — and there is plenty to discuss!

Bilbrey begins with the first Muncie City Council Finance Committee meeting, held earlier this evening, Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as councilors began reviewing the proposed 2027 city budget.

Before delving into the meeting itself, a few questions need answering.

Who knew what, and when did they know it? Who was informed about the meeting, how were they informed, and who might have been left out of the loop?

Bilbrey offers insight into what he believes is ongoing "game play" by the Ridenour Administration and inept Council leadership.

Then there is the meeting itself.

What should have been an opportunity for serious discussion of Muncie's financial future became, in Bilbrey's view, an absolute MOCKERY of the budget process!

From there, Bilbrey turns to the Delaware County Commissioners' meeting on Monday morning, September 21, 2026, where he shares his thoughts on the county's "letter of intent" for nuclear energy, specifically small modular reactors (SMRs).

Finally, the spotlight returns to Winchester, Indiana, where Monday evening's Winchester City Council meeting addressed the former Volunteers of America (VOA) Winchester House facility at 313 South Meridian Street.

Bilbrey shares his thoughts on the latest development and what he has done since the last show.

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VIDEO version of Ep 737: https://youtube.com/live/l6QcTa2dIfo

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#734 | Wednesday, September 16, 2026 - (PART 2) | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

This is Episode 734, Part 2, the conclusion, of The Political Spotlight's two-part look at the completely "OFF THE RAILS" Muncie City Council meeting.

In this episode, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey will conclude his detailed commentary and analysis of everything that happened—including the highs and lows, the winners and losers, the status of major issues, and what comes next for Muncie. Specifically, Bilbrey will cover:

The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 19-26, which would amend Ordinance 16-25, the City of Muncie's salary ordinance.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first votes on Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26, the three proposed budget ordinances for MITS, the MSD, and the city.
The Council's discussion, public input, and vote on Resolutions 13-26 and 14-26. Resolution 13-26 asks the Council to investigate how the city and George-Jeffrey Howe handled his contract. Resolution 14-26 is a memorial resolution honoring Craig Wright, who passed away.
The Public Comments portion of the meeting.

That concludes Part 2 - Episode 734. As a reminder, in Part 1, Episode 733, which aired on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Bilbrey covered the following topics:

The Public Hearing before the regular meeting, during which Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26 were made public "on the record," and citizens were allowed to speak on each ordinance if they wished!
The start of the regular meeting and the housekeeping issues addressed before the Ordinances and Resolutions were discussed.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 16-26, a zoning issue.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 17-26, which seeks to expand the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas in Downtown Muncie. A nonissue the Council spent too much time on, unlike serious issues they try to push through with little time or thought.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 18-26, the "In God We Trust" Ordinance, the meeting's first major issue. Citizens and the Council trade blows, and, of course, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour shows up with an attitude. The Council continues to show just how backward they are on nearly everything.

Episode 733 - Part 1 LINK: https://youtube.com/live/Qnl-61qySz8 . . .

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VIDEO version of Ep 734: https://youtube.com/live/BBNSXba_8_w

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#733 | Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - (PART 1) | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the completely "OFF THE RAILS" Muncie City Council meeting, including a public hearing held before the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Bilbrey analyzes the meeting's proceedings in this two-part series: Part 1 - Episode 733, aired Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and Part 2 - Episode 734, aired Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

In this 733rd episode (Part 1), Bilbrey provides a comprehensive breakdown of the important September 14, 2026, Muncie City Council meeting, beginning with the Public Hearing on the three "Budget Ordinances" 20-26 for the Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS), 21-26 for the Muncie Sanitary District (MSD), and 22-26 for the City of Muncie. Bilbrey has been concerned that the council's current leadership would strip six of the nine councilors from the Finance Committee, returning to the old 3-person Finance Committee, which makes no sense and would be an extremely partisan move.

Bilbrey and City Councilor William McIntosh both support keeping the entire council involved in the budget process. But not everyone on the council sees it the same way.

From there, Bilbrey's review turns to the regular meeting, where he explains the document the council's attorney presents to the council and the public at the start. Bilbrey fully supports it!

Next, Bilbrey covers the discussion of Ordinances 16-26, 17-26, and 18-26.

Ordinance 16-26 is pretty simple, yet the council, being as incompetent as they are, manages to screw it up.

Ordinance 17-26 is another non-issue; however, the council spends a good amount of time discussing it, and Bilbrey shares his thoughts.

To wrap up Part 1 - Episode 733, Bilbrey covers Ordinance 18-26, the "In God We Trust" Ordinance, the meeting's first major issue. Citizens and the Council trade blows, and, of course, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour shows up with an attitude. The Council continues to show just how backward they are on nearly everything.

This concludes Part 1 - Episode 733.

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In Part 2 - Episode 734, Bilbrey will conclude his analysis and commentary on the September 14, 2026, Muncie City Council Meeting, including:

The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 19-26, which would amend Ordinance 16-25, the City of Muncie's salary ordinance.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first votes on Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26, the three proposed budget ordinances for MITS, the MSD, and the city.
The Council's discussion, public input, and vote on Resolutions 13-26 and 14-26. Resolution 13-26 asks the Council to investigate how the city and George-Jeffrey Howe handled his contract. Resolution 14-26 is a memorial resolution honoring Craig Wright, who passed away.
The Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Episode 734 - Part 2 LINK: https://youtube.com/live/BBNSXba_8_w . . .

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VIDEO version of Ep 733: https://youtube.com/live/Qnl-61qySz8

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The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePoliticalSpotlight

Audio Podcast: https://ThePoliticalSpotlight.fireside.fm
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