Ask The Mayor

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: the number of mask mandates to slow the spread of COVID-19 is growing across the country. This week, the city of West Lafayette released an executive order requiring face coverings for its residents in public spaces – but right now, the city of Lafayette doesn’t plan to do the same.

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor, West Lafayette residents are asking about masks. Mayor John Dennis says the city is finalizing a "mandatory mask policy". What does enforcement look like? Where and when should citizens wear their masks? And how do people navigate mask-wearing from West Lafayette to Lafayette, where a similar mandate is not currently planned?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: cities across the country are continuing to examine how police departments function within their communities – and what changes might need to be made. How can citizens and local government work together to take action?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Frankfort is moving ahead with the process of annexing land out to I-65 – a long-anticipated project. How will the annexation impact the city, and what’s the timeline for completion? What feedback is anticipated at a series of upcoming public meetings?  

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: there’s debate across the country about different reforms for law enforcement – including the idea of “defunding the police”. What does that entail, and what would some of those concepts look like in Lafayette?  What would work – and what wouldn’t? What are the city, and the police department, already implementing in terms of best practices?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: across the country, people have been gathering daily to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis. That includes demonstrations in greater Lafayette this week.  

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor, summer is almost here, and more and more of Indiana is reopening. As the state makes changes to the Back on Track stages, cities must respond. How can local officials make the best plan for the safety of residents when the future is uncertain?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Stage 3 of Indiana’s reopening plan kicks off tomorrow. Cities across the state will be monitoring how residents use newly available spaces like basketball courts and playgrounds – including Frankfort, where the parks department is reminding citizens they have a part in keeping things clean and safe. What’s the plan for making sure social distancing is in place?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor, local restaurants, salons, and other businesses that serve the public are officially starting to re-open under specific state guidelines. Are business owners, and the people they serve, prepared for safely sharing space – and how are local officials handling the enforcement of issues that might arise? 

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Indiana is starting to re-open. In Tippecanoe County, officials are watching local COVID-19 numbers to decide if and when they’ll put restrictions in place that override the governor’s. This week, county case numbers continued to rise – but is it a trend, or an isolated outbreak?  

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Montgomery County’s COVID-19 caseload has continued to rise. As Indiana inches towards a possible lifting of a stay-at-home order, is Crawfordsville ready to open up—and how will it do so safely? What are the expectations for residents and businesses alike?

This week in our talk with Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton, we’ll discuss how rising unemployment numbers have impacted employees in Crawfordsville, and how the city is helping small businesses with a COVID-19 loan program.

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor, warmer weather means more people heading outside—and possibly more people not practicing the social distancing that’s key right now as Tippecanoe County heads for a possible surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming week. What restrictions has the city of Lafayette put in place—and will they be followed?

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor: Indiana is in week two of a statewide stay-at-home order. How are West Lafayette residents responding to the restrictions, and how will the city respond if the order is extended? And what’s the continued impact for local businesses on lockdown?

Montgomery County began announcing their first confirmed cases of coronavirus this week. What measures has the city of Crawfordsville put in place to keep residents healthy and at a distance—and how are residents on day two of Indiana’s statewide stay-at-home order? As COVID-19 continues to spread, how does local government reinforce that staying at home, or staying at a distance, is key?   

This week on WBAA’s Ask The Mayor, a brand new mayor joins the program. Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets was sworn in on March 2, after several terms as the city’s clerk-treasurer, and was immediately faced with the challenge of overseeing the city’s response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. How does a brand-new mayor tackle a big task?

This week in our talk with Mayor Sheets, we’ll get an update on how Frankfort is handling COVID-19, how local officials are working together, and what measures the city is taking to ensure the health and safety of residents.