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- 6 days ago41 min
HBAC #151: Hilliard Division of Police Chief Michael Woods
With the latest episode of the HBAC the guys welcome Hilliard Police Chief Michael Woods to the program for a focused conversation on our burgeoning suburb.Community PolicingWoods described community policing as a core operational philosophy beginning at the hiring stage. Officers, he said, are expected to be visible and approachable whether that means walking neighborhood events, interacting with children at city celebrations, teaching self-defense classes or participating in programs like the Citizens Police Academy and Youth Safety Academy. The chief emphasized that officers are encouraged to build relationships before crises occur hoping residents view police as a resource rather than a distant enforcement mechanism. Growth in Population and the Staffing ChallengeThe conversation also explored the realities of policing a rapidly growing suburb. Woods explained that roughly two-thirds of Hilliard’s officers are assigned to patrol functions with specialized units focus on investigations, school resource operations, traffic safety and crime analysis. He discussed how the department uses a newer civilian intelligence analyst to identify crime patterns, analyze digital evidence and direct patrol resources toward emerging trouble spots such as vehicle break-ins and theft clusters. Chief Woods acknowledged ongoing concerns over reckless driving along Interstate 270 and major corridors throughout Hilliard and Norwich Township, noting that the department works jointly with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol and neighboring jurisdictions on targeted enforcement operations.As Hilliard continues adding residents and commercial development, Woods said the department is always monitoring and revising staffing projections. A recent recurring analysis determined that four additional officers will likely be needed over the next two years to maintain service levels as areas like TruePointe continue building out for businesses and residents. Woods also detailed the department’s extensive vetting process for lateral hires, emphasizing that prior police experience does not exempt applicants from undergoing the same scrutiny and background review as new recruits. TechnologyTechnology and transparency formed another major thread throughout. The chief discussed the city’s emerging drone first-responder program, describing scenarios where aerial response can help locate missing individuals, assess highway crashes or direct medics to emergency scenes more quickly. He also addressed public concerns surrounding Flock license plate reader cameras, stressing that the system does not use facial recognition and that all searches are logged, audited and publicly reported.The interview concluded with discussion of the district’s threat assessment partnership with Hilliard City Schools. Woods described the initiative as an effort to identify students displaying troubling behavioral patterns and connect families with resources before situations escalate into violence. He framed the program as preventative rather than punitive, centered on intervention, counseling and coordination between schools, police and community support systems. Topics Discussed and approx. timestamps00:00 – 02:00 Introduction of Chief Michael Woods and discussion of a past Hilliard infant death investigation handled by the department. 02:00 – 05:15 Community policing philosophy, officer visibility, Citizens Police Academy, Youth Safety Academy and public outreach programs. 05:15 – 06:40 Discussion of policing culture differences between Hilliard and larger cities like Baltimore. 06:40 – 10:55 Breakdown of department structure, patrol staffing, investigations, school resource officers and the civilian crime analyst role. 11:00 – 13:15 Traffic enforcement strategy, speeding concerns, drag racing complaints and regional coordination on Interstate 270. 13:15 – 16:20 Norwich Township policing contract, jurisdictional boundaries and patrol zone deployment. 16:20 – 19:35 Population growth, staffing studies, future hiring needs and development pressures on police services. 19:35 – 26:50 Lateral hiring, officer vetting, field training and maintaining departmental culture and standards. 26:50 – 30:30 School resource officers, post 2020 policing debates and the “Parks, Passes and Pools” summer initiative. 30:30 – 32:55 Drone first-responder program and examples of emergency deployment scenarios. 32:55 – 36:15 Flock license plate reader cameras, transparency reporting, privacy concerns and investigative uses. 36:15 – 37:30 Mayor’s Court operations and local traffic citation
- 2 weeks ago44 min
HBAC #150: w/ Jake Trubiano of Gold Path Solar
All jokes aside…* Milestone episode (No. 150) and recap of recent studio activity, including filming a documentary segment with Nicolette Jaworski on our Data Center reporting. Her team recently produced a documentary short on another Ohio story.* We then kick off the episode proper with the return of local super guest Jake Trubiano!Gold Path Solar* Performance and visibility impact of the Westwood Fieldhouse and Junction solar installations in Hilliard* Recognition as 2025-2026 Ohio Installer of the Year and growth in residential solar business* Sharp shift in demand due to expiration of the 30% residential solar tax credit* Current installation volume, crew structure, and balancing residential vs. commercial workloads* Industry contraction, including major company failures, and resulting surge in his own brand’s service/repair work* Quality control issues in third-party installations (e.g., improper roof attachments/footers)* Internal business model: profit sharing, family and friends-based workforce, and how operational cohesionConditions in the Wider Industry* Importance of early-stage design coordination to optimize solar placement in new construction.* Lack of “solar-ready” considerations in most residential builds despite low implementation cost.* Policy and market tensions: anti-renewable state politics vs. rising electricity prices driving demand.* Tariffs, domestic manufacturing constraints, and disruption of solar supply chains post-Inflation Reduction Act. Fumbling the ball as China accelerates.* Future outlook: increased role of battery storage, grid age concerns, and status of net metering in Ohio.We thank Jake for stopping by and we thank you our listeners!The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- 3 weeks ago46 min
HBAC #149: Hilliard City Council President Emily Cole
We welcome back Council President Emily Cole this episode for a great conversation on the realities of local governance in our rapidly growing city.Cole, now roughly two and a half years into her first term, described a role full of rewards and demands where meeting preparation alone can range from several hours to well over a dozen depending on the agenda. That workload, she said, is necessary to meet the expectations of residents and appreciate the competing perspectives that inform council decisions. Her approach has emphasized direct engagement, including one-on-one meetings with residents and outreach to former council members to better understand past decisions.Operating within Hilliard’s council-manager form of government, Cole outlined the balance between elected officials and administrative leadership. While council sets policy direction, the city manager handles day-to-day operations, creating both efficiencies and a learning curve for new members navigating how to advance initiatives. As an example, Cole pointed to her early focus on strengthening the city’s nonprofit ecosystem, an effort that led to the creation of a centralized resource network and culminated in the recent “One Hilliard” community resource fair aimed at improving access to services and civic participation.We also touched on a series of local policy debates currently in motion. Cole described an active review of whether to return final authority over certain conditional use permits to the Planning and Zoning Commission, noting that recent data showed council had not altered any of those decisions over the past several years but vowing a thorough review.On public safety and technology, Cole expressed support for Hilliard’s community-oriented policing model while acknowledging ongoing concerns around surveillance tools such as license plate reader systems. She indicated that community awareness and engagement on these technologies remain limited, even as their implications grow more complex. More broadly, she framed her own views on Hilliard’s technology ambitions and development investments through a “people-first” lens, stressing the need for safeguards in our growing city around privacy, mental health, and consumer protection.The growing we do as a community will be central to Hilliard in the coming decades and we thank all members of council for their dedication to public service and the residents of our city.The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- Apr 14, 202646 min
HBAC #148: Adam Miller OH-15 Democratic Primary candidate
Last Week, The Audio Companion sat down with our second congressional interview of the cycle as we spoke to former state representative Adam Miller on his way to the May 5th primary against Don Leonard.https://www.adammillerforamerica.comStill no interest from the Republican side of the conversation as sitting Rep Mike Carey awaits his own primary challenge from the unconventional conservative Samuel Ronan.In the opening minutes of our interview candidate Miller discussed his own career path encompassing public education, the law, and lengthy military service. As a result of that career Miller emphasized he had seen some of the more notable events in our country at national scale and personally played a major role in trying to define and create accountability within those challenging environments.He further took time to call out the shortcomings of the Democratic Party over recent cycles in engagement and issue sets that didn’t speak clearly to local voters or emphasize strongly enough the party’s ongoing commitment to working people post-election.Bright LinesWhether it was service in Afghanistan, the aftermath of the January 6th riots or defining in clear terms the uses of military personnel in the domestic context (disaster response and at the request of civilian authority only) Miller described himself as unafraid to embrace the bright lines of the Constitution when institutional authority and leadership would have preferred “strategic ambiguity.”Miller carried this critique and structure throughout our interview. The former state representative argued that congressional oversight has eroded and been usurped with power increasingly concentrated in the executive branch and insufficiently challenged by lawmakers. Taking a moment for his potential general election opponent he directly highlighted current officeholder Mike Carey’s tendency of avoiding unscripted public interaction and cast even basic accessibility itself as a core campaign issue. More broadly, Miller framed his candidacy as an effort to restore federal leadership balance, calling for renewed hearings, stronger institutional checks, and more direct engagement between elected officials and constituents.Direct PressureThroughout the conversation, Miller returned to this idea: institutions only function when individuals inside them are willing to enforce their limits. Whether in a school district, a legal case, or a combat zone, he argued that the rule of law depends less on prefered rhetoric than on the willingness to stand for it under direct pressure. For voters in the OH-15 primary, the question he posed was straightforward. Not just who aligns on policy, but who has demonstrated the capacity to hold the line when it matters.The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- Apr 6, 202640 min
HBAC #147: Empowering lives through soccer
On the latest episode of the Audio Companion Jordan and Tim sit down with guests Katie Bondy and Jeff Sanderson for a conversation that (pardon my dad joke) moved well beyond the touchlines. Centered on the Greater Ohio Amputee Soccer Team, the discussion arrives during Limb Loss Awareness Month and offered us a timely look at a sport and community on the rise.Bondy, a teacher at Hilliard Darby is a Forward and member of the U.S. women’s amputee national team, described a game built on constant adaptation. Field players compete without prosthetics, relying instead on crutches, spatial awareness, and a refined sense of positioning. Sanderson, now head coach of the program, emphasized that traditional soccer technique doesn’t disappear so much as it evolves. Coaching becomes highly individualized, often involving collaboration with physical therapists to tailor movement and mechanics to each player’s specific capabilities.Click on the Instagram link above to hear it straight from Katie!What emerges on the field is just another vision of the ‘Beautiful Game.’ Players learn from one another across languages and backgrounds, with teammates from Sierra Leone, Haiti, and the United States finding common ground in what Bondy called the “language of soccer.” The result is a fast, technical style where anticipation and ball movement often outpace even able-bodied competition. The conversation also covers the sport’s rapid growth, driven in part by social media visibility and a shift in perception. For many players, amputee soccer offers something rare: a level playing field where difference is normalized rather than singled out. As the team prepares for upcoming outdoor training sessions and continues building toward larger competitions, the tone remains grounded but optimistic. In Hilliard and beyond, this is a program demonstrating community and competitive drive at the highest levels.Thanks Katie and Jeff! Good luck on the World Stage! You make Hilliard proud!The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- Mar 28, 202627 min
HBAC 146: And the wind cried...enough already
«This Episode was recorded March 20th - The day after Hilliard’s punishing windstorm and the afternoon of the public Ohio EPA meeting at The Well»Welcome everyone! Our show opens with a look at the aftermath of high winds ripping across Hilliard leaving behind scattered damage but a quick community response. Tim shares what he’s seeing on the ground in the roofing and siding business, with homeowners dealing with missing shingles, hanging siding, and a wave of insurance claims that are getting harder to push through. Kevin adds reporting from the city side, where crews worked hard clearing fallen trees and keeping critical infrastructure like lift stations running. The overall picture is getting familiar for Ohio: rough weather, but a solid local response.From there, we shift to township government, where Trish Barker has been appointed to fill a township trustee seat after a fast-moving selection process. With three new trustees now in place, the group discusses what this turnover could mean for decision-making in the township. Early issues like the recurring Ridgewood neighborhood parking problems, long-range sidewalk planning, and the upcoming Big Darby Accord review are already on the table. While much of the administrative structure remains steady, there’s a sense that the tone and direction of leadership could be evolving.In our final stretch Jordan digs into a regional concern: how energy projects are being approved across Ohio. There’s a sharpening double standard in matters like a proposed solar project in Morrow County that’s faced preposterous resistance and our very own fossil fuel-backed hyperscale data center in Hilliard that’s setting records for quick approvals of unproven technology. With an Ohio EPA appeal already in process and a related meeting on deck, The Beacon asks how these decisions are really being made and who they ultimately serve.The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- Mar 18, 202657 min
HBAC #145: Three MC's
Kevin Corvo leads the first segment with an update on the Norwich Township trustee appointment process. The position drew 13 candidates and was very fast moving. Looking forward and back this conversation took place a few days before the interviews and we now know their outcome.Corvo highlights the importance of the appointment, since (Barker) will serve for nearly two years. He also notes that this moment marks a shift from the past, when trustees often held their positions for decades. With new leadership coming in, the township faces major decisions as it deals with development pressure and regional planning issues like the Big Darby Accord.Jordan then shifts to a report from the Hilliard Housing Commission meeting (Mar. 5), offering a closer look at how the city is planning for growth. The commission is currently working through its strategy phase, reviewing possible zoning updates in areas like the I-270 corridor, Cemetery Road, Retired Rail Corridor and Old Hilliard. While the proposals allow for more housing types and greater density, Jordan notes that some officials pointed out these options have technically existed for years without being widely used. The main issue is not just zoning rules but how to turn those rules into real projects. He suggests the city needs stronger partnerships with builders and financing groups, along with clear, repeatable models for development. Topics like accessory dwelling units, backyard building, and land trust models were discussed as possible / popular paths forward.Tim leads the third segment with a report from the AEP, Bloom Energy, and Amazon fuel cell meeting held at The Well. (Click image to read a full story in the Ohio Capital Journal)Attendees moved between information stations instead of watching a formal, unified presentation and representatives from all participating organizations spent time answering questions in small settings. Tim notes that the back and forth was sharp with community members remaining skeptical, viewing the event as more informational than decision-making. Concerns remain centered about how quickly the project is moving and how much input the public can still have. Tim adds that local fire officials had not yet seen detailed plans, which raised further questions about communication.In the final news segment, Kevin returns to discuss a new anonymous tip related to the Heather Ernst case.The case involved the theft of public funds from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The document suggests that some parts of the situation may not have been fully investigated or shared with the public at the time. Corvo explains that much of the information matches what is already known, but the tip raises questions about how the case was handled and whether more could have been done. The guys approach the claims carefully and note that further reporting would be needed to confirm any new details.The episode closes with a direct appeal to our nearly two thousand free subscribers to join the brave 140(ish) paid subscribers of the Hilliard Beacon. It’s their direct support paired with our mulish dedication to the principles of local journalism that has gotten us this far over three years. Help us go the distance with a paid subscription of $5 a month or $55 a year.The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
- Mar 6, 202655 min
HBAC #144: OH-15 Congressional Democratic Primary Candidate Don Leonard
Editor- Just so readers are aware, we are reaching out to all candidates for the seat and offering equal timeIn a first for us, a Democratic primary challenger for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Don Leonard, joined the Hilliard Beacon Audio Companion for a wide-ranging discussion of economic inequality, foreign policy, and the motivations behind his campaign for Congress. Leonard, who taught on the city and regional planning faculty at Ohio State, framed his candidacy as emerging from years of research into governance and inequality. “I’m not a career politician. I’m not a lawyer or a lobbyist or anything like that,” Leonard said, describing a decade of academic work focused on why some political systems drift toward authoritarianism while others maintain stable democratic institutions. Leonard traced the intellectual roots of his campaign to the political shock of the 2016 election and the comparative research he had conducted across Latin America. Drawing on work in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, he argued that economic structure (particularly the strength of the middle class) plays a decisive role in the health of democratic systems. “The stronger your middle class, the less likely authoritarians are to succeed,” Leonard said, linking the rise of populist politics in the United States to growing inequality and decades of bipartisan economic consensus around trade and privatization. The candidate said his decision to move from research into electoral politics came more recently, citing what he views as escalating institutional pressures during the Trump era. Specifically, Leonard pointed to attacks on universities, immigration enforcement policies, and political rhetoric he believes threatens Constitutional norms in an ongoing way. He described a moment of personal reckoning after the birth of his daughter and the realization she might live to see the next century. Don said he felt the erosion of important civic “firewalls” threatened that future and made him feel compelled to act politically rather than solely as an academic observer.Foreign policy and campaign financing also emerged as defining issues in the interview. Leonard said he would support halting U.S. offensive weapons exports to Israel during ongoing military operations in Gaza and pledged independence from pro-Israel lobbying groups. When asked about accepting funding tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Leonard responded directly: “We would never accept money from AIPAC.” In order to get money out of politics Leonard is not afraid to suggest a Constitutional Amendment (among other regulatory measures) to publicly finance elections. The discussion closed with broader reflections on the ideological pressures shaping both parties and the challenge of building a coalition of politicians and appropriate government “technology” capable of reversing the conditions Leonard believes are fueling economic inequality and political instability in the United States today.The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe
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