IS IT TRUE APRIL 3, 2015

66

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke was only authorized to charge the Evansville Water Utility for property taxes on the utility’s infrastructure in the amount of $3,100,000 in 2014?  …according to the 2014 Annual Financial Statements he over-charged the Water Department by $2,500,000 without the knowledge or authority of the City Council?

 IS IT TRUE that without the unauthorized transfer of the Water Department’s money into the General Fund, the fund would have been negative as of December 31, 2014 by $2,200,000 and would be written up by the State Board of Accounts auditors.

IS IT TRUE that the Mayor intentionally stop paying the health care claims of the City’s workers in the amount of $3,000,000 and held them over until 2015 in order to keep the General Fund from becoming NEGATIVE at the end of 2014? …without this Enron-like accounting trickery, the city General Fund would have been upside down by $2,700,000?  … together with the unauthorized $2,500,000 money from the Water Utility, the General Fund balance would have been a whopping NEGATIVE AMOUNT OF $5,200,000?
IS IT TRUE that our General Fund, is the fund that pays our police officers and firefighters has only $307,000 while the City of Darmstadt General Fund has $357,000 as of January 1, 2015?    …our next property tax revenue collection will not happen until June 2015? … and as of January 31, 2015 the City of Evansville Fund shows a NEGATIVE $8.6 million dollars?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke takes credit for spending $5 million less in 2014 out of the General Fund but he failed to mentioned that he neglected to collect $11,000,000 in taxes resulting in over spending by $6,000,000?
IS IT TRUE that City Councilwoman Connie Robinson had a political fundraiser last night at downtown restaurant?  …Mrs. Robinson fundraiser event had an extremely diverse crowd in attendance?  ….it looks like the 4th Ward is gearing up to turn out in large numbers to re-elect City Councilwoman Connie Robinson to another four years?
FOOTNOTE:  PLEASE TAKE TIME TO GO TO OUR READERS POLL TO VOTE ON TODAYS QUESTION. 

66 COMMENTS

  1. ” ….the CCO makes its first primary election call that the 4th Ward shall turn out in large numbers to elect City Councilwoman Connie Robinson by an overwhelming margin so she can continue to repersent them for the next four years?” Thank you. I always wondered what Connie was doing for me in the fourth ward. I would have prefered some representation.

  2. Switching gears to National governance. The Iranians, yes those rascally radical Islamic supporters of terrorism. are accusing the Obama administration’s John Kerry of lying to the American people. It’s sad when you have more reason to believe the Iranians. Strange days indeed.

    “LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Just hours after the announcement of what the United States characterized as a historic agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, the country’s leading negotiator lashed out at the Obama administration for lying about the details of a tentative framework.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people and Congress in a fact sheet it released following the culmination of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

    Zarif bragged in an earlier press conference with reporters that the United States had tentatively agreed to let it continue the enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, as well as key nuclear research.

    Zarif additionally said Iran would have all nuclear-related sanctions lifted once a final deal is signed and that the country would not be forced to shut down any of its currently operating nuclear installations.

    Following a subsequent press conference by Secretary of State John Kerry—and release of a administration fact sheet on Iranian concessions—Zarif lashed out on Twitter over what he dubbed lies.”

    http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-accuses-u-s-of-lying-about-new-nuke-agreement/

    May one and all enjoy a safe and blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

      • I think that President Obama is a great president and Bush was one of the worst Presidents. 911 happened on Bush’s watch. Need we say more?

        • Moveon, our greatest President Obama has brought economic prosper to the United States and peace to the world:

          ” The number of Americans 16 years and older who did not participate in the labor force–meaning they neither had a job nor actively sought one in the last four weeks–rose from 92,898,000 in February to 93,175,000 in March, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

          That is the first time the number of Americans out of the labor force has exceeded 93 million.”

          http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/americans-not-labor-force-exceed-93-million-first-time-627-labor-force

          “Relief from sanctions, and an easily frustrated inspection scheme, is exactly what the mullahs in Tehran set out to achieve. The only price they pay is to cooperate to enable the leaders in the West to pretend they have accomplished something they haven’t.

          Once the final agreement is in place, the mullahs can proceed to do what they will say they are not doing, until their bomb is real and they can use it at will. Islamic good faith is good enough for Mr. Obama, who has a soft spot in his heart for Islam. Islamic good faith is not good enough for the rest of us. The president is entitled to indulge that soft spot in his heart, but he is not entitled to indulge a soft spot in his head at the expense of the nation.”

          http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/2/wesley-pruden-a-deal-with-iran-built-on-lies/

          • More people are quitting their job and finding a better job with better pay. That would not be possible without the economic growth that Obama presided over these past few years. Before Obama was elected the economy under Bush had tanked. The comparison between Bush and Obama show’s Obama to be the far better President of the United States.

          • Funny that you left out that us ageing retiring baby boomers are effecting those percentages that was in that news tibit!. All us retired are still part of the 93 million unemployed!

            When on your favorite president bush watch. the economy tank and employment dropped to the low of 130 million right after Obama became president. US population
            on July 2008 was 306 million.

            Currently we have 141 million employed with a July 2014 population of 319 million.

            So we now have 11 million more working since Bush, population has grown 13 million. We now have those born from 1990 to 1996 into the workforce, we have 6 years of baby boomers retiring.

            I did not bother to mention what corporate America did to employment over the years sending jobs overseas!

            SO NOW WHAT IS YOUR POINT!

        • I’m thankful for Obama because he has effectively put Jimmy Carter in 2nd place as the worse president in the past 100 years. I know why you defend him but you would never admit it. The only president that even comes near the divisiveness of Obama was old Abe and we know what he caused. I seriously doubt the country will ever recover from form Obama, we will never look at each other the same again. He has been very effective at implementing his agenda, just hope we survive.

    • Joe, Iranian Agreement. It’s what Valerie Jarrett has worked hard towards for 6 years.

      • But it took Ambassador Kerry to get the job done. Now watch the GOP controlled Senate screw this all up.

          • You need to take a speed reading glass my friend. The basics of the deal are already out now.

          • Move, The details is what the Congress needs to see not the puff that came from the rose garden. Wonder how many side agreements were made that isn’t in the main deal. Did you ever wonder why the Iranians were welcomed back with cheering and a parade ? Did you ever wonder why the Iranian describes the deal way different than the President did ? Funny how that doesn’t balance out.

          • Moveon and other kool-aid drinking progressive leftists that believe in their “heart” that the rascally radical Islamaic Mullahs that promise to wipe Israel off the map while chanting “Death to America” and export terrorism world wide, the Iranians may have finally committed an atrocity so great that even you progressive leftists may never trust again the smiling Mullahs: they accused Obama and Kerry about lying to the American public about the concessions the Iranians didn’t make:

            “Just hours after the announcement of what the United States characterized as a historic agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, the country’s leading negotiator lashed out at the Obama administration for lying about the details of a tentative framework.

            Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people and Congress in a fact sheet it released following the culmination of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

            Zarif bragged in an earlier press conference with reporters that the United States had tentatively agreed to let it continue the enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, as well as key nuclear research.

            Zarif additionally said Iran would have all nuclear-related sanctions lifted once a final deal is signed and that the country would not be forced to shut down any of its currently operating nuclear installations.

            Following a subsequent press conference by Secretary of State John Kerry—and release of a administration fact sheet on Iranian concessions—Zarif lashed out on Twitter over what he dubbed lies.”

            http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-accuses-u-s-of-lying-about-new-nuke-agreement/
            ————–
            The Iranians accuse Obama and Kerry of lying to the Americans! What? Only the Republicans, conservatives, Fox News, Israel, NRA, Mike Pence, people going to church thi weekend and other knuckle draggers do that! How can true leftists now be one with their BFFs radical Islamic Mullahs after they made Obama look bad? Just when the left thought you could trust Islamic terrorists to keep quit until after the next Presidential election.

        • No way you can blame the republicans or George Bush for the nightmare that is to come. This will truly be the anointed one’s legacy

  3. Gov. Pence is doing some SELLING today announcing his WIN for the RFRA adaptation that just passed. He’s saying how he thinks religious rights are so important and all, even after adding the “can’t discriminate based on sexual orientation” language so opposed by the very people he’s now trying to re-buddy up to….

    BUT…….IS IT TRUE:
    1. The right wing Christian community pushed HARD to get the original RFRA passed knowing full well…and it was
    “fine with them, thank you very much”….that it provided all kinds of legal State protections for people, businesses and institutions to exclude and/or discriminate against gay citizens. The old law provided legal cover IF you sought to hang a “No Gays Allowed” sign in your business window.

    2. And they said……YES! “We got our payback for losing the same-sex marriage ban!!! Take that!! Your gay party isn’t so bright after all is it! The right wing Christian Community showed our State lawmakers we are STILL A FORCE IN THIS STATE AND IN THIS COUNTRY!!! You better not take US for granted Republican Party.!!”

    3. Well, that was short-lived.
    Reasonable people, legal people, educated people, pro-business Republicans, but more importantly the Indiana Business Community and the State’s significant institutions (NCAA, Hospitals, Foundations, etc) DEMANDED the law be ADAPTED to make sure this wiggle room that provided legal protection for discrimination against gay citizens?…….CHANGE IT NOW.
    Or else.

    4. The right wing Christian community said……. “NO. NO CHANGE! THE LAW IS FINE! NO CHANGES….!!!!”

    5. And the State lawmakers said, “Sorry. We like you right wing Christian community. We want your money and your votes. And you USED to be more important to us….BUT because every time we do what you want – no matter how ridiculous…you know, war on women, the school prayer thing, same-sex marriage thing…..WE LOSE.
    So, “NOPE, WE ARE CHANGING THE LAW to say you can’t discriminate based on a citizen’s sexual orientation.

    6. And the right wing Christians are like….”What? What just happened We had this. We were celebrating. We were rubbing that crap in their faces. Things were good. What do you think you’re doing???? ”

    7. And TODAY……(before all of the NCAA and it’s college-educated, money-making, voting, donor supporters start tuning into the Final Four)…….PENCE comes out and says, “I prayed on this. I am a Christian. I am so happy to give all of my support to the right wing Christian community and keep the RFRA MOSTLY intact. (Well, not really, but let’s not talk about that.) I love the right wing Christian community. I pray with them everyday. I am proud to support religious rights in Indiana. We are one, me, you the right wing Christians. We are one!!”

    8. Yeah. Right.

  4. Switching back to CNN-like coverage on Wide Motel Downtown (WMD):

    Courier article this morning. City Council fighting mad, damn Mayor changed the deal. But Doc Whiplash, up for reelection, not mad enough to pull the funding over the additional $ 3.5 Million county scam. Those not up for reelection, Friend, more than willing to pull the funding. I sense a trend . . .

    Mayoral minion Schaefer laying down the wood: if the $ 3.5 Million goes away, then there is no project.

    Politics played to perfection: take a project up to a certain point, then change the deal. Then lay down the gauntlet, and say it is inviolate. That way, during the election Winnecke can say: ” I had the deal put together, but City Council shot it down at the eleventh hour”.

    • Batman. Consider this. There may be voters who think anyone who shoots down this “bad deal for Evansville taxpayers” are the good guys.

    • With respect to the CourierPress and Randall Crane · Top Commenter · Ball State University, …
      I copied and offer what I consider to be one of the very best considered and comprehensive evaluations of the Convention Hotel issue:

      “Kill it already. This is getting ridiculous. I’ve been one of the most ardent supporters of the hotel project but I have to say enough is enough. This has been going on for three years and we are left with a shadow of what was promised. This plot of land is only gaining in value and I think the current administration and the current developers have lost sight of what is needed. Pull the plug and start over.

      We started with a 10-story hotel with 258 rooms, 80 apartments, and 300 parking spaces. The medical school warped the garage into 600 parking spaces. That’s when the original $71.3 million budget became $78 million and there wasn’t enough money. Whether that was because of the scope creep on the garage or the under estimating on the whole project is anyone’s guess. But now we are left with a 5-story hotel with 240 rooms and552 parking spaces and no apartments. The new estimate? $61 million.

      Yes, the hotel rooms meet the minimum requirement recommended by the hotel study. But the project doesn’t remotely resemble anything we were promised. And the finances? Wow. Talk about a shell game. Originally, it was just the $20 million. But did you see this?

      http://ftpcontent4.worldnow.com/wfie/New%20hotel%20plans%202015.pdf

      It’s $20 million from the city, $3.6 million from the county, and $4.6 million from the medical school bond. Not to mention $10 million from ONB (weirdly transferred through naming rights). That’s a whopping $38.2 million ($28.2 million of it directly from taxpayers). With the entire project now estimated at $61 million, what exactly is the developer bringing to the table? By my math, that’s just $22.8 million and that’s rounding up.

      For that kind of money, I don’t want to see some paltry five-story building. I don’t want to see it close off Chestnut Street so they can keep the costs down. I want to see a hell of a lot more. I haven’t been pleased with the politics on the city council of late (and you all know who I’m talking about), but for the love of god, stand up and stop this now. I know we’ll get the convention hotel we deserve, but this is not it. Just end this now.”
      http://www.courierpress.com/news/local-news/city-council-considers-next-moves-on-hotel-project_63809979

      Again: Tribute to CourierPress and Randall Crane. …

      • @bubbageek: like Mr. Crane’s perspective, however his counting is a bit off: this has been going on for 6 years (since 2009), not 3 years. The purchase of the Executive Inn occurred in March 2010, with plans by Browning Investments reaching back into 2009.

        • “The two foot print, tree high, bait and switch shrunk heads Hilton motel” is the spitting image of the one the dummies torn down. The old executive inn. Cronies fueling is expensive in that town, trouble is the whole place still needs usable logistics. You cannot get anywhere without delays, and your vehicle’s suspension taking a torture track beating for the crumby road surfaces and repair holes from the water & gas main breaks.

    • J, Why is Ms. Musgrave badgering Ms. Mosby to appear on a liitle watched internet tape. A few days later the C&P did a piece interviewing both candidates where they stated their positions. That had a lot more coverage.

    • If someone says this is Missy’s actual shirt, I am returning to the Mother Ship/ then Home.

      • I will defend Missy’s shirt. That shirt was used in a fashion show that raised funds for breast cancer. All of the ladies wore odd looking clothing that drew attention to their breasts for a good cause. To dog her for the shirt given the circumstances is in poor taste. I doubt that many people knew that.

        Her ducking a show and telling fibs about her availability is a different story altogether. She needs to grant interviews as they are offered and clearly explain her positions and her voting record during her two terms in office. Then the people of the second ward can make their own decision based on her record and her stances on the issues.

    • Ha Ha. I saw that on ET today. Funny stuff there. That is Your 2nd ward city councilman? Is Missy trying to look like Madonna? You all remember what Madonna said about Evansville when she was here for the filming of “A League of their own” movie. Madonna said that Evansville looked like Prague! That was before the old Sterling Beer Brewery was torn down and replaced with a green grass field.

      • ET must be hurting for someone to visit their little site. That picture is from a ladies fashion show a few years ago.

  5. Missy’s story was that they gave her one time and she was busy at that time. She was busy patronizing a Haynie’s Corner tavern with Weaver. There are selfies and tweets to prove it. The CCO gave her many opportunities to change the taping date as the texts prove. Basically this is proof that she is an out and out Liar. We have enough of those in the current administration and we sure don’t need her.

    • J, See my comment about why she would want to appear on that little watched program when there was an interview coming with both candidates.

      • It’s not about why she would not want to, it’s about the fact she LIED to get out of it and lied again to her constituency when she was called out on it. She could have just said no and maintained some small amount of credibility. What else has she lied to us about and do I want a known liar representing me? No I don’t.

          • He was right about me. I kept my same doctor and my same health insurance. So he didn’t lie at all. He was right on the money.

          • Sensitive no… strong yes. Cowboy is the sensitive one. He can’t go a day without trying to dig himself out of a hole he put himself into.

          • What Ghost said that went over cowboy’s head is that the previous heal care plans were worthless and not worth keeping as they didn’t cover much of the expenses and didn’t meet minimum standards for health care coverage. He was putting you down Cowboy. IE he’s not on Your side … You must be too dumb to figure that out.

          • Moveon – so if it’s fine for you, it’s fine? A real team player. Ghost, if a policy for a postmenopausal woman does not come with a birth control component it was determined to be subpar by the powers that b and dumped in the dustbin. You’d think in all those thousands of pages of rules and regulation they could have thought that through.

  6. A posting for @Rod-fly, and @moveon; What ever fly fishing club should experience once in a lifetime. The scenery, the food, the fishing, the almost perfect conditions. The shear remoteness of the accesses. All that with a team if individuals that are so willing to showcase the place and cater to everyone’s needs. Went there a while back, the fishing was unbelievable, the guides were the best and the lodge chef’s cuisine offerings are five star gourmet . This is how that’s done, my connection came through “The Fly Shop” based out of Redding California.” The trip was gender mixed with couples and friends. True Patagonian adventure in true comfort, simply outstanding for a fly fishing vacation, a real once in a lifetime bucket list must do for anyone endeared to a fly rod. “The Dragonfly Lodge is situated deep in the Andes Mountains of Patagonia, Chile at the mouth of the Rio Picacho on Lago Copa.”
    Ever minute a worthy selfie. Real stuff, and a clinical on just how its done.

    http://www.thedragonflylodge.com/

  7. The mayor steals $2.5 million in a fraudulent tax charge to the water department to plug some cash into the sink hole know as the general fund. Out right thief of excess money being taken from water/sewer increased billings in the name of CSO mandate repairs. No one here cares 2 cents about?

    The reported $3 million in health claims rolled over from 2014 to 2015!

    Makes one wonder if the city even bother to pay into the required health and pension benefits to all city employees in 2014?

    Could it be true that today’s editor may be in favor of the Darmstadt government entity to teach those in Evansville city government on correct book keeping, and fiscal responsibility?

    • armstrongres:

      After the SBOA Whitewash, we all know about the corruption in the current city administration. Everyone cares 2 cents worth, but all of these things which are coming out simply fit the pattern we already know about. Couple that with the fact that the SBOA is a willing partner in the cover up of the City’s precarious financial position , and there isn’t really a lot to react to.

      Regime change is in order.

      • He said that he will do the same thing as what “Cowboy” would do to another
        fellow republican when caught. Turn a blind eye and blame it on those pesky
        Democrats and Unions!

    • Dear Arms….

      How about the fact that the Pooh has been using the Police and Fire Pension Funds to shear up the shortfalls in the General Fund…just stay tuned and you will see the light….

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