IS IT TRUE JULY 5, 2018

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We hope that today’s “Readers Forum” will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?

IS IT TRUE with the revelation that Evansville City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr., CPA hasn’t paid $369,000 in Victory Theater bills for 2017 has really got the attention of many people?  …It will be interesting to learn just how many other actions of financial trickery are being pulled by the City of Evansville to conceal other losses and shift financial burdens?

IS IT TRUE we are amazed that Mr. Lloyd felt that he didn’t have to give City Council a detailed report on what happened to the $369,000 that was put in the 2017 city budget to pay for the operational costs for the Victory Theater for that year?  …without City Council knowledge or permission City Controller Lloyd took upon his own to draw down the $369,000 from the 2018 city budget earmarked to pay for the Victory Theater operational expenses for this year?  …since Mr. Lloyd drained $369,000 from the 2018 Victory Theater account that leaves a zero balance to pay the bills for the Victory Theater for this year?  …we wonder where City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr. CPA is going to find the funds to pay the bills at the Victory Theater for this year?  …if anyone did this type of thing in the private sector they would have been fired?

IS IT TRUE in addition to not paying the Victory Theater expenses in 2017, there is now much interest in the financial viability of the Ford Center as a going concern?…we must remind our readers that former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel paid his handpicked consulting firm to provide what have been proven to be completely inaccurate numbers to pull the wool over the eyes of all of Evansville’s movers and shakers at the expense of the taxpayers?

IS IT TRUE that former Mayor Weinzapfel actually presented a financial projection that had a profitable hockey team, high attendance at basketball games and a positive cash flow for the Ford Center after paying for the bonds?…that piece of propaganda turned out to be off by about $9 million per year which means that in 2018 the taxpayers of Evansville have absorbed $63 million in losses due to having been deceived by bogus projections and robbed of a referendum?

IS IT TRUE that the one thing of interest that is still operating out of the Ford Center is the second generation, semi-pro hockey team known as the Evansville Thunderbolts? …it is already public knowledge that the City of Evansville is the only private investor in this losing enterprise and the taxpayers are absorbing the losses in owning a hockey team?

IS IT TRUE we are told that the taxpayers want to know how much the Thunderbolts are being propped up by the taxpayers?… Mole #3 tells us that on a net performance basis the Thunderbolts may be losing as much as a million bucks per year and aren’t paying the market rates for ice time?…it seems as though the people of Evansville are not only beholding to new wheel tax, escalating water, sewer, and electric bills but supporting a hockey team they never agreed to support and seldom go watch?.

IS IT TRUE that the other item that is conveniently ignored by the Winnecke Administration is the $127 Million dollar debt taken on by the City of Evansville to build the Ford Center? …the taxpayers of Evansville want to know who is paying the Ford Center debt and what is the source of funds?  …It is widely suspected that the Riverboat Fund that was supposed to support capital asset purchases is absorbing most of the $9 Million per year payments on the debt?

IS IT TRUE we call upon the Evansville City Council to demand that City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr., CPA  to tell them specifically what the utility bills for the Ford Center are and who pays them? …until someone advises us differently, we will assume that the utility bills of the Ford Center are aggregated into the City of Evansville’s bill and that they may be around a million bucks a year?

IS IT TRUE the taxpayers of Evansville would like to know who is responsible for the costs for administrative, support staff and players salaries of the Evansville Thunderbolts?  …the taxpayers would like to know who is responsible for away game travel expenses (transportation, meals, and lodging)?  …the taxpayer would like to know who is paying for the medical costs for injured players?  …the taxpayers want to know who is responsible for paying for the marketing of the hockey team?  …the taxpayers wonder who is responsible to pay for all the costs getting the FORD CENTER ready to play hockey?

IS IT TRUE we hope that City Councilman G. John Hayden, CPA will utilize his CPA skills for the people of Evansville and force a decoupled analysis of exactly what each activity at the Ford Center costs? …the time that the practice of hiding losses of the Ford Center, Victory Theater, Ford Center and Thunderbolts losses by aggregating them with other accounts is stopped?  …and if Mr. Hayden is really a CPA worthy of his license he will take this upon himself to do so?

IS IT TRUE we call upon the Evansville City Council to sharpen their skills in VETTING?   …Vetting as you recall is the process that failed the citizens of Evansville when Earthcare Energy LLC shook down a star-struck but ignorant new administration for $200,000 and delivered nothing? … a ten minute Google search of the United States Patent Office Registry at USPTO.gov by a competent novice would have avoided that debacle?  …it wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to shake the necessary information concerning the terms of the financial agreement between the Thunderbolts, VenuWork ’s and the City of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that members of City Council are the stewards of the public trust and should start acting like it? …it’s time that the City Controller and the Mayor also realize that they are also stewards of the public trust?

Todays “Readers Poll” question Is: Do you feel that the Winnecke Administration should give a detailed explanation to City Council on how much did it costs the taxpayer to subsidized the Thunderbolt Hockey team for 2018?

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Perhaps the Council, especially the Finance Chair should be investigating other potential financial “Cover-ups” . . .perhaps the Finance Chair should be requesting the June 30 open invoices from vendors emphasis on the vendors invoice date including invoices from health care providers? Generally, it you see one bug, court on other bugs within the walls . . .

  6. If the truth is to come out, it will come from Connie Robinson, she has the safest seat on the city council. I think she is the most senior member of the council. Connie you supported the Ford Center and hotel because you were told it would produce a lot of jobs for the African American community and we know this has not happened. Is the city’s financial situation so bad that you’re scared to expose it. Be more like Maxine Waters and be a voice for your constituents.

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