IS IT TRUE May 27, 2014 (includes 5-26)

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Mole #??
Mole #??

IS IT TRUE it has been reported that Evansville City Council President John Friend is calling for the resignation of Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley as the Council Vice President?…this comes a week after Brinkerhoff-Riley’s controversial recording of an exit conference about the city’s 2012 audit with the State Board of Accounts?…the Mole Nation has accurately reported that Friend had spoken with Councilwoman Riley on Friday and that the content of the meeting was to have been how those two could manage to work together if at all?…Friend apparently could not wait for common protocol to play itself out and is now telling Channel 25 that he had asked Brinkerhoff-Riley to resign as vice president by Memorial Day?…sources tell us that Friend does not have the votes required on the council to get rid of Councilwoman Riley so it looks like he is resorting to a TV campaign to try and get rid of her?…if anyone should know the possible side effects of a leak driven campaign to smear someone it should be Councilman Friend who was pilloried in the press for driving his boat under the influence of alcohol last summer after spending the night in the Benton jail?…any future candidate to oppose John Friend for any office has a ready made campaign at their fingertips if they just use that tool known as Google?

IS IT TRUE the secret recording of the exit conference according to Friend might make the city look less than attractive to potential businesses looking to bring jobs to the City of Evansville?…the last time we heard this whole line of nonsense was recently when voting on subsidies for a downtown hotel and the IU Medical School?…Friend, Mayor Winnecke, and several others blow the “can’t attract jobs unless ________” dog whistle every time they don’t get their way?…that old worn out dog whistle has actually been used on Councilman Friend recently when Mayor Winnecke’s minions blew the “if you kill Earthcare deal we won’t be able to attract jobs” whistle his way?…there are reasons that some businesses will come to Evansville and there are reasons some won’t?…as long as the local workforce is a willing supplier of Midwestern voices and slightly more than the minimum wage, the call centers will keep coming?…as long as it is a daunting challenge to hire a large engineering team and raise investment dollars, the high tech start up talent will keep on leaving?

IS IT TRUE Evansville’s difficulty with attracting good jobs that employ young educated professionals is more about what Evansville is than what people are willing to work for?…Evansville, in spite of the recent 0.006% population increase when people are pinned in their devalued homes is not a particularly attractive place to young educated professionals or educated professionals period for a number of reasons the CCO has written about many times?…a Google search reveals that a significant part of the community is plagued by sewer overflows due to a legacy of neglect?…a similar search unearths a City that can not balance its books, mow its parks, keep drug addicts needles out of children’s sand boxes, a government that tried to kill the Homestead Tax Credit in a closed door meeting, a mediocre public school system, and a host of other things that educated people silently choose to stay away from?…if the people who are educated and talented who have left Evansville could all vote in the next election we would probably see massive rejection of incumbents including John Friend and Mayor Winnecke?…their power depends somewhat on low turnouts of low information voters and the results are predictable?

IS IT TRUE Councilman Friend may just learn if he polled a significant number of former residents that Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley may just enjoy a large following who admire her work to expose the Earthcare Energy deal that sucked the City Council in like kids are sucked in by carnival barkers and her willingness to expose the potential for whitewashing of a state audit?…these words should be familiar to Councilman Friend and he will recognize them as coming from someone who trusted him to be a custodian of critical information?

“This is for safe keeping and transcription in case the audit is whitewashed. It may even be useful to get it out there before any whitewashing can be done. I wanted you all to have it in case I have a problem with my computer. If the audit gets whitewashed it needs to be exposed and some heads need to roll.”

IS IT TRUE, the very next day the media circus and the witch hunt began?…we must ask, who started the media circus and the witch hunt and for what purpose?…someday we hope the real reasons are exposed?…if Councilman Friend would have kept the trust of the author of that italicized email, the media circus would have never happened and the recording would have not been released?

IS IT TRUE we just posted a new Readers Poll and would like for you to read and cast your vote on the question?

77 COMMENTS

  1. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15

    ——

    So Friend has shown himself to be a member of the “Good ‘ol Boy” network after all, and this network will attempt to make a pariah out of Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley.

    I no longer live in Evansville for all the reasons mentioned in this IIT. I advise those still left there for whatever reason to reject the John Friends and the Lloyd Winneckes who would draw down the shades and put the embarrassing truth back in the closet if they could.

  2. Please DO NOT resign, Councilwoman. Doing so would let down all of the people who appreciate and respect what you are trying to do for this city. If he can’t work with you, that is a reflection on the duplicitous Mr. Friend, and it is he who should resign.

    • Agree EKB:

      “No spirit can be more thoroughly alien to American institutions, than the spirit of the Know-Nothings.”

      “In facing the future and in striving, each according to the measure of his individual capacity, to work out the salvation of our land, we should be neither timid pessimists nor foolish optimists. We should recognize the dangers that exist and that threaten us: we should neither overestimate them nor shrink from them, but steadily fronting them should set to work to overcome and beat them down. Grave perils are yet to be encountered in the stormy course of the Republic – perils from political corruption, perils from individual laziness, indolence and timidity, perils springing from the greed of the unscrupulous rich, and from the anarchic violence of the thriftless and turbulent poor. There is every reason why we should recognize them, but there is no reason why we should fear them or doubt our capacity to overcome them, if only each will, according to the measure of his ability, do his full duty, and endeavor so to live as to deserve the high praise of being called a good American citizen.”

      In My Great Grand Fathers daily journal. Its the last paragraph of a old politicians speech to the people.
      The subject Gramps wrote this in his journal about was an old Evansville problem, that having to do with the power of the local KKK in city politics there in the early 1900s. Same crap different machine. An bought and fixed media, and the preconceived and placed political puppets on strings. Too bad they didn’t have todays analytics programs, it’d made for some shorter speeches.

      “Duties of American Citizenship” by Theodore Roosevelt

      Buffalo, New York, January 26, 1883

      • Sometimes I wonder how much Evansville has changed since the heyday of D.C. Stevenson. Your grandfather’s journal entry could just as easily be written about the “in-crowd” and their hold on the dying local “news” rag, as it was about the Klan and its influence nearly a century ago.

        • “Sometimes I wonder how much Evansville has changed since the heyday of D.C. Stevenson.”

          Well, they still operate on the same archaic and useless infrastructure downtown that’s a given.

          When comes to the bigots of the early twentieth century, sometimes those seem to have a clothing and title change and that’s about all.
          You know in my global travels I’ve always been amazed how in most modern cities in the third world you can stay in a Grand Hotel Resort, yet someone living a stones throw away lives in total and complete squalor while trying to scratch out some kind of life quality.

          That “in crowd” in evansville ought to take heed with that. Having observed some of you’re local High school sporting events the requirement of a stones range with that is dually met as an specification in every direction the compass turns downtown.

          The modernization of the infrastructure should be a community wide focus in its timing.

          The Peoples health and well being are what should be at focus!

          Exactly why the EPA mandates that to be updated forward, and issues fines per CSO event totals.

          Nothing in the mandate specifies the Zombie infrastructure Commercial properties should be first funded, or best case cost recovery.

          CSO in ones front yards, streets ,private, properties, HOUSES OF WORSHIP, SCHOOLS and basements of HOMES should see the improvements, as well as, with timing that supports all populations delving into life there EQUALLY, or directly downstream where the combined sewers of evansvilles city sewers always DISCHARDE THE CHEMICALS AND TOXINS.

          That’s sure actionable. Guess when old Evansville starts having to fund some huge lost law suits someone will realize what should have been done first.

          Personally speaking there is no reasoning shown per/date for the EPA to approve of any plans they’ve concocted so far.
          Increased fines or timeframe adjustment would be the answer I’d lay on’em. Those other wards Councilpersons, and the County reps of the local leadership best take a good hard look at that minor issue themselves.
          The sewer & water bills including utilities are monthly household budget cost everybody must manage. How has the city,county leadership responded to that situation?
          All during the while funding the bailout downtown for their sponsorship cronies?

          Actually as the issue includes the Federal Jurisdiction of the Ohio River Drainage Basin and the EPA the clean water act, along with DOE one would think an investigation at that level should be in order, Immediately , before those rocks previously referred too start flying. so to speak.

          What if? someone inspires ALL THOSE individuals and AMERICAN CITIZENS to go to the polls with the issue, instead. of just chucking a rock?

          http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-central/severe-weather-tracker-page

  3. I live in the 4th ward so I won’t even bother to contact my city council person. But I hope she is past being called out for the earthcare scheme and supports SBR. Would someone out there give me a hint as to why the books from 2011, the Weinzapfel era is being cooked? Why this cloak of secrecy? Mr Friend stated that Winnecke had inherited a mess and his party made him apologize for this statement. Just how bad is this mess? There’s an awful lot of people, including local news outlets ganging up to discredit SBR for releasing confidential info about public business that should be common knowledge.

    • Google “Indiana SBOA Audit” and click on the link. The 2011 audit is there when you select the time frame and find the audit. Look in the findings. There is nothing that merits using the word crooked. What is basically says is “the books are not balanced and they are in such bad shape that we can’t do our audit”. In particular it calls out the Weinzapfel Administration for screwing up the installation of the MIPS software and failing to keep the old system running in parallel.

      • Who was responsible for implementation of the MIPS software? Was it the person who is currently over the water/sewage department?

        If so, I have had issues with my water bill (live in the county) being wrong. The water/sewages office indicates the cause of the issue is the use of estimates versus reading the water meters. Does anyone know if the water/sewage department is required to read the water meters versus use estimates?

        Last month my bill was for 1 unit because they adjusted it for prior mistakes, and this month my bill was for 6 units. Historically before these issues, my monthly bill was for 3 units. Any help/suggestions will be appreciated.

        • You have a legal right to dispute any bill where the meter was not read. Call 812 421-2120 and ask to have your meter read they have to have someone come out and read the meter then. they have to call you back an let you know what your meter read. If you think your meter is not functioning properly you have the right to have it tested. Water meters for home use are supposed to be tested or changed every ten years according to AWW recommendations. Commercial meters every two to five years.

      • If the books are so bad that they can not be audited then that’s very very bad. If the Money can’t be accounted for, then could it be missing or stolen?

        Surely someone can figure out how to recreate the books. They have checks and POs. Their should be claims and employee pay stubs to work with too.

    • Which makes me wonder why the Local Media would pick on such a good upstanding person? They are controlled by someone. Have you ever watched three TV’s at one time and all three station at the same time? I have. And you know what I noticed? They all carried the same news stories in almost the exact same order. That told me something a long time ago. They are all three controlled by the same factor-machine-god. There is a common thread.

      Now if you went out on the streets of Evansville, IN and interviewed three different people you would not get three identical interviews or responses. There is a natural variation to how people live and what goes on in their lives. They are not all choreographed in the same order with the same subjects. That’s artificial and controlled.

      Some one or some group is controlling the news media. There is no way that they would all be talking about the same things in nearly the same order unless they were all connected by some thing above them. Think about that the next time you watch local TV news. They have an AGENDA and it’s not always a good one for everyone. It may be good for some people but not for the rest of us. So how’s behind the Wizzard of Oz’s Sound System?

      Who’s making it Thunder? And why are they doing this to SBR.

      This is not a felony crime. Drinking and driving is much more dangerous than recording a public interest meeting about our or Mayor spends our local tax money.

      Why would an accountant and President of the City council, John Friend, and the State want to keep these things private. I THINK THAT IS THE BIG QUESTION! Why all the ruse to cover up the audit process which essentially is covering up the city finances too. These books should be open to anyone who wants to walk in from the street and see them. This privacy BS is nothing more than a Ruse supported by State Rules that can and should be changed to let the sunshine in. This is public tax money folks. This is not a private bank or corporation. It’s the third largest City in Indiana and we are talking about Millions of dollars here. People work hard for their money and they want to make sure that when we pay our taxes that money is not wasted or stolen. But instead that money should be put to good use and benefit the public not just a few carpetbaggers.

      • Love your letter, please post same thoughts on cp post, I hate driving their viewership, but their views are way off base.

        • Thanks. That is how I was raised. here are a lot of people that make their living off the tax payers money. All I can tell people is to “watch them”.

      • +1000

        Clearly there is something behind the curtain they don’t want the public to see. The question is, is it just bureaucratic ineptness or a whole rats nest of coordinated hide and seek of sweetheart deals, contracts, and consulting fees etc.?

        We will never know until a third party can get their hands on all the information.

      • The ERBC (Evansville Regional Business Committee) is the tail that wags the dog in Evansville.

  4. I have no allegiance to either political party. I judge an elected official on their actions, not their party affiliation. Mr Friend’s actions are unbecoming of a City Council President. We all know what they say about giving a man enough rope……he better take a look, for the noose is forming.
    At the same time, I continue to search to understand a persons reasoning/thought process that on one day would vote to approve a 57Mil bond issue for a new Med school, only to subsequently have enough concern and a finding of conscience so to record the audit exit interview. I don’t want the explanation that it was from concern that the reporting of the interview would be less than forthright. The inability to balance the checkbook was common hnowledge prior to the bond issue vote, S’plain to me Lucy.

  5. It seems this was all started when someone distributed the recording file that sbr made. If that file had not been distributed, none of this would be news. As it is, this appears to be total manipulation of someone that needs help and everybody is throwing wood on the fire. Actions have concequences, and this is no exception.

  6. Stephanie, even though I can’t vote for you I applaud your actions in representing your constituency and the people of Evansville. We are getting the wool pulled over our eyes by a succession of members of the good ol boy network, usually for their personal benefit. Rest assured I will donate to your upcoming campaign fund and also your legal defense fund should it become necessary. I’ll even pay your traffic ticket. There are a heck of a lot more people who support your attempt to bring the audit into the light of day than are worried about how you did it. If they question your ethics, ask Winnie, Russ, Friend and the boys how ethical a cover up is.

  7. The ends justify the means? How would our society be as a whole if we all lived our lives in that fashion?

    • It’s unfortunate, but this is what it takes now days to hold people accountable for their actions and decisions. In order to fight corruption, sometimes you have to make a bold stand and sometimes you have to be a whistle blower.

    • In this case the Ends is critical to the future of Evansville and the means was perfectly necessary since the Audit seems to be shady IMHO. By Shady I mean they are keeping everyone else in the dark at this time. They are covering up to keep it shady and not let the sun shine on the audit process.

      If they can’t do their job or are afraid that they are not doing their job to the satisfaction of the public then they either need to grow a pair or get into a different profession.

      This is not their PRIVATE Sand box and secrecy is never well liked by the General Public. The hounds have picked up the blood trail and are on the run. You won’t be able to hide from “ole Red”.

      Even the local biased (in this case) media won’t be able to distract the public from finding out why the audit is so dark and hidden.

      There should be an outcry to review state law or rules to find out why they are holding the audit results for such a long time. The release of this audit is long overdue. And laws should be changed to make sure that this type of thing never happens again. The State Audit of a major city should be conducted openly not in closed doors sessions that god forbid can’t be discussed by the participants after the meeting is over. This is not National Security information that if released could get our fighting men and women killed. This is public money and the people need to be kept informed about where our money goes and to who it goes to.

      If we find out that the people trying to hide behind the process have a personal reason to do so then there may be hell to pay later on down the road at election time. When it comes to public money the people don’t have a sense of humor and don’t forget who stole the pig off the farm.

  8. You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg and secret videos and tapes and other similar tactics have long been used to shed light on corruption, wrongdoings, and questionable actions by politicians and government officials.

  9. As usual, Fred Astaire’s dance step has nothing on some people, but how I digress. I ask again; What new information in re to the City’s financial condition, more specificially the balancing of the checkbook, or the lack of ability thereof, did a person receive after voting in favor of a $57MIL bond issue for a new med school would justify recording of the audit exit interview? This well educated person knew that the new bond issue was a financial stretch, voted in favor of the issue, only subsequently to cry foul. Is this a good steward of our finances?

    • I certainly can’t speak for the Councilwoman, but the way I see that vote unfolding is that she knew a “no” vote would be pointless. If the rest of the council was going to vote “yes” all she could have accomplished by voting “no” would be to villify herself to a public who strongly supports this project. At that point, she was not certain that it would ever be necessary to make the recording public, if my recollection of the timeline involved is correct.
      As I recall, Councilmen Friend and O’Daniel were both privy to the same audit information SBR had, and they both voted for the expenditure. I truly believe that, had she voted against spending for that project, she would have accomplished nothing but setting off a firestorm of anger among her peers and the public. If she had access to a crystal ball, she’d have seen the firestorm was coming anyway, launched by someone who sees her as a threat to his already-non-existent chances at being Mayor. To conjecture on the motives of Councilman O’Daniel remaining silent is pointless, but think about it, folks!
      I really think it is time for Mr. Friend’s credentials as a CPA to be looked at. How could someone who is supposed to represent the public interest, with his credentials, not have been the one to “break” the news concerning the audit? I believe it is the duty of this failed CPA/City Councilman to resign his positions as President of the City Council AND Fifth Ward City Councilman.

      • Well put. A vote against the medical school funding authorization would have accomoplished nothing. It was pre-sold as the 2nd coming, right after the new hotel, which is showing signs again of being not coming.

        I reluctantly join your call for CPA/Councilman Friend to resign his leadership position on the City Council as well as his council seat. Although I’m sure his stock has gone up among the Brown Blazers, he has lost the trust of the people.

      • Before I started reading todays IIT May 27 responses I said that John Friend should resign as President of the City Council.

        I was please to see many other’s calling for his resignation as well.

        We are all in agreement that he should step down.

        His behavior does not reflect well on the Democratic Party nor the City Council. IMHO. I believe that he has done harm to the city making the city council’s infighting look foolish. It makes me wonder what an outside business would think about our fair city? Do you think that a CEO of a major firm like HP would want to move his company’s HQ here to Evansville knowing that the City is not handling it’s finances according to standard accounting practices as per the tape recording of the exit interview recently released by SBR to the Public. Things are not going well in never never land.

      • I agree. I also think that Mr. Friend is being a bully. I have doubts that he would act this aggressively against a man. When you think of all the shady things this city council has done over the past few years they need to be watched very closely. The city council is supposedly made up of somewhat intelligent people but you have to remember that before SBR came on scene they all voted for earthcare. Who could possibly benefit locally from such a giveaway? I think they all knew from the onset that earthcare was a faulty deal.

      • I understand your conjecture but respectfully disagree. Now you have opened up a whole new can of worms. SBR was not elected to vote in such a manner that would keep her from being villified by the public. That’s not the idea here. That would for sure not make her a good steward of taxpayers money. What Friend & O’Daniel knew means nothing in the search to explain & understand SBR’s actions. She could/should have performed her job in the manner in which she was elected to do. She could have voted no and then had her press conference explaining her vote to the public. That would make her much more of a “hero”(at least in my mind)than where she currently stands. This secret stuff is for the birds. You speak of Mr Friend’s credentials; SBR is an attorney you know. If SBR did not know, she should have known that to secretly record the audit exit interview was, at best, unethical. The whole lot of them needs to go. They very well may have voted the city into cash insolvency, something none of us would like to see. But hey, Hizzoner says in five years we will not even recognize our downtown. We’ll see how that turns out……

  10. Let’s not forget that Friend’s boat wasn’t registered. Lawmakers above the law, my friends.

    • Listen you fool. We’ve already concluded Friends a bum for the fishy audit staging. However,if you had our ongoing analytics program in front of that political face of yours you wouldn’t dare bring that point. “above the law” “up”.

      We’re, and the analytical political programming we are running are not you’re “friends” either.

      Period.

        • Easy movement: An full 1/3 of the responding comments are just, as well “machine tickle.”

          “Slipping the easy” doesn’t work with the new analytics.

  11. IMHO: SBR stands tall in local governance, as the only one who is interested in serving her constituents by getting at the truth.

    Those who press for a whitewashed audit, in order to facilitate plunging Evansville Taxpayers deeper into unsustainable debt, serve only themselves.

    I stand in support of courageous, honest, open Governance.
    Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley continues to enjoy the support of me and mine. …

  12. Thank you SBR. That being said, Rick Davis stood against the bad ol’boys club. They will do you the same way. The people you think are with you, are close enough to cut you deep. Keep your eyes open.

  13. Mr. Friend: what in the world is the rush ?

    Why not await the publication of the actual Audit Report before taking this vote on SBR ?

    If the Audit Report is exactly as the recording showed, the ‘harm’ done by taping the meeting is ZERO.

    If the Audit Report is much rosier than the recording showed, then SBR becomes a folk hero.

    Piece of advice Friend, avoid a rush to judgment and let’s actually see the results. You may be on the wrong side of this dispute.

    • Maybe he already knows he is one the wrong side and wants to destroy the evidence or those that would use it against him down the road? Do you think that might just be the case?

  14. I think that John Friend should resign and Stephanie should be the President of the City Council instead. stand your ground Stephanie. The people have your back!

    We should all fill the City Council Chambers at the next few meetings to show our support for Stephanie.

    Find out what Stephanie’s favorite color is and then tell everyone in attendance to wear that color. If it’s blue then fill the chamber with everyone wearing blue. That will visually show the City Council Members who’s wants Stephanie to be kept on a VP or if she would prefer be moved up to President. I think she can speak much better than that bumbling John Friend. I use to think that John Friend was a good guy but if he can’t work with another good person like SBR then maybe JOHN needs to resign from the Presidents position. He going to find out that he can’t push the other city council members around especially the women. Why is it that we Democrats find ourselves at odds with each others openly. Why can’t we at least have these fights behind closed doors like the GOP does? All this in fighting between good democrats does is promote division of the party and allow the GOP to take over city hall. This is exactly what gave us Lloyd as the Mayor. Did we not learn anything from the last Mayoral Election?

    John Friend you need to STAND DOWN guy! If anything you should be fighting for open government and full disclosure of the finances. If not then I going to start wondering about what your true motives might be?

    Is John Friend hiding something from the public besides his drinking problem?

    • I don’t think it’s any accident that the called meeting that Johnny the Rat planned to try and strip SBR of the Vice Presidency is at a time that is hard for a lot of people to attend. I plan to be there, though, and I hope everyone who possibly can shows up in support of her.

  15. I don’t exactly live in a cave yet I have failed to hear what LAW was broke by recording and – after way too much pressure from a certain “city leader” – released for all to hear. Forget all the “it looks bad for our city” & “we cannot work together because of these actions” BS The Machine would like for us to believe.

    Stand up for an educated person making certain decisions based on more information than we all know right now.

    We have all seen the public pressure & intimidation The Machine & Mr. Friend have inflicted on SBR but we have zero idea of what I imagine has been VERY HIGH private pressure and possibly threats towards her.

    Facts as I see them:

    1). Friend must own the fact the tapes were released in the 1st place because it is was HIS pressure & HIS empty threats that made an educated lawyer make the decision to release the tapes to the public.
    2). When will this thug Friend learn his lesson? Intimidation only works when you are in the right & can back up your threats. She sure showed him where to stick his threats & intimidation.
    3). It is amazing that so many Republicans are coming to her defense. It shows we really do care & can put the betterment of local politics above party affiliation. Plus we HATE The Machine!
    4). “The Machine” is brought to its knees and I am loving it. Kiss off Jon-Boy!!! This all goes back to the last “administration” anyway as I am certain the audit will too. The real question is why would double L (Lloyd & Lloyd) try so hard to cover up for Jon-Boy’s administration?
    5). Release the audit TODAY and tomorrow the Federal Gov’t ought to audit this audit.
    6). This democrat they want to crucify could run for mayor tomorrow- and WIN.

    This has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Friend acts the school-yard bully, cannot logically think through issues and certainly HAS NOT EARNED OUR TRUST NOR RESPECT so in no way should he ever again run for public office. Ever. If he does run and is somehow is elected we are a such sad bunch who deserve no future businesses to relocate here, no retention of local youths that have been college educated at least an hour away from here and certainly no measure of respect for ourselves. He simply has to be put out to pasture to sleep in the bed he has made for himself.

    • I believe Councilman Friend and Councilwoman Mosby represent the two largest mobile home communities here, and there is at least a couple represented by Councilman Lindsey. Perhaps they should pursue this.
      In the case of Friend and Mosby, they’d have to be pried off the ax job they’re trying to do on SBR. Doing something to save lives of constituents probably won’t rise to their standards of importance while they are on this mission, though.

      • Actually, EKB if one watches Jim Cantore and the other reporter it clearly says the issues at hand should be under the State requirements.
        The park manager they talked to is asking for statewide regulatory mandates for the mobile home communities. Makes sense,
        I’d agree each park type assessment with “multitudes of residents” such as some in Vanderburgh and Evansville should have a shelter requirement that meets FEMA standards on site. If for no other reason Climate Change preparedness forward.

        The Lady in the interview alone probably saved several lives and many serious injuries by getting her people to the shelter.
        You all had CJs bus and its sponsorship after the storm, if the place had enough warning and an approved shelter you might still have CJ, and many others, as well.

        Sounds hard, but, the Planet is now days. I know, that’s kind of a cold hard fact, but its true.

        http://www.firstgiving.com/27272

  16. Mr. Friend – THIS broke a trust issue? Sounds like there’s been a trust issue for a very long time since the city’s books are not balanced and haven’t been for some time now. Or, are you saying that you’ve known about it for a very long time and have “let it go without doing or saying anything about it”. Perhaps you should be backing SBR or you should step down as President of the council and let SBR take over as President.

  17. John Friend’s stock has gone way down over this episode, while Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley’s stock has skyrocketed.

    I think Friend broke some sort of land speed record for getting in front of the TV cameras, which is very instructive of his nature.

    There is every chance that none of this would have come about if we had a newspaper in this town that was doing its job. Frustration with three and a half years of financial chaos and the the city and the SBOA not coming clean with the citizens about the extent of the damage, was bound to boil over sooner or later.

    One thing is certain, this has shown that the process, city financial accounting, needs a sea change in terms of transparency.

    Councilwoman Brinkerhoff-Riley has done a good thing for the citizens who voted her into office.

    __

  18. “sources tell us that Friend does not have the votes required on the council to get rid of Councilwoman Riley so it looks like he is resorting to a TV campaign to try and get rid of her?…”

    I wonder if the tables were turned, and it was SBR calling for Friend to resign as Council President, if she would have the votes to oust him? I truly doubt it, but it is unconscionable for a leader to continue to try to sabotage the functioning of the body he presides over. IMO, Friend doesn’t deserve to continue to hold a seat on that body, much less lead it.
    Btw: “Friend” is one freakingly ironic misnomer, isn’t it?

    • More ironic is watching the patently untrustworthy trying to use a ginned up ‘trust’ issue to trash a persom clearly deserving of much more confidence (stay away Haney, that is not your cue to parachute back in) than those in the city administration. The complicity of their house organ the CP, the SBOA and the flopping mackerels on the city council will not keep the lid on this.

      Judging by their all out attempt to discredit and destroy SBR it must be much worse than it looks.
      The Machine is creaking and moaning, it is not the time to let it come up for oil.

      • “Judging by their all out attempt to discredit and destroy SBR it must be much worse than it looks.”

        Bing-O!! I’m wondering if it isn’t bad enough to get somebody sent to prison, the way they are going about this.

        “The Machine is creaking and moaning, it is not the time to let it come up for oil.”

        Right again! This is the first chance the electorate has had a chance to free itself in my lifetime. I hope we can make it blow a head gasket.

        • Friend’s ad here seems to have gone missing. If he pulled his advertising, is it true he’s indicating he thought by buying a spot here it’d be hands off his shiny pate, or a light tap at worst? Of course not. Then again you pretty much have to look at what he does, not what he says (which is subject to abrupt change).

          I renew my call for him to step down to spend more time with his family and boat.

    • elkay,

      Instead of having Friend resign, make him forfeit the ‘R’ in his last name.

      “Council President FIEND , please call the meeting to order”.

      • A while back someone set up a face book page entitled “John Fraud”. It’s gone now. I contacted Face book about it complaining that it was a bad thing. They let it go from what I saw. But a few weeks later I tried to google it again and could not find it there.

        But someone was mad enough at him to do that on face book. I thought it was really childish at the time. Do you all think that maybe they were onto something? 🙂

  19. The City of Evansville just tweeted that the Mayor’s Office has been advised the State Board of Accounts MAY release the final 2012 audit report today..

    • Wow, excerpt from C&P article just up at around noon today. Read it while reaching for barf bag:

      Friend said the city can’t afford to have “weapons of mass distraction” at a time when its focus needs to be in more important areas, such as attracting more jobs and improving quality of life.

      Wow, weapons of mass distraction John ? Attracting more jobs and quality of life ?

      I hereby annoint thee: “Councilman Fiend”. Your ‘R’ is permanently removed.

      • Go back and read all the articles the last two years about Friend taking a stand and fighting to force the City to clean up the books.

        Now Friend is reduced to a pile of dust, spouting aphorisms such as ‘weapons of mass distraction’ ( ” we can’t balance the books, and we can’t be distracted by trying to make them balance”).

        Then you read the all-time chickenshit line: ” We need to be focusing on creating jobs and quality of life” (instead of getting to the bottom of the financial mess).

        Friend, you have let down the citizens of Evansville with your hypocrisy. You should be ashamed (yet we now know you could care less !).

    • That ought to have a lot of people in the Civic Center on the edge of their seats. Probably not, though. I expect there has been a lot of collusion to “fix” the audit.

    • If that happened I must have missed it. Sounds like a pacifying delay tactic. I have really had it with this administration.

  20. We need something like this (http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=1632) for our local and state governments.

    The inherent corruption risks in local government relate to procedures for awarding public contracts and overseeing their implementation, as well as to new risks arising from the growing tendency to outsource service provision and the transfer of personnel between public and private roles that this entails. Planning decisions remain highly discretionary and are vulnerable to corruption in several areas. Councillors and officers have opportunities to collude in social housing fraud, and the new system of individual electoral registration will bring new opportunities for corruption.

    What a task that would be!

    • “Corruption in local government!”
      This article just proves that the U.K. has nothing on the U.S. since this corruption problem in local government is at epidemic proportions here as well and not just in Evansville, it’s everywhere!

  21. I really enjoyed the 14WFIE headline on their website regarding the SBR City Council removal attempt. ‘SBR “fails” to resign’. I believe that the correct operative term should be “refuses” to resign. But then, the 14WFIE intern who wrote the article probably doesn’t understand the difference.

    • This guys looking for cooks, pays a good wage, don’t even have to be any good at it either, gives out free rides! Throws big parties! And! but wait! there’s more. Really has a five star hotel.

      They must need a different pitch man and shill Dutch.

      10,608,671 views 😉

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifU_4QywNcc

      10,608,671 views

  22. New poll question:

    How many times should the SBOA be allowed to tell a local government entity that the information they have provided is insufficient for an audit to be performed:

    1 time ____

    2 times ____

    3 times ____

    4 times ____

    more ____

    * * * * * * * * * * * *

  23. Leading local hypocrite Jack Schriber took to the C&P Editorial page this morning (Wednesday) and proclaimed in ‘Victory Over Japan !’ sized type:

    “Councilwoman not above the law”.

    Yes Jack, but what about the City Finance Dept. who, contrary to State law, didn’t balance the books each month as required (it is a State Law). Are they above the law ?

    What about an embezzler in the Utilities Dept. who stole money in 2011 and it is being masked by the people who can’t/won’t reconcile. Are they above the law ?

    Jack, it seems if Stephanie doesn’t make her tape, these latter two examples ARE above the law–as in they will never be detected without the smoking gun tape.

    Pitiful when Winnecke rolls out his High School Theatre teacher to do his heavy lifting !

    • Poor Jack, retiring has made it more difficult for him to get the megadoses of attention he has always seemed to need.
      I’m amused with all of the people who try to present the Councilwoman as if she were some sort of felon. At most, if any violation at all took place, it was an infraction akin to jaywalking. Beware, the dangerous scofflaw, Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley!
      The Courier is making all of their smear-job on her free reading for non-subscribers, and some of the most pathetic are swallowing it. One indignant buffoon of a poster there made the statement that they would be “shocked” if she were not disbarred.
      I had another little laugh at the expense of the Courier this morning. Aimee Blume did a nice article about the Farmer’s Market, but she left out two of her “W’s”. She never said “when” it takes place, nor did she mention “where” it is held. If I were new to the area, I’d be a little frustrated. I guess the Courier writers recognize that there aren’t many new people in town, and if you’re not “hip” enough to know the when and where of events, you’re not hip enough to go there.

      • I saw that tripe too. If you google Jack Schriber, he shows up as a social stringer for the CP, as well as all his other machine-style connections. It’s a little weird that our city leaders and opinion shapers are spending so much time in the media with a smear campaign like high school mean girls, instead of screaming about the state of financial affairs. I think every one who is part of this smear job, is getting some somehow, either through a no-bid contract, political patronage job, or hooey “consultant fee”. The NEED this corruption in order to make a living when they otherwise could not.

        • It is standard operating procedure for government officials to wage faux campaigns when they are found to have failed miserably at their jobs. This tempest in a teapot SBR thing is just par for the course.

          The C&P does not deserve the title of newspaper, and its journalists and editor are nothing more than willing prostitutes to the machine.

        • Many are hangers-on, doing it without the expectation of any remuneration. Some of the weaker ones hold out hope they’ll receive one of those ‘Readers Choice’ CP self-generated and totally meaningless awards. The ‘Fool’s Banner’.

          The stridency of the attacks against the whistleblower SBR indicate the city looters are in a bit of a panic. They are plenty hot at SBR for recording what the SBOA really thought, before they were told what they really really thought. The attacks seem loosely organized around the ‘trust’ issue. Ironic given the lack of trust this administration is worthy of.

          Almost time for another sand dump, banker point-out, and solemn promise that the hotel is about to rise. First they’ll milk the actions of good citizenship by SBR for all they can. Trying to criminalize it didn’t work. Sending 3rd tier attack pooches out fizzled. Trying to remove her from a leadership position tomorrow will either work or won’t. No matter, they’ve already lost.

          The council VP’s good work and the administration’s response to it have effectively exposed Evansville politics for what it is.

      • Retiring? He has been on the payroll in one job or another ever since his supposed official retirement.

        The school corporation also has a lot at stake in maintaining the status quo with these state audit teams. And when the corporation screws up, such as in the lack of funding healthcare for early retires, they just go to the legislature for a quick fix. All of a sudden, what used to be a state financial responsibility becomes a bonded local responsibility.

    • Until politicians, at all levels of government, and their taxpayer paid attorney councilors are held accountable under the laws there will continue to be corruption and collusion.
      However, first a separation of council attorneys and justices must be made.
      SBR’s actions are miniscule compared to what is going on; her actions are just being trumped-up and used by the dissonant; for whatever reason may soon be revealed, or maybe not?

        • Sophie,

          You bet, the Inspector General only investigates State Agencies (not cities).

          If you file a complaint with the Inspector General about the SBOA’s handling of this audit, they have to investigate it. You could not, however, ask the IG to directly investigate the City Administration, for instance.

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