IS IT TRUE we are expecting the Judge to rule today on the merits of the law suit filed against the City by the FOP and EFD concerning their Employees Health Care benefits?  …we are told the ruling of the FOP and EFD employee injunction for a stay could go either way? …if  the injunction is granted by the Judge the City employee Heath Care insurance  costs will remain the same as agreed on in the 2016 employee contract?  …if this happens the City of Evansville shall face a major financial crisis beyond belief?
IS IT TRUE a quiet search for a replacement of the current Chairman of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party is presently being conducted?  …we are hearing that the current party Chairman is beginning to appoint precinct leaders that will choose the new party Chairman?  …isn’t this called “stacking the deck”?  …we hear that Mathew Newell is considering running for this position?  …  Attorney Scott Danks is being encouraged by many of the party movers and shakers to run for this position?  … Mr. Danks has outstanding organizational and fund raising skills that could quickly turn things around for the local Democratic?  … we hear if Mr. Danks want to be the next Chairman of the Vanderburgh Democratic party it’s his for the asking?
IS IT TRUE the next Vanderburgh Democratic Party Chairman will immediately be challenged to raise around $40,000 plus for past unpaid bills?  …this figure doesn’t include money needed to hire new staff and pay for future operational costs?
IS IT TRUE the once proud and powerful Vanderburgh Democratic Party demise started when Mayor Jonathan Winezapfel cut a backroom political deal to defeat Mayoral candidate Rick Davis? …a couple of the same individuals involved in the Rick Davis for Mayor situation also cut another backroom political deal to insure that Mayor Winnecke would win re-election over Gail Riecken? …Â when Mayor Weinzapfel left office he took with him a political war chest of $750,000 and landed a high paying job as Chancellor of Ivy Tech-Evansville? Â …you now have the answer why many supporters of Rick Davis and Gail Riecken shall never support or trust anyone in involved in the demised of their candidates? Â …this is why the new party Chairmen must not be someone who was involved in working against Rick Davis and Gail Riecken Mayoral campaigns?
IS IT TRUE City Officials are planning to established a “Special Tax District” for Downtown?  …this project is being touted as way to generate money to create new capital for Downtown Evansville without using public money? …when Government create a new source of revenue for future capital projects this is called a “TAX”? ….we are told that the “Special Tax District” money collected for Downtown capital projects will be managed by a Board of Directors?  …we wonder who will be appointed as the Director of this “Special Tax District” for Downtown?  …will it be Downtown Alliance Director Josh Armstrong (a Chamber of Commence employee) that will oversee the establishment of the “Special Tax District for Downtown”?  …if he’s selected Director of this project who will be paying his salary (Chamber of Commence or the City)?
IS IT TRUE wasn’t Mr Armstrong the person that the City of Evansville hired to run a contest to select a restaurant owner to start an upscale restaurant in the vacant Rogers Jewelry building on Main Street without assuming any startup costs? …the winner of this free turnkey restaurant turned the offer down because it turned out that this project was not free at all?  …it was reported that Mr. Armstrong was paid around $30,000 of our hard earned tax money to head up this failed project?
IS IT TRUE we wonder why the City of Evansville continues to pour millions of dollars into the Downtown and the Haynies Corner Art District areas and avoid doing similar for the West Franklin Street, Lincoln Avenue (Center City) and South Green River Road areas?
FOOTNOTE: Â Todays “READERS POLL” question is “Do you feel that the City of Evansville should continue to pour millions of our tax dollars into the Downtown and Haynies Corner area”?
Spot on CCO analysis for the self-inflicted demise of the local Democratic party. It was political suicide when their “leaders” back stabbed Mr. Davis.
I think the demise of the Democrat Party in Vanderburgh county can be summed up with one name: Jonathan Weinzapfel. When any person betrays his religious roots, be it Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, or any other, and trades it for political gain, how can he be trusted?
….well, let’s be perfectly clear.
I am not disputing that Trump shouldn’t be President.
But Millions of evangelical Christians across America (YOUR words disaffected – for you to eat) “betrayed their religious roots” for political gain by voting for a sex-monger “two Corinthians” Donald Trump.
But disaffected, you write material here like a feckless fool.
And of course, we can expect you to suddenly change the subject, cause why?
…..cause….You won’t point that out. What a coward….
Let’s see now. You say you’re not disputing Trump shouldn’t be president, which any fourth grade student with a passing grade in English knows you are saying you are disputing that he should be president.
When you get a better command of our language and don’t write so foolishly, perhaps we can have an adult conversation. Your childish use of name calling tells me you haven’t reached a level of maturity and I see no point in talking adult topics with a child such as yourself.
(changed and ignored his own subject, of course….)
So the 2016 employee contract should be tossed out? Should the employees who used the services be responsible for the bills now?
IS IT TRUE we wonder why the City of Evansville continues to pour millions of dollars into the Downtown and the Haynies Corner Art District areas and avoid doing similar for the West Franklin Street, Lincoln Avenue (Center City) and South Green River Road areas?
The southside is the poorest area and the one most in need of a economic boost. The 41- Kentucky gateway used to be the main way to get into our city. By design that has changed. What used to be the largest entertainment area in our town is now a bunch of junk car lots. This was another design to get traffic downtown. This gateway has been ignored to the point where it has turned into Evansvilles gangland ghetto. I do not know the solution to downtowns problems but leaving a ghetto next to it is stupid.
‘Special Tax District’ Downtown: read this in the Sunday news, and the way it was described makes it sound like Downtown Businesses could take a portion of their base property taxes (not the incremental , as used in TIF, but the base) and use it for their own fun and games. Wow, I want to declare my house an ‘Economic Improvement District’ (EID), and have a Board of my wife, child and three cats determine how we spend that portion of our property taxes !!
Here’s what the City of Marion, IN says about EID’s:
Special Improvement Districts
An economic improvement district (EID) is a special purpose district in which property owners agree to collect
an additional fee to fund improvements in the district. An EID is developed and managed by the property
owners in the district and the investments support their businesses. Improvements may include infrastructure,
such as streetscapes, lighting, and public art; services such as security and landscape maintenance; or staff
dedicated to managing and marketing the district. Under a variety of names, such as special improvement
district, economic improvement district, or downtown improvement districts, the tool has been used in cities
across the nation and in Indiana to provide services and infrastructure that are above and beyond what might
reasonably be delivered by local government. EIDs are used most frequently to provide support for commercial
districts (typically downtowns) and increase retail opportunities.
Economic improvement districts are commonly linked with other programs, such as Main Street, in an effort
to maximize the competitiveness of downtown shopping and entertainment districts. A Business Improvement
District (BID) in the Downtown is suggested as the best opportunities for a special improvement district in
Marion. The most common uses of resources for of this type of district are as follows.
â– Capital improvements, such as lighting, street furniture, and landscaping
â– Marketing, including sales promotions and festivals
â– Economic development efforts to assist local businesses expand and attract new business to fill in
vacant store fronts
â– Maintenance including trash collection, snow removal, and landscape services
â– Additional parking management or security
Well the first lie they told was that it would not cost the taxpayers anything. Where are they intending to get the funds to do the projects they have listed? All they are telling you is how they THINK they can repay those funds. Of course they have no proof that they can. They are making projections, like they made projection as to how much revenue the downtown TIF would generate, when they pledged those funds to help make the payments on the Ford Center bonds. When the first Ford Center bond payment came due, the downtown TIF came up short on their share of the payment, and the city had to make up the difference with casino funds.
They depend on citizens having short memories.
@pressanykey: at least in Marion, it looks like the property owners agree to collect an “additional fee’ to fund improvements in the district. By ‘collect’ I assume they mean ‘pay in’.
However, this is not the way the Courier and Press portrayed it yesterday. The C&P version is that a group of businesses can vote to keep a portion of their basic property taxes for their own uses, money which would otherwise be used for the entire City. I understand TIF, but EID is not like TIF.
I hope the C&P is mistaken, and the Marion, IN approach of an additional fee (on top of property taxes) is the ambition.
Let me be the first to propose Wayne Parke as the logical replacement for the chairman of the local democrat party. He has shown great interest in getting local democrats elected to office.
Ha! Good one, PAK, and so very true!
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