IS IT TRUE OCTOBER 7, 2016

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IS IT TRUE a group of retired and active Police Officers met with the City’s Personnel Director  George Fithian last night?  …the gathering quickly turned extremely heated when Mr. Fithian informed them that money earmarked for the retirees Healthcare fund is being deposited into the City’s General fund instead of being deposited into separate fund for City retirees?  …when Mr. Fithian told them about this issue about half of the attendees walked out of the meeting in a rage?  …we can say this is a developing story?

IS IT TRUE we hear that Mayor Winnecke really get upset when we talk about the EARTHCARE deal gone bad? …the City could really use the $200,000 plus he wasted on this so called business deal of the decade?

IS IT TRUE that the politicians in Washington has mandated a new law that will terminates all Employees Healthcare Plans in existences before March 10, 2010? …when this happens it will drive future Healthcare cost through the roof? … the Mayor should start putting money aside to off sit the large budget deficit facing the 2018 City Employee Healthcare program?

IS IT TRUE we wonder what the status of the funding requests for the new Penguin exhibit, Mesker Park Amphitheater renovations and the new Carousel project at the Zoo? …you now know why people are saying that the Mayor and Council members are selecting “Zoo over City Employees”?

IS IT TRUE we urge you to vote in todays “CCO READERS POLL” because you will find the question very interesting?

IS IT TRUE we wonder why EVSC School Board member and EPD officer Jeff Worthington is no longer the police liaison officer at Mater Dei High School?

IS IT TRUE don’t be surprised if a couple of our City Council members don’t come down with an unexpected virus and won’t be able to attend Monday’s Council meeting? …all we can say is that they may run but can’t hide from the EFD or the EPD?

IS IT TRUE if City Council have so much love for members of the Police and Fire Departments they should step up and forfeit their own health care coverage to help with the budget shortfall? …it’s time for Council step up and lead by example,?

IS IT TRUE Mayor Winnecke and his Council leadership are telling people that they have the votes to reduce our Homestead Tax Credits by 2%? …we hope you realize that when they do that everyone living in Vanderburgh County property taxes shall go up additional 2%? …could this be called “taxation without representation”?

IS IT TRUE it seems like Mayor Winnecke and his Council leadership approach to help balance the 2017 City budget is to reduce our Homestead Credit  by 2% and increase our County COTI income taxes to the max?

IS IT TRUE we hearing that the Mayor is weighing his options concerning making any adjustment on the City Employees Health care agreement?  …all we can say is “let the political games” because members of EPD and FOP are watching?

IS IT TRUE when Mayor Winnecke found out that Councilman Dan McGinn is requesting that our 2017 Home Tax Credit to be reduced by 2% he immediately increased the General Fund request expenditures by $500,000 in the 2017 City budget?  …were also told that none of this new found money will go to City Employee Healthcare fund?

IS IT TRUE that all politics is local?  …that politics start in the city, goes to the County, moves on to the State and ends up on the National level?  …we wonder why their isn’t more attention given to the political decisions that are made locally?

IS IT TRUE every time City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr speaks about the excellent financial condition of Evansville we have flashbacks? …wasn’t this guy the past Mayor of Evansville who spent our surplus “Rainey Day” funds down to almost nothing before he was voted out of office by a large margin? …is this the same guy that spent almost $2 million dollars of taxpayers money to develop a new Downtown baseball stadium but pulled the plug on the project at the last minute?  …could this be why we don’t consider City Controller Lloyd a conservative watchdog for the taxpayers of Evansville because of his poor track record of handling our tax dollars?

IS IT TRUE that Ms Hargis asked some good questions addressed to Personnel Director George Fithian but failed to ask the more important question? …she should asked “what are the unpaid bills in the Hospitalization Funds as of June 30, 2016 compared to 2015 which would affect the 2017 budget”?

IS IT TRUE that the unpaid bills in the General Fund at the beginning of 2016 was $6.1 million and two years earlier that amount was only $2.3 million? … we wonder why the only CPA on City Council has not noticed this trend but more importantly why hasn’t she spoke out about this trend on the open floor of the Council?

FOOT NOTES: Todays READERS POLL question is: WHO DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEMBER OF EVANSVILLE CITY COUNCIL?

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61 COMMENTS

  4. Why are we providing EPD security at a private school without compensation back to the City. Is this a question of separation of church and state?

    • One of Donald Trump’s best quotes: “I am running to become President of the United States, not President of the world.”

  8. Speaking of tinfoil hats….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzuxTEq-plE

    Clinton’s lead appears to be widening every day. The only “extreme desperation” is in the Trump camp. I’m not declaring Trump “done for” just yet, but if he performs badly again in this Sunday’s debate, you can pretty much stick a fork in him. He’ll be done then.

  9. “”offset” the budget deficit, not “off sit”. And it’s not “taxation without representation”, it’s “taxation with poor representation”.

    • Hillary psyops department spreading the lie that Hillary Clinton, if elected, could stop hurricanes! This is some real tin foil shit here!

  12. Ah Earthcare Energy LLC and the humbling of the bumbling City Council that can’t vet a clown on the side of the road. Exposing that scam and the morons who fell for it was the CCO’s finest hour. It also was a showcase for the investigative abilities of Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley.

    The question of how that scam was brought to town and why it was so rapidly accepted has still not been exposed. Which cronies were set to line their pockets? Only the shadow knows.

    • The democrat in charge at the time is very similar in temperament to the democrat currently running for president. Surround yourself with cronies and yes people and control transparency at all costs.

      • The bravest thing Stephanie did was to expose the farce of an SBOA audit, which is supposed to protect the interests of the taxpayers, and show just how the SBOA is more interested in protecting the corrupted finances of the City of Evansville instead.

        No doubt Charlie Pride and his son are still employed with the SBOA.

    • It seems like Winnecke is the Teflon Mayor:

      1) Earthcare;
      2) Changed SBOA audit opinion/ attack on SBR for recording;
      3) Claim that his Chief of Police didn’t inform him that Jack Schriber admitted to molesting young boys;
      4) EPD flash bang raid on Mrs. Milan’s house, $ 60,000 court awarded damages.

      • It’s what happens when the majority of a population feels too whipped to even try to fight back.

        • You don’t think that little penguin would be silly enough to steer Haney into himself do you? Somebody steered Haney here, I wonder if they got paid since the scam fell apart before it was perfected. Maybe they just worked for a flat fee up front. If Winnecke self-steered one can only guess what his financial arrangement with himself was. His silence on the matter is telling.

          $200,000 with no attempts to claw any of it back — not bad. Debbie Dewey was beating the drums to give them the full 5 million long after everyone else (except Old Yeller and Weaver) had bailed.

    • With these two candidates I would say the margin for error is very high and I don’t mean the polls.

    • The LA Times poll is testament to how much the turnout assumption can change the outcome of a poll. Take a poll that is say +5 Hillary then reduce the assumption for African American and Hispanic turnout by 10% and increase the blue collar turnout by 5% and voila, you have Trump ahead using the same raw data. This election is all about who gets out and votes.

      • AND who has the best GROUND GAME…! She’s been at it for months… He’s just starting AND is relying on the local Repb organizations… spotty at best …hda

        • Hillary will have the best ground game. That is a given. Trumps ground game is holding rallys at football stadiums. That doesn’t impact undecided voters. If there is a strong turnout Hillary wins. If it is tepid Trump may have a chance. After that audio today, he may not have a chance anyway.

          • This election is about people who want a change! It is an antiestablishment uprising that is going to bury the corrupt Clintons.

  16. Yep, I bet that meeting between George Fithian and retired and active EPD officers turned very “hearted” when the officers were informed where the earmarked funds were being deposited.
    And where was Mayor Lloyd while this was occurring? Why he was hobnobbing with the City’s social and economic elite and Downtown and First Street champions at the Reitz Home Museum “Wine Down to the Weekend” event. Accompanied by his buddy Kelly Coures

  17. It is of interest to note that when Russ Jr. was Mayor (and McGinn was the Director of Mesker Park Zoo) a similar ploy was tried regarding the Friends of Mesker Park Zoo and the Mesker Park Zoo Foundation endowment. Russ Jr. kicked the Friends of Mesker Park Zoo out of the zoo and wanted the Mesker Park Zoo Foundation (same board of directors as the Friends of Mesker Park Zoo) to turn over the funds in the endowment ($500,000+) to tbe City where they would be deposited into the City’s General Fund. Of course good old Russ Jr. assured everyone those funds would be earmarked for and “only be used for zoo projects”. The Friends/Foundation board said “NO WAY!”. Those endowment funds have been added to and continue to grow and the gains (main endowment can not be touched or distributed) have been used to fund many small xoo capital imprivement projects and zoo staff education that the City refuses to fund.
    Oh yeah. Put it in the City General Fund and watch it disappear.
    It’s no surprise that Russ Jr. can’t find employment in the private sector sith accounting/bookkeeping activities such as these. It also begs the question what does Russ Jr. have on all of these local politicos that enables him to remain in charge kf City finances?

    • DonaldTrump has not been compromised by Wall Street’s $$$$$ Millions $$$$$ like Hillary Clinton has.

      • Not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign money that poured, and is still pouring into the corrupt Clinton Foundation!

  19. What was the circumstance behind Mr. Worthington leaving is position with Mater Dei? Was this his choice or were there circumstances that precipitated his departure? What is his new assignment with the Police Department? I’m sure these are questions some parents from the school may want the answer to!

  21. I went on my 5.5 mile run this morning in beautiful Southern California where Hillary is leading in the polls by about 20 points. My intention was to count bumper stickers and yard signs about the presidential election to make the miles go by faster. There was not a single sticker or sign anywhere for the presidential race. That is a strong indication that there is not much passion about the election on either side.

    Driving to work through Rancho Mirage some graffiti artist had scawled F_&K Trump on some walls and power boxes. It is probably gonna cost $20,000 or so taxpayer dollars to clean that blight. Can Hillary’s campaign be billed for the repairs? My observations out here are that the democrat supporters who are against Trump are the ones destroying public infrastructure in protest. That does not jive with the general perception of the support groups. I have yet to see a police car vandalized, a private vehicle torched, or even a wall covered with graffiti with a message that is pro Trump or even anti Hillary.

    • You knees are going to be worn out before you are 60 Joe. Walking may be slower but it’s not nearly as hard on the feet, ankles, knees and hips. Take it easy man. We don’t get to live forever and we break down long before we die these days. And the air out there is not the best with all the automobiles and highways. The air by the roads is the worst. Years before the gasoline had lead in it and those exhaust fumes were full of lead which was deposited along the streets. I’d bet that a lot of that lead is till in the dirt along the sides of the streets out there as well as in most cities in the USA. Lead doesn’t break down over time as easily as the Ozone does.

      • I am already 60. I run in residential areas. The air here is better than the air in Evansville in spite of the 25 million people most of whom drive.

  22. Joe, I have not seen any Hillary signs anywhere in Southwest Indiana. There are a large number of Trump signs in Dubious County. There are several large Stop Hillary signs in Pike County.

    • You haven’t seen any because very few were allocated to Indiana. Why waste money on signs where you really aren’t expecting to do well?

      • Hillary knows that IN is a lost cause. She is spending her time and money on the swing states that will make the election her’s. and that will give her the electoral votes that will put her in the White House Come Jan 2017. She didn’t fall of the Turnip trump yesterday like Donald Trump did.

      • http://howeypolitics.com/
        “Trump has a lead, a small lead, but he is severely testing the redness of the state,” Ulm said, adding that if Trump “replicates” his disastrous performance in Sunday’s second debate, Clinton could actually win the state. “If she wins the Indiana, it’s over.” While Trump is favored by 77% of Republican women, Clinton leads him among independent women, 41-32%. Ulm said it is that demographic group that will not only decide the presidential race, but the Indiana governor and Senate races.
        Chat Conversation End

    • Chula, I’ve also seen the large Pike County homemade wood signs with white background and “Stop Hillary” in red paint. I’m not a Trump fan, but Hillary would be a disaster equal to the abject failure of Obama. At least Trump wont nominate Loretta Lynch, Pocahontas, Eric Holder or Obama to the US Supreme Court. This ad basically sums it all up:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_eWwWe_ZU

      • That is your right to decide who to vote for. I was just sharing an observation with a family friend.

  23. Is there any law that can punish the Mayor or the City Controller for not doing their job properly. Such as posting funds in the wrong account? Thinks like the city Police and fire retirement accounts should be kept separate maybe?

    It’s too bad that the Police can’t strike. Who pass the State Law that says the Police can’t go on strike? That law should be declared null and void or unconstitutional IMHO. The Mayor would sure be forced to comply to the Police wants and wishes if they were able to go on strike.

  24. I sometimes wonder is he purposely trying to lose the election??? I will be the first to admit that he is not the best candidate BUT he is better than Mrs. Clinton. I’m still voting for him.

    • I happen to think that Donald Trump has the capability to be a great president given the chance. That is definitely NOT the case with Hillary Clinton and her rapist, impeached, disgraced husband.

      • Bill Clinton will not be co- president if Hillary is elected. You have no problem separating the trampy plagiarist that is Mrs. Trump from her husband, but you seem to believe that the Clinton’s are a package deal.
        The tapes that came out today give Trump the appearance of another Bill Clinton, a man with NO morals.

        • Sydney Morning Herald

          May 29 2016

          Hillary Clinton’s two-for-one deal may be a free goal to Donald Trump’s campaign

          Hillary Clinton’s inexplicable decision, to once again offer two Clintons for the price of one, more than doubles her exposure to the attacks that will come from Donald Trump.

  25. Trump’s name came up a lot when the presidential elections were happening. So obviously, given their track record, the Clintons would have had him on their radar during Hillary’s run in 2008. It looks as if this little prick, Billy Bush, was tagged with getting something on Trump that Hillary could use should Trump get in the race. She did not have to use it in 2008, and releasing it them would have meant nothing positive for the Clintons. But they hung on to it as insurance for the future. They just cashed their insurance policy. My wife listened to the video and said that Billy Bush seemed to be the one who instigated the girl talk. Politics is a blood sport, and the Clintons are the hands down the lowest of the bottom dwellers.

    So score another gotcha for the Clintons, but that still does not make Donald Trump a rapist and sexual predator od the stripe of Bill Clinton.

  26. Trump has apparently been dis-invited to the event he was doing with Paul Ryan in Wisconsin tomorrow. Right after Ryan announced that Trump would not be in attendance at the event, Trump announced that he would be spending the day in New York with Reince Priebus and Chris Christie prepping for the Sunday debate. In reality, he will likely be withdrawing from the race. The RNC is meeting right now to explore their alternatives, with the possibility of Trump no longer being their nominee.

    • Trump has responded to the latest criticism and secret meetings about his trashy behavior by popping a Tic Tac in case he has to kiss Priebus or the slob Christie. Ho ho ho. This is great entertainment.

  27. The RNC can’t force Trump out,especially considering that early voting has already started. I doubt Trump and his supporters will be fazed by this. I think they are blind enough to go on and yell about a rigged system when he loses.

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