IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 16, 2017

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IS IT TRUE after noticing that the familiar president of The Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (GAGE), Chris Kinnett was not in attendance at the ribbon cutting of the new downtown Doubletree Hotel, the City County Observer became curious about his absence?…what we have learned is that the revolving door at GAGE has swung again and Mr. Kinnett is no longer working there?  …would love for him to contact us to explain his reasons for leaving GAGE?  …the 5th person to hold the leadership position at GAGE in its less than 10 year history is listed on the website as Thom Endress?…Mr. Endress is listed as interim president so we guess there will be a 6th leader of this organization soon?…we wonder why the departure of Kris Kinnett was not covered by the local media as other departures have been?…it will be interesting who the next person to enter the meat grinder will turn out to be?

IS IT TRUE it will be interesting to see what kind of job description the GAGE governing group will publish when looking for leader #6?…we wonder if some of the bullet points will be to serve as a sycophant for the Mayor of Evansville and provide photo-ops for him on a regular basis?

IS IT TRUE that in the spring of 2010 the City County Observer uncovered the fact that GAGE had been used by then Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel to illegally funnel $40,000 per year to DMD Director Tom Barnett because the salary schedules for the City of Evansville were not sufficient to attract Barnett to town?…we also discovered and exposed that GAGE founding President and CEO Joe Wallace never signed Mr. Barnett bogus employment contract but then Gage Chairman of the Board and Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel did?.  …after Wallace refused to sign the bogus employment contract Mayor Weinzapfel then took the pay request to Gages Executive Committee for approval?  …they approved his request?  …one of the members of the Gage Executive Committee was none other than Mayor Winnecke?

IS IT TRUE not long after bogus employment contract issue Mr. Wallace was forced out as CEO and  President of Gage by Mayor Weinzapfel and went on to a very successful career in Palm Springs, CA ?  …its also common knowledge that Mr. Wallace was highly respected and did an outstanding President and CEO of Gage before he was forced? …he is a contributing author with the CCO and other publications?

IS IT TRUE a couple people on the Gage Board, in local Government, past Gage clients and ordinary citizens urged Mr. Wallace to sue GAGE Board Chairman Mayor Weinzapfel for wrongful dismissal, interference with daily work activities and defamation of his character? …he decided not to sue and went on down to road to bigger and better things? …we hope one day that Mr. Wallace will come forward to tell us and our readers why he was really fired as the CEO of Gage?

IS IT TRUE we are also curious about the silence of former Mayor turned Community College Chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel regarding the non-relocation of the IVY Tech Nursing Tech students to the new downtown IU Medical School?   This decision happened at the same time when the taxpayers of Evansville were seemly being shaken down to support a $51 million bond issue that would help pay for the construction for the downtown IU Medical School?…it was portrayed to be a downtown success story with 1,500 Nursing Tech students moving downtown and now there will only be a small fraction of that in the expensive building?…if this was the plan all along they should have just sent the IU Medical and University of Evansville students to the campus of Southern Indiana University since it has new state of the art medical classroom facility too?.   …it looks like another bait and switch backroom political was just pulled off by our local and state elected officials?  …we wonder if the IU Medical School may turn out to be a bigger boondoggle than the Ford Center if nothing more than a couple of a hundred medical students use the building?…boondoggles in Evansville always seem to have the same set of fingerprints on them?

IS IT TRUE it was stated during a Channel 25 TV news story that room rates will be  $139 to $250 a room at the new downtown Doubletree Hotel?  …looks like the owners are of the new downtown Hotel are about to find out what competition is all about?…equivalent rooms can be bought all over town in better locations for $89 or less?…we foresee some serious discounting on the horizon for the downtown Doubletree Hotel if they hope to have an occupancy rate of 65% like they said they would?

FOOTNOTE:  Todays “READERS POLLS” question is: Do you feel that the new  downtown Doubletree Hotel will be successful?

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12 COMMENTS

  1. We stayed at a Hilton in Seattle for $225 a night with a free a la carte breakfast, but I’m sure there is much more to see in Evansville. Also, in Nashville(TN), St. Louis, Providence(RI), Martha’s Vineyard, Jackson(WY), Gulf Shores, Orlando, Atlanta, Hilton Head, Charleston(SC), Alexandria(VA), Niagara Falls, Williamsburg(VA), Indianapolis, and too many more to remember for less than $250 a night. In the last 10 years. I believe it’s safe to say the Doubletree will probably become a Motel 8 within 10 years.

    • Old man Potter is still firmly in control here in Evansvi……. I mean Bedford Falls, and we are still waiting for George Bailey to make an appearance. Not sure I will see it in my lifetime. This town has such great potential, but the good ole boys are bleeding it dry.

    • Ann does have a way with words. Her book Adios America should be required reading for all citizens who want American to remain a sovereign nation.

    • Press, I love the smell of a liberal meltdown in the morning:

      President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has been delivering on his campaign promises and the American people overwhelmingly agree, according to a poll released early this morning showing that a majority of people on both sides of the aisle agree with Trump on this point.

      97 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of Democrats say Trump keeping promises
      60 percent say Gorsuch deserves confirmation vote

      http://freebeacon.com/

  3. GAGE website describes itself as a public-private 501(c)3 non-profit. Some of their funding comes from city and county taxpayers. Wonder how much?

    • My guess would be all outgoing money would be public (taxpayers) and all money coming in private ( someone’s or numerous people’s pockets )
      remember this is evansville,home of the good ol boys

    • It was $225k from the city and $100k from the county and I doubt that it has changed. That was about 20% of the total budget then. I expect the total budget is much lower now.

  4. http://m.14news.com/14news/db/345625/content/j7eXbvzc/gallery

    Yep, got to keep those good ‘ole boy wetbacks workin’in the kitchens and servin’ food while payin’ less than minimum wage to ’em. And in the meantime telling the paying customers they need to add a 20% “gratuity” to their check so rge restaurant owners,can reduce their bottom line (pay their employees less than minimum wage). Why that sounds just like Tropicana’s concept for paying their dealers!

    • The minimum wage is different for tipped workers. It always has been. I was paid 75 cents an hour at a Dairy Queen in high school. The minimum wage was $1.60.

      • Granted. But if the local (Evansville) McDonald’s can start their employees at $9 – $10/hr and no tips so should the local restaurants. Basically the concept ofvoffering a small gratuity for services rendered has been manipulated into extortion by restaurant owners in the US.

        • Some cases I agree. There are fancy restaurants where waiters make as much as $100 an hour in tips. At 16 I would have worked there free to have access to the tips. The Dairy Queen was a fountain of tips.

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