“IS IT TRUE” MAY 20, 2019

IS IT TRUE that former City-County Observer Editor and writer Mr. Joe Jack Wallace was in Evansville on Saturday to attend a meet and greet and book signing for his first book “Living Outside the Box”?…the event was held at the Eastside watering hole and restaurant called Bar Louie?…the event was sparsely advertised as an invitation-only event yet word got out among Mr. Wallace’s core group of friends and the back room at Bar Louie was packed to capacity from the minute the doors opened to the time he had to head to Morganfield, Ky. to be the commencement speaker at Union County High School that is his alma mater?…many former elected officials and current candidates for office were invited and showed up to greet Joe?…many kind words were exchanged and many books were sold?…there are already discussions underway to hold another such event sometime in the fall?

IS IT TRUE that Joe was asked to make some remarks about the origin of the idea for his book and he revealed that it was from a meeting in Innovation Pointe when a meeting was being called by the GAGE Board Of Director members who had taken over the management of the 2009 Freedom Festival after they finally realized that he was right when he said the 2009 Festival is going to lose significant amounts of money?…months prior Wallace had been removed from the day to day planning and management of the 2009 Freedom Festival sponsored by GAGE because he had let them all know that it was going to be a big loser?…when the coming financial disaster of this event hit home in the minds of the management group of this Festival, they called a meeting to “think outside of the box”?…Wallace was invited to this meeting but responded by saying “what good is it to think outside the box if you don’t have the courage to live outside of the box”?

IS IT TRUE that Mr. Wallece did not attend the “think the outside the box” gathering of the 2009 Festival management group meeting that proceeded this event?  …it’s been alleged by credible sources that this event lost over $600,000? …we wonder who were the President and the Board Of Directors members of GAGE during this time?  …we also wonder where did the GAGE  Board Of Directors get the money to pay for the enormous loss of the 2009 Freedom Festival event? …we are also amazed why members of the mainstream media didn’t report the enormous losses of the 2009 Freedom Festival? …we find it laughful that a couple of GAGE’S board members tried to make Mr. Wallace a political scapegoat of this failed event?

IS IT TRUE that Mr. Wallace made it clear at the meet and greet that his book was not a tell-all book about the stunts pulled by the GAGE board and the former Director of Downtown Development?…for those who have read the book, it is obvious that he has written a manual for making positive things happen by taking bold actions as opposed to just talking and being timid or manipulative?

IS IT TRUE that several people from Evansville have been to Palm Springs to visit Joe and have seen the fruit of the efforts he had made there?…a couple of former elected officials including two long-serving public servants commented Saturday that “Evansville was simply not ready for anyone like Joe and that it probably never will be.”?…a couple of future trips are already scheduled by locals to see what has happened with technology-based entrepreneurship in the Palm Springs region during the last 8 years under Joe’s leadership?

IS IT TRUE the question must be asked if GAGE had not been politicized, would Joe Wallace have been able to do in Evansville what he has in Palm Springs?…we will never know because when asked about a future return, his answer was an emphatic &$#@ No?

IS IT TRUE last week it was announced that the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility Department named a new communications director, whose role is to inform the public about the millions of dollars worth of upgrades projects citywide?  …Ella Johnson-Watson has been part of Mayor Winnecke’s communications staff since he took office, has moved to the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility Department?  …her salary is now being paid by the Water and Sewer Utility department budget and we wouldn’t be surprised that Ms. Johnson-Watson didn’t receive a hefty salary increase when she accepted this new position? …about seven (7) years ago the City-County Observer had a disagreement with Ella Johnson-Watson concerning an embargo news issue?  …ever since that disagreement, we have received very few news articles from the Mayor’s office? …starting today we are going to make sure that we receive every news release generated by the Evansville Water and Sewer Department new Communications Director?

Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Who do feel is the most conservative elected body in Vanderburgh County?

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FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.