EDITORIAL: TIME FOR CITY LEADERS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

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    The City County Observer would like to comment on the latest bit of news concerning the unwelcome surprises for the taxpayers of Evansville. We are referring to the conveniently politically timed distribution of letters styled by Water Superintendent Mike Duckworth informing 1,000 plus Evansville Water Department customers that when installing new “smart water meters” their water lines now have issues and leaks. Cost estimates to repair leaky water line were estimated to cost from $1,500 to $4,500 per water meter. This unexpected news is hitting at a time when many people are having a real struggle to pay utility bills, property taxes, home mortgages, put food on the table and meet other recurring monthly living expenses. 

    We also have been told by highly reliable sources that the city has at least 5,000 + plus additional letters concerning water line issues and leaks scheduled to be mailed out. Our sources told us that city put a hold on mailing these letters out until another time because of the political fire storm the first mailing caused.  The CCO will stay turned and you should too.  Watch your mail because you just might get an unexpected Christmas card form the Evansville Water and Sewer department demanding that you spend money you don’t have for something you do not want.     
     
    For the last 12 months ending September 30, 2014, the last information published by the City Controller’s office,  stated that Winnecke spent $756,000 per month more than he received in revenue, e.i. deficit spending.  Its important to point out an edict by the Mayor passed on to all City Department heads not to buy anything until the end of December 2014 because of financial shortfall.   We also heard that Mayor Winnecke borrowed 8.4 million dollars to shore up cash flow issues in September 2014 without the approval of the City Council.  Have your heard that the City Employees Healthcare fund as of September 30, 2014 is overdrawn by 2.9 million?
    We have concerns about other questionable dealings by the present free-spending Winnecke Administration hand picked Evansville Redevelopment Commission.  DMD and the ERC are buying million of dollars of land,
    storage buildings, apartment buildings, commercial buildings and old houses over appraised value and giving them away to select individuals without very little or any formal public advertising or bidding. Lets not forget the free-spending habits of the DMD and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission given away hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans and grants this year to select people.  The DMD and ERC are proving to be the biggest political patronage machine the Mayor has.
     
    Remember the City’s recent controversial audits included a $29 million plug-in so the city books would be balanced, “iffy” plans for a convention hotel that is touted as a cure-all for our budgetary problems.  Lets not forget when the Winnecke Administration gladly handed a pre-payment of $200,000 to Earthcare Energy LLC. This loan which was given an unwarranted extension by the Mayors hand picked puppet board to avoid default.  Sources tell us that this loan is now in default.  We hear that so far no effort being made by this administration to collect  this defaulted loan. 

    Nepotism, political patronage, and cronyism also add to the lack of confidence in our current leadership. More alarmingly, all of the questionable activity is not limited to one political party or the other. It looks to us that the “haves” from both parties have banned together to take advantage of the voters’ apathy. Haves in Evansville are collectively known as “the machine” in respectable circles. I    N 2015 you have an opportunity to select new elected officials that are knowledgeable about business, independent thinkers, have energetic and creative leadership skills and believe in good public policy.  If Evansville is to recover from the present lapse of incompetency in the Civic Center. 
    It is time to set aside party labels and old political feuds in order to bring our city honest and transparent leadership. We hope that they will emphasizes efficient delivery of basic services and foregoes the shiny things that the political insiders and special interest groups are profiting from.  We also need a balanced budget from an honest process that allows us to restore our “rainy day funds.”  It is up to an informed electorate to make this possible.
    The City-County Observer believes that the 2015 election could be our last chance to clean up the political misdeeds of Evansville before it faces possible bankruptcy.  Its time we elect leaders that meet a high standard of honesty and integrity’  conservative values and transparency.  We also ask every citizen of Evansville to register to vote, stay informed and vote in the 2015 city elections.  We cannot afford another election cycle to be waged in the echo chamber of the status quo.
    FOOTNOTE:  PLEASE TAKE TIME AND GO TO OUR READERS POLL AND VOTE.

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    14 COMMENTS

    1. The Evidence is all around us folks.
      Moral values, integrity and common decency, are alien concepts to Evansville’s Elitist Politicos.,—but as Evansville lurches toward insolvency by the hand of these thugs, the questions are,
      —why the populace in not in the street in front of the Palace(civic center) protesting/revolting against these Pirates?–It makes for wonder,– doesn’t anyone give a damn? –Are the issues exposed and profiled by the Moles, posters, and the CCO, just a exercise in “pissing in the wind”?

    2. Yep, and as the changing planets climate migration shrugs. Meh, rained out their (north main Christmas parade) on cue yesterday. Heavy wrap around rain on that old downtown this morning, sporting ongoing events in the zombie utility infrastructure Combined sewers. You know those renowned EPA mandated entertainment venues that seem to have seen some “buzz” lately, as well.
      And, if one dares to “pee in the wind” this afternoon. Do, turn away form the 30 mph gale, or you’ll wear that home on the shoes, as well. “Everybody knows that.”

      Happy holidays Crash, indeed.

    4. I agree with the CCO editor and both of the posters above. If we don’t act to clean up the planet and slow the warming of the earth, I don’t suppose what happens here in River City matters so much. In the short term, Crash is absolutely right. We should be standing up for reasonable and moral leadership for this city. If we don’t show our young people that they need to get informed, stay informed, and take a public stand for the social good, shame on us. Without the involvement of the public, the future doesn’t hold much this city, county, state, country, or planet.

      • Is it true that the elitist has the trump card? It is called the news print, radio and tv air waves control!.

        Picture this as a war. This site is in the trenches, will the elitist controls the skies and seas. Any movement in the trench, it gets bombarded by land and sea, Example is SBR back this past May with the audit!

        • I think a general distrust of most media outlets is an epidemic that proves the intelligence of our young people, but is also used as an excuse not to be involved. Making sausage isn’t pretty, but when it is done properly the end product is really good. Councilwoman Brinkerhoff-Riley is one of the most experienced sausage makers available to us, and I hope the process hasn’t been so bloody as to stop her from offering her candidacy for Mayor. I think she and/or Commissioner Melcher are Evansville’s last best hopes to stop the ruling cabal from killing Evansville.
          We will at least be free of the pretense of having an ethical newspaper soon, if the rumors I hear are true. In the meantime, we will be bombarded with propaganda that blindly praises Weinie/Winnie and their cronies, but it has become so blatant that nobody with a three digit IQ takes it seriously anymore.

      • At last check, the planet is cooling, Global warming (i.e, the warming since 1977) is over. The minute increase of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere (0.008%) was not the cause of the warming—it was a continuation of natural cycles that occurred over the past 500 years.

    5. The CCO and the Evansville Transparency site occasionally cause the third-rate machine that runs Evansville to send out such luminaries as … Schaefer to try to divert attention from their latest mess. Winnecke should put his degree in communications from UE to use and address the people’s concerns himself. He should take and answer questions, on camera, from the citizens. When he gives a fluff answer he should be called on it. When he does it again he should be publicly ridiculed. I’d like to hear what his plan is to fix our stinky and unhealthy sewer system. Antagonizing the EPA will prove to be a costly and bad strategy. It is sad but if somebody doesn’t make a move soon the worst mayor in memory will have his malfeasance rewarded with another term. He can’t win on merit, he must rely on good people doing nothing.

      I realize it’s like being at a scandal buffet but if the media would stay on something long enough to try to effect change or indictments rather than just get a surge in clicks maybe others would decide the fight is worth fighting and jump in. The current administration has a dying house organ (not to be confused with bloody sausage) at their service. As generally worthless as that ex-newspaper is it still provides an invaluable service to an administration that is at best inept. It deserves a tenacious counterpoint that will not let go.

      • I don’t think the people in charge trust Winnecke to answer questions from the public.. He may get confused and think that his ideas are important. They don’t have that worry with Schaefer or any of the other mouthpieces they’ve supplied us with.

    6. I wish the media, whose votes now must number in the tens of thousands in Evansville, would quit electing those who are destroying the city. They must far outnumber the regular voters who don’t vote party line, but who votes for the individual with the best plan and most integrity.

    7. It seems to me that the people who have interest in local affairs are those of a progressive bent, and that’s in both parties. The question is as to which progressive will have their hands on the levers of power. The problem is that people don’t take interest in voting in primary elections. People don’t want to declare a party affiliation, and they’re willing to wait for the main event in November to vote for the better of the worse possibilities. As Matt Kibbe of Freedomworks says, “Government goes to those who show up.” We need to start the education process to inform voters that it’s the primaries where the real decisions are made as to who will govern. Here’s another thought, those in the GOP who speak the conservative lingo, are also progressives, but on the right. These people also believe in expansive government. Let’s begin with making common sense tax cuts, stop passing bond issues which kicks the can down the road for future generations to pay, stop the corporist interest of both big business and big labor, and let’s begin to look at unprofitable regulations. Government is the only entity that profits from burdensome regulation. One final thing — those smart things, you know, smart meters, sustainable developments, sustainable communities, in fact, are unsustainable. Not only do we have to educate the low information voter, but our low information leaders as well.

      • And there it is, another Texas sized load of long on the horned bullshit. Just what everybody needs a load of it from the poor over regulated politicos. Damn shame. aawha.

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