Rick Davis Statement on Public Discussion Regarding the Fate of Lloyd Pool

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Rick Davis

OCT. 20, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVANSVILLE, IN — Democratic Party Mayoral Candidate Rick Davis blasted Republican Lloyd Winnecke on Thursday for continuing a theme of avoiding public discussion regarding decisions affecting Evansville taxpayers.

“My opponent continues to make important decisions concerning taxpayers without asking for any public input whatsoever,” said Davis, who is the current Vanderburgh County Treasurer. “Additionally, he also continues to distort the truth about my plans for important community facilities such as Lloyd Pool and Roberts Stadium.

“I have said all along on both of these important community facilities that we need to have a community discussion to decide the ultimate fate of both Lloyd Pool and Roberts Stadium,” Davis added. “Today, my opponent has made it clear that he has already decided what’s best for all of us, without asking for any public input. That is not how the Davis administration will conduct business.”

Davis said Winnecke has a history of making decisions without any public input, including the April 1, 2008, homestead credit meeting when a bi-partisan decision was made to raise 46,000 Vanderburgh County homeowners’ property taxes by $5.1 million.

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13 COMMENTS

  1. The sad truth is that the candidate who always shouts the loudest and has the most negative things to say about the other candidate always makes the office holder least able to make rational decisions and meaningful changes when in office. You only have to look at Congress for proof of this reality.

    • I don’t see this as lying through his teeth. He said 1st and most importantly we need to have community discussion on what to do with Roberts. Then when he was speaking about getting rid of Lloyd Pool it was in the context of IF it was proved feasible to convert Roberts into a natatorium. He didn’t say anything about what should happen to Lloyd Pool if Roberts wasn’t converted to a natatorium other than comment that it is in very poor shape which is absolutely true.

    • I guess I missed the lie….I watched the interview live and again just now, he said community involvement in the decisions both times, or are you referring to something else?

      JMHO

  5. I’m a bit confused by this article, and maybe Rick Davis can come back and clear things up for me. Here’s my confusion:

    Lloyd Pool serves the neighborhoods generally north of Diamond Avenue, and between St. Joe Avenue and U.S. 41. Children in neighborhoods closest to Lloyd Pool walk to the facility and enjoy recreation there. Lloyd Pool is a short drive for many Northsiders, both city and county residents, who live between Diamond Valley and the Town of Darmstadt.

    When Brenda and I were raising our daughters on Kembell Drive, a little less than a mile north of Lloyd Pool, they walked to the pool, learned to swim there, used the facility frequently, and became members of the Lloyd Pool swim team. You can imagine that we have a strong attachment to and appreciation for Lloyd Pool and the small public park in which it sits. The same is true for thousands of other Northside residents.

    Lloyd Winnecke pledged in his October 20, 2011 press release that if elected mayor, he will not close Lloyd Pool. Rather he said he would move forward with the 2012 city budget line item assigned to rehabilitate the facility. Winnecke’s statement is clear, and there is no misunderstanding what he said – repair Lloyd Pool and keep it up and running.

    Rick Davis on the other hand has said repeatedly that he prefers to close down Lloyd Pool and replace it with a natatorium at the present location of Roberts Stadium. Davis’s preferred location is way south of Diamond Avenue, way east of U.S. 41, and well over a 6-mile, unwalkable, gas-guzzling distance from Lloyd Pool. How does this idea serve Northside youth and their parents who pay the countywide park district taxes to support our parks facilities on the Northside as well as all over town?

    Rick Davis adds to my confusion when he says he wants more public discussion before a decision is made regarding the fate of Lloyd Pool. There already has been plenty of public discussion both by the swimming pool task force, and at city council where the decision was made to budget the rehabilitation of Lloyd Pool beginning in 2012. Why do we need more discussion? Why not simply proceed with the preservation of Lloyd Pool, a landmark facility enjoyed by us on the Northside, our children, and hopefully for many more years by our grandchildren.

  6. Glad to see that Rick is consistantly refering to making decisions based on the will of the taxpayers. You will make a fine Mayor Rick.
    VOTE Rick Davis

    • Yes it is pleasing to see another wanna be leader with the inability to make a decision on his own. One can only imagine a Davis administration will be a case study in gridlock and stasis. Lead or get off the stage.

      • King John Ruled!–Winnecke is only interested in following, the Snegal Master’s “Lead”.
        Sorry Tom, we realize it pains you, but Status Quo is on it’s way out the door!

      • So you would be pleased with another mayor who would spend a few hundred million dollars of your future without any public input?
        Your destine to be ruled by yet another king if that is your wishes.

        JMHO

        • I prefer a mayor with realistic goals. Evansville will never have a natatorium and preserving Roberts is an unnecessary waste of limited resources. Just cause Davis sat on his Daddy’s lap and saw Elvis there isn’t a reason to save it ( his words at Evansville Rotary)

  7. It amazes me that such great effort can be spent on bantering back on forth on issues of infrastructure before study and planning efforts are put forth. With Roberts Stadium, the facilities uses will be limited by many factors… mainly engineering and space planning related. Identify the limitations, pick the most viable use(s) and move on. That may include a demo of the facility. The fact of the matter is that neither the Lloyd Pool nor Roberts Stadium has been extensively studied to determine their long term viability to adequately serve the public. Until such time, keep the ideas coming but stop trashing either candidate’s vision. By the way, 200K for the Lloyd Pool must be a bandage.

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