IS IT TRUE? January 1, 2012

53

The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? January 1, 2012

IS IT TRUE that we are sharply reminded of the lawlessness in society by the last EPD Activity Report for the year of 2011?…that yesterday the Evansville Police Department filled a full 18 pages with their daily report that averages about 13 pages, seldom sees single digits, and every once in a while tops 20 pages?…that with the new year we would like to see less criminal activity in the City of Evansville for our police to have to deal with?

IS IT TRUE that that old curmudgeon Morton Marcus who watches economic performance statistics for the State of Indiana and publishes a weekly column published a doozy today regarding the personal income of Hoosiers?…that Marcus points out to us that we Hoosiers are falling behind the rest of the country in personal income a little bit more every year and have been doing so for the last year, during the recession, and even in the pre-recession period at a trickling rate in the tenths of a percent per year?…that nevertheless this half a century phenomena of settling for a little less every year has taken Indiana from a state that had personal incomes that exceeded the national averages by over 15% in the 1950’s to an economy that lags national averages by more than 15% today?…that in the long run the State of Indiana despite its efforts is not keeping up?…that perhaps this is an artifact of an ultra conservative way of living and a reluctance to even the simplest changes?…that 2012 is a new year and that hopefully some of the things that have stifled us in the past will be set aside in favor of more modern policies so that we can finally stop the trickle-down effect?…that Marcus attributes it to have insufficient management talent in the private sector?…that as long as Indiana pays low wages it will attract low quality talent in both the public and private sectors and see its best talent continue to leave?

IS IT TRUE that we can finally say and print the words Mayor Winnecke as the inauguration happens at noon today?…that it will remain to be seen just how different the new boss will be when compared to the old boss who left spending, cussing, and screaming?…that many challenges await Mayor Winnecke courtesy of the old boss and the mythical “machine” that drives the bus called Evansville?…that the CCO encourages and supports independent new thought and action from the Winnecke Administration and will do our best to help him form and sustain effective local governance without “old boy” politics having undue and unhealthy influence over his decisions?

IS IT TRUE that as we the people of the City of Evansville enter this new year we have NO AGREEMENT IN PLACE FOR THE MCCURDY PROJECT?…that we had NO BINDING LEGAL AGREEMENT IN PLACE FOR A DOWNTOWN CONVENTION HOTEL?…that we have NO FUNDING IN PLACE FOR THE MUCH BALLYHOOD 25 FRONT DOOR PRIDE HOMES, OLD SAFE HOUSE RECLAMATION, A BUS STATION PARK, and a host of other last minute spending issued crammed through by the old boss that need to be re-examined before going forward?…that even the trumpeted FREE $51 Million Johnson Controls contract that is just being analyzed should be on the table for the Winnecke Administration to consider cancelling as it was signed by a guy who is gone, for a guy who is gone, and does not appear to serve the best interests of the people of Evansville as it most surely should do?

IS IT TRUE that we wish all of our readers an enjoyable New Year’s Day and hope to keep the pedal to the metal with your help to start turning the corner toward a prosperous future in 2012?

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53 COMMENTS

  2. Well, Whiny-zappel got his going away presents in a gift bag and a standing ovation from a vocal minority of those present. I don’t remember seeing him at the reception after the swearing-in ceremony, but his flunkies on the City Council were milling around for at least a few minutes before they found out that the cookies and punch were provided by the Vanderburgh County Federated Republican Women’s Club.

    Good riddance to the conniving, crooked SOB.

    • Those ten cent a dance Democrats don’t give a soap bar about Republican cookies and punch-they licked Winnecke’s hand a long time ago-Didn’t see many Democrats at election? Probably not, with that crafty “back the opposing party” move, there.
      Good Luck, Mayor Winnecke-Johnny and his crew left you a few raisins in the sandbox.

      • Those dime a dance Dems only care about turning that dime into a dollar…at the expense of taxpayers….Im a strong liberal, but I cannot, and do not, in good conscience support any of them; “them” being the gang of 23 which signed on the silly support resolution for Connie Robinson. They will have to come home to roost sooner or later and I hope the crow they eat tastes rotten served cold!

  3. Why was the Police and Fire Chief and their assistants sworn in today when at the Victory Inauguration Ceremony when other appointments were not–like Russ Lloyd etc?

    • They are in sworn positions where they can and do write tickets and citations. The other positions (Chief of Staff, Controller, METS Director, Communications Director, etc.) are not in enforcement positions. Any elected officer of the courts (Clerk, Judge, or in this case Prosecutor) can administer the swearing in. I hope that helps.

  5. True story. At the conclusion of the swearing in ceremony today Winnecke goes to the microphone and tells the newly sworn in city council members that once the pipe band quit playing the elected city council members were to follow the band out of the theater. So the pipe band plays and then begins to leave the theater and Winnecke stands up and walks off of the stage to follow them. About 30 feet later he looks over his shoulder to see all of his wonderful city council members following him in lockstep. However they had not budged. In fact they were all still seated almost in an oppositional manner. Winnecke waved them over as if to say “C’mon guys let’s go” and they sat there almost in a stupor not knowing whether or not to follow. It was priceless. They weren’t sworn in a whole hour and they were already questioning whether or not to follow their precious leader! Boy is he in for a bumpy ride the next four years…

    • Your story is not 100% true. Mojority of the City Council stood up to walk out but had to wait for Alberta to go first. It’s not that they were not behind the newly sworn in Mayor but that they were waiting for their co-worker to start walking out. No big deal. Yes it will be a long 4 years for the new Mayor since there are quite a few on the new City Council that will not just sit there and shake their heads yes to whatever he wants done. They will actually fight for the citizens that voted them in. I have mroe faith in this City Council than I have had in a council in quite a long time. It will be interesting needless to say. It was a nice ceremony! Not as boring as normal.

  7. So I just saw the poll question … What was the latest mayoral temper tantrum and when/why? Who did he cuss out?

  8. Thank God and Greyhound-who cares? Let’s try to sort out this mess that’s been bubbling out of that office for quite some time-I went to the arena and watched an Icemen whooping, it’s small, the seats are uncomfortable, but we’re stuck with it-the villains have already made off with their loot, let’s do what we can to make it right so the albatross isn’t hanging around our grandkids’ necks.

  9. Glad Whineapple is gone!!! Lloyd will do the best he can, given the City Council make-up!!

    • What are you talking about the make-up of the City Council for? Let’s take a glance at who they are and who they supported:
      1st Ward: Dan McGinn, Republican, enough said;
      2nd Ward: Missy Mosby, Democrat, supported Winnecke
      3rd Ward: Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley: Democrat, supported Winnecke throughout most of election, until it was too late
      4th Ward: Connie “Lead Party Traitor” Robinson, Democrat, led the charge in support of Winnecke
      5th Ward: John Friend, Democrat, which side did he fall on anyway?
      6th Ward: Al Lindsey, Democrat, supported Rick Davis
      At-Large: Dan Adams, Democrat, fairly independent, but more in the corner of Rick Davis
      At-Large: Conner(sp?) O’Daniel, Democrat, Party Treasurer, most likely a Winnecke
      At-Large: Jonathan Weaver, Democrat, Winnecke Supporter

      Thus, by my count, there are 5 Winnecke supporters on the Council versus 2 Davis supporters, and 1 Im not willing to call. Puts things in a different perspective, huh? Of course, now that the election is over, Im sure it won’t be long until Missy and Connie are backbiting at Winnecke as well. As far as this Democrat is concerned, they both can switch their party affiliation to “Republican” and take Weaver with them.

      • I think you have unfairly and inaccurately characterized a few of the council members with regard to their 2011 affiliations, in particular Conor O’Daniels, who I believe successfully walked the line drawn by unilaterally by Davis. With regard to your other characterizations, I believe what you have omitted is the nuances of political affilations resulting from various and sundry “stealth” tactics by all involved and carried out behind the scenes and over an extended period of years.

      • While I do understand where your going……you have to consider how many of these council people supported Winnecke for no other reason but to not support Davis, in that context they have no allegiance to the mayor….in fact if you look at it that way he (the mayor) has one lone party line vote in Mr McGinn, all the rest with the exception of Adams, Riley & Lindsey (the last two being unkowns) will be self-serving as always.

        It’s nice to believe that the council will work across party lines for the good of the citizens they represent and for the good of the city, but I’m afraid the Winnecke love fest is over for the democrats, they got him elected only because they didn’t want Davis elected….their job is done now it will be back to business as usual, they have 3-4 years to lay the ground work for the next democrat mayor, supporting a republican mayor who might get reelected isn’t in the cards.

        Of course this is just my opinion.

        • I fear that you are right. The self serving democrat clown festival will continue unless the new members and the thinking ones overpower them. With the cast of fools coming back we have the potential for Weinzap and the machine to stay very much in charge of Evansville. These hosers will roll Winnecke over every chance get.

        • Thank you blanger. You explained my point from a less snarky point of view. Which is unfortunate, because they sacrificed the mayor’s office for political vendettas. I also just wanted to point out the ones who will have to come home to roost, which will include Robinson and Mosby and I will be here to call them hypocrites when the times will call for it. Do not misunderstand, I certainly hope Mayor Winnecke is the leader he promised to be and that he does not succumb to the trappings of public office like so many before him. At least Missy still has someone to tell her what to think and how to vote.

        • Why do you think Adams, Lindsey and Brinkerhoff-Riley will be any more or less self-serving than the other members of council? Remember, this is still Bedlamville.

          • Easy…..Adams has proven himself to be a “free thinker” who has the best interest of the citizens in his heart in most cases, not that he can’t be fooled like with the MOU vote but in most cases he holds true to his values.

            Riley and Lindsey have to prove themselves, not just to the council but to the voters who put them in office, expect to see both of them go out of their way to question everything while finding their path.

            Riley is a lawyer, outspoken, and intelligent she won’t be easily turned to the dark side (I hope), Lindsey…..will cause the most problems for the toadies, while being a democrat he isn’t part of the club and they will have to work hard to beat him down and try to make him conform, he took on one of their own and won while having constant BS thrown at him in the form of lawsuits, he prevailed, won his seat by not being part of the club and if I were him…I’d have a vendetta to carry out in the next 4 years against the ol’ boys club.

            While we’re at it we should mention Weaver, he’ll be just another puppet for the machine and will vote with the other toadies because that’s all he is a lukewarm body filling a spot, actually he fits very well with the rest of the council and will be led in whatever direction they choose.

            Again this is JMHO

          • I think you are basing your forecasts on a very short term view of recent events when the players have a longer history in politics which includes connections and circumstances that will influence their individual actions to a greater degree than what you are taking into account.

          • Possibly…..but I have to take what I see at face value, intent is hard to figure out sometimes without having all the facts and while I agree that there are sinister forces at work with a long standing history of self-serving we can always hope for the best, if not then what is the point?

            I have lived here all my life and have watched this theatrical entertainment play out many many times and while the actors change from time to time it’s always the same ol’ song and dance in the end.

            We have to hope for change and be satisfied with what we get, new characters make the play more interesting but really changes very little, until the “machine” is ran out of town on a rail by the citizens I’m afraid all we can do is watch and find amusement in whatever tickles our funny bone.

            We have to at some point ask ourselves….”Is this the best we can do?”

            I could go on and on…but as long as we have voter apathy and turn out in the 20% range we are destine to be ruled by self serving fools who can manipulate the votes in their favor, we have an opportunity at every election cycle to change things but people seem complacent with the status quo….so it is what it is.

            JMHO

          • I can agree with you on the generalities in your last post. Let’s take something hypothetical and see what you think.

            What if the subject of the CCO’s most recent poll was one or both of the two newest council members in whom you express hope for change? What if the former mayor did cuss one or both of them out for something they did or said in front of the ERC last month? What would you think of the new council member(s) if one or both of them reported the incident but asked to remain anonymous, not own up and reveal the complete facts from his, her, or their point of view? Would that indicate a self-serving political agenda? Keep in mind, these are purely hypothetical questions until someone with guts steps up and tells the real story.

          • First let me say…..anyone who could push our past mayors buttons enough to put him into one of his famous tantrums is ok by me, our past mayor is the essence of the term self serving.

            It matters little to me who it was, if it was one or both of the new comers to the council then I’d say they have a backbone which gives me more hope for entertaining council meetings.

            As for wanting to remain anonymous…it is their choice, the CCO was founded on the premise of moles and anonymous posting, there is a point to the anonymity because it gives people the freedom to speak their mind without fear of reprisal. Since I voted in the poll that the mayor should rise above such actions and given that the machine is still in power which means reprisals will be forthcoming for any action they deem to be necessary.

            Case in point…..Rick Davis, who believes that the democrats will openly endorse and support Mr Davis in his race to be reelected county treasurer?…personally, if I were Mr Davis I’d be looking for a private sector job right now because retribution and retaliation are in his future IMHO.

            So in that context….yea, I can understand why I would want to remain anonymous, not everything in life needs to be told in full detail to the public and in this case it’s just another in a very long line of embarrassing moments for our past mayor….actually I’d bet Mr Weinzappfel has been guilty of abuse in the work place which there are federal/state laws against, who knows maybe a personal lawsuit is in the works? lol!

            Hopefully all the trash cans in the civic center will get a very much deserved break from being abused in the next 4 years. 😉

            JMHO

          • And the consequence here is that we will only know the anonymous accuser’s abbreviated version, i.e. the mayor cussed me out and I am a council member. Boo hoo. I’m scared. The whole truth be damned. Bedlamville at its best.

          • It really shouldn’t be that hard to figure out there were two council persons there that spoke to the ERC…correct? If I remember correctly it was Riley and Lindsey who were vocal at the ERC meeting, it wouldn’t take that much of a stretch to guess which one.

            Just ask yourself which would be more apt to cry fowl and which would be more apt to take a
            swing at the mayor?

            You should have your answer by reasonable deduction, you’ll still be making an assumption but I’d bet you would be correct. 😉

            JMHO

          • Yes, I know who it was and that she asked that the story not be printed. I was just carrying on a discussion for the sake of making a point. What bothers me besides her apparent fear of transparency is that she now has put herself in the position of a remonstrator over an issue that was moot at the time of the ERC December meeting. So will she recuse herself from a council discussion or vote on the McCurdy process subject of her December remonstrance? Maybe that’s a legal question, huh?

          • I don’t know about transparency? it’s a know fact that Weinzapfel is a hot head that stomps his feet and kicks thing when he doesn’t get his way, kinda’ shallow if you want to put a name to it.

            But I do understand the frustration in this case, sometimes when your a new comer it’s better not to rock the boat until you get your sea legs, she’ll do fine as long as she sticks to her principles and takes a cue from watching Doc Adams, she already his hitting the mark or King John wouldn’t be cussin’ her.

            At the time of the ERC meeting she was an ordinary citizen, yes council-elect but still a concern citizen voicing her opinion, now she will have access to the facts and figures that should either support her opinion or help her see how her opinion was wrong (which it wasn’t). I wouldn’t try to read too much into what or why, just be satisfied that both Lindsey and Riley seem to have the public trust at heart…that’s what makes good public stewards….all the rest will fall in place given time.

            JMHO

  10. I heard a rumor that Alberta Matlock won’t make it a month in office, bless her heart

    • If she only lasts that long shame on her and her party if Strouth isn’t the replacement.

      • Why would Strouth be the replacement? Even if Alberta does not make it a month, then Strouth wouldn’t be the replacement since she is not leaving office due to legal reason but due to personal reasons. Strouth is not a democrat, I don’t think the Democrat Committeemen will vote him in.

        • I’m not saying the demos would put him in. I highly doubt they would do anything that didn’t benefit them. What I’m saying is that if you already know before you even take the oath that you’re gone in less than a month you should be disqualified. We seen demos fight each other over stupid things like residency and a cco ad yet here they are doing this? pathetic.

          • You are speaking about qualified to run for office, which Alberta was. Thus, the replacement selection would fall to the Dem Central Committee. I do agree, though, it is a shame if she knew she would leave office within a short time. JMHO.

          • Is it possible she discovered a reason why she can no longer serve (if that actually has happened) after the date for withdrawing her name from the ballot, or after the date on which the ballots were printed by the County Clerk, or after the election, etc.? Once again, the people here in Bedlam are basing a lot of their premises on rumor, conjecture, and incomplete reporting.

    • Alberta did a great job today. She is a treasure and I have the highest personal regard for her. No one has ever done a better job swearing in persons to offices or jobs. God bless her in the future.

  12. Boy we sure did start the new year off right. How many critical health violations did the Main Gate Bar have? Wasn’t it something like 5 critical, 1 noncritical? Keep up the good work Curt!

    • Did anyone tell Missy NOT to wear short shorts? Health Dept don’t like yak on the floors.

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