“Since taking office on January 1st, my Administration has worked diligently to make job creation our top priority. The prospect of 120 new jobs, a loan to be repaid in 2 years and a unique revenue sharing agreement worth over $30 million with Earthcare Energy was the product of due diligence and negotiations by our economic development officials. Following the loan approval by the Evansville Economic Development Loan Commission and the Evansville Bond Bank, the Evansville City Council tonight has granted final approval to finalize this latest investment in our great city.”
– Lloyd Winnecke
Mayor Winnecke, everyone knows that investment and jobs are the keys to economic growth and prosperity. Respectfully sir, the due diligence left much to be desired. It seems as though the same template that was followed with the McCurdy and the Rock Pile Hotel was followed again. That template reads, first make an announcement, then use public relations to convince the sheep that this is a good deal, and finally coerce five votes from weak council members.
There is no evidence to suggest that there has ever been a real world conditions test on the Langson device. The proforma in the “investment summary” does not even indicate any payments to the City of Evansville during the first two years. Why? Could this not have waited two weeks for the testing that is supposedly at hand to have been completed and for the executives of Earthcare to correct their proforma to reflect what they have told you and the other members of the due diligence team.
For a couple of weeks delay, you could have enjoyed a 9 – 0 vote and wide community support yet when faced with a threat delivered by Earthcare in the mainstream media, you and your team blinked. This blink shall be remembered.
What would be a “respectable” amount of time to pass before Debbie Dewey joins the team at EarthCare?
It seems rather fortuitous, for some people, that someone so knowledgeable about EarthCare’s business was selected to head GAGE right before this proposal came to Evansville.
Dewey carried as much, or more, water in this approval process than Mr. Geldmacher, and actually seemed more knowledgeable about the business processes than the owner Kenneth Haney.
What EarthCare has going for it is two Presidential visits to its headquarters, a minority owner, federal mandates that require a certain percentage of energy usage be from renewable sources by a fixed date, various departments of the federal government that are being pressured by the White House to show some positive results for renewable energy in order to mitigate the damage done by the Solyndra fiasco.
None of this has anything to do with allowing markets to seek their own level. It is all about government intervention, and we just witnessed more government intervention buy using our tax dollars to support what? That’s right, more government intervention in the market place.
If this project were only half as good as advertized, the team at EarthCare could have gotten financing. I do not think they were looking to hard as long as these deals with municipalities were on the table. If they could sign a deal with Evansville they could hold on to their ownership of the company and maximize their profits.
So Christmas came early this year for Ken Haney Et al, and now we will see if they have what it takes to execute.
__
Press,
Got a photo of Kenneth Haney from last night’s meeting? I notice that the Courier did not print one.
It is inconceivable to me that the Evansville Courier&Press would not have an up to date photograph of Mr. Haney.
__
I should add that the photo taken at the Whirlpool plant, with Winnecke and the others present, showed Mr. Haney with mustache and glasses.
Last night he appeared clean shaven and without glasses.
__
Is there a three day buyer’s remorse period on this deal? I may not be the brightest bulb in the marquee but I do not buy things sight unseen and I mean the whole picture with all the questions answered. I want to understand what my losses could be in the deal. The threat to move to another city should have been the telling comment. Our answer should have been “move on”. Never make a deal under condition of threat.
Well 292 that would take a City Council made up of a majority of people that are not fools. Missy and Weaver sitting in a tree T-H-I-N-K-I-N-G, NOT! Connie? There are 3 fools. Adams has the brains but fell in love with the deal and didn’t use his head. Conor is just a coward. He would rather switch than fight.
Do not worry much. The list of Browning, Woodruff, City Centre, Kunkel, needs to be added to. Each of these fell apart because of poor vetting. Earthcare will carry on the Evansville tradition of falling apart due to politcal stupidity.
When did it become the government’s job to create jobs?
Not create an environment friendly to jobs.
But create the jobs themselves?
And if it indeed is the government’s responsibility to create jobs,
then why would the Evansville government decide that some “green” company is the way to go?
These new “green” outfits are a documented joke.
Could it be that not one of the approvers has seen “The Music Man”?
Was there never a moment in their thinking when they thought that this thing might not work?
They never thought back to high school science and had some qualms?
What does it say to future ,legitimate, employers about the intelligence of the Evansville area?
When are the perpetual motion dealers, the fountain of youth peddlers,
the you-name-it Ponzi schemers going to start descending on us?
At least there will be plenty of demand for the new (government built)hotels.
This definately is a Mr. Haney [Pat Buttram..Green Acres]
scheme..
“The prospect of 120 new jobs, a loan to be repaid in 2 years and a unique revenue sharing agreement worth over $30 million”. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.
I thought the current mayor said it wasn’t the city’s job to loan money to businesses during the mayoral campaign… He and the GOP chairman SLAMMED his opponent’s idea to loan money to businesses. Pot/kettle. Kettle/pot?
You are correct. We know where the Mayor is on this issue, what about the GOP Chairman?
The City County Observer would welcome a guest editorial from the GOP Chairman. If you know him please send him our way.
Comments are closed.