Since taking office, it has been our goal to improve the customer service of your government, and while local government may not be able to solve every issue, we are committed to continuous improvement. Gauging from most of the feedback we have received, our efforts have been well received, and I commend our city employees for their hard work.
We hear from citizens daily through the Citizen Concern app, logging more than 500 submittals since the application launched in September. Citizens still have the option of calling our office to submit concerns, suggestions or ask questions. All of these contacts are recorded and tasked to the appropriate department or non-city entity to be properly addressed.
One of the most rewarding aspects of being Mayor is hearing about positive interactions between residents and local government. For example, a mother of two young girls emailed me after reading about a meeting in the Mayor’s office with school officials to discuss school safety in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting to offer her input as a parent. Our office received numerous calls thanking Evansville firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel for their swift response to a three-alarm fire at Grandview Tower. Jerry Lawrence sent me a letter he had published in the Courier & Press praising an Evansville Water & Sewer Department maintenance crew for repairs made to a ruptured water pipe in his backyard, comparing their work to “a fine orchestra performing a symphony.â€
Many residents have taken advantage of the Travelling City Hall program, where all department heads such as the Police Chief, Fire Chief, City Engineer and Parks Director, to name a few, are available after regular business hours to meet citizens at different locations throughout the community. We welcomed the participation of the United Neighborhoods of Evansville in this program and look forward to growing it. Any citizen can attend and have one-on-one discussions with any department head, including myself, regarding any issue. The next Traveling City Hall meeting will be on Jan. 30 at Greater St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 645 S. Elliott St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
One of the reasons I ran for Mayor is the perception that local government didn’t listen and operated outside of the public eye. Through a partnership with Leadership Evansville, a visioning process called VOICE was initiated in 2012 and will continue forward, with meetings across the city seeking to have an interactive conversation with participants. In addition to receiving feedback on resident’s preferred vision for Evansville’s future, a goal of changing the tone of civic dialogue is important. VOICE volunteers are reviewing ideas from all of the previous meetings to identify major themes. Once themes are determined, they will be presented to our administration for further action. The next public VOICE
meeting is set for February 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Nativity Catholic Church, 3635 Pollack Ave. More information on the program can be found at www.evansvillevoice.com.
Whether it’s on the local, state or federal level, it is clear that citizens want their government officials to work together, regardless of their political affiliation. In an effort to achieve that goal and stay attentive to citizen concerns made to their council representative, I’ve maintained an open door policy for all members of City Council and will continue to do so.
In a recent speech at the NAACP annual dinner, I spoke about what I termed the “behavioral cliff,†while others in Washington were only concerned with the fiscal cliff. My point was, in order to move our community forward, it is imperative that we all engage in a positive, productive dialogue about issues facing our city. To those with strong views on an issue, I invite anyone to contact us directly, rather than criticize anonymously.
For information or dates on any of the mentioned meetings or ways to contact city government, please visit the revamped website at www.evansville.in.gov or call the Mayor’s office at 436-4962.
Looking forward, it is my intent to continue operating city government in a transparent and open manner and I encourage you to become civically engaged.
Fool me once shame on you , fool me twice shame on me , in other words I do not trust you
Winnecke, your actions have been unprofessional, embarrassing, and offensive. I have yet to see any project that you were open and honest about without already having the outcome decided. You have compromised any trust that was ever given to you.
I don’t doubt for a minute that you genuinely think you did a good job this year, and quite frankly, I find that to be scarier than a haunted house in the basement of the old courthouse.
I firmly believe that Al Lindsey is going to show you that what’s been done in the dark will be brought to the light. And as someone who served on a committee appointed by you, I know first hand that you are NOT the right man for the job. My only hope is that the Dems get their act together and find someone to replace you in 2015.
He was open and honest about his chickenfat video
Winnecke will be re-elected simply because the Democrat politicians have egos that get in the way of a unified party.
He will not win a 2nd term. The Robert’s Razing is symbolic of his own destruction. The Dog Park idea is bad because:
#1 The Dog Park people did not ask for it.
#2 We had a paid for Dog Park that was being rented (Moutoux Park) as a dog park.
#3 The Parks & Recreation budget can not afford another park.
#4 The Evansville Visitors & Convention Bureau funds are seemingly untouchable and can not be earmarked towards projects that may benefit the community (as well as visitors).
#5 People were lined up around the block with other ideas and the Dog Park was not the dominate idea or opinion of those who were on that committee.
#6 People are looking over their shoulder at the demolished Roberts Stadium and watching their memories be torn away.
#7 Generations of families have taken their children to the Shrine Circus at Roberts Stadium. This perpetual tradition has been destroyed by the stroke of a pen.
What a facade!
FF
Mr. Winnecke won because the Weinzapfel/Democrat Central Committee made the calculated decision to back a 1 term Republican to destroy the renegade Rick Davis threat to their absolute and institutional power within the County. It worked. They are now selecting their “unified” candidate to take back what they view as theirs – the Mayor’s office and the power to spend taxpayer money that goes with it.
Bingo! We have a Bingo!
Wienzapfel Lite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
” To those with strong views on an issue, I invite anyone to contact us directly, rather than criticize anonymously.” (Mayor Winnecke)
I believe that is exactly what Al Lindsey did. He stated that he thought open meetings and open government is not only preferable, it is the law.
The Mayor’s response? “Councilman Lindsey is playing politics and acting irresponsibly”.
Councilman Lindsey says that he was sent information packets for two of the three hotel project proposals but was not given a packet for the proposal the Mayor prefers. What is up with that? Is this an example of how the Mayor treats city council members?
We have three branches of city government with powers that make a system of checks and balances possible in order to ensure that we have an efficient and fair city government operating at all times.
In recent times there has been a steady shift of power away from the city council and into the mayor’s office. Machine politics bears most of the blame for that shift.
It seems to me that what Al Lindsey is saying is that it is time to return the city council to its statutory co-equal status. I am 100% behind that move.
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I don’t think wieneke can win the primary, JMHO
Which….Republican or Democrat?, of course he can win the Republican primary should someone step up from his party that want’s to challenge him (not likely) But to actually get reelected to a 2nd term….same odds as a snowball’s chance in hell! 😉
JMHO
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