IS IT TRUE December 10, 2013

1. Amy Word was pretty livid at the attacks lodged against her. I hope to read a rebuttal from her.

   This APC Gestapo agent freely admits she has been asked in the past to give cover to certain political people. I stand firmly behind my calls to completely eliminate this unnecessary, extortionist entity. No more “pay to play”.

   • Brad,check out these to understand the oppressive nature of the obnoxious Gestapo vs the Storm troopers.
     Suppression on the streets seem more an noted SA type casting tactic,this “is historical information’,its not meant to drive anyones opinion,its only a heads up so to speak. “manipulative,nasty, mean people”,the world went to war once to stop those tactics. Both sides of my own family were heavily involved in that,on the homefront in Evansville,and around the planet in combat,one Uncle shot down,captured over nazi Germany,the guys gone now,however I do have the POW documentation that showed they actually racially and religion of faith based, put clinical measure his cranial features to try and determine his faith profile.
     Man was a Roman Catholic from Evansville,never held anyone to measure,always just a kind and decent guy. horrible history in that war,we shouldn’t forget it.
     One thing I didn’t know until reading the bio on Ernst Rohm, that old “brown shirt,storm trooper” was a “Goose steppen homosexual”,the bio said the leadership knew it too, not that that orientation changes anything, as far as I’m concerned they were all obnoxious maniacs, . Things you learn when you look I guess.

     No one should ever forget history,especially how that period set Evansville into the course it has taken today.

     www en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich Himmler gestapo.

     www en wikipedia.org/wikipedia/Ernst Rohm SA,storm troopers,brown shirts.

     • “The flying monkey” is cute,however for right now using my aviation and climate change concerned critical thinking, maybe.. we should come up with a real effective and innovative environmentally sustainable method in which to offer some on site Wing Deicing to help prevent or speed up unplanned flight delays while adapting for climate change as well. Thats the core of the delay issue at hand,once your off the ground your flying so to speak, “Anything will fly if you throw it hard enough,and your always flying till you hit the ground”(infrastructure)
       A quote from a “locally historical weather person”,told me that in the front of a J-3 Piper a long time ago. some other interesting things to,never quite knew what the meaning of “pouring a bit of precip,off the potatoes” meant until that flight…..gees.

       www bosseHs.net/1940/pages/people/YockeyM.html

       Maybe I should call Boeing,Lockheed,or some other global aircraft manufacturing operation wow maybe even Fed EX,and UPS Amazon,”Hey! I just got an idea!” (“innovation-needs”. 🙂

2. Kunkel did not say anything about the fact that local code enforcement was caught looking the other way by none other than the Office of Homeland Security on Kunkel’s Kunkel Square Apartments:

   http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/may/07/state-fire-marshals-office-closes-evansvilles-kunk/

   __

   • I looked at the letter,the thing when really looked at practically blew off both feet in the local quest for a downtown location for the medical school complex.
     Codes violations are one thing,however the 10 years of pigeon droppings and the mention of one buildings basement confirms the thought of approval for any long term habitation should not be a pass until an independent lab tests the buildings environmental footprint for chemical and biological toxins.
     That stuff in a old building environment lingers if not properly brought into compliance of EPA long term occupational or residential site standards. You can’t back fill or paint over it,you have to eliminate it.
     I wonder myself just what, was in the six feet of standing water in one sites basement mentioned,and if that water seeped in through a challenged foundation,or just puked in through CSO events. In any case a more detailed and complete series of certified tests should be run and documented before and after someone flips any projects dirt, or offers an RfP first stage in.

     prenhall.com/settle/chapters/ch31.pdf

3. None of us like people who do not play by the rules. Mr. Kunkel, playing by the rules means paying your property taxes so the rest of us do not have to take up the slack.

   Just a cursory look at your properties shows that you have paid nothing so far this year on your properties at: McCurdy Development 100 SE Riverside Dr., Walker Building 401 SE Sixth Street, former Unclaimed Freight Building 1616 South Governor, 322 Waggoner Avenue, 12539 Apache Pass, just to name a few.

   There have also been some people on this site and the C&P website who say that you are very slow to pay suppliers and contractors who work for you. That is not playing by the rules either.

   Mayor Weinzapfel gave you guys every break in the books during his two terms, and we know that Mayor Winnecke has a great affinity for Mr. Weinzapfel, but enough is enough.

   We all need to play by the same rules in this town.

   __

4. One has to start somewhere. This is just the very small tip of the iceberg that is being exposed by her statement.

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5. Can’t wait to hear what Amy Word is going to say about Donna Holderfield letter. I also would like to find out who were the political persons that Donna Holderfield took care of. I would like to know when Donna Holderfield took her zoning officer job back for the second time was it publicly advertised?

6. Her allegations of impropriety occurred in 1989, according to her statement. She made it sound as if that is an exception to the norm. I doubt that. The daily actions of a complaint-driven authority will not be focusing on friends, political allies, or Administration darlings. They will always focus on easy prey and they will go where the money is.

   She went so far as to give a list of all the businesses which have fallen under her scrutiny and received fines. I say every one of those businesses should be able to advertise on their own properties in whatever ways they see fit. I believe in business’ ability to cooperate with their neighbors and choose sympathetic and neighborly signage without paying tribute to some local Don. I think that tribute money should remain in the pockets of the businesses. No more shakedowns.

   • She seems to be implying city property in some cases, Brad. And there are safety issues with such.

   • “I say every one of those businesses should be able to advertise on their own properties in whatever ways they see fit”

     Every time you write about this topic you prove over and over that you lack any understanding or comprehension of zoning regulations and how they benefit and protect the community.

     Do us all a favor and use that Internet thingy on your computer to do at least a little research before you blather on with opinions about business signs that are not just impracticable, they border on the line of insanity and stupidity.

     Zoning has been used in America since the 1860’s, but modern zoning (often referred to as “Euclidian Zoning”) is based on a Supreme Court case that has never been challenged or reversed. In 1926 the United States Supreme Court upheld zoning as a right of states (typically via their cities and counties) to impose on landowners. The case was Village of Euclid, Ohio v. Ambler Realty Company. The Village of Euclid won the case, and a precedent was set favorable to local enforcement of zoning laws. In doing so, the Court accepted the arguments of zoning defenders that it met two essential needs. First, zoning extended and improved on nuisance laws in that it provided advance notice that certain types of uses were incompatible with other uses in a particular district. The second argument was that zoning was a necessary municipal-planning instrument.

     The purpose of the sign ordinance is to facilitate the location and choice of signs to ensure better communication between people and their environment and to avoid visual clutter that is potentially harmful to traffic and pedestrian safety, property values, business opportunities, and community appearance. With these purposes in mind, Evansville and Vanderburgh County has regulations in place to authorize the use of signs which are compatible to local community, appropriate to the activity that displays them, creative and expressive of the identity of both individual activities and the community as a whole, and legible in the environment in which they are seen.

     Signs appear everywhere. They are essential for traffic safety and communication, but if left unregulated, signs can lead to visual clutter and decreased property values. Current and thorough regulations are required to arrive at a balance between the needs of commercial businesses and visual impact on residents and visitors to the municipality.

     The conclusion is that your anarchist sign methods would clearly cause numerous negative impacts to Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Do us all a favor and get over yourself and your repeated rantings about the total deregulation of local signs and zoning laws. Every time you suggest it you prove again and again that you lack any credibility in discussing a topic that is clearly beyond your understanding for proper local zoning practices.

     • One would think that by Brad’s proclivity to flex his million dollar vocabulary that he possesses above average intelligence. While I can neither confirm or deny that, I can say that he is an agent of chaos. His anarchist/libertarian views are nothing more than “overthrow the government” rhetoric. Brad please heed CEP’s advice and start bringing plausible ideas to the table.

       • You have no room to talk , besides that phyllip all you are is a suck up to the evil politicos
         That are 1/2 arsley running this two bit town ,,,,

         • Eviltaxpayer, what do I stand to gain from being a “suck up” to anyone? I have a successful career, where I earn an above average salary. I am happily married with children. What else do I need where I would have the need to suck up to anyone? The two people that your crowd always try to associate me with is Wayne Parke and Mayor Winnecke. While we don’t do dinner or hang out together, I count both men as my friend. I respect them and I have no reason to think that my respect is not reciprocated. I have not had any issues arise that I have been at odds with either, except the mayor’s public opinion of HJR-6. Even if I were ever at odds with either of them, we are adults and would respectfully disagree and move on to the next issue. Unlike several people that I’ve seen on here, I don’t hold grudges. I pick at Brad Linzy because he gets riled up easily and I think it’s funny. To be honest, I have the utmost respect for him and Joe Wallace. It takes a man to put their name out there with their opinion to be open to criticism. Other people on here may have a problem with me, Wayne or the mayor, that’s their opinion. To expect me to dislike someone because you do is ridiculous and childish.

           • One thing I’ll say for ya is with friends like parke and winnecke you don’t need any enemies

           • Phyllip, I have a lot of respect for you too. At least your criticisms, misguided and unfair as they sometime are, are backed up with conviction and are said from an honorable footing, i.e. by using your real identity.

             I enjoy our verbal fencing sessions and I appreciate those rare moments we seem to agree.

       • I can think of 17.5 million reasons not to listen to you Phyllip.

       • You know Phyllip if you, Brad and Jordan would bury the hatchet and agree to all work together towards a common goal the three of you might be surprised at what you guys could accomplish. All three of you seem to have the passion and drive to create change, as you all work to defame one-another you accomplish nothing but looking foolish.

         And no I’m not singling you out, your post just brought it to my attention.

         JMHO

         • I don’t have an issue with Jordan. In fact we went to dinner together on Thursday. I wouldn’t have an issue with Brad if he had not called me and secretly tried to record our conversation.

           • That’s too funny considering that’s precisely what you were doing to me last time you called ME asking all those questions about bribery. I’m sure you were doing it at the behest of Wayne Parke. What a sad pair you two make.

             By the way, when are you going to tell us about the attempted bribery you are privy to?

             • I’m not privy to anything but hearsay. Unlike you, I know not to run with someone else’s story. Trust me, your name has never been mentioned in any conversation that I have ever had with Wayne Parke. Any information that you ever have is second-hand. How would it benefit me or anyone else to record the town gossip?

             • My information about bribery was directly from the source. Everything I said was absolute fact, which is why I’m not being sued by either of the lawyers I mentioned right now.

             • I’d have to go back to my notes, but I’m pretty sure you told me you heard of the bribery directly from the Councilperson. I believe you told me you didn’t want to say who it was because they told you in confidence. What am missing?

         • How am I a part of this patty cake fight? I am friends with both. If I don’t like someone I’d have no problem saying it.

       • Your a riot Phyllip, but we see where your coming from, Rational posts by Brad make you mad, and yours make us laugh, maybe Santa will bring you a case of chapstick and cheer you up a little.

         • It is rare that I see a rational post by any of the people in your crowd. That’s why you flock to try to discredit me. I don’t mind telling the Emperor that he is not wearing clothes, while the rest of you blindly follow your pied piper. I’m not mad at all. I find it quite amusing to read the conspiracy based posts on here. I post my opinion just to stir the pot and watch you foam at the mouth. The only response that I ever get back is an insult over the way my name is spelled or a thinly-veiled reference to the color of my skin. Keep bringing it because my shoulders can carry the load. Now how many of the CCO zombies will attack this post?

           • Phyllip you are forgetting one thing…. The one that stirs the pot gets to lick the spoon. You come off like a wanna be spoiled brat without a bottle to suck on many of your comments. Derp Derp Derp Derp.

       • Ooooo, “proclivity”. What’s that mean, Vern?

         What’s your obsession with my competent vocabulary? I could type out responses that sound like an ADD addled pre-teen, or a character out of “The Beverly Hillbillies” if you prefer. Would that remove the El Capital-sized chip from your shoulder, Phyllis? Sorry, Plyllip.

         Here, have a Snickers, Diva.

     • Without a keyboard, I’m not wasting much time bickering with you, but I will say the idea of abolishing the APC doesn’t mean I’m advocating anarchy. I’m just talking about removing them and their regulations. Not the same thing AT ALL. There would still be a court system and there is plenty of legal precedent for suing businesses that block visibility or otherwise endanger the public. The APC is completely redundant as an enforcement tool.

     • See my reply below. It went to the wrong place for some reason. Having a “right” to regulate and set up an enforcement arm like the APC is a different consideration to whether or not its necessary.

       Your incessant vendetta against me shows you lack the independent thinking necessary to decouple yourself from mere tradition and envision a world with different parameters. Just because people CAN do something does not mean they WILL, particularly when we already have a court system in place capable of playing a role in putting dangerous sign proliferation in check.

       • There is no “vendetta” against you. Your addled psyche has once again confused cognitive discussion points, which are wholly based on empirical factual knowledge of zoning laws, rules, regulations, and legal precedents, with the dissonance that clearly drives you to write diatribes that have no intellectual value capable of being validated in modern land use and planning.

         You frequently lapse into the proverbial equivalent of kindergarten-level name calling and throw around baseless assertions of your supposed intellectual superiority, when it is obvious to all parties that you suffer from a deep-seated intellectual INFERIORITY complex, since we all see that you suffer from such poor self esteem that you have to stoop to using a thesaurus to desperately prove that someone is wrong. We can all hear Nietzsche in the background of your rantings with your ubermensch or superman complex placing you beyond good and evil. Hate to break the news to you, but as far as land use conversations (which is stated here to include the normative inclusion of regulations required to enact and enforce community norms for the benefit of society as a whole) you have not even made it to the the first rung on the ladder that would allow an informed dialogue between parties who have even a basic understanding of land use and planning.

         The assertion that your opinions on signs and zoning are perfectible are simply unsupported both intellectually and in the concrete reality of modern land use. You have no foundation or justification or veracity for your superiority complex on community land use regulation and enforcement. Your lack of humility is glaring in relation to normative land use doctrine, precedent setting guidelines and knowledge of the past making it possible for modern communities to have a harmonious and accepted utilization of resources and regulations. Your dogma is readily apparent that you promote individualism in the business community to a point where it becomes indistinguishable from anarchism. Regulations for land use cannot and have not been left to a laissez faire creed that you are attempting to foster on Evansville. Your opinions for the dissolution of the Area Plan Commission is a product of your own indolent-induced ignorance and intellectual flabbiness.

         Even Keynesian developed critiques of land use and planning would deny your promoted sign regulation enforcement mechanisms as dependent to some extent on improper deductive reasoning, and the question of whether a market solution or state intervention is better as determined on a case-by-case basis is inferior to the standards and practices promoted and championed by modern land use and zoning methodology.

         I (and many others) are tired of the condescending and patronizing attitude on the topic of signs and community land use (and Area Plan Commission and other portions of government that you disagree with) that you vomit into the virtual landscape on-line. You digress from the facts of land use precedents by making a pathetic attempt to couple your viewpoints to what you apparently think is a logical progression, and then you dismiss any dissimilar views as invalid and not even worthy of consideration. The problem is that your views on land use, and specifically the Area Plan Commission and the value it brings to the community for our various neighborhoods within the city, is not supported by any extension of logic or legality. If you would spend half-as-much time researching the simple phrase “modern land use” you might find the necessary enlightenment and education that you are clearly lacking.

         In short, maybe you should be quiet and let the adults talk about signs and other land use and community issues. Your puffed-up self-importance detracts from any commentary that you might provide that has (questionable) value or merit.

         • Boy, you are threatened, aren’t you? Of course I feel my ideas are superior to the status quo, that’s the main prerequisite for having a debate – a disagreement, a variation of opinion.That you display such thin skin and leap at every turn to insult me and ascribe projections of your own inward shortcomings onto me is amusing beyond the point of laughter and proof positive of the aforementioned vendetta.

           You just proved in all that block of text you don’t know what Keynesianism is, you don’t know how to construct a proper sentence half the time, and you are proof positive that a “little learning” is indeed a dangerous thing when it prevents you from breaking free of the limitations of the existential. Half of your pretentiously verbose flourishes make absolutely no sense outside the limited – and I do mean limited – confines of your own conceited mind.

           I don’t need your pseudo-babble about the legal basis for “modern land use”. It has absolutely no bearing on what I’m saying. I’m not debating the whether current regulations are legal. I’m saying just because you can do something doesn’t meant you SHOULD. Case in point: just because I CAN log onto the CCO with an ironically chosen “classy” username and sling mud in a cowardly way, browbeating any intellectual rivals who threaten my ego doesn’t mean I SHOULD do it.

           You haven’t given a single example in any of your ramblings. All you’ve done is hired a troupe of chimps to type out increasingly elaborate ways to call me an idiot, while you hide behind a username on the intarwebs.

           I’ll say it again: the Area Planning Commission is superfluous. Any disputes could easily be taken care of through the courts. Here is the crux of it: you cannot give me one solitary reason or example why that assertion is untrue. All you have is a reiteration of the status quo in ways that will only impress a casual layman. I suggest if you’re motive is to discredit me, you lose the username.

           • “Boy, you are threatened, aren’t you?”

             Never by you. Sadly amused, yes, but threatened? Not on your best day

             “Of course I feel my ideas are superior to the status quo”

             You are a walking and talking cliche of how you and dish it out, but you sure as hell cannot take it. You stand up with your false, pompous, and self-inflated attitude, you have the audacity of accusing someone else of being pretentious? You claim (without any precedence or proof) that “your ideas are superior”, yet you utterly fail (time after time after time) to recognize that the definition of “pretentious” is “claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified”, which is the exact definition of you and your claims to “fame” of being “superior”

             “you ascribe projections of your own inward shortcomings onto me is amusing beyond the point of laughter and proof positive of the aforementioned vendetta”

             No, your amusement is really just another sad and pathetic reflection that you are forced to swallow each day when you look into the mirror, having to live with the constant state of miserable failure that makes up your existence.

             “you don’t know how to construct a proper sentence half the time”

             So I guess your career as “mastermind at Electric Tooth Syndrome” has bestowed on you the magical hat allowing you to be “the grammar police”? Vanity, The Name Is Brad Linzy! (PS: Hey, Brad, that is a Shakespearean reference. Do try to keep up)

             “Half of your pretentiously verbose flourishes make absolutely no sense outside the limited – and I do mean limited – confines of your own conceited mind”

             Unlike you and your self-inflated (and utterly false) sense of importance to Evansville, I have no need to prove anything to anyone, least of all a clown like you.

             “I don’t need your pseudo-babble about the legal basis for “modern land use”. It has absolutely no bearing on what I’m saying.”

             There is no “babble” being tossed around, there are just the cold and hard facts the you refuse (or are unable) to understand. I will (once again) explain the facts to you, even though I wonder why I bother. Land use is developed with a concern with the social, economic, political, legal, physical and planning aspects of urban and rural land use. It provides for the exchange of ideas and information from the diverse range of disciplines and interest groups which must be combined to formulate effective land use policies. Land use is comprised of in geography, agriculture, forestry, irrigation, environmental conservation, housing, urban development and transportation. You disagree with the logic of it all, probably because you are too dense to comprehend it, but that is no fault of anyone other than you.

             “I’m saying just because you can do something doesn’t meant you SHOULD”

             You really don’t understand the basics of law, do you? The law evolves to meet changing social needs and improved understanding. You go out of your way to insult people, and all you do is prove the point that you do not understand land use, so none of us should think for a second that your opinions on Area Plan Commission has validity. You are a simplistic caricature of an educated land use advocate.

             “You haven’t given a single example in any of your ramblings”

             I have given repeated examples and references to land use policy and what is beneficial to a neighborhood and community, and just because you have been oblivious to them, I am not going to repeat them over and over for you based on your comprehension failures.

             “All you’ve done is hired a troupe of chimps to type out increasingly elaborate ways to call me an idiot”

             Nothing elaborate or monkey related about the discussion. You’re an idiot, and every time you ramble on and on about your self-importance you just prove the point.

             “The Area Planning Commission is superfluous”

             Stop the presses. King Brad Linzy has declared local, state, and federal governmental planning is not needed! How dare we continue to require that businesses be properly regulated. Bring back the sweat shops, erase all the fire code regulations, let the local trash-hauling companies just dump the refuse and waste anywhere they want to. Here’s a hint, King Brad: I bet wherever you live that you are the worlds most annoying neighbor about what and what cannot be done in your neighborhood. But if your neighbor wants to open up a hog farm on the lot next to you, you better keep you fat mouth shut. After all, under YOUR philosophy, anything goes, right?

             “Any disputes could easily be taken care of through the courts”

             No, you knuckle-dragging neanderthal, the court system was NEVER designed to take the place of common sense regulations. You have no clue how America works, do you? We elect people to represent us (locally, that is the City Council, County Commission, or both, depending on where you live). They are ELECTED to represent the will of the people. If something is the will of the people, they want it to happen. Democracy responds and adjusts to the will of the people. All laws, rules, and regulations are the will of the people that elected local, state, and federal representatives. The bottom line is that if you do not like a law, then you can campaign for change. But we are a nation of laws, and those laws demand common sense (which you have ZERO) approach to things. Things like signs. How many, how big, how high, and so on. You and your anarchist crap are the reasons why nothing gets done. Are you suggesting every time someone does not like a governmental rule that their only recourse is to get a lawyer and sue? I take it back, you’re not JUST an idiot, you’re also a fool.

             “All you have is a reiteration of the status quo in ways that will only impress a casual layman”

             There are a lot of people that appreciate the laws, rules, and regulations that protect us in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. It is rabble-rousing morons like you that threaten the way of life that so many of us enjoy, a way of life guaranteed by the founding fathers and generations that fought and died to protect the benefits of modern laws and rules (like land use, Bradly). Those founding fathers, who wrote the US Constitution, wanted to ensure that the citizens were given certain unalienable rights, rights that allow them to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and to be secure in their homes and businesses from annoying intrusions from the unfettered power of “self-regulating” theory jokers like you. Yeah, yeah, you always trot out the stupid “just because you can does not mean you will” is such a tired and useless phrase (useless, like you). If we use that theory, why have speed limits? I mean, depending on what car you drive, you should be able to drive at whatever speed YOU deem OK. Never mind the other drivers, YOU are self-important enough to decide on how fast to go. Why have any limits on anything, according to you? Let each person decide, right?

             Begone, we are tired of you and your rants. We see thru you/

             • Wow. Way to bring the hate, seething hate, in fact. i like it.

               You mentioned speed limits… Speed limits are actually another good example where a rethink could be in order. There are places with no speed limits, and analysis has shown there isn’t any measurable difference in safety. Law enforcement takes the approach of policing recklessness rather than speed in such places. This forces drivers to focus on control and vehicle safety at all speeds. And before you go off on another extended menstrual cycle of furious typing, I’m not suggesting to remove all speed limits in all locations, but its always worth looking into what’s being done elsewhere. You have to be willing to allow your basic assumptions to be challenged from time to time or you cannot call yourself a truly critical thinker. I submit to onlookers into this trainwreck of a verbal feud we have going that they ask themselves which kind of thinking has gotten Evansville to where it is now – my way or your way?

             • While there are places in other countries with no speed limits, that is not allowed ANYWHERE in America. There have been some highways (Texas has a few that top out at 85 MPH) that have raised the speed limit higher than what we have locally. However, your statement “There are places with no speed limits” is patently false for the good old USA. Fact Check and Mate, Bradly.

               You once again prove that what you write is just the sounds of the voices in your head. Maybe you would do us all a favor and look things up instead of making them up. Speeding (traveling too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed limits) is a factor in almost one-third of all fatal crashes. Although much of the public concern about speeding has been focused on high-speed Interstates, nearly half of speeding related fatalities occur on lower speed collector and local roads.

               So once again, King Brad is demolished by the pesky little things called “facts” and “research”.

               As for the rest of your drivel, I am safe and secure in my ability for critical thinking and reasoning, and have a long and proven track record of having an impact and accomplishing things thru negotiation and discussions with both elected and appointed officials on a local, state, and federal level. Unlike you, I do not have a need to spout off on things I have worked on to make Evansville a better community to live in. I am comfortable in what I do and who I associate with, and since most of my work is done at the local level, I like having the respect of the local officials and various organizations who ask for my input on a variety of things.

               You’re just a pompous windbag attempting to be relevant thru the sheer volume of what you blather about online, even though we prove (over and over and over) that you repeatedly show that you have no idea what you are talking about. I guess the value of what you write is that it gives many of us the unique opportunity to see the sad decline of the mental status of someone. If any of us start raving like you, I think we recognize the warning signs of mental instability, and we would seek professional help as soon as possible.

               Maybe that suggestion is something you should consider before you blow out a brain vein or something.

             • It’s not worth my time to go to Google and fact check it, but I believe Montana has no speed limits on their interstate highways. I know that they did several years ago.

             • I did 75 (80 with 5 mile unwritten rule ) through all 600 + miles of it but do recall them abolishing the speed limit yrs ago. Stupid idea anyways as no limit out west increases dependence on oil and makes you highly vulnerable to the winds from hell coming off the Rockies.

             • Classy eville: game, set, match. I wonder sometimes if Brad and deregulation morons like him even can imagine how chaotic the world they are pining for would be. He’d be the first to bitch about it when his next door neighbor is dumping toxic waste 3 ft from his house. But hey, it’s a free country ain’t it?

             • May you be reminded that Vectren is a fully regulated utility and that you folks in Evansville pay 16 cents per kWhr plus fees for electrical power. Evansville people with their combination of low wages and high priced electricity work like dogs to pay Vectren. Texas on the other hand is deregulated and the typical charge is about 8 cents per kWhr plus there are multiple providers sort of like cell phones. I bet when you are paying Vectren you would prefer deregulation. If it were competitive here we could probably enjoy 8 cents a kWhr too.

             • When it comes to utilities, I agree with you. We weren’t talking about price controls, we were talking about land use.

             • My comment was about your use of the term “deregulation morons” that sure is broader than silly signs in front of restaurants. I read Brad’s article and have been to Houston many times. It is much more orderly and well kept than Evansville. I would have never guessed there was no or limited zoning by driving around. Maybe Evansville simply does not know how to do the regulation thing. So are you for regulation of place but not regulation of commerce?

     • +1, Brad’s “any sign goes” scenario would make for a much uglier Evansville, and this town is already ugly.

   • It has been my observance, over years of attending meetings and reading minutes, that those with money and political clout get their variances.

     __

   • This letter sounds like a real life woman who was just doing her job to me. Without regard to how stupid that job may be she was just following orders. She was also following orders back in 1989 when she looked the other way when some people with political connections were allowed to break the laws. She felt so bad she quit. That was during Frank McDonald Jr.’s reign. He has always had a patronage job since leaving office. He made sure his dad had a patronage job at Aztar when the boat first went in too. Speaking of rules everyone knows by now that Curt John and his cronies got a pass from the fire marshall and that Kunkel did too back when they were Weinapfels’s favorite developer. Using the power of political privilege is an Evansville tradition. I expect this Holderfield woman could out lots of stories like this if she really wanted to go rogue. I actually hope she does. It is time for the culture of corruption to end.

7. I agree with Donna Holderfield’s opinion that a violation is a violation regardless of your wealth, political clout, etc. I have spoken with people at the Civic Center who have felt unjustly accused for enforcing violations that prior administrations and/or departments had chosen to turn a blind eye to. Every code should be enforced isf it is current and valid in our current codes. If there is an issue about the code being outdated or needs to be changed for other reasons, change it through the proper channels and abide by it until it’s changed. Again, I ask the CCO editor and followers, which do you choose: The City/County government continue to turn a blind eye and contiune to quid pro quo politics of the past or enforce the laws and codes of the land. It seems as if you have chosen to put them in a Catch-22 where there is no right way to operate.

   • As in most other cases, I choose the ignored third option. I’d choose to abolish the regulation. Problem solved. I don’t believe they are necessary and they impart too much power in the hands of a few bureaucrats. They are only there to generate revenue and consolidate power, giving leverage against those who won’t play ball.

     • I included that option earlier in my post. The regulation must be abolished through the proper channels. Until then, we must comply with what is on the books.

       • That goes without saying, yet like ALL law enforcement officials, the APC has the leeway to use discretion. They do it everyday. They are still doing it.

         So, current controversy aside, what’s your stance on the laws? Repeal? Enforce equally? Or amend?

         • I would like to see the outdated codes that restrict free enterprise and quality of life experiences removed. We all know that there is too much red tape and regulations in our current system. Until then, it should be equal enforcement as the authorities are capable of handling. I think we can all agree about that. As others have stated, I also find the timing of the Kunkel issue questionable. Although without proof it’s speculation, which I abhor. I also find it interesting that more of this type of subjective enforcement is coming out under the Winnecke administration. This leads me to believe that some of the companies that were protected under past administrations are causing a ruckus because they no longer have those privileges. Kunkel is not the first person to speak about this lately. I know of at least one other business owner that has made complaints about code enforcement and I later found out that they were given a pass by the previous department head.

           • We have a BINGO. The good old boys that had been getting a pass under Weinzapfel are being taken to task better now. Kunkel is one of them. Evansville gave them an occupancy permit for Kunkel Square with a damn staircase missing. Homeland Security stepped in and forced the issue. Former Council members Curt John and DJ Mosby were partners in at least two bars that seemed to be immune to any code enforcement. How many code violations do you think could be found in Fast Eddy’s? How many were flagged? Corruption breeds corruption.

             That is the past. Winnecke is doing the same things with using code enforcement to get his way as opposed to not using it to get his way as Weinzapfel did. A new way to milk the same goat. By the way the odds that Winnecke did not set the code enforcement on Kunkel are about the same as the Texans going to the Super Bowl this year.

         • Phyllip, thanks for making a rational string of sentences and arranging them in a rational sequence. This is progress. I agree with you.

8. In ref to snow plowing: The media was reporting how the poor snowplow drivers were working untold hours clearing our streets and being the proud owner of an old reliable 4X4, I was running all over town and saw NO plowed streets to speak of and didn’t even see a city snowplow on the road until Sunday! What’s with that ?? The condition of the streets was deplorable.

   • Agreed, worst snow plowing ever. City side streets were never plowed. Pitiful effort by the City. Fortunately, I also have a greenhouse gas emitting 4×4 and was able to get around where many could not.

   • I agree that the snow removal was horrible on most of the city streets that I drove on. What irks me is the congratulatory praise given to the street department about how well they did and the hours that they put in. They may have put in some long hours, but to what end? Many of the streets looked like they have never been touched. I understand that they may have done “the best we could”, but let’s not congratulate mediocrity.

     • Bravo! When every kid gets a trophy, the trophy becomes an empty entitlement with no value. Pats on the back for doing a poor job are no different. The bottom line is that the responsible government agency for snow removal did a terrible job. We taxpayers paid for bad work and have little recourse on how our money was spent. The best they could if that is indeed what they did is not good enough.

9. Mr. Mayor has some explaining to do, and he needs to get on with it. Between the sign disputes, the McCurdy “coincidence”, Ms. Holderfield’s letter, and the RFD issuance, he needs to get really “transparent” really quickly. He probably needs to throw in an explanation of the deplorable street conditions from our winter storm while he’s clearing matters up.
   I think the “in crowd” that is expecting the Medical School to be built downtown to be a “slam-dunk” are going to be upset at the RFP. Its criteria for judging proposals isn’t screaming “Downtown”. I’m wondering if the Mayor might have made a promise to them he can’t keep, after one too many cocktails.
   Clearly the Kunkel Group is not able to get financing for the McCurdy or Kunkel Square. Market Street Living isn’t turning a profit, either. It appears that investors and lenders don’t think it will be profitable, which really makes me wonder about the financing for the hotel. Is it secured yet? The bottom line is downtown property is a shaky investment at best, and we really don’t need a scandal-plagued City Administration making matters worse.

10. Could be Holderfield was offered her old job back because they knew she’d ‘do business’. Her remarkable letter seems to indicate as much. She did say it got bad enough her first time around that she quit but… she came baaaack. Is it possible they knew she could be counted on to turn an unseeing or focused eye on possible violations as necessary or directed? Nah, couldn’t be. I was unaware of Amy Word’s alleged vendetta against her but Holderfield’s letter has made it clear who is the vendetter and who is the vendettee.

    Being the public face of a codified ongoing shakedown can turn bad. They couldn’t pay me enough to do that job. Despite her disclaimers she knew what she was getting into, having done it before.

    The city liability aspect of her letter makes some sense but in light of the totality of her screed it provides thin cover.

11. “in her letter Donna Holderfield writes about a vicious vendetta that has been launched against her by the owner of the Lamasco Bar?…the City County Observer did not even know her name until she made her letter public?”

    She was identified by name in the original C&P article on 11/27. From the original C&P article:

    “Smitty’s Little Tavern got a letter about a small specials sign on the sidewalk that cites the lack of a permit for the display. “We are hopeful that we can work together to bring your property into compliance,” writes Donna Holderfield, with the Area Plan Commission’s zoning enforcement office.”

    • What makes you think that CCO reads C&P? I believe the editor when he says he did not know her name until yesterday. If nothing else, CCO has shown you that there is no room for journalistic research in their news. They just post everything as a question to try to avoid any fallout. “CCO – The Rumors That Might Be Fit To Print”

      • Saved the people of Evansville $20 Million by staying after the hotel fiasco. Save the people of Evansville $5.1 Million per year by exposing the Homestead Tax Grab. Savings that are worth fighting for. If we were to shut down the people of Evansville including you Phyllip would be food for the political wolves.

        • Why do people always try to claim credit for things around them. Just because you were on the side of an argument doesn’t make you responsible for the outcome. That’s like Elkaybee saying that she is responsible for Obama being re-elected or I guess I’m responsible for the hotel actually getting approved period. As I’ve said countless times, the opponents of the hotel deal are only responsible for creating such an embarrassing muck of the proposal that ONB had to come in and save the day. If it were up to you, we would have an empty lot there for another 20 years.

          • Glad you publicly recognize that the opposition which was led by the CCO and Brad Linzy’s Facebook site “are only responsible for creating such an embarrassing muck of the proposal that ONB had to come in and save the day”. Having local investors come to the table with money is what we wanted to see all along. Government should do infrastructure and private dollars should do development. If it took 20 years to get a deal like this the wait would be worth it. There is never a good excuse to squander taxpayer dollars no matter how much some people want a shiny new object. The deal that happened is a great one IF ONB really comes through when the checks have to be written and IF HCW can get the balance financed. Those my friend are still not in the bag. That is a story for March of 2014.

            • You CCO folks are sort of like the sand that irritates an oyster enough to get it to make a pearl. Keep irritating the powers that be. Someone should have done this years ago. Maybe allot of the stuff that has been neglected would have been fixed if there had been a CCO for the last 50 years. Ole Phyllip says you didn’t do the things that has saved people so much money. I guess he is right, but most of it would not have happened without the CCO’s diligence. When you guys get onto something you just keep hounding it until something happens. By the way, thanks for saving us all $32 Million by leading the charge against Vectren’s dense pack fees. Without you that would have never even been challenged no matter what John Friend says.

          • Editor,

            I believe Phyllis just gave us credit for the $17.5 million savings on the hotel, albeit reluctantly and with great inner turmoil. Not bad for a couple blokes with a website and a couple pissant libertarians with an aptitude for sticking our faces in cameras.

            • +1

        • Agreed. Kudos to the CCO and for their valuable service to this community. The CCO should take credit for shining light on EarthCare and also saving millions of dollars on the Johnson Controls meters.

          • Thank you. Plus $4 Million

    • Quite frankly we were not all that interested in the name of the code enforcement officer. It was the deed we concentrated on as opposed to the civil servant who was just doing her job. We intentionally did not want to out the person as it could have been any of the people on that duty.

12. Holderfield’s article, if I’m reading it correctly, seems to all but confirm a wider conspiracy towards W. Franklin. She did a great job showing that it was not her who started the investigation into the area, it was an anon source. Blaming her for this would be like blaming the building commission for the sudden attack on the McCurdy.

    Under a complaint driven system, these organizations have a duty to investigate these properties when an “anonymous source” files a complaint. And like we heard from Holderfield’s past recollection and are seeing currently with the McCurdy, this system is one just begging for the city and the powers in charge to abuse it.

    I know the “we can’t inspect every property” line seems plausible but it really isn’t. First of all, the city needs to set priorities and allocate resources effectively. Fighting the blight is something that needs to be a priority, sending inspector gadget out to a bistro sign should not be. If a sign is producing a light nuisance, is in the way of a public safety sign, or a property contains multiple signs that could be a fire hazard then fine, flag it and move on. Otherwise, get out of the sign nazi business. And quit using sign ordinances as a money grab too.

    Once the priorities are set, this “complaint driven system” needs to be axed, and the building commission needs to be supplied with the proper resources to effectively combat abandoned properties and ones that can be repaired if actions are taken soon.

    I feel bad for the people on Franklin Street. They’re doing all the right things, while the in crowd is doing everything they can to run them off and send Franklin Street back into the doldrums.

    • Not all of those businesses had a complaint filed. Holderfield admitted acting on her own.

13. Next election, I hope that today’s pictures of the streets of Evansville are shown by the opposition to the incumbents.

14. hell i love lamascos, maybe amy should run for mayor

15. Don’t you gentlemen think you’ve strayed from issues to personalities? Leaving personal attacks out of the argument is what CCO has over the C&P.

    • On occasion deeds and people are made one in the same, but I am sure we lapse into personal mode sometimes. Our preference is however to attack bad deeds and hope they get corrected or at least acknowledged. For instance when the Mayor, Mr. Shaefer, and Mr. Miller went public saying the options and the code police are unrelated when a two celled organism would not believe them they tied themselves to the deed. We would have attacked the deed and the offices anyway but would not have named names.

16. Based upon limited anecdotal evidence I can say the editor is spot on about the snow plowing. Yes the snow plow worker bees have been working their tails off, but something has happened between the cup and lip because the City’s side streets at 4:20pm Tuesday evening, 5 DAYS after the storm ended, are still iced up to make Bus travel questionable.

    Either lack of resources or poor management must be the problem. I don’t think my anedotal observations are unrepresentative either because I’m hearing much of the same from Evansville residents that live in other parts of town.

    Good God people we want to be in the convention business and the medical university(We can do both???) We can’t even get the streets cleared! In keeping with the editors analogy yeah the team comes to the coach during a timeout and says hey coach let’s run the flea flcker when they can’t even block the opposition on a basic off-tackle play.

    This doesn’t bode well for the future folks.

17. I attack no one on here , playing the race card is as wrong as a person being a racist ,think about it

18. This website is a hoot! Tres entertaining.

19. Is BJ Mosby Watts going to run for Mayor?

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