City-County Observer has  just confirmed this evening, that General Manager of Tropicana-Evansville, Ward Shaw, is resigning his position affective immediately.
Mr. Shaw is highly regarded in the national gaming Industry. Â He is also extremely well thought of as a positive community leader in this community.
Mr. Shaw has accepted a position with Pinnacle Entertainment, St. Louis. Â Pinnacle is considered one of the top Gaming Corporation in America. Â Mr. Shaw shall be the new Vice President and General Manager of the plush River City Casino, St. Louis.
This is a developing story and we will keep you abreast as we attain more information.
What a major loss to this community. The brain drain continues.
Bev L; “brain drain continues”?? What is the basis of this statement? How do you know the person replacing Ward will not be as good or better?
When intelligent people gets tired of being pushed around by self serving politicians they just move to a more progressive area. Looks like the Mayor and Marsha Abell push to build a competing downtown hotel against Tropicana by using hotel tax money took it;s toll on Mr. ward.
I wish him well because he is one hell of a nice and classy person. The Mayor and Marsha Abell really should be ashamed of themselves.
Eric W. Who are you? You sound like a depressed Democrat?
Ward Shaw is a good person who earned a promotion.
Blaming the Mayor and Marsha Abell is silly.
Eric, I think the mayor and Marsha have been put in a terrible position. The last mayor and a democrat city council left 2 major event centers without a hotel and no viable plan. Trying to straighten up a messed up plan that was extremely unpopular has placed the mayor and Marsha in a difficult position. The democrats, namely, John Friend has publicly acknowledged the last mayor left an incredible mess.
Wow, looks like another major loss for Evansville. Mr. Shaw was one heck of a boss. Everybody really respected him. It was common knowledge of us employees that he was dejected that the City of Evansville used casino tax money to build a downtown hotel that will directly compete against Tropicana-Evansville. The employees at Tropicana-Evansville are also feed up with decisions made by our back room and self serving politicians.
Best of luck Mr. Shaw, we shall miss you.
Your comment is informative and insightful.
Evansville is not fertile ground for people of integrity. Marilee Fowler, Rick Davis, Joe Wallace and more have found the Corrupted Political Network, inhospitable to their kind.
A revolution via “voting booth” is long past due.
Amen bg. But first we have to put the right names up for a vote in that booth.
Mike U: The new hotel will bring new business to town to spend at the Tropicana. I was at the Tropicana last night. The place was crowded with people having a good time.
The new hotel will compete with Tropicana’s on-site convention business. The Tropicana people aren’t stupid, and I’m sure this isn’t their first rodeo; they were against the downtown hotel because they’ve done the numbers and they know it will hurt them.
OK Brad, are you suggesting that we leave the arena and the centre without a hotel? I believe both are at the wrong location, but there they are. Now what? I can understand why anyone in the hotel business would be upset.
No, I am not now, nor have I ever suggested we didn’t need a convention hotel, but as you know, I objected publicly and helped lead the fight against a taxpayer subsidized hotel, just as I stood against the preferential treatment Tropicana/Aztar got when they were granted an exception to the smoking ban. Preferential treatment, i.e. cronyism, sends the wrong message to taxpayers and business owners. Cronyism is an invasive weed which, when allowed to take root, snuffs out every worthwhile and decent thing.
Brad Linzy: You have no basis for this statement whatsoever. Do you claim you have access to Tropicana’s internal books?
Shaw got a promotion–good for him.
People who come to town to gamble will stay at the Tropicana–a good place. If people come to town for an event at the Ford Center and/or an event at Old National Plaza they will stay at the Convention Hotel.
A win-win for the Tropicana.
That might be what you and your bosom buddies tell each other while you’re hi-fiving and slapping each other on the asses with towels in some locker room, but here in the real world actions have consequences and do not occur in a vacuum, Wayne.
Brad Linzy: How much business experience do you have?
You said above you were for a convention hotel. You just did not want government financial participation.
Wayne,
First, thank you for not asking who Mike U. is. That is getting really old.
And second, you are not selling your song to him or others. There is no overall plan or continuity for Evansville and from what I have seen there has never been one whoever the people in charge or their underlings were or are. And that is the problem. You have to have architectural drawings to build a building and you have to have an excellent working plan to grow a community. It has to be a plan with a lot of broad-spectrum backing, financing, and vision. There have never been any of those things from the local pols. that I can discover. Mr. Shaw is one of many people who have come here, tried, and had a better opportunity elsewhere so moved on. Don’t blame him. Wish him luck. But how many more good community leaders can be burned before no more try?
Third, my name is Martha Crosley. I am orinally from here and moved back here to retire. There are many good points to living here. Politics, government, and community management are not any of them. There are some good people beginning to be a part of local government. I certainly hope that they are able to stay around until some more are elected to join them.
Fourth, political parties don’t matter. Integrity, hard work, dynamic ideas, trust, intelligence, leadership, working together, and love for our fellow man do matter. Where is that Wayne?
“…And that is the problem. You have to have architectural drawings to build a building and you have to have an excellent working plan to grow a community.”
Word Martha! Your whole post is good, but that comment is the crown jewel.
Thanks
Martha Crosley says: “thank you for not asking who Mike U is.” It may be getting old, but it is a very good question that people should respond and quit hiding.
Political parties do matter. Any one party does not always have all the best candidate for all positions.
Integrity, hard work, dynamic ideas, trust, intelligence, leadership, working together, and love for our fellow man are important and do matter.
Wayne, I have always voted the individual not the party. Many times “the party” does more harm than good. And sometimes there is really no “party choice”.
Also what good would it do you to know everyone’s name who writes comments here. If you feel they are wrong and will not have a good outcome from their views, you won’t change that by knowing their name. They do have a right to call themselves whatever they want. I go by my real name because I am too old to be different than who I am. Some others feel that by using an alias they can create a persona to make their points not their name be what stands out. Learn to live with that. If you can’t please don’t keep posting the name request. I sometimes think you do it because you enjoy your position in your party.
Martha Crosley: I believe you are wrong. Some people just make things up, they lie,say nasty things etc. If they posted their real names, I do not think most people would do these things because they would be ashamed of themselves.
My asking for real names to be used has nothing to do with my political position.
I am considering not commenting at all to anybody who does not use their real name.
@ Wayne
You know exactly who I am and you’ve avoided my questions on issue after issue. Likewise with others on here. You’ve run out of excuses.
Here’s the thing: If you can’t even defend your own views on issues, and that’s assuming you even have the guts to take a position, then that’s an issue between you and yourself and has nothing to do with who or what is asking you the question.
The fact that you would even think about who is asking you the question instead of answering it just goes to show you probably really don’t believe half of what you say.
With all due respect Mr. Parke many don’t use their real names because we don’t want some 2 bit thug showing up on our doorstep. Remember use nameless people are more likely to vote than the average bear so let that sink in before you refused to answer questions. I find I usually support your positions so consider this free advice from a like-minded constituent. SAY MY NAME!!!
That is only your opinion , and we both know what opinions are like
Hey Wayne I don’t trust the likes of you ,that’s why I have a screen name and come election time I vote for the candidate who I feel will do what they promised to do.
Eviltaxpayer: Glad to see you will be voting Republican since you will be for the candidate will do what they promised to do. ☺
“Hey Wayne I don’t trust the likes of you”???? Based of what do you make that statement.?????
I suggest you contact people who have worked for and/or with me and see what they say.
So, he’s basicly leaving the proverbial sinking ship?
disaffected: Who are you? Usually if you’re “disaffected”, you’re upset with people in authority. Are you?
The Tropicana was going strong last night.
Please work on being more positive.
Our Community, the Administration, and the City Council wish Ward the best in his new position. Mr. Shaw has been professional in representing Tropicana and quite responsive.
Good Luck, as they say in the gaming industry!
John, please explain to Wayne Parke how casino revenues are in decline.
Brad Linzy:
Ward Shaw leaving has nothing to do with the declining revenue.
Going to build a new convention hotel downtown has nothing to do with declining revenue
With a new Convention hotel to draw people to town, we got a chance to turn declining revenue around.
It is not a loss when a member of our community earns a promotion. We do not want to be a black hole that nobody every leaves to better themselves. That would be a lot worse than a brain drain.
Observation: Your statement has little positive balance due the weight of the issue. and thus no relative viability. [Deduction] written in perceived similarity to a “mechanical response”.
Hawkings, “latest paper,gives speculation and objectivity to the astrophysical events horizons unknown,however speculated upon in concern to “black holes”. And those conditionals as applied by time and the present human observed universal “event horizons” as in relation to “black holes.”
However,”Hawkings whimsically called his paper'”Information preservation and weather forecasting for black holes.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/stephen-hawking-blach-holes-event-horizons_n_4658220.html
Further,if read,the previous thought experiment defined by the above,does have viability in weight per balances if applied in theory to evansville In. and its geo-political social economical location per affect,on an unfortunate space traveler,that might be sucked in,or fall into a black hole.
Theory above perceived as applied to evansville IN. politics as related to its mechanical drivers.
And JIG,since your opinion is not presented or applied as an standing elected official,the factoring to zero per balance is negative thus has no sensible weight per issue at point of information as supplied.
Your,sensible “balance” per issue as evaluated,when balanced to 0
7 6 5 (4) 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Unknown viabilities per statement,measures,no foreseeable gauge.
Thus [conclusions] are, as an identified standing,plus,elected official,as,the comment before in timing, and above yours from Councilman John Friend then carries more “sensible balance” per geopolitical locational subject as applied to the press release considered as breaking news ,above.
Thus,the councilmen’s sensible “balance” per the issue is positive and has “defined weight’ as a standing elected official.
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 (3) 4 5 6 7
Elected council person.
Elected council president.
Business owner, identifiable as accounting firm and financial group.
“mens sibi conscia recti”
a mind conscious of its rectitude.
I’m not sure if ‘brain drain’ applies to a gaming industry exec. Not taking anything away from the guy, but the gaming industry doesn’t really create wealth. It’s in the entertainment business and its take on the games it provides are a mathematical certainty. Not sure how big of a brain it takes to win money for the house on roulette.
100% I was thinking that, but didn’t have the words.
We totally agree with Mr. Friends assessment of Ward Shaw. Ward is an outstanding community leader and a first class person. We wish him well in his new career move. St. Louis gain is Evansville loss.
What a loss. Why the immediate resignation? Is that typical for the gaming industry? Give this guy 3 months then interview him about his experiences with the cesspool of incest that is Evansville politics and the CVB. Mr. Shaw may smile and wave with a few good words right now, but when the farewell passes he may just throw all of the patronage dirt bags under the bus. As Bubbageek stated earlier, if you could put Marilee Fowler, Joe Wallace, and now Ward Shaw on a panel they may just shine a little light on just how dirty local politics really is. There are more too. Evansville has been driving talent away for 60 years with their political ineptness.
GeorgiaHoosier: If you believe this what are you doing about it? Why have you not moved back to Georgia.
There are many very good sucecssful people in Evansville.
I did leave long ago for a great job in Marietta but for some reason still have some affection for the place of my birth. There are people doing well in Evansville and most of them either do so from family connections or political patronage. The way Evansville operates is right out of the old south with the Boss Hogg’s of the town choosing the winners and losers. I doubt that I would ever come back after having seen other places that are much better.
GeorgiaHoosier says: “There are people doing well in Evansville and most of them either do so from family connections or political patronage”
I do not believe you are correct with this statement.
Evansville is a good place to live and the majority of the people are good people. Most real success comes from working hard in an intelligent manner
To bad it wasn’t GOP Chairmen Wayne Parke resigning and leaving Evansville.
Eric W : There are a lot of Democrats who wish that.
+1
Just summing up the responses, you can certainly tell the public is very unhappy with the Mayor’s office and City Council. Job and business killers, they both are. I always find it interesting that the Mayor or the Council never act in the best interests of the people of Evansville, but in their own personal best interests. I’m sure after all the fighting he couldn’t wait to get away from here.
John,
You are painting with a broad brush and I don’t think that it is deserved especially with some of the city council members. No one is all bad or all good. But the two party system we have had lately in session especially in DC would have us believe so
Hey Wayne a friend of mine ask a person whom you worked with how you got along with people. The person he asked about you was Nick Hermann past GOP party chairman. My friend told me that learned that Nick Hermann fired you as his treasurer because you were hard to get allow with. Can you explain to the CCO bloggers why Mr. Hermann fired your ass as the GOP party treasurer?
Can’t wait to see your spin on this post.
Eric W : Nick Hermann did not like the fact that I thought the Central Committee was not doing enough to make the Republican Party the best it could be. Nick did not like constructive criticism. He ask me to be Treasurer and appointed me to the position. As Chairman, he could remove me.
That is old news big guy.
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