IS IT TRUE May 30, 2014

1. Clean Audit is being reported by the Mayor???????

   Is it true that they had to get SBR out of the way before they could release the audit results?????

   Does that seem funny to anyone????

   • This is a coverup that is worthy of Watergate. The audit after 9 months was clearly not clean on March 12, 2014. What kind of revisions did it take to get from qualified with adverse areas to clean. I hope that Garrett fellow tears into this like a real CPA. We have been lied to.

   • Read your comment and went straight to the SBOA website. It is not there. It seems as though the state is giving the city a bit of time to spin the results before any analysis of the final report can even start.

     • Now that’s interesting! I read the news on the Evansville Courier and Press this morning right before making my first post in here today.

       Are they (ECP) quoting the Mayor? I guess Russ Lloyd has worked some magic that other CPA don’t know how to do? I was pretty surprised to see this released in this fashion right after they got SBR to resign from the City Council’s VP position. To be clear SBR is still on the city council.

       So to be clear, I read it on the Evansville Courier and Press’s BLOG!!!! Emphasis on BLOG for incredible source.

       I didn’t check the SBoA web site this morning, as I didn’t even think of doing that. I’m glad that the editor went to check there to find out that the State has not publically released the Evansville Audit Results a that point in time. It looks like the ECP jumped the gun on the announcement. They may have been in the know all alone but didn’t release the information until this morning? Who knows?

       Interesting that the Mayor leads the way instead of the SBoA.

       Is the tail wagging the Dog?

       I mean they are both of the same political party, Right? Does the Mayor and the Governor all work for the same people? They seem to be working together though their surrogates. IMHO.

       Now maybe we will see the reasons for having a 2nd exit audit so that they could recheck (cook) the exit audit results to provide a clean audit vs the previous audit which clearly showed adverse results on some parts of the city’s finances. hummm.

       Some things just really make one want to go hummmm!

       SMH

   • Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem strange to me, in view of the way business is done in the Civic Center.
     As for the IIT comments made concerning the interference with business, I wish they would move ahead with legal actions if you have proof of their allegations. We have seen how “teasing” such information worked out for Councilwoman Brinkerhoff-Riley.

2. Well at least we are not getting a Mosby or Weaver as VP. I think that Dr. Dan Adams will make a great President once he gets rid of Mr. Friend as President! 🙂

   • I can’t help but wonder how much the idea of being VP again figured into Dr. Adams’ vote to begin with. He showed himself to be a “Downtown Toady” for Winnecke already, in the siting of the Med School.
     The biggest difference I see in Adams and Friend is that Adams has a less deceptive surname, and bears less physical resemblance to a weasel.

3. CCO: will you be publishing a transcript of the Exit Conference Audio ?

   Seems like publishing the transcript and the audit opinion in close juxtaposition will enable your loyal readers to do substantial analysis of the differences (while only having the audio available will severely limit comparisons).

   Go for it !

   Also, Friend said there was a transcript available in a black hole in the Internet ? Maybe Friend can travel through the fabric of space/time and provide you a copy (10 cents a page)?

   • I would appreciate a transcript, too. When one can compare print to print, things become much more clear.

4. While the CCO and its Main Municipal Mole #SBR may characterize the office of vice president of city council as ceremonial, symbolic, or whatever other terms of endearment, fact is Indiana state law requires the legislative body of a second class city to appoint a vice president of the council.

   IC 36-4-6-8: “President; vice president; president pro tempore: Sec. 8. (a) This subsection applies only to second class cities. At its first regular meeting under section 7 of this chapter, and each succeeding January, the legislative body shall choose from its members a president and a vice president.”

   Evansville is a second class city, and as such the city council must have a vice president by law.

   It may also be of interest to the readers of the CCO that the city council also can expel one of its members, an action that would be far more drastic than the action to accept the resignation of one of its members from the statutory position of vice president.

   IC 36-4-6-6: “Power to expel member or declare seat vacant; rules
   Sec. 6. The legislative body may:
   (1) expel any member for violation of an official duty;
   (2) declare the seat of any member vacant if he is unable to perform the duties of his office; and
   (3) adopt its own rules to govern proceedings under this section.
   However, a two-thirds (2/3) vote is required to expel a member or vacate his seat.”

   So, in the end, the CCO and its readers should be satisfied that SBR remains a member of council and as such may report on any actions or discussions, whether secret or confidential, to the readers of this blog.

   • I assure you that our main municipal mole has not been SBR. We do not reveal sources but she is far from the #1 mole.

     • That distinguished honor belonged to John Friend just a few short months ago. He was the CCO hero when he was releasing internal email after email. I remember all of the John Friend for Mayor! talk. Remember when you called him directly to refute my comments on here. How times change and people grow apart. Now that he dealt with an issue that was in his wheelhouse (accounting & audits) and he handled it correctly per GAAP and Indiana Code, he’s villified.

       • You have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WTF your talking about.

         • He’s just doing as trained. He’s never even tried to spit his bit. It’s more comfortable for him to just tell as he’s told. It becomes increasingly hard to hold him responsible for writing what he feels he must in hopes of some day becoming a singularly replaceable cogette in the machine.

         • It’s just a honest & objective observation. Tell me what I said that is not true. During the hotel debate, were you not Friend’s biggest supporters? Was there not a virtual campaign launch and endorsement from CCO and its followers for Friend’s Mayoral run? Like I always say, you and most of the CAVE mob on here are consistently inconsistent. I enjoyed seeing Elkaybee trashing Lindsey yesterday after one person commented that he was going to vote for SBR’s removal as VP of Council. She didn’t even bother to confirm the information before turning and gnashing her teeth at him. Furthermore, she started spreading the story as if she read it in a peer-reviewed article.

       • Politics makes for strange bed fellows. A lot depends on the topic of discussion. Not all members of the GOP agree with each other on all matters. Nothing to see her Philip. Move on!

       • Phyllip, politics makes for strange-kicked-out-of-bed-for-eating-crackers-fellows.

         • eating crackers??? is that a racist comment?

       • Phillip “Toady” Davis just made the case for why CCO is and has always been more concerned with fidelity to principles rather than personal connections.

         The very fact that the CCO has criticized Friend proves this. This is why toadies like you and the Courier and Press have no cred…because you’d never do this. You toe the line laid down by your betters.

         • You beat me to it. You’re spot on. Not calling Friend out is what should draw criticism, not using your own independent brain to tell it like it is. There is no winning with these sycophants. They hate that you and I are free and independent.

5. http://www.courierpress.com/news/2014/may/30/winnecke-clean-audit-evansvilles-city-finances/

   Vomit.

   • I like how that rag that calls itself C&P locks our non-subscribers except for articles like this. [end sarcasm]

     • Big Pappa,

       The C&P does manipulate readers by their lock outs.

       They took down the defense shields so that all of their shills could write fawning articles about the Mayor and what a terrible human being SBR was.

       Now that the witchhunt is over, up go the defense shields so the Klingons can’t damage the Starship Evansville. I just pray they don’t run out of dilithium crystals.

   • http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/audit-hearing-postponed/20344/ZshIsgr1vU6W5T6KJ3k3Vg

     • http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/aug/04/ethridge-if-theres-nothing-to-hide-why-not-be/

       “The second instance hit even closer to home, on the third floor of the Civic Center, with Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and the City Council again butting heads. The issue was the McGladrey Report, a consultant’s critical look at the effectiveness and costs of the city-negotiated computer services contract.

       A McGladrey representative was headed to Evansville on Monday to discuss the “final” version of the report with the City Council. The council canceled the meeting because, members felt, that version watered down one from April — which they only recently received, and had to sign a nondisclosure form for the privilege — with no good explanation. Their thoughts were that the administration pressured the consultant to make the report more tame, though it remained fairly damning.

       The mayor’s office made the McGladrey representative available to the media and released its version of the report (now posted at courierpress.com). The representative declined to answer questions about the differences. That prompted City Council attorney Scott Danks to share his copy of the report with the Courier & Press, which we also reported on and posted online.

       Just as we asked council members for their opinion of the mayor’s report, we asked the mayor’s office for its opinion of what it insists is a “draft.” Then, and only then, did administration attorney Ted Ziemer give some reasons for the differences. And that convinced Steve Schaefer, the mayor’s chief of staff, to rise early on Wednesday and send another document marked not for public viewing and as “draft use only,” a response to the McGladrey report from Advanced Network and Computer Services, the IT company run by Mark Rolley (it’s on our site, too).

       So the simple question is, why did the administration simply not release all the information it had — first draft, final draft, ANCS response — all it once?

       Why make it appear that there was something to hide? As history repeatedly tells us, from the days of Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton to beyond, the cover-up often is more damning than the crime.”

       – Tim Ethridge

     • Just got off the phone with the SBOA. Asked when it would be posted on their website and was told that the City of Evansville would make the decision on when the audit report would be posted on the SBOA website.

       I’m not kidding, that is what she said. I pointedly asked her if Charles Pride SR. would not make the decision on posting to their own website and she he does not make that decision.

       Evidently Mayor Winnecke has as much time as he likes to put his spin on the document.

6. ……

   Please.

   Release the damn audit.

   Then maybe the CCO can tackle something beyond the drama of local city politics.

   • We are waiting until the release to express any opinions on how things went from what they were on March 12th to what Mayor Winnecke announced this morning.

     • Editor: While you’re waiting. Check in on the last periods meter billings for Sewer,Water with you’re County “Moles.”
       We’ve seemed to show some discrepancies on some of our monitored sites, could be a simple fixable clerical, or estimate situation? However, with the “extensive rate charges people in the county” are mandated and “singled out” to pay forward now, the “sums are additional” to the “increased cost.”

       Looks as if some locations with multiple meters were charged for the “total usage” (both services) on the meter that services the added sewer charge, and mandate charge as well? Not good, due the meters that service non sewer discharges seem to not received any units charged. therefore the overall combined billing sets higher due to extended or misreads on the water and sewer supplied meter. In other words over charge situation for actual usage. We informed our confidential model development sites to be aware of the problem and make sure the over-reads and non-reads are corrected next billing cycle.

       The extensive sewers charge is quite an difference, like we’ve just pointed out probably a clerical error, however an expensive one indeed.

       Needs some refinement, the developing cloud based system* we are involved with, reads real time or with programmed predetermined timing per needs specifically required*.
       “All customer supply meters” and “sanitary sewer discharge”, separately, this helps to eliminate clean water resource waste insures fairly balance sustainable billing practices*.
       Maybe something the “NEXT” county council can grapple, after, the elections are out of the way as an tipping point balance forward. In the mean time we’ll continue to monitor our test sites forward.

   • Covering local politics is what CCO does best. Why do you want them to stop?
     I’m disappointed to see you aren’t “Weinzdowntown” yet.

     • Oh, you misunderstand. I don’t want the CCO to stop covering local city politics. They do it well.

       But FOUR things about the CCO is a PROBLEM:

       1. There’s some talent and insight here at the CCO. But the CCO….only….covers the drama of local city politics (Which is the same in every city, “I want my guy in there! He’s better than that other crooked guy! NO! You’re wrong! My guy should stay in there! Your guy is crooked!”)

       2. The CCO needs to stop advocating for specific candidates, directly OR indirectly (indirectly meaning going after a candidate for reelection relentlessly in order to help his opponent win).

       At some point the CCO is NOT going to be able to defend itself from the accusation that the CCO is no different than the “other guy” who thinks “his guy is a better fit for the Council!” The integrity of the CCO is losing when the CCO behaves like that. Is this an integrity local commentary site, or a political hack tool?

       2. Why not just OWN the commentary angle. The CCO can stop the ruse of being a news web site. It does local city politics well, but they should OWN that and stop pretending this is a media outlet. The CCO……for now…..is little more than a “local city politics media commentary site.”

       3. The CCO is failing to disclose a level of conflict of interest. This whole “Wayne Park” thing? And the effort to drive a Mack truck through the hole caused by the leak of the Audit prematurely? It has to do SOME with politics……but a LOT of this behavior and CCO editorial commentary has EVERYTHING to do with a vendetta to PAYBACK constituencies who decided to CANCEL ADS.

       Is the CCO averse to the political beliefs of those it disagrees with? Or is the CCO going after these people because it lost advertising dollars? There is an inherent conflict of interest on the part of the CCO in this area…..and such behavior directly addresses the editorial integrity of the CCO. (Something the C&P is questioned about here….near daily.)

       • Tell #2 to Ethridge at the Evansville Courier and Press and do it quickly and strongly.

7. For of the mayor’s blustery insistence that the exit interview was “part of a process” it was not. It was the END of a 9 month audit and it was most certainly NOT up for revision. The tape is time bound to March 12. So Winky owes us a little more explanation.

   I’m getting a whiff of a banking conspiracy now. As of March 12 our credit rating would have forced us to borrow at much high interest rate, equal or worse than Detroit. With this “clean opinion” what is our interest rate now? Do you suppose they know that a higher rate might roadblock the borrowing on these capital development projects they love so much. What’s a $7 million plug to ONB when they are controlling $100 million of the city’s money? What happened to that policy the city had of changing banks every 3 years? Isn’t it time Evansville changed banks?

   • Travel distance was the reason last year from what I recalled. ONB was closer.

     In C&P today, front page. SBR secretly recorded the March meeting with state board that was “purported” * to give the appearance, often falsely, of being, intending, ect. ‘Webster’* to be confidential.

   • Where’s Mr. Drydale? I expect to see Jed Clampet walk though the door to the Mayor’s office soon.’

     Something smells fishing in the Concrete Pond! There may be a few dead possums hiding in the closet in the mansion.

   • Were you not there at the city council meeting when the bonding for the proposed med school was being discussed?

     Bob Swintz of the London Witte Group, the city’s bond counsel, stated flatly that a negative financial compliance audit by the SBOA would have no influence on the underwriters!

     If that is truly the case, it is surely an upside down world we are living in today.

     __

     • Or did Swints just fail to add what many in the room already understood: that the taxpayers would just have to sweeten the deal until the proper amount of interest in purchasing said bonds was met if the audit results were negative?

       __

       • Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

8. This is too funny. Look at who liked the fake winnecke’s twitter post and then look at what someone left in response…

   https://twitter.com/evv_fake_mayor/status/472391618197467137

9. Looks like an ADVERSE OPINION to me.

   http://www.evansvillegov.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=15313

   • Yes, and six years worth of contracts between the City of Evansville and SMG (2006-2011), that never saw an audit or even an independent review, were swept under the rug. Not a single mention. What a travesty.

     __

10. Adverse opinion with respect to GAAP,

    “we identified certain deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that we consider to be material weaknesses”

    Page 6

    Noncompliance with governmental auditing standards

    Page 7

11. OMFG!!

    Read the comments page 37 forward

    They just rip the city a new one!!

12. Someone please help me out here. I am reading this audit and on page 6 it gives the opinions of Adverse on GAAP principals. Where does it say “Clean” opinion like the mayor is harping on. Where does it “reaffirm” the city’s finances.

    Is he hoping that if he gets in front of it fast enough with a “nothing to see here folks, move along” that people won’t read it, believe him and move on?

    Ain’t happening.

13. So boys and girls, what is the next move? Do the complaints and comments here just sit and go stale or do some of you with more accounting or legal knowledge than I have address this issue with letters to news outlets throughout Indiana, to the city and county councils, to the governor, to the attorney general, to an ad paid for in the C&P, to inserts in our tax bills, to all local churches etc etc etc etc etc. Who fixes this? Aren’t we ultimately responsible for this ourselves, each and every person who lives and pays taxes in Evansville, IN? Does the in-your-face commentary here get played large and if so what then? Point is that if we know this and nothing changes aren’t we just as culpable as the two mayors, the keyboard pounders on the new program, spenders in current and past administrations, and everyone else who has been in government, touched the budget and not said “wait a minute, lets stop the presses and fix this”? SBR stood up alone and went way beyond where others had to anatomy to go. She then intelligently pulled back to still be able to play a very positive role in the city’s future. Who picks up the ball from her? With all the squawking here, I’d think that at least there would be a committee of 10-12 strong souls to clean this mess up. Or is talk still cheap?

14. Get the ball rolling then or, are you just complaining about the people complaining ?

    Talk on here is cheap (free), it’s $21-ish/mo (I think that’s subscription price anyways)on C&P.

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