Rick Davis Releases Plan to Improve Evansville Parks

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Rick Davis

Davis takes on Obesity and our Dilapidated Parks in a Single Plan

Citing Evansville’s proud history of an acclaimed park system and the recent designation of the Evansville Region as the nation’s most obese, Democratic candidate for Mayor of Evansville, Rick Davis is proposing to put the recreation back into the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department.

Davis referred to one of his own personal ways of maintaining a healthy weight by running as one of the ways to get Evansvillians off of the couch and outside engaging in physical activity. He went on to propose a program that would invest $150,000 per year to create 50 summer jobs for young people to instill pride of community.

Candidate Davis mentioned part of his inspiration as the recent publicity regarding drug addicts needles in our parks and the general failure to do routine maintenance. Davis’s entire press release is available on the following link.

Rick_Davis_Plan_for_ImprovedParksRecreation

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Is it true that if the a Rick Davis parks department created a summer youth corps, and paid the workers minimum wage for 40 hours per week, that would constitute full-time employment, and all the benefits and worker’s rights associated with full time employment? Is it true that a 40-hour per week summer youth work corps performing tasks customarily performed by Teamster municipal employees just might draw fire from the Teamsters Union? Is it true that if such obsticles could be overcome, and a Rick Davis summer youth corps became reality, that sending minors out to pick up drug addict needles, and perform other potentially hazardous tasks in potentially hyper heated working conditions might expose a Rick Davis parks department to certain insurance and legal liabilities?

    • So the next Mayor needs to step up an do a smack down on the darn Teamsters. Why in the heck is it in the Teamsters contract that they can demand to be paid at overtime rates when well meaning citizen volunteers get out an do work for free.

      What kind of an idiot would have signed such an agreement (Weinzapfel) and what kind of a usury bunch of thugs would enforce it (Whobry)? Evansville needs to do a sanity check on the contracts that it has with municipal employees. Some of the union patronage stuff is keeping us in the dark ages.

      • Rather harsh comments.

        First of all, any full time employee working past 8 hours per day (if that is the assigned shift) or greater than 40 hours per week is entitled to overtime pay or compensatory time off … Teamsters included.

        Secondly, there have been cases of grievances filed and won by Teamsters when volunteer, intern, or part time help overstepped the contractual bounds … going all the way back to Russell Lloyd, Sr.’s term in office. So, Weinsapfel is not the first mayor to honor that part of an agreement.

        Lastly, it would be foolish for any mayor, whether it be Davis or Winnecke, to follow your suggestion “to do a smack down on the darn Teamsters.” I’d hate to have to live through the resulting turmoil.

    • Finally a message in a bottle from Mr. Davis. Does he understand the Mayoral election is this fall?

  2. Mr Davis improving our community to help alleviate the current distinction as this nation’s most obese city is a good step. As a bicyclist, I propose the city quickly step up efforts to make Evansville a lot more bicycle safety oriented. This would include additional 2 yards of blacktop surface placed on edges of current roadways designated with the bicycle logo to indicate usage by bicyclist only. Several streets are wide enough and if parking was eliminated on many of these streets, no additional monies would be needed. There are over 2000 bicyclists that ride for health and as an utility vehicle thus allowing the automobile to sit at home. This is positive thinking on their part to accomplish two things at once. Let’s utilize some of the city golf course revenue to help bicycle enthusiasts have a safe journey.

  3. back in the day, the teamsters allowed temporary summer help. You could only be hired after a certain date and had to be laid off before a certain date and could only work x number of hours a week. When I was 18 I spent several weeks one summer painting almost everything that didn’t move in Mesker Amphitheater. It was a good idea then and it’s a good idea now.

  4. Is it true that henry is right? Is it true that I have no argument with henry’s comments? Is it true, however, that Rick Davis’s plan, linked to this article says the following: “Members of the Community Service Corps would be between the ages of 16 and 20 … the students would be paid minimum wage for 40 hours per week and be charged with cleaning and improving the parks and cemeteries during a 10-week summer period … the Community Service Corps would be responsible for cleaning and beautifying our parks and removing graffiti from parks department facilities” with the implication that the summer help would clean the sandboxes of hypo needles, pick up trash, and perform park maintenance duties customarily assigned to Teamster municipal employees?

    Is it true the Teamsters have taken a huge hit over the past few administrations especially at the parks maintenance department regarding a brutally skeletonized workforce? Is it true that if henry worked summers at the parks department any time in the past 30 years that he fully knows the ramifications of a mayor trying to substitute summer help to perform the normal duties of Teamster workers at the parks maintenance department?

    • I sympathize with the teamsters, I am union myself. But there are some jobs, like painting outdoors, grass cutting, golf course maintenance and the like that are done basically 3 months a year and would not justify hiring more full time employees just to lay them off. and there are rules about what age you have to be to operate certain equipment so the teamsters are still necessary

  5. Is this article and the comments attached to it a fairly good explanation as to the ongoing decline in the population of Evansville?

    You betcha!

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