After much discussion and thought, the CCO feels obligated to respectfully recommend to our readers that they give special consideration when they vote in the up coming May 6, 2014 Republican Primary in the Vanderburgh County Council race.
On May 6th, as we look to select candidates that will represent the citizens of Vanderburgh County we must realize the importance of exercising our right to vote and choose the candidate who best exemplifies the vision for our community.  For County Council – County Council 4th District we have two well qualified Republican candidates running; Pete Swaim and John Montrastelle.
Although Mr Swaim’s long commitment to serving our community  is extremely commendable and we have enormous respect for him, however  the City-County Observer feels is it is time for a change – a progressive change.  This is why we endorse John Montrastelle as your Republican representative for the County Council seat in the May 6, 2014 Republican primary.
John is a lifelong resident of Evansville with a great sense of pride about our community and the people who live here.  He also believes, very strongly, that we should operate government to be fully transparent and fiscally responsible at all times. He states, “Our ability to understand county programs, departments, budgets, along with sound policies and procedures regarding how we operate the functions of government, is essential to our success.â€
John has proven he is forward thinking in his role as the President of the Board for the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.  With his leadership and guidance from his fellow commissioners they have transformed the ECVB into a strong and well founded organization. The ECVB developed new policies and procedures, comprehensive budgeting, special event policies, grant criteria guidelines and policies, new marketing initiatives for Evansville and most importantly a transparent organization. The most challenging effort during his tenure at the ECVB has been pushing for the of new sports complex that is currently approved for construction in late summer, using lodging tax versus local taxes as the funding source.  According to Monstrastelle this sports complex is projected to generate new revenues and serve as one of the finest quality of life projects ever built in our community, without costing a penny to the local taxpayers of Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville according to Mr. Montrastelle.  We hope he is right with his projections about the new sports complex.
John’s father, Bill Montrastelle, was a close confidant to Mayor Russell Lloyd while he volunteered and worked tirelessly on numerous civic projects.  We feel John Montrastelle shares that same compassion for our community that his father did!  It’s obvious that the apple may not have fallen far from the family tree.
Can’t vote for a guy Keifer endorsed.
Ghost,
There may be many thinking the same as you.
Parke and Kiefer endorsement may be like swimming with concrete shoes for this primary candidates.
Hate to see CCO endorse candidates while claiming to be a non-bias site. Seems to compromise the hard hitting reporting. (just my thought)
I agree Armstrongeres. Endorsing candidates moves the CCO away from some aspects that I appreciated from them. It moves them away from being seen as non-biased. Give me the facts, and I can make up my own mind.
This is a pretty disgusting move by the CCO from top to bottom and one that is only being made due to a simple vendetta over an insignificant youtube show.
For the CCO to not only make this recommendation but to then turn around and pile on with some kind of shallow justification for the way the ball fields complex has been handled, which couldn’t have been any more pathetic than it was, is a complete sell out of all principles this site supposedly stood for. The CCO looked the other the way the entire time the ball fields project was being shoved down the people’s throats while throwing a tangent on Innkeeper’s revenue that is a fraction of the amount used on this boondoggle being used for the hotel.
No longer should the CCO be referred to as a watchdog or any place that advocates for financial logic. It is now nothing more than a Dunn Hospitality bulletin board that only stands up to things that are downtown. The more it differentiates itself from the machine, the more it appears to be exactly the same.
I hope the CCO is embarrassed by their actions as much as I am. This is no different than the way the C&P runs their business.
It does boggle my mind that the ball fields were put where they were when there has been all the to-do about finding ways to stir interest in downtown and the city’s history. A Kleymeyer location would have tied in to both beautifully.
I think we should consider replacing the Evansville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau with the Evansville Infrastructure and Environmental Bureau. It is fine to pursue conventions and tourism, but infrastructure and environment should take the lead.
“According to Monstrastelle this sports complex is projected to generate new revenues and serve as one of the finest quality of life projects ever built in our community, without costing a penny to the local taxpayers of Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville according to Mr. Montrastelle. We hope he is right with his projections about the new sports complex.”
I HOPE the projections are right, but I surely DON’T BELIEVE they are. I think somebody did the math on that a few weeks back, and the odds of this being the boon to the City Montrastelle predicts it to be are almost a slim as my odds of winning the lottery. He strikes me as another pixie-dust purveyor in the style of Lloyd Winnecke.
Do we need both ECVB and GAGE? Do we need either? Do they ever work at cross purposes? Does Haney know about ECVB? No problem with news outlets recommending candidates but the reasons given here to vote for Mr. Montrastelle are unpersuasive.
The description of the sports complex is laden with many of the phrases that we are so used to hearing. ‘Payed for with innkeeper’s tax, generate new revenues, no cost to local taxpayers’. And one you don’t get to hear too often,’…serve as one of the finest quality of life projects ever built in our community.’ Ball fields?
Montrastelle’s association with the ECVB and his dad’s association with Russ Lloyd are thin reasons to cast a vote for him.
If I vote in that primary, and I probably will, I’ll likely vote for him over Mr. Swaim.
The predictions for tourism spouted recently by the CVB are more unrealistic that Winnecke’s claims that a hotel with 250 rooms will hire 800 people. I can’t say that Montraselle has endorsed this delusion of 200,000 visitors per year for ballgames but his CEO sure did. The complex will draw 40,000 or so just like the one in Owensboro does. Any predictions above that are either lies or delusional.
” And one you don’t get to hear too often,’…serve as one of the finest quality of life projects ever built in our community.’ Ball fields?”
I caught that, too. It doesn’t speak highly of “quality of life” projects in this community, does it?
It’s called narcissism. The location of the complex and the overblown visitor numbers also make him delusional.
Montrastelle appears to me to be just another budding professional politician, i.e. political hack. We have too many of those in elected positions already.
But for Montrastelle to call himself “fiscally conservative” after ram-rodding a proposal for nearly $2 million per field for a baseball complex puts that claim in the lies, damn lies and government statistics category.
A vote for Montrastelle is centainally not a vote for FISCAL CONSERVATISM.
And it is not true that all the money to pay for these ball fields comes from out of county. Think of how many times you and your friends have rented a room for high school and college reunions, wedding receptions, family get-togethers, etc. We all will share in this financial fiasco.
+1000. He also supported consolidation. He wants to be the new county official that is just as out of touch with county residents as the last one.
Geez.. Not one person has applauded the CCO on this decision. I think it’s time they reconsidered this endorsement they just made. It seems like all they’ve done is make loyal supporters mad. Come on CCO, listen to your supporters, pull the endorsement for Monastrelle.
CCO,
I am disappointed that you are picking candidates now. And to start with one whose main claim to fame is the very expensive and sadly placed ball fields??
I have no idea why ball fields would ever be considered one of the finest quality of life projects in any city much less in Evansville which needs so many things now more than it needs ball fields but this would be a reason to vote against this guy. I mean can he not tell the difference when looking at community needs and leisure games?
I am not a fan of the ECVB for many reasons some of which are listed in other posts above. So his connection with them is another negative for me.
Lastly, this man is not his father so your last paragraph is of no concern to voters. This is 2014.
Please reconsider making these recommendations. Otherwise I will need to stop reading the CCO until after the elections. Quite frankly it has become the same old posters with the same ideas over and over. Luckily, summer is coming and I rarely have any desire to sit at a computer when I can be outside. June can’t come fast enough!!
Your comments are spot-on, IMO. Most of the posters here are astute voters and aren’t going to be influenced by an endorsement, so I think it is probably better if CCO doesn’t make them. I’m just ignoring it, but it is going to make for hard feelings among people who really want what is best for the city and county.
I won’t stop reading, but won’t pay attention to the endorsements if CCO insists on doing this. I think they stand to lose more than they can gain by doing this.
It’s definitely a form of arrogance.
Perhaps the CCO should have had a poll and let the readers choose who they like?
Anybody except Mr Lazy Swaim
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