Councilman Al Lindsey Endorses Riley’s Letter and Asks Some Questions of his Own

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City Councilman Al Lindsey
City Councilman Al Lindsey

August 22, 2013

Mr. Mayor,

I would like to go on record to support the series of questions and concerns that my fellow member of the Evansville City Council, Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley has asked Mayor Winnecke in the letter she released today.

I would like to further state that I agree with the campaign promises of you made to be both collaborative and transparent if you were elected to be the mayor of Evansville. Well you have been elected and it seems as though you has either forgotten your promises of collaboration and transparency or they were just another promise in the dark. Thus far this administration has been neither collaborative nor transparent with big ticket items like the hotel deal that is being touted now as the best thing for downtown Evansville since sliced bread.

Mr. Mayor, where’s the beef? We have seen pretty pictures and been treated to a power point presentation that you certainly delivered well but there is no business plan in place to back up your claims. You have stated over and over again that there will be 250 jobs at the downtown hotel but the study you paid over $100,000 for says that number is 41. Why have you not addressed this difference? To hold back such information is certainly not transparent. If you just made the number up that is not collaborating with anyone who knows anything about hotels.

Now, I am no rocket scientist but I do have the common sense to know that there is no way a hotel can survive if they have an employee for every room. I do know a little about this new thing called Google and what I found on Google says that the payroll of a hotel is between 30% and 40% of the total amount taken in from renting out rooms. The numbers you and Mr. Huffman use for occupancy and day rates darn near confirm the 41 job number from the Hunden Study perfectly. As job creation is at the top of our list the City Council needs to know this number and believe it. There is one thing this Westside boy does know for certain and that is there is no way there will anywhere close to 250 full time jobs in that hotel.

Councilwoman Riley’s letter is pretty clear in asking why the devil the City is getting into or supporting restaurants, retail shops, and apartments. I would like to know that too.

$37.5 Million is a lot of money Mr. Mayor. At least it is to this westsider who makes a living as a fireman and representing the people of the 6th Ward it is. It may be a pittance to you or your friends on the Redevelopment Commission but to me and my constituents this is a king’s ransom. With the problems we are facing with sewers, roads, sidewalks, and other infrastructure we really do not have $37.5 Million to play games with.

Please take your campaign promises of collaboration and transparency seriously. We cannot afford to have another project end the embarrassing way the Earthcare Energy deal you made in the shadows ended. Would you also please provide this City Council with financial information concerning the hotel project Councilman John Friend asked for the last 3 months so we can start running this city like a business instead of a carnival of errors.

Al Lindsey, City Councilman
6th Ward, Evansville, Indiana

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17 COMMENTS

  3. While I share his concerns, this letter make him look very unprofessional and condescending.

    • I like the way he wrote it. It says: Mr. Mayor, I’m nothing but a red necked West-sider and even I can see you are a liar and a cheat. I challenge Mrs. Robinson to speak up! Brave enough to slap the hand that feeds you Connie or are your hands too deep in their pockets?

  4. Winnecke needs to listen to Lindsey and Riley or this will end the way Earthcare did with the Mayor and the City Council looking like a bunch of baboons. The Council did not appreciate the Mayors stealth deal last time and will probably not be such an easy mark this time around.

  5. Outstanding letter Councilmen Lindsey. I’m very proud to call you my Councilmen.

    Its obvious that the Mayor doesn’t understand the value of a dollar.

  6. Give the Mayor hell big Al. Looks like you a starting to make up for the mistake you made on voting for the wasteful Johnson Control meter project.

    My brother lives in the 6th Ward and kept telling me that your going to be the voice of the common man. Looks like he is right on.

    Thank God you , John Friend and Riley are speaking out on this wasteful hotel project.

  8. IF the city Needs a hotel. IF the city has an extra 37 1/2 million laying around. Why do they need an out of town money laundrer? The money would pay for the hotel,& parking garage and maintain ownership. Have a closed bid competition to see who operates the hotel. Why would you give somebody 37 million and recieve NO vested interest in the property?

    • Because a 50% subsidy is the going rate for a hotel adjacent to a convention center. It’s what be extracted, so these monkey see monkey do politician are giving it to the developers. Every city over 100,000 it seems wants to be in the convention business for some unknown god foresaken reason.

      By 2020 I predict there won’t be any new convention centers or adjacent hotels built by private developers. They’re just too risky and there is too much of a glut.

  9. Forgot the part of all the empty retail space, and buidlings to be converted to lofts/apartments as need arises, by private enterprise, without the interference of government in property developement.

  10. Bless you Al Lindsey, and dear Mrs. Brinkerhoff-Riley. We all see what’s going on, the sheep are saying “yes yes” to this insanity-thank you for remembering US.

  11. Al Lindsey says it like it is! Finally there are elected officials that will stand up to the mayor and not condone his BS.

  12. The libertarian party is the only party that came out against the hotel. We must stand with the libertarian party!

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