Councilwoman Stephanie Riley Speaks out on Monday Night’s City Council Meeting

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3rd Ward City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley
I want the people of Evansville to know that I did indeed tell City Council President Connie Robinson that I wanted to withdraw my resolution to rescind the loan approval for Earthcare Energy that I sponsored. My decision was based on the realization that it was not going to pass. It was in my judgment a better choice to withdraw the resolution at this time than it was to see it defeated by the same 5 – 4 vote that the loan was approved by.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has personally assured me that the Earthcare Energy deal will not be resurrected. I trust the Mayor to honor his word and to do what is in the best interest of the citizens of Evansville.

Knowing that the resolution would not have passed and having faith in Mayor Winnecke’s word was the driving force behind my decision to withdraw the resolution. Should Earthcare ever pursue litigation to attempt to force the City of Evansville to make this loan it is important that the possibility is preserved to bring a similar resolution back under different circumstances so the support of the full City Council can be sought.

Personally I am on a leave of absence and could not attend Monday’s meeting of the Evansville City Council. I do have every intention to fulfill the duties that the people of the 3rd Ward elected me to carry out. I take my responsibilities very seriously.

With respect to the conclusions reached from the over 100 hours that I spent researching the people behind Earthcare Energy, I stand behind my work. Every discovery that was made during this vetting phase was as a result of uncovering publicly available information that speaks for itself.

Every member of the Evansville City Council, Mayor Winnecke’s Office, and all of the Evansville media were supplied with the research. Any of my fellow City Council members who are inclined can simply take the time to read the public documents in the package that I put together. As I said, the public record speaks for itself.

As for the allegation that I am a racist, I openly repudiate any and all assertions and accusations of such matters. My entire career and even my entire life has been based on fairness and equality. I take pride in my support of working people of all races.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to familiarize themselves with the details of my research. I would also like to thank the people who had the courage to support my conclusions and to especially acknowledge the leadership of Mayor Winnecke in making the right decision when all of the facts were gathered.

I am committed to doing everything within my power to make judgments that will lead to a prosperous future for the City of Evansville that I love. I look forward to the day when my leave of absence is over so I can once again carry out my duties in person.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley
Evansville City Councilwoman, 3rd Ward

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you SBR for finally setting the record straight on this. Too many uninformed voices have been spouting out their usual conspiracy theories on this issue.

    • Gee, I wonder why anyone would be skeptical of or city’s leadership? You must have some serious pie on your fingers to make you so “lala” to what is happening around you.

  2. The good news is Earthcare project is stopped. People may have decided to not support the project for different reasons. What is important is- it is stopped. Thanks to everyone for their good hard work. My thanks includes Stephanie, Dan and Mayor Winnnecke.

    Wayne Parke

  4. Thank you SBR for setting the record straight. We have a total of 4 City Council members that represent the taxpayers. Dan McGinn. John Friend. Newest and dam happy to have them are SBR and Al Lindsey. These are members to support and re-elect.

  5. Keep on truckin’, Councilwoman. We need to elect people who aren’t afraid to question the hive mind, and it appears we’ve gotten lucky with our choice for the 3rd ward.

    As far as the bizarre accusation that rejecting this dubious proposal was somehow racist? Suffice it to say that using THE RACE CARD in cases like this ultimately weakens public support for those same arguments when they are used legitimately. Claiming ‘racism’ can be either a cry for help that should be taken very seriously or just another tired attempt to play political angles or smear somebody’s good name. I’m pretty sure in this case it’s the latter.

  6. You’re better than me SBR. I would have let those who support this boondoggle have one more opportunity to prove that they are inept. I find it odd that you support a non binding resolution concerning Allied and drop this one, but I have appreciated your leadership in this issue.

  7. My understanding is that if reorganization is passed it will take a 2/3 majority to over-rule the mayor. Of the 15 board members 11 would have to man-up, not an easy fight.

  9. The certainty of losing isn’t an excuse to quit a fight. The reason to go forward with such a resolution would have been to put everyone firmly on the record.

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