David Dunn the chief proponent of the now suspended $18 Million Roberts Stadium Ballfields proposal has resigned from the Board of Directors of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Dunn and 5 other members of the Board of Directors have been the subject of public outrage this week over the discovery that they were treated by the ECVB to a $3,079 dinner for Christmas. The outrage was sparked by the fact that 80% of the tab at Biaggi’s was spent on alcohol including 5 bottles of Opus One at $250 per bottle. Mr. Dunn has been adamant that there was nothing excessive about these expenditures. His resignation came at the morning meeting of the Vanderburgh County Council.
Also at the meeting a vote was held that resulted in Kristin Tucker, Editor and Publisher of Evansville Living Magazine being removed from the ECVB Board of Directors by a 7-0 vote. Sources tell the CCO that Ms. Tucker refused to resign on the grounds that her resignation would constitute an admission of guilt.
County Councilman and former Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr. expressed satisfaction that the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau now has a chance at a fresh start.
It was further disclosed that a letter will be sent by the Vanderburgh County Council to Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel encouraging him to remove the three members that he appointed. Those members are Claudette Branson, Stacey McNeill of Casino Aztar, and Mike Roeder of Vectren Corporation. Mr. Roeder did not attend the controversial expensive dinner.
Candidate for Mayor and Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis in and exclusive interview (link below) with the City County Observer called for the resignations of the ECVB board yesterday along with Vanderburgh County Commissioner Marsha Abell upon discovering the price of the dinner.
Ah, Evansville.
Where a $3,000 dinner tab sparks peasant outrage…
…but a $200 million stadium that nobody wanted is “politics as usual.”
Excellent observation. People understand a $250 bottle of wine is excessive but seem to be clueless about big public projects. We and other cities need vigilance committees on those more than we need a posse to keep us from the gluttony of a few self indulgent volunteers.
It’s a tragic flaw in human nature: we are easily distracted by these lurid stories, while the “professional thieves” continue to operate quietly in the background.
Don’t get me wrong. This Roman Orgy of a dinner was a colossal lapse in judgment and ethics. But it’s not going to put Evansville’s children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren in hock like the Stadium. It also doesn’t come close to the level of audacity and corruption of Weinzapfel’s attempt to hike property taxes on the sly a few years ago…
But all of us can *relate* to it. It’s something straight out of pre-revolutionary France. “Let them eat cake.”
Anyway, I’m glad the Observer is aruond to report on this kind of stuff. Without you, the Courier Press would probably just continue to sweep things under the rug in service of the “establishment.”
I’m not trying to be overly picky here, but your misplacement of the prepositional phrase in the last paragraph makes that sentence read that Mr. Davis is asking for Marsha Abell’s resignation as well. I’m certain what you mean is that Mr.Davis, along with Mrs. Abell, called for the resignations. I had to do some research, though, to make sure my assumption was correct and that she wasn’t lumped in with these board members.
Waiting for the taxi fare bill to hit the county council desk …
$200 million stadium? Come one, at least be financially accurate. That stadium will not cost $200 million – last number I saw was $130 million. Never $200 million.
The cost will be over $200 million when you add up the finance/interest charges as well as the cost to develop the adjacent hotel property.
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