Dr. Ray Nicholson spoke before the Vanderburgh County Commissioners tonight to report that the entire support staff for the free dental clinic resigned in mass today. No reason has been released for the resignations from the clinic that is one of the humanitarian legacies of Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and former County Council member Royce Sutton.
This is a developing story
Well-well well another issue that Mayor Winnecke should address since he was also on County Council and Commision alike when dental clinic was created.
Let’s see-Earthcare, Oak Hill problems, big raises for the “Golden 10” political buddies of his, the McCurdy mess, Robert’s Staduim law suit, fate of the LST moving and new downtown Hotel to name a few issues that face Mayor Winnenke.
Vote Williams for the next Mayor of Evansville.
So, what you are saying is that any politician who has ever held office is responsible for the actions of his/her successor?
In other words, you can pass blame to anyone. Since Mayor Winnecke created the clinic, it must be his fault that the clinic’s funding was slashed by the County Council when he was transitioning from being a County Commissioner to Mayor.
I want to play your game, too. Let’s see…I don’t like the current state of Social Security. It is a giant mess. Since FDR was the president who signed the bill, it must be FDR’s fault that subsequent administrations have raided the funds to pay for wars, infrastructure, debt, etc.
See! Makes perfect sense!
The CCO routinely gives Mayor Winnecke some cover for the actions of his predecessor. At some point the past becomes prologue and that is the case with FDR. 2006 on the other hand is gray area.
I think it’s pretty black and white. If Winnecke wasn’t on the County Council when the vote was made to change funding avenues and decrease workers’ hours to part time, then this problem is not his.
We could speculate ’til the cows come home whether he had the ability to stop or influence the vote one way or another, but since he was not on the Council at the time of the changes, he had no vote and shouldn’t be held responsible for the clinic’s current troubles.
As mayor, does he have the ability to prevent the closure? Well maybe, but the real question should be does the city have the means to do so and would that decision be supported by the taxpayers?
After reading the comments of disapproval about “free stuff” from the right-leaning bloggers who are catered to by this site, I would guess he would not.
This is why Democrats shall be not voting for Republicans long term. When you Republicans are campaigning for elected office they start programs to help the poor and after they are elected they forget to continue to fund these programs.
Vote for Eric Williams for Mayor and Terry White to State Senate!
When did we elect a republican as mayor? Or for that matter, when did we elect a democrat? There is one party in this city,the E’ville-crats. It’s the GOB party, Good Old Boy.
Shake Williams, Ellsworth , Wieneke, Weinsapple, Lloyd jr. Mc Donald Able, Weaver, Mosby, Robinson, John, Shively, Sholders, Haffer out of a bag and you can’t tell them apart.
Is it true that Lloyd Winnecke partnered with Royce Sutton, his Democrat counterpart on the County Council, and launched the Dental Clinic, a worthwhile service to the Evansville citizens? That the funding for the Dental Clinic came largely from the Aztar boarding fees allotted to the County Council to spend on such worthwhile services?
Is it true that certain current County Councilmen withdrew the Aztar boarding pass funding of the Dental Clinic and directed the County Health Department to solicit replacement funds from local hospitals? That local hospitals declined to respond positively to the solicitations?
Is it true that the only remaining funds to support the Dental Clinic then had to come out of the County Health Department’s very limited budget, and were only sufficient to support part time employees at the clinic. That this is exactly what certain County Councilmen fully intended to happen because then they don’t have to extend employment benefits to part time workers?
Is it true that the County Councilmen themselves work a part time work schedule, are employed full time for the most part at local corporations, yet the same ones who devised this turn of events themselves draw their healthcare benefits from the county budget?
Is it true that in response to their reduction to part time employees, the Dental Clinic staff had to seek full time employment elsewhere in order to secure health care benefits? That this is a complete travesty when all things are considered in this shameful chain of events?
Thank you so much for a most honest and excellent post. With your permission and only with your permission we shall use much of your post in tomorrow’s Is It True. Please post permission and we will use your words tomorrow.
Is it true that Izzy Tru isn’t a CCO mole, and has never aspired to be one? That Izzy’s intent is to speak for the common working class citizen?
Is it true that the C&P reporter who covered the Commissioners meeting most likely did not ask Dr. Nicholson or the other representative from the Health Dept. the pertinent questions to discover the facts behind this shameful turn of events that is a blatant afront to the common working class bloak who depends on the County Dental Clinic for essential dental services? That in the past 6 years of its existence, the dedicated dentists and technicians at the clinic have performed in excess of an average 5,000 proceedure per year for patients who most likely would otherwise have never had those proceedures performed? That poor dental health can lead to other dire physical condition including heart disease?
Is it true that Izzy Tru prefers the CCO editor to contact those Health Department representatives, and Dental Clinic employees and discover the truth rather than depending upon Izzy’s allegations? That what Izzy says in these two posts are the truth as Izzy has seen and heard it? That it’s very doubtful that the priciple architects of this shameful chain of events are not likely to fess up to their selfish political antics, but that by a looksee into the public record a diligent reporter could expose the truth?
“…that is a blatant afront to the common working class bloak who depends on the County Dental Clinic for essential dental services…”
I will ignore the two misspellings here and focus on the glaring problem with that statement…
The common “working class” tend to pay for services rendered and have pride about doing so. It is the welfare class who seek out free services provided from the feeding trough of government. Most of the “working class” people I know would rather their taxes were lowered and government stayed the hell out of their business.
Sad part about it is I’m not a bit surprised with what we have had in power the last 8 1/2 years
IzzyTru are you serious that County Commissioners Marsha Abell, Joe Kiefer and Steve Melcher are part time elected officials but are allowed to receive county paid health insurance? Does this mean that their family members are receiving county paid health coverage?
Does this also mean that part time elected members of the Vanderburgh County Council also receive paid health insurance by the county? Do members of their family also receive paid health benifits from the county?
Wow, I hope your information concerning this issue is wrong. If correct, you just opened a major political can of worms!
IzzyTru are the part time elected members of the Evansville city council receiving city paid health insurance? What about members of their family? How about part time members of the Mayors legal team?
Is the administration of this town on crack? Dental care is probably the highest payback in avoiding emergency room treatment that a free program can achieve. The only thing with a higher payback is free lunches for students who can’t pay for the lunch. This is bullcrap!
IzzyTru if your postings are correct concerning the Dental Clinic employees health insurance situation you need to contact the Indiana Department of Labor, Human Rights Commission and Insurance Commissioner to file a complaint.
The instigator of the free dental clinic was not a politician, it was Father Steve at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He and the pastor of the Baptist Church down the street from St. Mary’s cooked up that scheme. Anyone with a brain knew from day one that the clinic could not be sustainable, simply because nothing free lasts forever.
County and City Council members should get NO benefits, other than an small stipend for their work. It is part-time.
All of these benefits, for what amounts to volunteer work, is what is sinking our communities.
It is true that part-time politicians in vanderburgh county receive full-time health insurance benefits.
This includes city council, county council, county commission and the evsc board.
This has been going on for years and should not be a revelation to anyone.
I would suggest any members on these part-time councils, commissions and boards who have a full-time positions should be required to use their health insurance at work.
Also, family members who are employed full-time and who are eligible to enroll in their own health insurance program should be required to do so.
This would save the local governments significant monies and possibly allow the full-time employment of dentists, including health insurance.
Yes, this has been going on for years and when this happens it is up to the insurance companies to determine which coverage is PRIMARY and which is SECONDARY.
Many a claim has been held up while insurance companies bang it out. I think reasonable people would agree that your full-time job policy SHOULD be primary, but if your secondary policy’s benefits surpass those of your primary provider it might presents some ethical questions.
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Yet another thing government should not be in the business of doing.
Someone mentioned that a church pastor spawned this program. Why then was it not funded from private church coffers? Why did they see fit to run to the government for help in this?
I’m all for helping the poor, but I’m against this kind of scheme. The pastor should have gone to other churches and pooled resources themselves to make this happen if they were really serious about it.
On a side note about the cost of dental care. I pay out of pocket for all my dental and I recently needed a tooth pulled. I called around here in Evansville to shop for the cheapest price, like you’re supposed to do in a free market, I found to my astonishment the cost of having a tooth pulled in Evansville hovers around the $200-$300 range.
The cost at my little family dentist down in Sturgis, Kentucky? $75
That tells me something other than market forces is really at work in the Evansville dental care market. Until they sort that out, I suggest everyone call around for prices next time they need dental work and check some of the small practices in small towns instead.
I agree. My oldest child’s braces in California were $3,000. Upon moving to Evansville two years later the second child’s braces were $5,000. Same braces different location. Dental care is more expensive in Evansville than it is in California as is health insurance. My guess is that there is a dentist shortage and the ones here know how to milk that rarity.
Call Rocky in Sturgis for the best prices in tooth removal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiyCvEhx9Io
Bwaaahahaha!
“once I grab this, I’m just gonna…hit you in the head.”
Classic.
You really know how to build a great organization don’t you Lloyd?
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