IS IT TRUE your Evansville Redevelopment Commission has finally done something that no one with any common sense whatsoever would have ever even dreamed possible?…the ERC under the thumb of and the recommendation of the Mayor of Evansville has signed an agreement that has been christened as a “pre-development†agreement in which the party that the City of Evansville is in the middle of a negotiation with will be paid to negotiate by the City of Evansville?…we should all step back a minute and think about this one and the tone of utter desperation that it sends when one is so hard up for business that they are willing to pay a prospective supplier to sit down at the negotiating table?…this takes desperation way beyond paying stipends to build lofts or $600,000 parking lots, this makes this fair city look as desperate and dumb as desperate and dumb can get?
IS IT TRUE that this “pre-development†agreement does put some pretty good estimates on just how much money the City of Evansville will be spending to get this development completed?…the DIRECT SUBSIDY for this $70 Million project that now includes retail space and some condos is stated to be $37.5 Million?…when one throws in the value of a certain to be 10 year tax abatement the public contributions to this $70 Million project rise to $48 Million or 69% of the total estimated cost of the project?…$20 Million of the city hand outs are specified as for the hotel?…we hope you all remember back in 2010 that the City County Observer was the first to predict that the City of Evansville would have to cough up $20 Million to get a hotel developer interested in putting a convention hotel in downtown Evansville?…at that time the ERC, the Office of then Mayor Weinzapfel, and members of the County Commissioners repudiated our article and denigrated the author?…those who are willing look into the mirror of time on this issue and many others need to think carefully about the judgment of a cast of characters who just agreed to do what was accurately predicted yet scoffed at by them?…all of the players in the hotel game in 2009 and 2010, here is a big raspberry and a we told you so from the City County Observer?…we wonder if ARITHMETIC or common sense are requirements for public office or political appointment?
IS IT TRUE something is being floated in New York City that really makes you wonder about the minds of people who are drawn to elected office like a moth to a flame?…the disgraced former Congressman Anthony “wanna see my†Wiener has floated the idea of running for Mayor of New York City?…one would think that a person who was exposed (no pun intended) for intentionally exposing himself over a long period of time would have the good sense to get on with his life and try to earn a living outside of the scrutiny of politics?…Wiener must have an ego the size of Texas and have no concern for the negative publicity that will come upon his family to utter such ambitions?…the rigors and scrutiny of running for office does indeed take a person who is insecure enough to need the smiles and handshakes more than they value privacy?…there are such people and Anthony Wiener must really be an alpha version of a career politician for narcissistic reasons?…there are many such people and some live right here in Evansville?
IS IT TRUE the $18 Million ballfields are back and this time they are $13 Million ballfields?…if the song remains the same about “Million Dollar Ballfields Forever†then the argument against shall remain the same of “if the rest of the world can build ballfields for under $500,000 each then why can’t Evansville figure out how to do the sameâ€?…whether the location ends up being where a golf course is out by the airport or the Goeble Soccer Complex the price remains too high for 8 ballfields?…we do recognize that some people will come to town for tournaments and that there is some value to this project but still do not think over $1 Million per ballfield is a wise use of tax dollars?…we further predict and we have a pretty good record of predicting things involving irresponsible spending that the CVB and local government will invent some justification to bond the cash stream from the Innkeepers tax for the next 20 years so they can throw parties to entertainment today at the cost of all other projects for the next 20 years?…the CCO would like to nominate the crew from Duck Dynasty to run the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE we have TWO more predictionS?…the CCO predicts that even if 10,000 people take to the streets to protest against a $48 Million hotel hand out by local government that YOUR CITY COUNCIL WILL VOTE YES?…we are beginning to believe the rumors about the City Council being in Mayor Winnecke’s pocket?…no matter what anyone says, proves, or does, this goose is cooked and you taxpayers of Evansville can not do one thing about it?…our final prediction is that THE PEOPLE OF EVANSVILLE WILL VOTE THESE SAME PEOPLE BACK INTO OFFICE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SPEND?
Is there any incentive for the prospective hotel front man to succeed?
There is an old saaying about “having some skin in the game.” If you don’t have any of your own money in the game, you have very little incentive.
I see that the “cost” of The Ford Center is a phoney figure. The Evansville Courier & Press states that part of the new hotel/motel complex is for storage space for The Ford Center.
That and the infrastructure improvements give rise to the lie that the arena was built for the reported $125 million. And you can bet that there will be more costs involved.
And I can still remember that Weinzapfel testified before the General Assembly that there would be some 525 (?) jobs created at The Ford Center. He was counting all jobs, full or part time). Those jobs could range from a full time manager to a two hours per week part time custodian. In Weinzapfel’s thinking, a job is a job. Now that the building has been open for more than a year, how many FULL TIME EQUIVALENT jobs have been created. No, you can eliminate the jobs that were transferred from Roberts because they were not created (new) jobs.
Can ,anyone tell me, under this proposed agreement, when the project is completed:
1. How much debt the city of Evansville will have in this project?
2. How much ownership the city of Evansville will have in the property?
3. What percent of the income from the property will go to the city of Evansvilles?
4. How much debt the private contractor will assume as a result of the project?
5. How much ownership the private contractor will have in the property?
6. What percent of the income from the property will go to private hands?
7. Who are the private investors who are pumping in $15.Million to build 70+ apartments at the project site?
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Some answers to these questions were provided by [saftey123] yesterday. The answers appear here, along with some additional questions of my own.:
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/apr/10/city-signs-hotel-pre-development-agreement/
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Win a key can do anything he wants because the vast majority of folks can’t tell their right from their left or anything in between.
“we are beginning to believe the rumors about the City Council being in Mayor Winnecke’s pocket?” You can believe pockets are being stuffed. If Mayor Winnecke and the council are not getting kickbacks they are even stupider then we thought. doubly so for the CVB
“…our final prediction is that THE PEOPLE OF EVANSVILLE WILL VOTE THESE SAME PEOPLE BACK INTO OFFICE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SPEND?”
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Sickening, but true. That even includes Messy and Beaver.
It amazes me that with the educational backgrounds of the majority of the city council members, few realize it is part of their job to read the material presented to them, compare new contract proposals with the old and check into deals to determine the true costs and names of those who will benefit most. They never seem to realize the mayor is telling them what they want to hear about what HE WANTS. They keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
Winnecke is nothing but a used car salesman, leaning against the rusty dents and trying to get you to sign on the dotted line without looking under the hood or taking a test drive.
pressanykey is asking the questions the City Council members should be asking, no demanding the answers to. Get with it City Council!
Don’t forget we have a former radio disc jockey as a mayor. Which makes sense after we keep getting the same broken record performance spinning round and round at the Civic Center year after year.
Thanks,You keep us better informed then the couier and press
This latest poll was a difficult choice to make , cause they are all very immature and possibly criminalist acts of taxpayer theft by our local powers to be. , to much b. s.
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