IS IT TRUE AUGUST 18, 2015

1. On Thursday August 13, 2015, Gail Riecken appeared on the Brad Byrd’s TV Show. Gail made several statements where she misled the viewers or she is grossly misinformed or both. Below are a couple examples:

   Example #1
   Gail Riecken said: “The City hotel bond rating was a downgraded”
   Fact: City bond ratings have stayed the same from 2012.

   Example #2
   Gail Riecken said: “Winnecke stopped GAAP accounting”
   Fact: Weinzapfel stop GAP accounting in 2004.

   Gail needs to get the facts correct.

   Wayne Parke

   • I didn’t hear Gail say that. Perhaps you misunderstood or you wasn’t listening because it was a woman speaking?

   • Let’s see now ,who was it that tried to steal my homestead tax credit on April fools day years ago
     Winnecke was the ringleader yet he didn’t have the balls to admit so he lied

     • He was very brave when caught. He was the first one to blame the others, trying to spread the heat around. He is unfit to be mayor.

     • When caught going south with that tax credit, taking money out of your pocket, Winnecke squeaked out that it ‘wasn’t his finest hour in public service’. That was apparently the beginning and end of his contrition. He is unfit for public office.

       It should have ended his career in what he calls ‘public service’ but this is Evansville. The electorate should not forget his dishonesty in trying to steal your homestead tax credit behind closed doors, they should endeavor to keep him from returning to the mayor’s office. Judges are always instructing juries that if they feel a witness has lied about something they are free to impute that lying mindset to other facets of that witnesse’s testimony. I suggest we use the same guide when measuring ole Winnecke’s statements. He is not deserving of your trust.

   • Who has been in office since 2012 Wayne? Also, she was comparing the rating that the Arena bond got verses the Hotel. So it was in fact a downgrade.

   • Wrong. 2012 was the last annual report done with GAAP. I have a copy, and it’s signed by Winnecke. Russ Lloyd Jr. tried again for 2013. I have a copy of it, and it’s signed by Winnecke. The SBOA rejected the 2013 attempt. All annual reports under Winnecke have had significant errors and corrections filed. All have been found to have material errors by the SBOA.

     The only bonds under Winnecke prior to the hotel are water and sewer bonds, which are driven by rates and backed up with the potential for a special tax. General borrowing for the City was not as well received by the investment community in 2015 as 2011. There’s no denying that all of the City’s borrowing from 2013 forward is single A. We have a medium bond rating. Gail Riecken was right.

     • Thanks for setting the record straight. I guess Wayne thinks nobody would question what he says, especially a woman!

     • To SBR–

       Both you and Gail Riecken are wrong on both points. Sad–that neither of you know what your talking about. A current sitting council member/attorney and a person who use to be on City Council and now running for Mayor.

       I repeat—
       1) City bond ratings have stayed the same from 2012 to 2015. The City has a overall rating at ‘AA-“

       2) The City has not reported GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial statements since 2004.

       Wayne Parke

       • You’re*

2. Funny, Winnecke doesn’t take credit for getting scammed by Earthcare.

   • Have the County Democrats expelled Weaver yet?

3. Eviltaxpayer —-I suggest you check out Gail Riecken’s record on homestead tax credit . She voted to decrease it and it was actually decreased.

   • Winnecke was in on the plan to take our Homestead Tax Credit away. Why doesn’t he own that Wayne?

     • He will admit no wrong. His people can’t really defend him. Their strategy is to attack others. Winnecke is running scared, resorting to cheap spokespeople with cheap arguments to carry his water.

   • Wayne , I suggest you pick up a dictionary and look up the difference of a decrease of a credit vs doing away entirely of the credit
     I may have been born at night , but I was not born last night

   • And if my memory is correct all of the politico involved in homestead tax credit theft denied particapating in meeting ,,, all dems and repubs lied , a piss poor April fools joke on homeowners in vanderburgh county

   • Wayne,

     Might want to check your facts a little bit.

     http://local.evpl.org/views/viewimage.asp?ID=925767

     Read the last two paragraphs.

     Learn some history before you try to preach.

     • Where’s. You just proved him right.

     • I stand by my statement. On May 18,1992 Gail Riecken in a City Council Meeting voted to lower the Homestead Credit from 8% to 4 %. The motion passed. This cost taxpayers a lot of money.

       Wayne Parke

       • Tremendous work. You only went back a mere 23 years. We are dealing with the debacle that has been Winnecke’s tenure as mayor in the present. Got anything?

         Lloyd Winnecke tried to steal the whole tax credit like a thief in the night. If he wouldn’t have been caught it would have cost the homeowners a whole lot more money.

         ‘… Winnecke said the homestead tax credit controversy was “A hard lesson. It’s certainly not my proudest moment as an officeholder, … ~~ CP Sept. 22, 2011

         ‘He says he cannot recall a scenario where he would ever raise taxes, but he not only did by participating in the secret meeting in the mayor’s office but by actually calling for it.’ ~~ Rick Davis Speaking Of Winnecke // CP Sept. 22, 2011

4. Both candidates leave a lot to be desired. Couldn’t we get Mayor McFrank (Frank McDonald II, for those of you in Rio Linda) to run again?

5. Isn’t it possible that the Ford Center bonds were the cause of a bond rating change from AA to A because they put Evansville $127M closer to the credit limit. Try that at home by putting an equivalent amount (half a years pay) on a credit card and watch your own credit rating tank.

   One of the biggest factors in rating is where your debt stands relative to your limit. Healthy is 30% or less. Unhealthy is 70% or more. A revenue drop coupled with nearing the bond limit is responsible for any rating drops. Ford Center is still the most expensive project ever completed in Evansville. The sewers will eclipse that record by a factor of 5 or 6.

6. Does Winnecke take credit for not having a city-wide Smoking Ban ?

   I liked Conor O’Daniel’s quote in the paper this morning that ” Evansville is drunk on Riverboat money”. Spot on analysis. I would like for the City to get off the casino money drug addiction.
   The casino isn’t going anywhere, so maybe the way to handle it is that 100 % of the casino money goes into a special bank account which is used to prepay for major capital projects. They did this in Oklahoma City, using a sales tax vs. casino money, and it worked great. They basically paid Cash for their Arena, no interest expense over 30 years, etc. + the principal grew with interest earned.

   Time to go on the wagon now. The eagerness with which the City Administration “found a home” for the fresh $ 1.5 Million (Land Bank) just goes to show–if the Riverboat ever sailed away we would be in deep CSO. Better to start a program now which gets us off the Casino teat and betters our standing for future capital projects.

   • Yes, how in the world did we survive prior to 1995, when the Casino dice came rolling . . . . ?

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