IS IT TRUE AUGUST 28, 2015

46

IS IT TRUE don’t be surprised to hear the City Attorney has decided to file an appeal with the United States Supreme Court in the CHIEF BILLY BOLIN  and EDNA MIlAN case?  …in our opinion the Supreme Court won’t hear this case?  …this move would allow time for this case from being heard  by the lower court until well after the November election?

IS IT TRUE we were entertained by a recent e-mail sent by Councilman John Friend CPA to a fellow Council member? …Mr. Friend wrote: “We need to know Mayor’s Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer’s educational and professional credentials since he indicates his  opinion of  cutting the 2016 City budget around $10 million dollars is ridiculous?  … MR. Friend said  “just for the recorded, I reviewed my CPA certificate  on March 31, 1979,  I was approved to do Public Accounting work”?  …”I wonder if Mr. Schaefer has a CPA Certificate that gives him the authority to pass judgement on accurate opinions about the proposed 2016 City budget”?

IS IT TRUE  Mr. Friend makes a valid  statement concerning the Mayor’s Chief Of Staff Steve Schaefer professional and educational background and experiences?  …we wonder if Mr. Schaefer every owned a business and was responsible for making payroll?  …was Mr. Schaefer  ever responsible for keeping a business competitive,  paying Federal, State and Local taxes while making an honorable profit?

IS IT TRUE we are puzzled why City Council persons Missy Mosby made comments about what City Council City Attorney Scott Danks  was paid this year?  …if she thinks Mr. Danks legal services aren’t worthlly of being retained  by City Council for another year then why has she retained him to represent her when she has legal problems in the past?  …Mr. Danks also represented At-large City Councilman Jonathan Weaver in his recent divorce action filed in Warrick County?

IS IT TRUE  we just can’t get over At-large City Councilman Jonathan Weaver comments that he sees no problem with the proposed 2016 City Budget? …Mr. Weaver declares that the proposed 2016 City Budget is just fine and dandy the way the Mayor has submitted it to City Council?  …we wonder if he was talking about the 2015 City budget instead of the proposed 2016 budget?

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46 COMMENTS

  1. To the Editor (whoever you are):
    Subject: John Friend

    Having a piece of paper that says you have a degree does not indicate in the real world how competent you are. I have read John Friend’s work and watch his performance/logic while serving as a City Council member. His logic and presentation skills are poor.

    I have been a CEO and owned a multi-million dollar business. I was responsible for making payroll, for keeping the business competitive, paying Federal, State and Local taxes while making an honorable profit. I can assure you that the Mayor’s Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer’s has a better handle the real status of the City’s financial condition than John Friend.

    Wayne Parke

    • If you’re so smart, tell us with a straight face the downtown hotel is a good investment and not just a vehicle for good ole boy kickbacks. If a bank won’t touch it with a 10 ft pole then there is no way. Also, anyone have an update if ONB ever paid a dime for the Centre naming rights?

      • The building of the Downtown Hotel is a good investment for our City. I said it with a straight face. The majority of the City Council, local business community and Gail Riecken thanks so as well.

        • Hey Wayne,

          When I think about the Hotel what comes to mind? Well, in the marketing world slogans seems to be effective in selling the deal. One comes to mind, “MORE FOR LESS”, another is “COME OVER THAT MONEY-SAVIN BRIDGE” But, the slogan regarding the Hotel is now “LESS FOR MORE” and if you are tired of self-serving politicians, traveling over that MONEY-SAVIN BRIDGE looks better and better by each passing day.

        • Do you speak for Gail Riecken? Last I saw she had some questions about it. The hotel deal reeks of ineptitude and graft. It doesn’t matter what she thinks about it anyway, nothing she can do about it one way or the other. Her opinion that another hotel is needed in old downtown is just fodder for you political hacks struggling to put a good face on that little by-the-hour that is apparently going to go up in some form. It has no demonstrable benefits to the citizens of Evansville, the ones who are giving away millions of future money for Ahab’s quest.

          Time to cashier Winnecke. I think we’ll get a two-fer with that. Assuming the imposter who writes as the formerly respected Wayne Parke follows him out the door.

        • The problem with the downtown hotel is simple: No one wants to spend millions to earn thousands.

        • Yep, I’m sure that several members of the City Council, the local business community, and Gail Riecken “thanks” so as well.

          Do you have any toes remaining after shooting yourself in your feet so many times?

      • No. The whole damn thing is just a massive giveaway to Winnecke’s cronies. An embarrassing, unnecessary cheapō hotel, nothing like what was presented to the council to get the OK to flush our 20 million. It looks like these people, these conmen’s marks, are actually going to get by with this.

        It’d be nice to hear the mayor say what the cost of the upcoming futile, politically-driven appeal to the Supreme Court will be to the people of Evansville. Winnecke has demonstrated he doesn’t mind spending your money on political lawsuits to further his venal aims. Are they going to say their spiteful little moneyfinder, sub-prime Coures, came through again? What a guy.

        If Winnecke won’t tell maybe Parke will. I think Parke knows just about everything. He made a payroll. Perhaps someday soon he’ll treat us to a listing of the accomplishments of our foolish, A-bondō, inept accidental mayor.

        • You are so absolutely correct to employ this tactic. It is true that Representative Riecken is in favor of a downtown hotel of any kind, but we can convey the impression that she isn’t by saying that she has “questions.” Actually, come to think of it, Representative Riecken gained a great deal of familiarity with hotels when she bravely abandoned her job and fled to her union-paid Illinois hotel room, so it may be that her questions about the color of the doorknobs are important ones. It’s also true that Representative Riecken was a faithful, no-complaints, never-speak-up employee of former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, who created the whole hotel problem to start with, but I believe that we can and should avoid reminding the voters of that.

          J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
          Maximum co-coordinator
          Organizing for Idiocy
          Evansville Cell

    • These guys just need to be like Donald Trump and get a hat that says:
      “I am an Expert on the City Budget.”
      Their Evansville supporters will know they know how to do it then.

      Like Donald Trump. He has a hat. The Trump fans say it says it all real clearly
      (this is an actual quote from the Donald Trump Alabama rally):
      “We know his goal is to make America great again — it’s on his hat.”

    • Wayne, your comments continue to devolve into more and more asinine levels of being irrelevant. While I am not a fan of John Friend, I take great exception to your ignorance on the qualifications necessary to be a CPA.

      Each state in America has a state board of accountancy that is responsible for licensing certified public accountants (CPAs) who practice in that state. Each board issues rules that govern what a person must do in order to become a licensed CPA, including lengthy requirements for yearly continuing education. While having a 120-credit bachelor’s degree in accounting was, at one time, enough to qualify a person to sit for the CPA Exam, most states now require that candidates complete a 150-credit college degree program AND a masters in accounting.

      So for when John would have become a CPA, he needed a total of 120 semester credits from a college or university whose accreditation is accepted by the state. He would have been required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, which would have required specified accounting courses as well as business courses. Currently, most CPA’s have a Masters in accounting.

      On top of John having a CPA license, he graduated from college with TWO Bachelor degrees: a bachelor in accounting and a bachelor in economics! Steve graduated with a bachelor in public affairs. John has held a CPA license for over 30 continuous years, while I can find nothing to show that Steve has real-world business financial or accounting experience. John is President of a CPA firm that does assurance services, tax, estate and financial planning, business valuations, and forensic accounting. Gee, that list of business skills sure seems like he might know how to look at the budget process and have an INFORMED opinion.

      Why don’t you bless us with where you went to college, how many credit hours you got, and what degree (if any) you hold? Do YOU have ANY advanced licenses or certifications?

      While you are at it, tell us how many CEU’s you do PER YEAR for, oh just for the sake of this discussion, the last 5 years? CPA’s have VERY strict requirements for yearly continuing education. How many hours of continuing education do you pay for per year, and what topic were they about?

      You say you have been a “CEO and owned a multi-million dollar business”. While I am tempted to dwell on the fact presented that you WERE those titles in the past, we will just focus on you providing your history on those two. Exactly who were you CEO for, and what is the name of this “multi-million dollar” company you state you owned? I have to wonder how you knew it was a “multi-million dollar” business. I would opine that you would have employed a CPA to tell you that. But if you are so smart, why did you not do your own accounting, Mr. Wizard?

      Oh, and what in the hell is an “honorable profit”? That sounds like the usual hypocritical blatherings that conservative right-wing fanatics use, when they think what they do is holier-than-thou from other companies. It usually means nothing, but we will let you explain (or try to).

      I also wonder if all those job duties you inflated (making payroll,paying Federal, State and Local taxes) were actually done by you, or was your staff accountant doing all of them (which is the case in 90% of firms). Wonder if the person who REALLY did those jobs was a CPA? Once again, we thought you were so smart you did not need a CPA

      I’m not going to bash Steve (well, not a lot), but the majority of his work experience in the last 15 or so years (dating back to 2000) has pretty much exclusively been in political jobs. Explain to me how a legislative assistant/intern is more qualified to analyze the financial condition of a major metropolitan city with a yearly budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars over that of a trained and licensed CPA? Yeah, this should be a good one.

      So go ahead, Wayne, dazzle us as you support your casting of aspersions on well-trained and licensed accountants.

      Wait! Let me guess! Your BS from 6 AM this morning will be ANOTHER episode of you doing a “drive-by” slander of someone you disagree with. What are you afraid of, that we all recognize and realize that you cannot support your statements, and that you are just a weak political hack? Let me spell it out for you: We Already Know That!

      We all already know what will happen today.

      We will see no answer
      You will utterly fail to show information to support your position
      You will once again cower and be a coward when asked to substantiate your position.

      Typical of you, Wayne. You are transparently predictable

      • You should know by now your rebuttal shall be dismissed as rubbish as you have not posted using your real name… derr

      • wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……….wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….blah blah blah………….classless in etown is without a doubt jealous of Mr. Parke………………

      • In all fairness that degrees are totally overrated, Obama has a law degree from Harvard and Hillary from Yale. Neither of them could jump start a car if you gave them cables.

        • Both of them came to Washington without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, and both will be leaving Washington with millions of dollars!

          No other indictment of our political is necessary. That says it all.

        • In all fairness, neither can my mom after 72 years on this sphere, being born the daughter of a mechanic.

          Your point being?

    • You are wrong to belittle John Friend, CPA, Mr. Parke. John Friend, CPA is far more skilled than the ordinary businessman. John Friend, CPA is so skilled that he can drunkenly drive clients around in his boat, and then chuckle about his complete lack of responsibility afterwards! It’s the kind of brazen, in-your-face contempt for the law, ethical behavior, and simple decency that makes me proud to be a Democrat.

      Thank goodness for strong Democrats like John Friend, CPA, who is now against last year’s budget even though he voted for it. Good Democrats must be flexible. Sometimes we must be for something before we are against it, sometimes we must against something before we are for it, and often we must create diversions to conceal our mistakes.

      J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
      Maximum co-coordinator
      Organizing for Idiocy
      Evansville Cell

    • I would beg to differ with you. John has been an active CPA and Accountant for years. While Steve may have knowledge in governmental management, it is obvious he does not have any financial background nor the ability to analyze the financial statements like John. The city administration needs to look at what John has said. John is NOT running for re-election and has distanced himself from the Riecken campaign. His only motive is to insure that our city is in good financial health. We are spending money ridiculously. We need to have better financial controls. When the city has over 4 million in unpaid medical bills for the employees, you have to admit there is a problem. Many of these bills are over 90-120 past due. There is a problem that needs to be addressed. For the betterment of this city, we need to be working together to resolve this without accusations, name calling etc.

      • If Schaefer had anything going for him he certainly would be earning more then 68k . . going from job to job, begging his boss politicians from John Hostetler to Santa Lloyd Winnecke for bread crumbs. He must be jealous of those CPA’s working in public accounting as partners making, as the statistic indicate 250k and on up per year . .hell Dan Hedden, CPA of Umbaugh has pulled down 2.5 million in fees from the City since Schaefer walked into the Mayor’s office. Poor guy, he has child support to pay for his infidelity . .and of course, the cost of replacing his entire wardrobe once the ex-wife discovered the infidelity up front and personal and donated his clothes to Goodwill.

  2. Schaefer’s primary skill is lying- to his wife, his kids, himself and public. He was fired by the Chamber and many Republicans don’t understand why he’s working for Winnecke. However, Winnecke is a closet aggressive who acts out through Schaefer. Schaefer is known on the 3rd floor for his anger and poor treatment of employees. He constantly whines about his wages – especially now that he’s ordered to pay child support.

    And Schaefer has an MPA. He took one class on budgeting. Russ Lloyd Jr. has acknowledged the revenue shortfalls, holding bills, taking advances on revenue, not filling open positions, etc. and all in public meetings. One only has to watch.

    Wayne’s statement is off point. There’s no dispute on expenditures exceeding revenue each year. The issue for 2016 is only a question of how much. The acknowledged number by Russ Lloyd Jr. on television was 7 million. He agreed with O’Daniel that revenue would be more like 80 million instead of the 90 projected. Spending was listed as 87 million. One doesn’t have to be a CPA to do that math.

    Friend is looking at historical numbers on collection rates of taxes and also the parks when he gets to 10 million. He’s saying revenue will be 78 million for operations next year and that the parks will be upside down 1 million. It’s hardly crazy talk and well within reasonable minds differing given the size of the city operating budget.

    Private sector revenue is not the same as public. Running or owning a business is not like government. John Friend owns a business too and probably hits more than 1 million in revenue. Parke has no advantage there.

    • Really,

      Your observations are on point. On January 1, 2012, Mr. Winnecke walked into Room 302 with 4 million in the General Fund and 3.4 million in the Park/Rec Fund and 7.7 million in the Local Income Tax fund and after three years of over spending (BTW, not one check written was signed by any Council Member) the General Fund is a dismal 300k, the Parks a dismal 100k, the LIT a dismal 3 m. The total cash balances at 1/1/12 was 85 m after adjusting for funds not belonging to the city and at 1/1/15 the total cash balances declined to 57 m after adjusting for Russ’ Bernie Maydoff style of accounting. My assumption concerning the Wayne’s World comment is he must have written this after his third bottle of wine!!!

    • Hey Really,

      You have an excellent point about Sinister Schaefer lying abilities. So disappointing that he has fallen from grace, i.e. fired from the Chamber, ran off by John Hostetler, and forced to resign as president of the local chapter of John Dodson’s “Focus on the Family” only to as alleged reported found the new local chapter of “Focus on the Chicks” Rumor has it that Weaver has made application. Ridiculous!!!

  3. While in office, Mayor Winnecke has not exceeded the budget passed by the City Council

    • As your favorite Republican President, Mr. Reagan once said, “here you go again” We suspect that you probably at this hour in the morning have one HELL of HANGOVER and decided to take a couple of hits off of MARYJANE . .

    • This is such a red herring. Nobody spends more than what is budgeted to be spent, because the money to do so doesn’t exist. Of course Winnecke spent 5 million less than what was budgeted. The revenue wasn’t there, and he closed the books, meaning that nothing but essential bills were paid, in November.

      You are being irresponsible to not acknowledge how the state forces budgets to grossly over estimate revenue. The spending is also over estimated, and all to garner the maximum levy from the Department of Local Government Finance.

      The difference with Winnecke is not that he spends more than what is budgeted, but that he spends more than what comes in. That’s the only point that matters, and it seems to get lost with the diversion tactics of people like you.

  4. EPD chief Bolin is 100% wrong on this. The Milans deserve to be compensated for their awful experience. Chief Bolin needs to imagine how he would feel he and his family were attacked in this manner IN HIS OWN HOME, mistake or not.
    How much will be spent on lawyers in an attempt to avoid responsibility?

    • A whole lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if it tops a million in legal fees. The Ziemer law firm picked up big bucks last year and the year before, but this one is going to be a budget-buster.

  5. Wieneke gets a hundred, Shaefer gets 80, for a town of a hundred thousand when in the past the mayor of the city of 160,000 probably made $50 thousand and didn’t need an assistant. Maybe this one isn’t capable of handling the job. Chief of staff is a position for a metro area not a town this size.

    • If you can’t do much yourself and you’re trying to run an Imperial Mayoralty you definitely need a Chief of Staff, you don’t necessarily need one like Schaefer. I noticed the other day the little guy has taken to wearing French cuffs on his shirts to go with his Hollywood sunglasses. Can uniforms with gold epaulets be far behind?

      • Sort of goes along with the short man Napolean complex.

        Has anyone else noticed that Evansville’s track record of electing incompetent Mayor’s follows along with their vertically challenged stature?
        Little Lloyd, Weinzapfel, and Winnecke have all been Mayors that the average general adult population can look down upon.

    • Ditto for a school corporation superintendent. Bertram started that COS bull and it needs to stop, now, if not sooner.

  7. ar·cane
    ärˈkān/
    adjective
    adjective: arcane

    understood by few; mysterious or secret.
    “modern math and its arcane notation”
    synonyms: mysterious, secret; More

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Imagine this word (arcane) being used by someone who actually makes their living in tax lien industry, and yet, that is how he describes the process.

    People would not involve themselves in this business with the goal of LOSING money. When I see the term arcane applied to a local government process where money and property change hands, it runs up all sort of red flags. You can bet the ole’ boy network is in it up to their elbows.

  8. The people who bought the tax leans know something that you do not know. The properties will eventually be bought and they will get their money and interest. Who will buy these properties? The city of Evansville through one of its departments or agencies it supports. Where will the money come from? Where does it ALWAYS come from, your tax dollars.

    There is a lot of backstory here, about how the banks held on to these properties to protect the so called “quality” of their loan portfolios. After all, it is not a loss until you actually show it as a loss. Certainly the title companies, or should I say company nowadays, is making money from these sales. And some real estate companies are in for a share.

    http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/pickpocket-illustration-thieving-43027673.jpg

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