IS IT TRUE August 6, 2012 Part 2

11


IS IT TRUE that the General Sales Manager at D Patrick’s, Tony Ricketts has decided to throw his hat in the political ring by announcing sometime this week that he shall be a candidate for the office of District 3 School Board?… that Mr. Ricketts has amassed an impressive list of names on his candidate petition? —that candidate Ricketts shall have a major visual recognition advantage because he is the one in the D-Patrick T V commercial asking you the question “What’s in your Driveway”?… he is also the guy who welcomes you on stage when you attend the D-Patrick Broadway Series at the Center …we hear the School Board candidate Ricketts has also already received support of many Westside political mover and shakers?

IS IT TRUE that word just went out that the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of SW Indiana, Matt Meadors is going to be heading out to the central Texas town of Waco to assume the leadership of the Chamber of Commerce there?…that Big Red or Teen Wolf as he is affectionately known will be just another member of the educated professional class to take the opportunity to pack his bags for someplace that is not Evansville?…this announcement comes on the same day that it was made public that the last vestige of the Whirlpool Corporation is shutting down the last of their operations in the City of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE at one time in the early 1980’s that Whirlpool had 10,000 people working for them in Evansville?…after that peak there has seemed to be a continual drop in employment until in the summer of 2009 there were only about 1,300 remaining employees in the big turquoise building?…that the 1,000 of those who were in the business of actually making things were advised on August 28, 2009 that they would all be let go during the summer of 2010?…that just like a clock over the objections of Union leader Rich Trumka and former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel in the summer of 2010 the deed was done?

IS IT TRUE that an idea was hatched on the date of the announcement that Whirlpool manufacturing would be leaving to pull out all of he stops to keep the engineering design and professional services group that employed about 300 people to stay as a working design center for Whirlpool?…there were even dreams hatched to develop a product development park near Whirlpool that would attract talented design teams including and expanded Whirlpool from all over the Midwest?…at the end of the day all of the king’s horses and all of the king’s men could not pull it off?

IS IT TRUE that today’s news of Whirlpool pulling the plug on the Evansville design center did not happen because local political leaders and their surrogates like GAGE did not know what should have been done?…this bad news came because the best laid plans of mice and men just couldn’t be made to happen?…there will be many fingers pointed and that the fingers will be pointing at well intentioned people who knew what to do but couldn’t get the band of local government, state government, and Whirlpool officials to make it happen?…in all reality the die was cast for the departure of Whirlpool back in the 80’s when the first reductions in force were met by local officials with arrogance and a dismissive nature?…that by the fall of 2009 it was nearly too late?…that today it is clearly too late?

IS IT TRUE we wonder just how much the distractions of things like Earthcare Energy, exercise videos, staff raises, denial, and other trivial pursuits took the time of local officials away from real problems?…we even wonder if the powers that be learned about this today like the rest of us?…that today it is sealed that 302 educated professionals (Whirlpool + Meadors family) will either be leaving Evansville for employment elsewhere or heading for the underemployment line?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

11 COMMENTS

  3. Thank God we have a least one self serving snob heading out of town. Let’s hope the Mayor Chief of Staff is next because he is also a know it all and a big snob!

    Maybe the taxpayers will get lucky and he shall fill the vacant position at the Chamber!

    As far as the Mayor, he should enjoy his first and last term in office. Earthcare and now Whirlpool, what a great job he done for us in the last sixth months.

  5. Two Tonys….questions, that is:

    1. Has Tony ever attended a school board meeting from beginning to end? 2. Does Tony have the time to devote to a School Board Trustee position?

    __

    • Prees, why don’t you call Mr. Ricketts and sit down and talk with him.

      I know you will be extremely impressed with him.

      I know him personally and he is one he– of a smart guy.

      I also know you can enlighten him with the games being played within certain clicks.

  7. Wonder why the Mayor and his political buddy, Marsha Abell hasn’t made any public comments concerning the Whirlpool situation?

    Could it be that the President of the Vanderburgh County Commission, Marsha Abell was to busy finding a job for her step son? Could the job that she found him is an extremely high paying county funded Department head job? Oh, didn’t Abell campaign against hiring ones kin into County jobs?

  8. Did Tony Ricketts go to high School in Evansville? If so which one? Does he have kids? If so, where do they attend school?

Comments are closed.