IS IT TRUE? December 13, 2011 “Mayor Elect Winnecke gets another Ball & Chain”

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IS IT TRUE? December 13, 2011 “Mayor Elect Winnecke gets another Ball & Chain”

IS IT TRUE that it has been well documented that the Weinzapfel Administration was saddled the incoming Winnecke Administration with an unholy trilogy of unfinished business?…that on Mayor Elect Winnecke’s left leg is that ball and chain labeled McCurdy debacle?…that on Mayor Elect Winnecke’s right leg is a ball and chain that carries the label the Executive Inn Dilemma?…that manacled to the left arm of Mayor Elect Winnecke is the ball and chain labeled Roberts Stadium?…that until last night Mayor Elect Winnecke at least had the use of his right arm to handle programs of his own creation?

IS IT TRUE that last night at the regular meeting of the Evansville City Council, the Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development, Mr. Tom Barnett took the stage accompanied by Luke Yeager of the Evansville Commerce Bank to affix yet another ball and chain to the right arm of Mayor Elect Winnecke?…that this time it is by introducing another Front Door Pride project that will consume resources of both the public and private sectors?…that by his own words Mr. Barnett has taught us that there are 8,000 residences in the City of Evansville that are in such a state of disrepair that they will require over $100,000 each to get them into livable condition?…that it has also been reported that the total number of abandoned homes in the City of Evansville now exceeds 10,000 and according to Mr. Barnett’s testimony before the City Council abandoning houses is a growth industry in Evansville?…that there have been SIX CENSUSES taken since the last time that the City of Evansville did not have a declining population?…that the population of the City of Evansville has been steadily shrinking since the late 1950’s?…that in such a place why on earth would anyone think that building 25 more houses makes sense?

IS IT TRUE that there are already 17 Front Door Pride houses that have been built at a cost of approximately $200,000 each?…that nine (9) of those homes are still on the market with many of them having been offered for sale at $135,000 or less for longer than a year?…that an Idea Home (and a very nice one at that) was built at a cost of between $400,000 and $600,000 depending on how one values “free” stuff and was sold to a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for well under $200,000 in the same area?…that there are 40 rental units that are slated to be similar to the Front Door Pride homes that are scheduled to be built?…that given that there is not a vibrant market for homes, that what is really needed is a mass demolition project coupled with the eradication of criminal activity, and a dramatic upgrade of the neighborhood schools, we really wonder what the dickens spending nearly $5 Million to build 25 more houses will do for the area?

IS IT TRUE that at least this time the basics of clustering seems to have sunk into a few of the thick skulls that randomly dropped the first 17 houses in and around crack houses and parks full of crime?…that it is a shame that clustering was not done from the start and that the 40 pending rent houses were not slated to be owner occupied?…that even with 7 banks participating to the tune of $3.5 Million to make loans on the 25 proposed homes the risk will be borne by the taxpayers of Evansville?…that the key words “mortgages ready for the secondary market” are the clear signal that the bankers consortium will be cutting their risk and selling the 1st mortgages that they will be writing into the secondary markets, taking their fees, and whistling all the way back to the bank?…that it will be the second mortgages that will be held by the City of Evansville that will be at risk if the market does not materialize or hold value?…that given the history of the Front Door Pride program we must ask the question, “all out there who want to buy a house for $200,000 just like the houses that are not selling for $135,000 please announce yourselves”?…that we shall wait patiently while Mayor Elect Winnecke is fitted for this 4th ball and chain?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Elect Winnecke only has a neck left for that 5th ball and chain that we are sure that the Weinzapfel Administration is crafting for him somewhere?…that Lloyd Winnecke was elected to further his own ideals and to breath accountability and transparency into the government of the City of Evansville?…that it would have been much more tasteful for soon to be Mayor Winnecke to have been able to make his own decisions with respect to the future of all of these balls and chains and a few other ideas that we are hoping he has the time, energy, and resources to implement?

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18 COMMENTS

  1. “Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it’s set a rolling it must increase.”

    Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832)

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  2. CCO….artwork of the new mayor and the ball and chains would be appropriate and would bring a little mirth to an otherwise dismal outlook.

    JMHO

  3. Is it not possible for the new DMD and its new director after Jan 1, 2012, to reverse these plans if Winnecke does not think that this is a great idea? Back out of the deal? Just not follow through? Scrub the idea? Throw it over the cliff? Hang Tom Barnett in effigy? How much tone is this written in?

  4. Evansville Commerce Bank ? They actually make loans ? I take it that the City of Evansville provides a 100% guaranty on each loan ? Otherwise, can’t imagine a “lender in name only” like Evansville Commerce having any involvement here. Anyone know ?

  5. Anybody remember when the (now confirmed) rumor went around that Dan Parker and the Indiana Democrat Party yanked the Rick Davis negative ads and took back the money about a week before the election?

    Anybody remember all the Rick Davis supporters who came on here and said it wasn’t true? That Dan Parker and the IDP supported Rick Davis 100% and even threw in MORE MONEY after the (now confirmed) rumor went around to the contrary?

    Here you go: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/dec/12/no-headline—ev_demsmoney/

    A few excerpts from the Courier & Press report are quite illuminating with regard to Parker, Tony Long, and other involved players:

    “‘This is news to me,’ said Democratic Mayoral Candidate Rick Davis, who said he confirmed with state Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker that the ads were not pulled shortly before the election.” (I guess Rick will have to amend his year-end campaign finance report.)

    “Parker said on Friday he was out of town and asked to address the allegation Monday morning, which was the day he announced his resignation from his position. Several efforts to catch up with him via phone and email Monday were unsuccessful.” (I particularly enjoyed that part of the report. LOL!!!)

    “Democratic Eighth District Party Chair Tony Long also did not return phone calls.” (I guess Tony was busy trying to pull his foot out of his mouth, and even busier extracting someone else’s foot from another part of his anatomy.)

    Maybe FireTheDemocratCentralCommittee, Henry, and others can shed more light on these issues.

    • This (now confirmed) rumor circulated all day November 4th that the IDP yanked the ad and the donation to Rick Davis. That was the same day that Davis had a rally on the Civic Center front plaza.

      On November 5th, the Courier & Press ran this report. http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/nov/05/davis-gets-another-infusion-of-democratic-state/

      This excerpt from the November 5th story tickles my funny bone: “The state Democratic Party has given mayoral candidate Rick Davis another $18,966 for TV ads against GOP opponent Lloyd Winnecke, Davis announced Friday. The donation dispelled rumors that the state party pulled out of supporting Davis bid to become Evansville’s next leader.”

      That last sentence is the reporter’s own words, not a quote attributed to Davis or any other person. How embarrassing! Now, if you were the C & P reporter, wouldn’t you want to get to the bottom of who manufactured the story he reported?

      • I find this sad. It’s sad for the our city and our nation as a whole that our politicians are so corrupt. It sure sounds like to me that somebody within the Evansville Machine had enough dirt on Dan Parker that he was encouraged to pull the money and stop the ads for Davis and to not take any action against our Democratic Vice Chair. What’s her name? Benedict Arnold, Brutus, Judas?

    • The real travesty is that this is just now getting out to the public, after the election.

      “Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it’s set a rolling it must increase.”

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      • BTW, the Establishment Party controls the funding of candidates of the two major parties. You simply must seek the blessing of the establishment party officers if you are to have a chance at being nominated to run, and/or winning office.

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  6. If the future Mayor is interested in following free market solutions, he can rid himself of at least two of those balls and chains by selling properties of Roberts and McCurdy to the highest bidder in open auction.

    Let the market decide what these properties are worth and to what use they might be put. Cut losses and get out. As for the gentrification of downtown with FDP… This is a classic example of wise-ass politicians and bureaucrats trying to justify their own positions, and in the process, benefit the few (those with property investments in that area, many of whom either work in government, are related to those who do, or are connected to those who do) at the expense of the many.

    This is what happens when the people lose faith in a free market. They get it in the rear. The bottom line is you cannot, through massive government spending, ever make Evansville into something other than what it is, i.e. a second-rate regional rust belt city with an aging, unhealthy population too small minded to attract the kind of brainpower needed to make something truly exciting blossom.

  7. I am very excited for January 1st to get here because I’m really looking forward to Lloyd Winnecke taking office. In meeting with Lloyd, I’m fully confident that he is going to get the job done not just on one of these projects but all 3.

    Lloyd has already laid the groundwork to start tackling these projects head on (which is something new around here) and he is completely willing to explore all avenues which is something we have long needed to get things done around here.

    I can’t speak for the hotel and the McCurdy, but the Roberts situation really isn’t that big of a deal to fix as there are ample amount of tenants already identified. We just need a new leader which we will get on Jan 1st.

    • Jordan….

      I hope you are correct, nothing could be better for Evansville than someone who cares about the city and at least tries to do the right things. I’m trying to be optimistic about our new mayor and give him the benefit of the doubt or 3 strikes if you will before I loose hope.

      With that in mind I’d like to offer up a song for the incoming mayor that he may find relevant to the new job.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpRjMNa0bxI&feature=related

      JMHO

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