IS IT TRUE December 19, 2014

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IS IT TRUE Mayor Winnecke tweeted yesterday in response to his announcement that the hotel deal can’t go forward “The project as originally proposed would have worked financially?”…of course the deal as originally proposed by Mayor Winnecke required a $38 million subsidy from the taxpayers of Evansville?…that $38 million was nearly the entire cost to build the hotel and double what it would appraise for in the reality of valuation of downtown Evansville?…the Mayor is blaming the City Council for his hotel dreams (well it was Weinzapfel’s dream first) going up in smoke?…the City County Observer thinks the City Council deserves praise for reigning in Mayor Winnecke’s delusional dreams just short of the limit on the publics credit cards?…if the City Council is deserving of blame it would be for not demanding full vetting of the principles of HCW and the value of the naming rights for the Centre before rolling over and approving a $20 million hand out?…Dr. Einstein gave us the definition of insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?”…this sad project has been over the line of insanity for years and the reality of value and failing to vet finally forced the logical conclusion to be accepted?…this idiotic chapter of Evansville politics should finally be buried after this 4th utter failure?

IS IT TRUE word is now on the street that the value of the naming rights was determined by a professional to be in the range of $4 M to $6 M which is exactly what Joe Wallace predicted in the CCO over a year ago when the deal was announced at up to $14 Million?…Old National has already benefited to the tune of one year of those naming rights?… taking a midpoint number of $5 Million for 20 years, then ONB has already benefited by $250,000 for advertising and other benefits?…the question then for Mr. Bob Jones is “where is the $250,000 for what you have already consumed?”…please forward that $250,000 to the Vanderburgh County Commissioners for services already rendered if you want to be an upstanding man to do business with?…we also are interested to learn if you are still interested in keeping that sign of yours on the building for the balance of $4.75 Million?…if you are then forward the rest of the money to the County Commissioners?…if you are not then get the damn sign off of that public property?

IS IT TRUE the next project that needs to be re-examined is the IU Medical School’s location?…the taxpayers of Evansville have been put on the hook for $57 Million by the Mayor and the City Council?…we need to think this through again before dancing with golden shovels and dreams of riding unicorns?…we really need to ask ourselves if maxing the credit limit is worth it, when Warrick County is willing and supposedly able to do this at no expense to the people of Evansville?…we ask “is it really worth $57 million to have this in downtown Evansville as opposed to out where the hospitals are?”…we suspect the answer is no?

IS IT TRUE somewhere in Branson, Missouri are some shareholders of HCW who just lost a million dollars on this hotel fiasco?…they are going to want their money back?…the probability is quite high that they will be lawyering up to get that million dollars back?…we wonder just what pot of money the city that can’t pay for oil changes to police cars will pay that from?…it is time to stop the madness with the fun and games nonsense and get serious about planning to become a town with functional infrastructure?…our sewers, sidewalks, water pipes, and roads are a $2 billion collection of projects that are essential to even being a viable place to live?…the next dollar spent on fluff, will be stolen from funds that should be spent on becoming a functional city again?

IS IT TRUE the featured issue in the 2015 city elections should be on critical infrastructure before anything else?…it is time to end the senseless decade that started in 2004 with the election of Jonathan Weinzapfel as Mayor?…we are looking forward to a campaign for a return to sanity and hope some candidate makes this his or her mantra?

IS IT TRUE the primary cause of poverty in America today is a breakdown in culture, in which out of wedlock childbirths are the most visible symptom?…raw Census data shows that the rate of poverty for single mothers is about five times as high as the rate of poverty for married households or households with two parents working together to raise a child?…this is a crude analysis but it could be the case that there is some underlying reason that makes people both poor and single parents?… William Galston, the former advisor to President Clinton, has found that in order to avoid being poor you have to do three things: (1) graduate from high school, (2) wait until getting married to have children, and (3) wait until age 20 to have children?…only 8% of people who do those three things are poor, compared to 79% for those who do not?…when we think about poverty we tend to think about entrenched, generational poverty?…poverty statistics do not account for duration in poverty?…the 8% poverty rate for people who do these three things includes families in which poverty is only temporary, such as when the father loses his job?…it also includes unskilled immigrants, who are poor because they are starting out at the lowest rung possible?…while these immigrants may be poor, they made a free choice to come to America for its opportunity, and in all likelihood their grandchildren will be middle class – provided that the next generations also meet Galston’s three conditions?…for those among us who are crying out for social justice, perhaps encouraging people to do these three simple things would be time better spent?

IS IT TRUE that the Mayor Winneke and past mayor Russ Lloyd, Jr. have have the same in common?…both individuals vacated a major capital taxpayer funded project that would have enhanced Downtown Evansville?…both Mayors wasted over One (1) million dollars of taxpayers money without moving shovel of construction dirt?

IS IT TRUE we wonder what the Mayor, his Chief of Staff, his Press Secretary, and City Councilwoman Missy Mosby met in the Mayor’s office on yesterday morning at 7:00 am?…we wonder if this meeting was held to discuss plans to vacate the downtown Hotel project?

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80 COMMENTS

  1. The longer it goes without a”Man-Up” by Jones and “HIS” bank, regarding the
    — money promised,—but not delivered, –the BIGGER the BLACK EYE gets for Old National Bank.
    Did Karma throw the punch?
    Yeah,– it did!

  2. Didn’t we already pay HCW the 1 million to which you’re referring? That leads me to my next question, how much has been wasted on this fiasco over the years in planning, golden shovels, etc?

    • 1) Hunden Report on viability of the hotel (> $ 100,000);
      2) Legal Fees for $ 20 Million Bond Issue;
      3) Two rounds of review by S & P of the $ 20 Million Bond Issue (have to re-review it if 6 months passes);
      4) Junkets by City Council members to go to Branson, MO to visit HCW and go see that guy Jim sing his song ‘Spiders and Snakes’;
      5) Golden Shovel;
      6) Sand and/or Horse Manure for the faux groundbreaking in March;
      7) Architect Fees for all of the design concepts + that nifty sign on the lot with the conceptual drawing; and
      8) Large Backhoe rental to make it look like work was being done when it wasn’t

      • Renting that equipment that is sitting there for NO reason costs several thousand dollars a day. Anyone comprehend that? OUR money. For someone’s idea of a comeback. Who would be surprised that Missy would be there to kiss the ring too dumb to realize that the game’s ovah? Everyone who got stepped onto save a few chicken necks? You can bet they won’t forget. It will be so good to see them go!!!! I don’t know where they currently need barmaid or girl boxers but everyone can smell the I’ll wind

        • Go. See what the Republican will do for you turncoats now. They’ll be too busy saving their own backsides

    • I was wondering about that, too, Ghost. I expect there will be need to pay out another million or so to HCW and some steep legal bills to Billin’ Ted. It will be “priming the pump” of political donations to Mike Pence and Winnie. Never forget how generous TZ is with his favorite pols.

  3. Thank goodness sanity has prevailed. If IU will move the med school to Warrick County, Evansville can start down the long road to financial solvency.

  4. “Census data shows that the rate of poverty for single mothers is about five times as high as the rate of poverty for married households or households with two parents working together to raise a child” “Preliminary data indicate that 40.7 percent of all 2012 births were out-of-wedlock, which is appalling, and there are vast differences among racial and ethnic groups. Among non-Hispanic blacks, the figure is highest, at 72.2 percent; for American Indians/Alaska Natives, it’s 66.9 percent; 53.5 percent for Hispanics; 29.4 percent for non-Hispanic whites; and a mere 17.1 percent for Asians/Pacific Islanders.” Federal Government Report.

          • Lack of religion, loss of traditional families, liberalism, democrats selling American jobs via NAFTA, democrat created entitlement programs, affirmative actions, liberal affirmation of the drug culture, union dominated education system, liberal attack on the work ethic and working class and finally, diversity. It would be nice if we could lay all our problems at the feet of religion and greed, both of which are necessary for an orderly and prosperous society. Greed and religion are the enemy of liberals, one causes class envy and the other causes emotional envy. The greedy ones willing to take a risk created your job, the religious one save you money, they use and abuse fewer of the costly tax funded systems, such as jails, hospitals and unemployment benefits. They tend to stay married, claim and support their children and go out of their to help their fellowman. A prime example, just one of the many, Habitat for Humanity, a religious based group that has built houses for thousands. All the problems we have in this country are easily fixable, except the loss of the traditional family, that will be our final downfall. We’re coming apart at the seams because of the liberal war against risk takers and the traditional family. Take this from a non Christian that understands values.

          • Sorry pov, Nafta came from the repubs. They had Clinton over a barrel to sign it. Are you really that dumb?

        • In this country we can say all sorts of ridiculous, ignorant things. The assumption that religion is the guardian of democracy is one of them. I think you should note that Christenson was putting these words in the mouth of someone who has had very brief and limited exposure to American society.

          • LKB – Don’t want to agree with Ghost but he has been making a lot more sense lately. I’ve said before that people confuse religion with (1) spirituality (2) morality and (3) Christianity and they are not the same. Saw something the other day you might like “Morality is doing right regardless of what you’re told – Religion is doing what you’re told regardless of what is right”

          • @1countryboy – Thank you for some interesting reading, I agree with his other statements but must say that I’m confused about exactly what he is saying about morality; if morals come from God, and we follow God’s direction, would that not be doing right? I’ve had far too much “religion” in my life and for years was confused between what I read in the Bible and the conduct of those in the church. Once I realized that many were blindly following what they had been told, regardless of what was right, things finally fell into place for me. Perhaps my definition of morality is different from the author’s; I think that he is thinking more along the line of “Mores” or that which is acceptable in society.

          • @Moonpup-“if morals come from God, and we follow God’s direction, would that not be doing right?” I would say yes and those come from 10 simple “Commandments”.

            I would also say not to link church with religion,,,, that’s like linking instinct with free will and there is where I think the problem is with some.

            Because of free will and as I was taught “original sin” we depend on religion to teach us right from wrong,,,,or morality,,,,,it is not instinctual.

            All one has to do is to look to Gods nature, ponder the meaning of life and how it all relates to the United States Constitution to realize how precious our freedoms are,,,,,,as God intended,,,,,I fear they are slipping away.

            BTW I quit the church thing after 8th grade.

          • @1countryboy – I think that we find far more to agree on than to disagree, although perhaps we are approaching a goal from different “angles” – as I posted earlier “people confuse religion with (1) spirituality (2) morality and (3) Christianity” – I have tried to follow Hebrews 10:25 “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” usually in spite of people in the church rather than because of them and have, in fact, changed churches when the oppression became too great. I definitely agree that our Constitutional rights are being stripped; since several times I took an oath to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic (and it seems we have more and more of the latter) and there was no expiration date on that oath, I’m especially saddened.

          • @Moonpup—- I have tried to follow Hebrews 10:25 “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another”

            I have seen that in your posts, as well as your wisdom,,,Thank you for that and your service.

            Merry Christmas !

      • That article is so absolutely true. The NASW should be attacking this head on but spent their time, energy and funds on non important social issues. Do the math on this, we have 4 generations since the mid sixties who have never seem a person get up and go to work. There’s a lot of rationalization, denial, projection and minimization about this problem but it manifest itself in places like Ferguson and the tremendous sale of guns in the last few years. We have a president who uses projection to deflect the real problem, he stupidly blames racism.

  5. Better check your sources on Mosby being in a
    meeting in the Mayors office. Someone was misinformed or just a liar.

    • If she wasn’t in Winneckes office then I guarantee you she was in Winneckes wife’s office getting told what to say. They always give Missy her marching orders and script. She works for them. No need to split hairs here. Its okay. Everyone knows because she loves telling everyone about how great a Mayor Winnecke is. She literally campaigns for them 24/7.

    • So waitamin is either Winnie, Steve Schaeffer, or whoever that overpaid press secretary is.

      • None of the above. Before you ask how I know I ask her about it. She was down the hall in a anti meth meeting. One of the world famous moles must have saw her leaving the civic center and put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5. Or like I said is a liar.
        Jack Waldroup

        • Jack,

          How can you defend her? She has sold out her name, city and Democrat Party. If she could sell you she would. I don’t understand.

          • There is a long list of people that have did and would do the same thing you say Missy does.
            So you think it is ok for someone to just lie about her being at a meeting she was suppose to be at.

          • Jack,

            How can you defend her? She has sold out her name, city and Democrat Party. If she could sell you she would. I don’t understand.

            Jack,

            You defense to this is atrocious and is exactly what is wrong with our city. You have been a well respected member of our community and hope you rethink your rebuttal and allegiance to this type of behavior. There are many MORE people who would NOT do what you say.

  6. Missy Mosby has voted “yes” 100% of the time how Winnecke has told her. She is Winneckes Chief of Staff of the City Council. She campaigned “I had the pictures shown to me last week” for Winnecke against the previous Democrat Mayoral Candidate and was rewarded for her deception and backstabbing by getting hired by Winneckes wife. She still campaigns for Winnecke every day. She just can’t help it. Her entire income depends on it. Missy Mosby is a Winnecke tool. That’s why she was in Winneckes office. She was told to be.

    • Yes, she is clearly in the tank for Winnecke. She is the end of the line for the Mosby clan as powers in the Democratic Party. If she wants to be on the ballot for the Second Ward City Council seat, she should just come out and announce her change of party affiliation.

    • She and her shadow were the among the very last cheerleaders for a full 5 million go-off to Earthcare. ‘Haney Haney that’s our cry, … ‘.

      Time to end that strain of public servants at the ballot box. Red forgot to tell her she was penciled in to be a fireman. Maybe that wide flourescent tape on her blazer is a nod to Ole Red and what coulda been.
      ~~~~
      It took Adam Smith to rise up and tap Winnecke on his shoulder to put a temporary end to the insanity. These folks are willful and we must be alert, like rust they never sleep. Winnecke told the disappointed workers at the Labor Temple yesterday that they ‘deserved to get to build a hotel downtown’. Amazing. Bob Jones said Evansville deserves a nice convention hotel. I don’t think he’s unaware that the convention business in general is dying. If the hotel was for the public good, for the people of Evansville like the line went, the mayor should have apologized to the people of Evansville from his usual podium when it fell apart. Look where he went. See who he apologized to. Look who he blamed, the very people who braked it.

      So many deserving people deserving of so many things, so little public money left to sate their worthiness.

      • If the Mosby klan was more like Red we would be much better off , I knew Red 40 yrs ago and he was a good Democrat that worked for the people ,, I don’t think Red would approve of Missy’s behavior one bit even tho she was his niece

  7. WHAT WAS LEARNED from the Failure, for the Fourth Time, of a Downtown Convention Hotel ?

    1) The Mayor needs a lot more financial muscle than he’s getting from Rusty Lloyd. If you can’t even reconcile a bank account, and you can’t keep from over drafting the General Fund or adhering to a Budget, you’re not going to be able to analyze potential projects and advise the Mayor on direction. The inability of Russ Lloyd to persuade the Mayor NOT to go down the Hotel route for the 4th time (and fail) may have just delivered the 2015 election to anyone- but- Winnecke;
    2) The commercial banks have done their homework on the viability of a Convention Hotel making it here, and the Convention Business as it exists today. They don’t see it as viable. As the CCO has pointed out for the last 4 years, it just won’t appraise out to meet commercial lenders requirements; and
    3) Winnecke claims it’s not over yet . . . that he will find a way to run this up a flag pole for the 5th time. That may just be idle campaign talk, or he doesn’t want to repay those Union donations, but if he makes any effort to float this concept again he will be unelectable.

    • Bing-O!! Maybe he can get busy and attract a company to manufacture Beta VCRs and 8 Track tapes. It appears that the convention business may be heading the same way those things did. Why would a convention of any size be held in Evansville, IN???

      • I’ve always asked myself why the Witnesses come to this area for their convention? That never made any sense to me.

        Why would anyone come to this town. What does Evansville have that most other cities lack?

        We have the Zoo, and we had Roberts Stadium and then we have the Ohio River. We do have a nice Riverfront but that’s not really utilized as it could be. We should take more advantage of the Ohio River front area than we have in the past.

        We really don’t have any thing distinct about this city.

        We have a Ice Hockey team an the Ford Center but the team is owned by a gaming man from KY and it not the NHL. I don’t think that the hockey team will attract too many people from out of town to the Ford Center like the Blues bring to St Louis. Yea it’s a start and I’m glad for that. But It’s not really what I would call a Mayor Attraction for the city. The Ford Center is not really bring in that many big concerts like was promised from what I’m reading these days.

        It’s best they shut down the plans to build that hotel and see what can be done to move the IU medical Center to Warrick County in order to save the city more money.

        And someone please take the back hoe back to where it was rented from before it runs up a big bill that the city can’t afford to pay.

  8. CCO–can you post that Hunden Report again ? It would be illuminating to see if there were any ‘warning signs’ in there which should have prevented us from walking down that Hotel road again . . .

  9. To Russ credit. The stadium had a team secured “a” affiliate of Dodgers plus ownership interest of Donny b and cal Ripken. The Venue would have doubled as a concert venue as well. In addition it would have looked better than the scores strip joint and the Jillian’s 4.0 that resides there now.
    The baseball stadium would have been a benefit.

      • Maybe that’s why it was slated to be sited down by the river.
        Short pipe direct deposit.

    • Russ Lloyd Jr. for Mayor, 2015.

      Campaign Slogan: Stadiums before Sewers

      Maybe LW can be his City Controller ?

    • Russ and others determined the stadium would not financially sustain itself and would require tax dollars to keep it going. Russ simply stated he would not put the tax payers on the hook for this venture. Honest, but put him out of the mayors office. I still think Russ is honest but protecting Weinzapfel and Winnecke. Let’s just take a look at the dishonesty and claims of Weinzapfel and the city council under his regime, they said we would get a self sustaining arena, a private funded hotel, a big savings on water meters. This is what the city lost under the Weinzapfel regime, a hotel, a paid for stadium and Whirlpool. Who was that who said, “just build it” Was that Bagbey?

      • Russ is a good honest man who has a lust for political position. Unfortunately that means he will always be surrounded by lying sacks of crap. It will eventually rub off on him if he doesn’t snap out of his power induced coma. Hanging out with Winnecke is just like hanging out with Weinzapfel, who really screwed Russ in the mayoral election of 2003. Can Russ not see that Winnecke = Weinzapfel?

        • @POV & Snark:

          You are incorrect that Russ ” is a good honest man”. He told bald-face lies to City Council that the Bank Accounts were reconciled down toa $ 4,000 variance. Then when the 2012 SBOA audit is published (after a changed opinion, no less) we find that in fact $ 29,000,000 of cash balance has vanished, and was adjusted to the disclaimed 2011 year (disclaimed=records in such disarray no audit is possible).

          These are not things that good honest men do.

        • I think the “good honest man” status was placed in severe jeopardy with that $29 million “plug” to the local books. It’s a shame he has the same name as this father. The father was a personally flawed man who was a very good political leader. It appears that the son is less flawed in his personal life, but a terrible leader for the City.

          • I heard that Father got famously punched in the mouth at Executive Inn by Mr. Sleziak, the husband of the hostess of the local TV show Romper Room, for trying to put the moves on his wife. True or Urban Legend ?

          • Hey shrimp, for Russ Sr.

            Romper stomper bomper boo
            I’m gonna knock the shit out of you

            Russ Sr. = Clinton
            Russ Jr. = Carter

  10. What if we moved a few llamas around at Mesker Park Zoo, and put in a baseball stadium which adjoined the worn out Mesker Ampitheatre (or however you spell that) ? Outdoor concerts and minor league baseball at same venue.

  11. “IS IT TRUE that the Mayor Winneke and past mayor Russ Lloyd, Jr. have have the same in common?…both individuals vacated a major capital taxpayer funded project that would have enhanced Downtown Evansville?…”

    I think a riverfront baseball/entertainment venue would have enhanced downtown, but I doubt it would have been self-supporting. I’m not so sure that a hotel across from the Civic Center would be an enhancement. The Exec wasn’t in its last days, and we have little reason to believe the fantasy hotel would have been much more of an asset, once it had a little wear and tear on it. Hotels that aren’t profitable don’t usually get maintained very well.

  12. I hope CCO will think about sponsoring an online petition to the IU Trustees asking them to reconsider the site and funding for a Medical School in Southwestern Indiana. The school was over-hyped as “salvation” for old downtown. It would be a mutually good thing for the “real Evansville”, the students, and the medical community, if it is built at the Promenade or Gateway. It is time for the Mayor to put the interests of all of Evansville above those of his little neighborhood. I think it is also time for a forensic audit of the City’s books over the past two administrations and a legal investigation if the audit turns up evidence of wrongdoing.

    • I think the â„–tel was part of their presentation to plop it downtown. Under the most charitable interpretation it took a leap and suspension of disbelief to know why. Now it’s almost unimaginable what form their proposal will take, with other sites clearly better in every way.

    • +1 re: forensic audit of the books over past two administrations, and that investigation will thus encompass the construction of the Fraud Center.

    • Laura

      I have great respect for a tremendous job that you have done over the years for your various comments and work efforts in Evansville and Vanderburgh County, but I respectfully disagree with you on the location.

      My thoughts would be to place it along University Parkway near USI. This would spur a number of very positive things to happen, and would allow for some serious infrastructure improvements on the westside.

      Locating the IU Medical School near USI is a logical conclusion, and would greatly benefit not just the westside of Evansville, but also the region.

      I can write forever on this, but just my .02 cents worth on where to relocate the project if Downtown falls flat. If you are interested in further expansion on the benefits, I’m happy to oblige.

      • Thank you! I agree that USI is a good choice, too. I have my doubts that some of the west side dwellers would want it there, but I think the east end of the county would roll out the red carpet for the project. That is my only reason for not making mention of it. I wonder if the expansion of the Health Sciences building there, that is recommended for funding, might not be the beginning of a “stealth” siting there. It would be a way to avoid some of the clamor from unhappy west siders.
        My favorite spot for siting the school, Roberts/Evansville State Hospital property was not given any consideration. I liked the easy accessibility from all parts of town and the availability of affordable housing and general convenience of the spot to, and there would not have been any need to buy and demolish occupied homes.

        • EKB: The sharks that beached yesterday are still flopping. Sharks usually do that. You have to stand back a bit, and let nature takes its course. They’ll either flop their way back to some water, or just dry up on the sand. You don’t need let one take anymore bites, in the mean time.
          Take a real focused hard look at that North main fluff and its viability using actual predictable return valuation, as well as, function due plan and abstract form to address the real problems in that ward or sectioned value. That’s what Councilperson Riley was tossing up, we looked, and you know that’s still up, cause its form meets no function of purpose for what actually lays ahead for that old section of your town. Zippitie do dah, nothing, per infrastructure preparation for plan form. Doesn’t even touch the sections livability, logistical value , or well being indexing as should be as a requirement, first in.

          The Other Medical school RFP’s don’t seem extend the bonding extremes beyond anyone’s standing valuation, that’s the best course for the metros revenue bases, and the sharks. And really, Indiana University. They’d get more for less financial burden. And increase the metros overall valuation per each, as listed. ( Smart Metro and sustainable growth positioning. )

          Flopping–> http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/in-depth-mayor-lloyd-winnecke-explains-whats-next/12788/Dda_0IbojUW8HnT08k0LlQ

          Like the past, our group looked at all those balances, we could see the trending’s actual tipping point as a balance shared by Vanderburgh and Warrick, with some share through the USI campus as well. We thought and stand by a “cross functional four way solution” to a extreme group of needs that metro region needs to find logistical resilience with positive growth numbers.
          Good reliable logistical throughput along with ground breaking environmental innovation drives that.
          Thus, we’ll say that’s exactly why we continue to model that areas needs for such change. Don’t feel alone in that dilemma, the entire planet will benefit from what we’re modeling now.

    • Laura

      Oh hell, I might as well give my thoughts in more detail.

      I originally supported the development proposal that would have located the IU Medical School to be placed on the USI campus. USI offered this as a proposal, which would be great considering the thousands of acres of land that USI has, the simple fact that the land they offerd to IU for the medical school would have been FREE, and the IU Medical School would have had almost an unlimited amount of space as it grew. Not only that, it would have allowed both under-grad and grad programs to be on the same campus. If not on the actual USI campus (which we all know has LOTS of room and would be a PERFECT fit for the USI campus), then at least put it on University Parkway right next to the USI campus.

      There are thousands of acres along that road, and the land along University Parkway is already a TIF area. So the funding mechanism for the IU med school is already in place, and if the USI proposal calls for development along University Parkway, that will (IMHO) lead to the necessary improvements needed for University Parkway (water and sewer, for example)

      But do you know (IMHO) what one of the problems was for the people hoping the IU med school goes on or near USI? All the folks who had a “dog in the fight” all work for a real estate company. Mayors wife (Carol McClintock-Tucker Realty), president of county commission (Marsha Abell-Tucker Realty), and vice president of county commission (Joe Kiefer-Hahn Realty/Development) are all most likely (either largely or in part) were in cahoots on this project proposal.

      Since the Mayor publicaly stated he had “his eggs all in the same basket” and was going to “work like the dickens” in promoting the IU med school being located downtown, at the time I stated over and over about placing large amounts of money that the county commission would do zero (nada, zilch, not a darn thing) to help USI or Vanderburgh County do a credible job of replying to the RFP with a location OTHER than downtown! History shows me I was correct.

      The TIF along University Parkway would be a great asset for making sure the money necessary for the IU med school would be paid for by those who develops anything near the new med school. We all know the med school would not pay taxes as an educational campus, but the medical facilities and other things that would occur near the new med school would add many millions of dollars into the TIF, which would allow the county commission to bond and pay for certain improvements along University Parkway.

      And I would place even larger wagers that the village idiots at INDOT just might (finally) figure out that the USI/Lloyd overpass needed to be replaced years ago. The addition of the IU med school might get the INDOT people to pony up the money for a proper redesign, especially since University Parkway has a long-range plan to continue past Diamond Avenue and connect to I-64. Can you imagine the transformation that would occur along University Parkway? But a scarier part of that question is that can you imagine more traffic than already uses the USI overpass while in the current condition? Egads!

      But as forecast and predicted, Marsha Abell did not rock the boat with Lloyd Winnecke on this. I understand (and partially agree) that the city and county should have tried to present a unified approach to landing the med school in Vanderburgh County. But does anyone really think that the proposal actually submitted in response to the RFP had anything from Evansville and/or Vanderburgh County with anything other than downtown? We all know now that nothing was submitted from the “County”, and the only proposal for the USI site was from USI. And I can tell you that what USI proposed was the best of the projects (IMHO), but it was clear that politics controlled the day when the RFP bids were opened and the award was made to downtown. I think everyone still agrees that we need the IU med school to be located in Vanderburgh County, which will provide multiple benefits and dividends to the community. But the amount of “tunnel vision” on the project as it relates to downtown showed a clear pattern of excluding viable sites (like the USI campus or near USI) because of the pie-in-the-sky thought that locating the IU med school downtown will pay magical benefits to “revitalize” downtown Evansville.

      I do not disagree that putting the IU med school downtown would not have certain benefits. But after printing the reading the RFP in great detail, it was pretty clear (IMHO) that the surrounding area contiguous to the new IU med school will be very difficult to develop with the school campus downtown. That is IMHO, but based on the sheer magnitude and enormity of what the IU med school will become over the next several generations, I just cannot imagine how they think putting it downtown will not only fit, but that they fed a lot of hogwash to the folks at IU who ultimately made the decision on. I am kinda sick and tired of being told that the elected officials currently in office have the best interests of Evansville AND Vanderburgh County at heart.

      I hate to cast aspersions on people, but when Evansville turned in the RFP proposal, were they thinking of:

      (a) what sort of commission will pay out for land deals that real estate employees negotiate
      (b) what sort of sales will occur for private developers who participate in acquiring land and buildings for the downtown RFP reply
      (c) whose name gets to go on the dedication plaque when the first building is done for the new IU med school
      (d) All The Above

      I hate to be a pessimist, but does anyone have answers other than (d)?

      • Great reading and reasoning, CEP! I don’t have any big arguments against any of your reasons. The proximity of the eastern locations to the “Warrick Wellness Trail” and other medical facilities is the main thing that recommends them, and there are equally good arguments for USI.
        I can’t overlook the Mayor’s self-interest here, either. He consistently behaves as if his neighborhood is all that matters. I don’t think putting IUMS downtown serves the interests of anyone other than the Winnie cronies, because the area is dead for all intents and purposes.
        Maybe the smartest thing to do with the extra land that the City owns downtown would be to demolish the Civic Center and put it on some of the available real estate. We could then reconnect Main St and North Main St.. Maybe life’s blood would start to circulate in old downtown when the infrastructure is modernized, and there would be some point to trying to revitalize the area. If there is no attraction for middle-class families to reside in the area, there won’t be any renewal, though.
        Pessimism and aspersions or not, I’m thinking your option “d” nails it, btw.

    • Barney got the balling to destroy Robert’s by saying, as a City Council member that he would not vote to spend “…one more dime…” on Robert’s. And yet, he keeps sloping at the trough.

      He alone has cost Evansville millions of taxpayer dollars.

  13. The big winner in all this mess is D Patrick. They’ve made out like bandits collecting a ton of cash from the peasants.

  14. EVANSVILLE TRANSPARENCY:

    Please use all means necessary to preserve your Lego Hotel from earlier in the week. It has appreciated 500X overnight !

  15. Editor,

    How can you NOT be reporting on the four (4) City Council members who attended the Safety Board meeting yesterday re: the selection of the City’s vendor for the Towing contract ? One of the prospective vendors is Friend’s client, and the current vendor filed a 911 call on Friend for wandering around their lot in Henderson !

    Come on, you can do it !

    • Maybe they don’t know about it. CCO doesn’t have a herd of interns, like the local rag. Spill it, please! Who was there?

      • Courier & Parakeet has Friend, Robinson, Lindsay and SBR at yesterday’s Safety Board Meeting.

        What could be SOOOOO interesting about a towing contract to get four council members to attend ?

        There, it’s spilled !

  16. In an attempt to eradicate ignorance with facts, in the year of our Lord, 1993, NAFTA was passed by a lame duck Democrat controlled House (because Newt Gingrich had already said he had the votes as the new speaker to defeat it) and a Republican controlled Senate, after which it was signed by a Democrat president into law. The national unions, Teamsters in particular, threatened the Dems with the loss of their support if it passed and Clinton signed it.

    That’s why unions don’t support Dems any longer.

    • “Following diplomatic negotiations dating back to 1986 among the three nations, the leaders met in San Antonio, Texas, on December 17, 1992, to sign NAFTA. U.S. President George H. W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas, each responsible for spearheading and promoting the agreement, ceremonially signed it. The signed agreement then needed to be authorized by each nation’s legislative or parliamentary branch.”

      Clinton ended up signing it but the majority of votes were, and always will be Republican when it comes to “Free Trade.”

      “Fair Trade” is totally different……

      Good try Pedro…

  17. BREAKING NEWS!!!

    Michelle Mercer, Carol McClintock pal and “ardent Winnecke supporter” has announced her candidacy for City Council At-Large. She joins Winnecke pal, Jack Schriber on the GOP ticket. I wonder if they will run a third candidate or just support Beaver Weaver.

    • She’s a buy in real estate bag, don’t waste you’re good time. forget it, find some real women’s substance.

      That’s a fact with that areas women, we know of those whom would actually stand the line for the people (Non gender specific), within either parties blessing, not one has been identified to date. But you do have them, Sad…….
      That’s a machine pick out bag, and, so, you ought to just forget it. Baggage, is never scientifically considered as useful load to maintain ones altitude, “everybody knows that.” Flight in the abstract of the social economic community wears it everyday.

      That’s an art, a learned, and never a given. So the historical would tune to being earned, as well.

      “The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art. Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.”

      Ok, but did you know ????????? Wait, there’s more!

  18. Would like to hear John Dunn’s reaction to the failure of the Hotel . . . .

    At least John got a chance to cleanse himself of the Chamber of Commerce fungus as part of this long ordeal !

    • Is he still a director and shareholder of ONB. He may well be the one who raked Bob Jones’ over the coals for overpaying for the naming rights.

  19. I said it a LONG time ago: If John Dunn cleared out of the downtown landgrab before this nonsense started-that should’ve been enough for anyone with common sense to realize if HE wanted no part of it, it was bad business.

    • Mr. Dunn still has the $ from the sale of the parking lot for the ERCs McCurdy luxury condos. Mr. Dunn is a very smart businessman.

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