IS IT TRUE? December 8, 2011

1. Good point about the ERC “group coma”. Maybe Ms. Miller just awoke to the realization that the Mayor puppet master will be out of office in about 3 weeks and she could finally exercise her independent judgment without fear of his reprisals. As a whole, never has there been a more inept episode in local governance than the City Administration/ERC’s complete and total mishandling of both the McCurdy and Executive Inn projects. Incalculable damage has been caused. Good luck to Mayor Winnecke in fixing these messes left behind by the departing clueless Administration and their even more clueless ERC.

2. Are we seriously still talking about this? It’s not like you guys just learned that this was going happened. This has been planned for quite sometime now and Kunkel was the clear choice from the gate. The vetting was only done to calm the crowd. The ERC and the City Council made up their minds a long time (months) ago and I feel extremely comfortable in saying they are not going to change thier minds this late in the game. It’s all over now, The Kunkel Group is going to build a hotel in downtown Evansville like it or not. Why would anyone care if they go bankrupt in thier attempt? Worst case scenario Evansville winds up owning a hotel. Would that be so bad after all? Think of all the revenue that it would generate for the city, maybe they would be able to pay for the dense pack technology turbine upgrades for Vectren with the proceeds at no cost to the ratepayers?

   • Jack….not trying to be argumentative but I’m curious, do you honestly believe that a downtown hotel will actually turn any profit? My little bit of research the other day showed that the franchise fees alone run over $1m a year for a Hyatt branded hotel, what’s your opinion?

     JMHO

     • Lets think outside the box a little. Did Bob Green give a damn about “branding” when he built his first Executive Inn? Can it turn a profit? Yes, but not if you are locked into high prices for something you can get for less in a competitive market.

       What Evansville needs is an up-scale facility. Currently there is not a single one that would entice people to come stay here. How many people here in Evansville and the immediate area are reluctant to invite people to come here because there is not a decent up-scale place for them to stay?

       __

       • Press…

         Agreed 100%, the franchise, booking, referral fees alone on a branded hotel is well over a million a year, figure in the total cost of all the fees charged by a chain like Hyatt in a ten year period and you can easily hit the $10m mark.

         IMHO a branded hotel is just a waste unless your a vacation/business destination, Bob Green knew this, and that location was more important if you have a quality facility…..we could have a upscale hotel for the difference in just the franchise fees alone.

         JMHO

         • Have a look at this link….

           http://www.hvs.com/Bookstore/2009FFGuide.pdf

           It’s data from 2009 which I’d assume is lowball figures for 2012 but it’ll give you an idea of what it costs to be a branded hotel, table #4 is based on first class hotel with 300 rooms and at that time was entry level for a Hyatt place hotel, of course they do advertise for you and arrange bookings but also suck up a percentage of the room rental.

           JMHO

   • The City of Evansville owned a hotel four years ago. It was called the McCurdy and we know how well they have managed that. The Executive Inn was in bankruptcy in its last years and that didn’t work out so well either. The absolute worst case possible for the downtown hotel regardless of who builds or operates it will be to go into bankruptcy. First there will be a superior loan so the city won’t own the hotel some bank from parts unknown will own it. Secondly either of the bidders has a better chance at figuring out how to run a hotel than the city does. The only workable solution for a hotel down there is for a professional management company with hotel experience to run it. This is why Sara Miller voted against it. It wasn’t personal. She simply treated her appointed job as though it were her real job.

     • I can remember a time when the Exec had its own house band. Probably 12 members, or more. Mel Torme was booked for a weekend and he only brought 1 musician with him, his drummer Donny Osborne, and of course some great arrangements, the local musicians loved the charts.

       Imagine, right here in Evansville, you and your date dining on an excellent meal while you listened to this great legendary entertainer.

       Those were the days when we still had a few “entrepreneurs” around. Those people, saw what you will about them, were the people who made such GOOD memories of Evansville possible.

       This bunch nowadays, although they have more than they will ever need, are only interested in continuing to grow that.

       Perhaps the reason Madonna’s Prague statement cut a little is because we know there is more than a grain of truth in it.

       __

   • Questions all over from people in the know. We will all quiet down when the Hunden Study is made public. Until then this is just another closed door deal.

     http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/dec/08/doubt-looms-over-kunkel-group-negotiation/

3. King John says more money, more money thats what I will get as I head toward the door. One of the most corrupt and greedy gangs we have seen in this town for a long time!!!!!!

4. My wife’s co-worker was one of The Chosen Few (45 people) who attended the caucus last night. She told my wife that she was fired up to vote for Patrick Scates because she thought he was a stand up guy. I told my wife this morning before she left for work that her co-worker was going to be upset by such a close margin of defeat. My wife called me first thing this morning to tell me that her co-worker (who will not be named so nobody goes after her in Democrat style) actually voted for CROOKS! I asked why.

   She said her co-worker said her mouth dropped open when Scates said he was backed by Eric Williams.

   I said what’s wrong with Eric Williams? She said she asked her co worker the same question. Her co-worker said Eric Williams signed the letter of support for Connie Robinson. The moment she heard the sheriff’s name my wife’s co-worker said “I ain’t supporting anybody who is backed by someone who signed that letter of support for Connie Robinson.”

   And so she voted for Crooks. Isn’t it amazing how one little thing like that can swing a vote from a supporter. I was amazed. Still can’t believe it.

   • Laura should have showed up earlier then.

     • Problem now is the Democrats will have two candidates at top of the ballot who do will not present well on TV or at public events, Yosemite Sam and Mr. Potato Head.

     • wasn’t Laura, she chose her vote for other reasons

       • Maybe if Crooks wins, he can make Laura head of voter registration office in Washington D.C.!!!

   • But she’ll vote in a caucus that will be carried out by Connie Robinson?

     • Stranger political compromises have been made before. Ask Denise.

       • Is it impossible to not like one faction of the party, yet still support the same candidates? Apparently, in Vanderburgh County, the answer is yes! I happen to have been a Davis supporter last month and I support Crooks for Congress (excuse the obvious pun), for reasons that are my own. I don’t have to like or agree with the party leaders to still like the candidates they support.

   • Thanks for the inspiring story.
     I sure hope that “best friends forever” pact that Williams signed haunts him for years to come, because that’s what he deserves. He honestly doesn’t give a rat’s a$$ what Connie thinks – he just wants to be mayor, so he’s playing along.

5. I’m not getting the significance. What does it mean that Miller voted against it? It still passes 4-1 instead of 5-0?

   • Well let’s first state that she is the only commercial loan officer in the group. So if 4 stooges and Einstein vote on a physics question which vote should mean the most?

     • VERY WELL STATED EDITOR!

     • I understand that, but the net effect as of now is that it is moving on to the City Council and beyond, correct? John Friend may have enough sense to know that it’s a bad deal, but if he can’t convince a majority of rest of the rubber stampers to get a clue his no vote isn’t any help.

       • Papa..

         It depends on when the vote is put on the city council agenda, before the end of the year would mean a rubber stamp, after….well it remains to be seen but I’m optimistic that the few new members will want to deviate from the norm and truly consider the consequences of their vote.

         JMHO

     • Let’s see, loan officers – housing bubble – economic crash. Oh now I see your point!

     • Isn’t the real story that Ms. Miller, in the article in the C&P this morning, admitted that she, a voting member of the ERC had not yet seen the Hunden report; and yet, Goldman stated that the Hunden report was the reason that Kunkel was selected ?

       • When you buy a gun from a hockshop, do you expect to get the instruction manual?

         • LOL you obviously have never bought a gun from a as you say hockshop, most sell new firearms right alongside with used.

           JMHO

         • Obviously I was referring to used firearms like the ones lined up for sale in the hockshop on 4th Street.

         • But…for your analogy to make any sense we would be discussing buying a used hotel like the River House which isn’t the case, the topic is a brand spanking new Hyatt or Sheraton multi-star hotel to be built at Walnut and MLK.

           Just sayin’

           JMHO

         • Stop being so definitively anal about comparisons. The comment was intended humorously and not to compare facilities, rather to compare professional mindsets.

       • Biscuit…

         After reading the story on the C&P is would appear by how it was written/presented that only John Kish has seen the Hundan report, at least that’s my take on it.

         ———

         Quote from C&P article:

         The vote to move forward with the Evansville-based company came after Downtown Arena Project Manager John Kish addressed the Redevelopment Commission on the findings of a hired firm that vetted the proposals of both Kunkel and Prime Lodging.

         ———-

         I guess we’ll find out the true story when the CCO gets the docs from the FOIA request.

         JMHO

         • Until then I will assume the Hundan report is “a work in progress” (read “unfinished draft”) same as was the Arts District TIF plan (another ERC masterpiece).

         • blanger, I wonder if we could get Spock to do a Valkan Mind Meld with Kish so that the ERC members could also benefit from the Hunden report ?

         • Biscuit…LOL, probably be the only way it’s going to happen, other than the CCO’s FOIA request, then the ERC can just read the report here.

           While it’s nice to see one of the board members grow a set it’s way too little too late to make any difference, as was stated by another poster this has been the plan all along for Kunkel to build the hotel. The tally so far is $11.5m in incentives with a remainder (undisclosed amount) to be given by us (city/taxpayers) in the form of a 5% loan. I look for the total package given to Kunkel to be a bare minimum of $20m but could turn out to be $30m or more depending on the financing arrangements.

           It would be interesting to see a list of the properties acquired by Kunkel in the last 8 years and the dollar amount that they paid, it would not at this point surprise me in the least if Weinzapfel had been reelected mayor for Kunkel to have gotten Robert stadium for $1.

           But that’s JMHO

6. How on earth can a reconmendation be made and a vote taken without the board not even have read the hundan report? This is total BS

   • Is this another “we’ve got to pass the bill to see whats in it”

   • Happens all the time. Same as it ever was.

7. Editor–

   Not that it matters very much,but only the PC or in the absence of the PC,the vice-PC can then vote–not both. Therefore the % is 34% not 17 %.
   Both sucks.

   • Did either of you factor the vacant precinct committee slots into your percentages? Not every precinct has a Democrat committee person.

     • no one knows why you were there, anyway-you are neither, and everyone tells Terry to kick your butt to the curb-oh and you’re barking up the wrong tree-Laura wants to be the Prez of the United States, they’re spending $$$ to send her to college because she has cancer and a degree is on her bucket list, so leave them alone, jerk.

       • You tell him, Bootsie.

       • where’s your stupid mouth now, Boo Hoo? When you try smearing your crap on everyone, stop and think-they may be carrying weight you know nothing about-so think first(doubt you’re capable)then shut the hell up.

         • What are you slobbering about now?

8. There are thousands of honest, unemployed citizens in Evansville and Tonda Pauley, who “misappropriated” over $ 3,300 from the Knight Township Trustees office, lands a job at the Evansville City Garage. Where’s the justice?

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