IS IT TRUE? December 9, 2011
IS IT TRUE that Indiana’s best known technology entrepreneur Scott Jones of Cha Cha is reportedly continuing to raise a ruckus over the difficulty in reaching the tech centers of Boston and the Bay Area because there are no direct flights from Indianapolis to either of the tech and venture capital hotbeds?…that what Scott realizes that many others don’t is that direct access is one of the keys to accessing talent and capital which are really the only currencies of value in growing a technology based economy?…that the CCO hopes that Indianapolis heeds Scott’s call and does something about such flights and hope furthermore that Evansville will find a way to attract or maintain a commuter flight to Indianapolis that will allow the folks down here in the capital of Western Kentucky to leverage any direct flights that Indianapolis is able to put into place?…that there is no reason whatsoever for a trip to the west coast to consume and entire day and leave the traveler exhausted?…that the access to talent and capital have stifled Evansville for decades and will continue to do so unless this problem is solved?
IS IT TRUE that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has passed a resolution encouraging the 2012 legislative session to pass the Right to Work initiative?…that like it or not Right to Work seems to be the wave of the future so the only question is how many years behind the 8-ball Indiana will be?…that rather than fight a tide it is much easier and more productive to learn to surf?…that there will be many studies with self fulfilling conclusions?…that the studies that are snapshots of this very year will conclude that Right to Work is not such a great thing?…that studies that go back 30+ years and compare the growth and lifestyle changes will make Right to Work look better?…that a real simple non-scientific metric would be to just compare any Midwestern state to Alabama, Mississippi or Georgia?…that today at least in Indiana’s case our unemployment is lower and wages are similar (except SW Indiana of course)?…that over the course of the last 30 years the Right to Work states have made dramatic progress growing from agrarian economies to modern economies and they have done this at the expense of the Rust Belt?…that understanding this and making an informed decision without the benefit of adrenaline or prejudice will be one of the most important outcomes of the 2012 legislative session?
IS IT TRUE that yet another politician has been caught in a pay for sex scandal?…that this time it is former member of the State House of Representatives Brian Hasler who represented Evansville for 8 years that is accused of offering money for sex?…that some of the actions that elected officials from President Clinton down to Representative Hasler get caught in would make one think that they have no sense of justice or appropriateness at all?…that it is not a crime to give away sex so the thing that really gets these rascals in trouble is turning a hook-up into a transaction?…that at least the Alpha President was not ever accused of paying?…that it must be his charming personality?
IS IT TRUE that there is finally healthy dissension within the ranks of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that ONB Commercial Loan VP Sara Miller voted no on the basis that she has seen nothing to lead her to believe that either of the proposals to build a downtown Convention Hotel will lead to a profitable business?…that it took courage for her to say this and that her vote needs to be taken seriously by the Evansville City Council as they decide whether or not to fund the ERC recommendation?…that the absolute worst thing that could happen would be to get a hotel to the 90% completion point and see the developer run out of cash or to finish the hotel and find it in bankruptcy during the first year of operation?…that is why Ms. Miller is finding her way and looking out for the taxpayer’s interest?…that bankrupt and inoperable hotels of the type and size being considered are available all over the country right now for less than $5 Million?…that going forward without explicit endorsement of the construction plan and the business plan by a competent entity which the ERC is clearly not puts at least $8 Million taxpayer dollars in harm’s way and paves the way for the new hotel to join the McCurdy on the roles of abandoned structures in Evansville?…that the people of Evansville are counting on City Councilman John Friend to use his CPA to do a deep examination of the reasons for Ms. Miller’s NO VOTE and to explain this clearly to the City Council whenever they deliberate on funding this recommendation?
“IS IT TRUE that there is finally healthy dissension within the ranks of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that ONB Commercial Loan VP Sara Miller voted no on the basis that she has seen nothing to lead her to believe that either of the proposals to build a downtown Convention Hotel will lead to a profitable business?”
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I would not try to read too much into Miller’s vote, she may simply have been the one to draw the short straw this time around. A little theater in order to LOOK like there is some independence on the commission, just as long as the majority is secure. It is a tactic that is used by many boards and commissions that are puppet operations.
I noticed that Miller hot-footed it out of the building after the meeting, blowing by the media waiting outside the room. I am sure they would have welcomed the opportunity for her to explain her no vote. Didn’t happen.
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I do not understand how a 4th street pawn broker can make millions of dollars over the years off of people experiencing financial hardship. On the other hand as the pawn broker,(hockshop executive), and President of the ERC mastermind a deal on th McCurdy Hotel that costs the Evansville Taxpayers $1.6 million Dollars.
Maybe it is time for the local taxpayers to file a class action lawsuit against him and the rest of the ERC members to retain the money from them for their bad business decision.
Hey Billy Bob, Is this the same guy I saw on TV the other day talking about the McCurdy deal going south? The guy I am talking about is bald,
with a long ponytail and a bowtie?
In my opinion, he is definitely a 1% that the Occupy Evansville people our planing to target to protest against.
I agree with you. Lets file a class action suit against him and the other members to retrieve our money.
That is an accurate description of Ron Goldman, President and CEO of Goldman’s Pawn Shop.
Guys I agree with you. I am asking all bloggers and posters to join the effort to file a class action lawsuit against the hockshop executive (Mr. Goldman) and other ERC Board members to retreive the millions of taxpayers dollars lost to their bad business decisions.
Lets make sure that we include the out going mayor, Mr. Tom Barnett Director of DMD, the attorney for ERC, Mr. Steven Scott, McCurdy Developer and Fifth Third Bank.
In case you did not know, these individuals should carry errors and omissions insurance, malpractice insurance and a performance bond.
Hey Billy Bob – Was this the guy I saw on TV that was bald headed with a long ponytail and a bowtie? If so, he is a scary looking guy. Include me in the class action lawsuit against him and the other ERC board members.
I think a class action suit against errors & omissions policies, D&O coverages, etc. is a GREAT concept. I would go broader than the ERC, I would look at the entire list of city dealings. Not just the bales of money given away by the ERC (Arena, Browning-Indy, Woodruff, Kunkel)to name a few, but expand it to pick up the Evansville Housing Authority,Brownfields, the Water Department,the Water Board, DMD, GAGE, have I missed anyone ? Evansville lawyers: probably few of you who could stand up to the City. Please call your out-of-town law school friends, etc. and help find a great plaintiff’s lawyer who wants to make a bundle and help the citizenry reclaim the lost tax dollars of the last many years.
dont want to forget about bertram and evsc
the matter of the ‘No Bid’ contract has already gone to court, and the EVSC “Foundation” won. I believe the Judge said it was legal but smells (not snegal , smellegal).
Attorneys: seriously, have an attorney (yourself or colleague) who might take on a D&O case post anonymously of interest to start the dialogue.
……that the people of Evansville are counting on City Councilman John Friend to use his CPA to do a deep examination of the reasons for Ms. Miller’s NO VOTE……
Yeh, Friend is all Bark and NO Bite….Kish and W have him in their pocket, and all they have to do is pull his chain.
That’s what I’m afraid of. I challenge him to take a stand.
Prediction: you will be surprised by “the bite”
I will be surprised to see any bite at all from John Friend. He plays both sides of the fence with a big goofy grin on his face with his fingers crossed behind his back. He does not have the cajones to do what his brain and his training tell him is right in this case. The mayor wants Kunkel to go forward and the unions want Kunkel to go forward. The business model and the $8 Million of public money be damned. Friend is too cowardly to fight both the mater and the unions. The real question is whether Winnecke will stand up to this idiocy.
If believe you have it right, Architect. And my fear is that Winnecke is quite overwhelmed at this point and is only the mayor-elect. The enormity and complexity of the mess he is inheriting is just now hitting him squarely in the face. When hi is mayor, I believe he has the where-with-all to do a good job on a number of issues. However the number of “old business” issues he will be faced with are more than any one person can physically and mentally handle. So that means that some good number of these issues will go unaddressed or handled in less than an acceptable manner or perhaps passed on to others who may or may not do well with them.
As for Friend, you have him nailed and he will buckle under pressure. Or he may just set up an argument, call for a vote and have prearranged outcome so that he can be in the minority.
One would hope that John Friend would protect his good reputation and the his CPA practice, simply because the only real asset in his business is his reputation. Otherwise he might find himself humming “Jolie Blanc” for the rest of his life.
Archie: I will bet a frosty one that Big John shoots this one right between the eyes. I believe he agrees with Ms. Miller’s contention that a more seasoned developer with cash reserves can be identified. It’s my view–and I am just a guy who swills beer without a lot of brain power–that Kunkel is “betting the farm” on this one project. That’s one risky way to move up to “big time” status, it’s also an easy way to fail.
Hey Beerguy, the CCO will echo exactly what you have said about Councilman Friend having stated that he would strongly prefer an experience operator as he has been consistent on that for months. It is also clear that he has shared beliefs as Sara Miller just voted. The question that all of the posters have been bringing up have more to do with whether or not Councilman Friend will yield to the pressures that will be placed on him to go against his and Sara’s beliefs.
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