IS IT TRUE? January 19, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the Mayor of Indianapolis has taken out an ad in newspapers all over the State of Illinois for the sole purpose of recruiting businesses to the City of Indianapolis?…that this ad was placed in response to Illinois’s recent increase in nearly every tax possible to increase?…that some taxes in Illinois were just increased by more than 50%?…that Mayor Greg Ballard touts fiscal stability, low taxes, cheap labor, low utility rates, cheap real estate, and numerous cultural amenities as reasons that Illinois business leaders should pack up their businesses and move to Indianapolis?…that Mayor Ballard cites Newsweek, CNBC, and Forbes to back up his claims?…that this rapid proactive approach to business attraction just might work?

IS IT TRUE that we wonder exactly what the leadership of Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville are doing to capitalize on the recent tax increases that the State of Illinois has passed?…that local leaders should have more experience with cross border competitiveness campaigns since Evansville sits on the high cost side of the money saving bridge?…that Mayor Weinzapfel should consider following Mayor Ballard’s example and come up with a letter of his own?…that if Evansville can credibly offer businesses fiscal stability, low taxes, cheap labor, low utility rates, cheap real estate, and numerous cultural amenities that business attraction should be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel?…that Evansville did get to celebrate a small win yesterday with the announcement that Sugar Steel will be establishing a steel distribution depot that will hire 26 people?…that we need 200 more projects like that to get our job base back to where it was in 2002?…that Illinois is a good lake to fish in for attracting jobs right now?

IS IT TRUE that the ad placed by the Mayor of Indianapolis can be viewed by clicking on the following link? http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/working%20files/indyad.pdf

IS IT TRUE that the surprise announcement that Brent Grafton shall be running for Evansville City Council in the 5th Ward seat has surprised even “MOLE #3”? ….that present City Councilman John Friend will be in the battle of his political life with an opponent (Grafton) who has an impeccable reputation for honesty and is not afraid to state a position and stick with it?…that this just the beginning of many surprise political announcements coming forth between now and the filing deadline of February 18th?

IS IT TRUE “MOLE #3” is hearing that J. D. Strouth is thinking about running for Evansville City Clerk?… that “MOLE #3” is also hearing that Greg Stillway may be looking at running for the 3rd Ward City Council seat?…that “Mole # 3” is hearing that Lon Walters and Bill Kramer are both considering a run for the 2nd Ward City Council seat?…that “MOLE #3” is hearing that Jim Braker is giving consideration for a run for the Evansville City Council “At Large” seat?

IS IT TRUE that more candidates with different backgrounds will create better discussions, ferret out issues that may be overlooked by a group of like minded individuals, and eventually may even lead to spirited discussions on the Evansville City Council that one day result in across the board good public policy?…that we dream of such a day.