IS IT TRUE? January 28, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Pigeon Township Trustee Mary Hart after being reminded by the City County Observer has now filed her disclosure of campaign finance documents?…that Mary was on vacation enjoying herself on the due date?…that she ran unopposed?…that she is now back in her office making decisions on how to spend the Pigeon Township money wisely to help the poor and those who get unwanted surprises in life?…that if all 1,008 of the Township Trustees in Indiana managed their offices the way Mary Hart manages hers that the opponents of Township government would not have irresponsibility on their list of reasons to consider getting rid of Townships?

IS IT TRUE that Democratic candidate for Vanderburgh County Council Hayden Barth after having it pointed out by the City County Observer that his campaign finance disclosure did not give credit to the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee made a $100 contribution to his campaign contacted the CCO directly to acknowledge that the Mayor’s committee did indeed make that $100 contribution to him?…that Mr. Barth’s reason for not reporting the contribution was his belief that a $100 contribution is below the reporting threshold for political contributions?…that federal rules are clear that $200 is the disclosure threshold but Indiana law differs and treats contributions differently when they are in the “$100 – $200” range?…that the CCO believes that Mr. Barth had the right spirit of disclosure in his filing and that this did not change the outcome of any election?….that the link to review the Indiana state laws on campaign finance disclosure is on the following link? http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/files/2011_Campaign_Finance_Manual.pdf

IS IT TRUE that the CCO has not heard a peep from Maura Robinson the Democratic candidate for Vanderburgh County Auditor with respect to the $250 donation that the Weinzapfel for Mayor Committee reported that it had given to her campaign?…that $250 is clearly above the disclosure threshold in both state and federal elections?…that we hope to be reporting soon that Ms. Robinson squares that one up as all of the others have so that all of our local candidates with questions will have answered them?

IS IT TRUE that some public officials are really making a grab for money in these increasingly desperate times?…that Mayor Al Baldwin (not to be confused with Alec Baldwin) of Vincennes, Indiana is calling upon non-profit organizations to donate a portion of their proceeds to the City of Vincennes to pay for the city services that they use?…that Mayor Baldwin is calling upon churches, hospitals, schools, universities, and other non-profits to “make up for” the property taxes that they are exempted from by “contributing” to the City of Vincennes?…that there is a reason that non-profits are granted non-profit status by the federal government?…that a big part of that reason is so that local governments can’t get their hands on contributions to these non profits to pay for general services?….that this is one Mayor who needs to find some way other than shaking down non-profits for donations to keep the lights on and the police cruisers full of gasoline to keep Vincennes functioning?…that separation of church and state should never be violated and that any Mayor who publically asks for some rake from non-profits is in effect doing exactly that?…that the Mayor of Vincennes needs to drop this idea and to the job of managing that he was elected to do?

IS IT TRUE that this was on the Associated Press newswire and is now available for all the world to see?…that all of us in SW Indiana and the entire State of Indiana look a little bit silly today in the eyes of the rest of the country?…we hope this is retracted and forgotten in the very near future?…that the City County Observer does not believe that anything like this could ever bubble up from the powers that be in Evansville?…that Dr. H. Dan Adams bright light of hope to brighten up the darkness of politics needs to clone itself in Vincennes?