IS IT TRUE July 22, 2013
IS IT TRUE that the IS IT TRUE column in the City County Observer will be coming to you from the island of Maui from today until August 5th?…there is a 5 hour time difference between Evansville and Maui is 5 hours so our readers can expect IIT to be published at about noon during that time period?
IS IT TRUE for the second time in less than a week, a high ranking employee of the local Emergency Management Agency has been asked to resign by Mayor Lloyd Winnecke?… Adam Groupe, who was appointed as interim director right after he fired longtime head Sherman Greer last week, was asked to resign this morning?…Winnecke then appointed two men to run the EMA on an interim basis?…Evansville Fire Department District Chief Cliff Weaver and Evansville Police Department Capt. Andy Chandler are the latest recipients to be caretakers for the job that Sherman Greer did for over 20 years?..the reasons given for the two forced resignations are allegations by the mayor’s office that EMA officials approved 1,100 hours of inappropriate overtime for an agency secretary and violated city bidding practices in the 2011 purchase of radio equipment?…Winnecke stated that an internal review of EMA showed preference given to specific vendors in bid processes?…no charges have been filed against either Greer or Groupe and none have been alleged?
IS T TRUE it was quite pleasing on Sunday to see the Evansville Courier and Press awaken from its 10 year coma regarding calling out the office of the Mayor of Evansville for making backroom deals in a non-transparent way?…the firing of Sherman Greer and the quiet approval of some plastic crosses made by some children are the straws that broke the camel’s back for the Courier?…there are of course dozens of other sneaky backroom deals that were orchestrated by former Mayor Weinzapfel and his successor but none of those things rose to the level of taking the CP out our cheerleader mode for the Mayor of Evansville?…the attempt to snatch the Homestead Tax Credit from the resident homeowners of Vanderburgh County in a classic backroom sneaky (SNEGAL) way resulted in nothing more than a couple of infomercial pieces after the CCO exposed it?…the subversion of the funding authority of the City Council by Mayor Winnecke in the Earthcare Energy debacle and the same sort of stunt by former Mayor Weinzapfel just before leaving office that saddled the people of Evansville with the Johnson Controls dilemma didn’t raise the Sunshine flags over at the CP?…the sneaky firing of Marilee Fowler and others, the idiotic purchase of the McCurdy parking lot, the capricious way in which tax abatements are handed out, and the ramrod awarding of three different hotel contracts to companies that never secured financing was never even questioned?…the CCO is pleased to see the entity that should be the biggest watchdog of the citizens interest in Evansville awaken and show its tooth?
IS IT TRUE the only real reason that local media exists is to keep local government honest and to inform the populace in a way that helps with decisions come election time?…the CP has not been doing that for a long time?…every mayor has a person called the press secretary (cheerleader) to dispense sunshine and lollipops in attempts to propagandize to the huddled masses and secure power for their party in perpetuity?…that method has worked well for 50 years in Evansville and much of that been aided and abetted by a local media that has served as a willing propaganda distribution outlet for whomever happened to be mayor?…we encourage the CP to keep its guard dog of sunshine and sanity awake this time?…if every media outlet in Evansville would have scrutinized the offices of the mayor for the last 50 years the way the CCO has for the last 4 years Evansville may not be a candidate for a Detroit inspired future as it is today?
Is it true that the same law firm representing the city also represents the CP and EVSC?
I say get rid of the law firm . How can they be fair being in the pocket of the city and the EVSC. Both of them are crooked as a dogs hind leg. Come on C/p you took that first baby step now lets learn to walk.!!!!!!!!
Tim ,articals like you wrote Sunday will sell papers. Those airheads in city hall don’t pay your salary, selling newspapers pay it . Good job!!!
Another good man, caught up in the political bullsh*t.
I have no problem calling out someone when they do something bad, so likewise I have no problem calling out someone when they do something good. I think a special shout out should go to Tim Ethridge for writing that CP article. The hard part now sets in- Does he keep writing articles like this or does the pressure from the machine force him to go back to supporting anything the gov’t comes up with? Either way, for the time being it’s a breath of fresh air. Hopefully this will deter future rigged gov’t plans like made up task force conclusions, secret hotel bidding plans selected, and now all of this EMA mess just to name a few.
The Bill Jackson “well regulated” C&P rag will be on him like Mike Tyson on his red headed stepchild.
They’re probably typing up his farewell letter as I type.
Good article Tim!
And Farewell.
ReggieRomo, I have no idea what you mean by “the Bill Jackson well regulated C&P.” I have not worked at The Courier since 1986, and The Press since 1998. Tim neither needs nor gets any advice from me, ever, and I have no connection to the newspaper. Furthermore, the one thing I can say about my time as editor is that I NEVER did the bidding of the city fathers, a fact they did not appreciate. And by the way, I’m signing my name, unlike those who hide behind pseudonyms to spout off about things they know nothing about.
I’ll believe something you say Jackson the day Publishers Clearing House shows up at my door with one of those humongous checks.
I got kicked off the C&P threads twice almost immediately after criticizing 2 of your letter to the editor rants.
I used no profanity, or anything against the rules other than pointing out how ridiculous your letters were.
Obviously you hold no sway over this forum or I would have been history around about 10:02 pm last night.
Later
You are incredibly ill-informed. I have no sway on ANY forum. After I left the newspaper, I wrote critical articles about things they were doing and not doing. I was unpopular there as a result and obviously had no influence there. If you were blocked, I suspect it was because you don’t let facts stand in the way of your anonymous opinions. Talk about ridiculous! What have I done to you to justify such hate? Who are you?
It’s no wonder I don’t read the C&P anymore.
Spoke with a high up person in the State Board. Said that he’ll talk to the Supervisor for not supervising and Heifer being rude and arrogant to everyone in City Hall. Folks, if you don’t like the State Boards handling of the City Audit call their Indy Office! Im disgusted that there are no CPAs on the job this year! The Controllers Office needs an intervention!
Comments are closed.