IS IT TRUE THAT COUNCILMEN JOHN FRIENDS STATEMENT ABOUT FORMER MAYOR TO PRESS IS SHOCKER?

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE the CCO was shocked and amazed to see the article in the Courier quoting City Councilman John Friend as saying that former Mayor Weinzapfel was “A GREAT MAYOR”?…given that Councilman Friend honestly and legitimately described the state of the unreconciled accounts of the City of Evansville as “A MESS” at Monday night’s City Council meeting, this either constitutes a serious spin on a partial statement by the CP or a collossal FLIP-FLOP on the part of Councilman Friend?…either way the record of failures to honestly “set the record straight” by Mayor Weinzapfel’s scrub the record manifesto issued this week are chronicled very well below?…if this constitutes “GREATNESS” in the minds of our City Council the we hope to God no one really makes a mess in the future?…anyone that would call the following factual analysis the work of GREATNESS including Councilman Friend either does not know GREATNESS from is own arse, has succumbed to external pressures and threats, or is pushing some personal agenda by feeding the ego of our former mayor and his protectors?

FROM FRIDAY:

IS IT TRUE former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel came out of hiding after spending the last 18 months out of office and pursuing a private business career to defend his administration’s stewardship of the City of Evansville?…the tipping point to draw the former Mayor into the fray was a statement that City Councilman and Budget Chairman John Friend made at the last City Council meeting?…the words that broke the former Mayor’s silence were “Russ, I know you inherited a mess” with Councilman Friend referring to the continuing saga of non-reconciled accounts and misplaced money in the City of Evansville’s budget?…the former Mayor jumped back into the public eye to “set the record straight” which usually means to turn untruths into truths?…we shall examine just how much of the former Mayor’s statements were changing untruths to truths and how much he may have been channeling some of history’s most lethal revisionists?

IS IT TRUE in the text of his prepared statement designed to refute Councilman Friends characterization of the City of Evansville’s accounts as a “mess” former Mayor Weinzapfel stated, “the books were finally balanced and no irregularities were found”?…as Mayor Weinzapfel passed on the baton of the rickety ship Evansville to Mayor Winnecke on January 1, 2012 what we must examine is the state of the books on that day?…former Mayor Weinzapfel’s assertion in his public statement is in direct conflict not just with Councilman Friend and current Controller Russ Lloyd Jr., he also contradicts an official audit by the Indiana State Board of Accountancy with respect to the audit of the transactions of 2011?…the City of Evansville even today cannot agree that the accounts are reconciled and still does not have a clean audit since 2010?…any sane individual who examines public legal documents would have to conclude that the former Mayor’s statement is not correct and designed to mislead anyone who reads it?…very soon we should have the audit for the first post Weinzapfel audit along with a study by McGladrie in hand to shine some light on whether Russ Lloyd Jr. who inherited this unmitigated disaster of accounting has been successful in cleaning what Councilman Friend charitably referred to as a simple “mess”

IS IT TRUE the former Mayor followed up with “My administration left city finances in a better position than what we inherited. In fact, due to strong management and the willingness to make tough decisions, the combined cash balances in the general fund and parks fund went from $2.7 million when I took office in January 2004 to $7.6 million when I left office in December 2011”?…he had to get a jab in on Controller Lloyd and indeed he did just like when he campaigned for Mayor on a platform that stated just how irresponsible it was for then Mayor Russ Lloyd to propose building a baseball stadium downtown?…with respect to hoarding money in the parks fund now we know how our parks deteriorated into cesspools of filth and homes to drug and gang activity?…maybe if our former Mayor would have spent some of that money the condoms, needles, whiskey bottles, and bums would not be gracing our parks?

IS IT TRUE in what may be the most ridiculous part of former Mayor Weinzapfel’s statement he tries to take credit for any downtown hotel that may happen by claiming “We brokered a deal with a developer to build a new convention hotel in downtown”?…he actually broker three deals none of which could perform and all of which squandered time and taxpayer dollars?…if there has been any mess cleaning with respect to the hotel it has been Mayor Winnecke cleaning the mess of a convention hotel fiasco that former Mayor Weinzapfel made?…speaking of hotels and messes there is also the debacle known as the McCurdy Hotel that the former Mayor brokered a deal for that squandered $1.4 Million taxpayer dollars, displaced a group of retirees, and left a melting shell of a building complete with graffiti, open windows, snakes, and a beanstalk on the riverfront?

IS IT TRUE the former Mayor also proudly stated that “We put together a program with Johnson Controls to establish city-wide wifi and create a fiber optic network that offered tremendous economic development opportunities”?…the contract he signed in his last days was so marginal that the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission shot it down in flames?…this would constitute another mess and point of contention that has marred the City Council’s ability to work constructively with Mayor Winnecke while another Weinzapfel mess is unwound by removing unneeded things like his vaunted fiber optic network?

IS IT TRUE that when finally asked about the rumor that he would be running for congress, the former Mayor said “never say never” which may be the personal reason for acting so indignant over the word “mess”?…in many areas, Mayor Weinzapfel did indeed leave a legacy of “mess” or worse but that would not play well in a future campaign?…should he dust off the campaign suit and tap the over $500,000 in campaign funds he left office with to run for something else, his opponent would be well served to kick off his or her campaign announcement on the steps of the McCurdy and adopt a broom as a symbol of the messes left by former Mayor Weinzapfel?

IS IT TRUE this future opponent’s speech should include references to the SNEGAL Homestead Tax Credit disaster, squandering money on Front Door Pride, the Freedom Festival, the fact that an audit says the Ford Center was over budget, the storage now needed making the Ford Center even $10 Million more than it was, and the sneaky way Tom Barnett was paid?…John Friend really was being nice by saying Weinzapfel left a mess?…a two year old who throws food on the floor leaves a mess, a politician that leaves this many fiascos of waste and incompetence in his wake creates a legacy disaster?

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36 COMMENTS

  1. This whole thing probably is about Weinzapfel running for something else and wanting to scrub his disaster of a record. Narcissists never change.

    • Yep. He’ll be shooting for Congress in 2016. That’s my guess. He’d be a disastrous Congressman just like he was a disastrous Mayor.

  2. Editor: This piece is an excellent summary accurately stating the facts on the “mess” former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel left for Mayor Winnecke and his team to cleanup the best they could. Mayor Winnecke and Controller Lloyd have chosen not to publicly criticize former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and his administration. They took the cards Weinzapfel dealt them and have tried to make the best of a bad situation. They could have put the blame on the Weinzapfel screw-up’s on him—but they did not.

    This is not to say Winnecke and his team has gotten everything 100 % correct, but they are a big improvement over Weinzapfel.

    No doubt in my mind Weinzapfel is giving serious consideration running against Dr. Bucshon for the 8th District seat. As they say–Weinzapfel can run but he cannot hide his dismal record.

    • Just remember with Weinzapfel it is all about Weinzapfel. His little propaganda piece is all about something he wants and nothing else.

      If that scumbag runs for congress I hope he gets every mess he has ever made stuck to him like a scarlet letter. What I can’t understand is why Winnecke is willing to cover stuff up for this dude.

      Hell, Weinzapfel used Winnecke like a $2 Ho to try to steal the Homestead Tax Credit and Winnecke just took his licks silently. A bigger man would have smacked him flat over that stunt.

      I hope he debates John Friend on his accounting claims. He will get beaten like a step child if he has the courage to try that.

  3. Fact: The City Council is 8 to 1 Democrat. For Winnecke to get anything done he must get some help and support from the Democrat controlled City Council. Some Democrats like Weinzapfel. Some times you have to hold hands with the Devil to get across the bridge.

    • —” But you knew I was a Snake when you picked me up”.
      Choose wisely, City Council, as you swim among the Sharks that
      call, the Evansville Pond(Political Aquarium) theirs Exclusively.
      This “Game” isn’t for sissies!

  6. From the CP website: Friend, a Democrat who represents Evansville’s 5th Ward, said Friday that he planned to reach out to Weinzapfel and considers him a friend. Friend described Weinzapfel “as a great mayor” who managed the city’s financial resources well.”

    Friend wants to run for a higher Office and knows he will need help that is why he is flip-flopping.

  7. In the meantime, the fall of democrat controlled tax and spend regimes continues:

    City of Detroit

    Bond rating for general obligation bonds:

    Caa2

    Definition of Caa2:

    A rating within speculative grade Moody’s Long-term Corporate Obligation Rating. Obligations rated Caa2 are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. Rating one notch higher is Caa1. Rating one notch lower is Caa3

    Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/investing/glossary/c/caa2#ixzz2WKLXKRC1

    __

  8. Holly Cow John Friend! You have no real backbone. You standup and say the truth and then you turn around back crawl like a little girl. You do not deserve to be a leader of anything.

  9. I’m’ sure Al Capone’s associates would have deemed it wise to describe him as a “Great Guy”.

  10. John Friend should have his CPA license revoked if he is endorsing the Weinzapfel administration! Jenny Collins wasn’t qualified to be Controller. Whineyapple could have found a CPA but decided to appoint another political hack. The prior Controller was a political hack but at least she had a MBA.

    The Whineyapple administration spend tons of money on software that was dumbed down so the idiots in the Controller’s Office could get it but they still messed it up.

    Sounds like John Friend is a really good CPA to let the fiscal mess happen underneath his nose.

  12. Had a pool party last night with about 50 people and John Friend was the main topic of discussion. The majority opinion was that Mr. Friends comment about the past Mayor is a political career ender.

    People are tired of people in elected office that flip flop. In fact they believe that his political future is over because of his remarks about the past Mayor being a great leader.

    Bad remark and bad judgment.

  13. It’s obvious that John Friends political career is over.

    People who dislike him shall use this against him at re-election time and people who support him are so turned off by his remarks that they won’t show up at the polls.

    I’m disappointed in him because I felt that Mr. Friend was a strong and honest leader. I shall never support him again because I dislike people that flip flop.

  14. Mr. Friends remarks about Weinzapfel is indeed a career ender.

    I’m a 5th Ward voter and a now considered to be a past supporter of Mr. Friend.

    I don’t like spineless people.

    • It looks like Friend wants to be just like Weinzapfel. That would be a flip flopping politician that can never run on his record again. No principles in either of this clowns.

  15. Folks, I’m sure there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Weinzapfel and his gang were famous for their arrogant, bullying, mob-like approach to local politics.

    Perhaps they found a piece of dirt on poor Councilman Friend and let it be known that, absent an obsequious retraction like the one he offered, it would likely find its way to the media…

    • Let’s see, “arrogant, bullying, mob-like approch to local politics” that sounds like the City Council, is that who you were really talking about? You know John Friend, and his crew, Connie Robinson and Brinkerhoff-Riley, on the City Council always attacking anyone that they deem worth their sharp words. People like Jenny Collins, his favorite bunching bag. I heard John Friend has the “HOTS” for Jenny Collins, and she refuses his advances, that’s why he is always attacking her. What does Jenny Collins, husband think about John Friend always calling Jenny Collins on her personal phone after hours? Is John Friend, Jenny Collins boss?

      John Friend is REAL Dirty if anyone cares to look close enough!!!!!!

  16. The fact that John Friend should call the former Mayor a “great” Mayor is not at all surprising. In my time of paying attention to local politics it has become clear that John Friend is a hypocrite and an opportunist with little or no actual principle.

    I’m not sure why the CCO’s owner and sometimes even its editor have given him so much credit. If he becomes our next Mayor, it will be partially this misdirected support that is to blame, and he will be no better than the buffoon we have in there now.

    I believe anyone supporting John Friend should seriously step back and reassess whether they are indeed a good judge of character.

  17. $50 says John Friend is typing a CCO Letter to the Editor as we speak backtracking on his “great Mayor” assessment. If it’s not on CCO front page on Monday, I’ll eat my hat, and maybe an old shoe as well.

  18. John Friend, your credibility just went to hell, as well as your chances to be elected to anything.

  19. I’m sure Friend had a rather unpleasant conversation with someone prior to the public flip.

    Here’s my hunch on the next narcissist move by JW. INDOT is proposing the US 41 be re-routed over I-164 and I-64. This will leave the current US 41 route through the city without a name… Jonathan Weinzapfel Parkway…lol!

  20. JW: I didn’t get a harummph out of that guy Friend!

    McNeely: Give the mayor a harummph!!!!!

    Friend, Neverously: harrumph, harrumph

    JW: Watch yourself!!

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