IS IT TRUE June 7, 2013

IS IT TRUE June 7, 2013

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for our publisher Mr. Ron Cosby who had a very serious medical situation yesterday?…even after having a beer with the grim reaper yesterday morning he did sound better on the phone and was very pleased that the CCO was able to acquire and publish a copy of the Ford Center construction audit for our readers to peruse?

IS IT TRUE to those of us who have been observing local government competence either directly or through the eyes of MOLES for several years now the fact that seven (7) separate areas of the sixteen (16) categories examined were cited for having something done wrong?…getting only 9 of 16 categories correct is only 56% which would earn a big fat F in every classroom setting at any level?…it is truly disappointing that getting an F has become the expectation of City government performance and it is encouraging when 56% was actually achieved?…it was almost a D- so we should all be proud?…of the things cited for not conforming contractually or legally to what was agreed to none are particularly giant?…this comedy of errors was just another example of sloppy work that was half done with a detached supervisor and poor oversight?…some of the problems cited were probably encouraged by sloppy oversight as a way to pull the wool over some bumpkins eyes and fatten up a bottom line or two but the damages are relatively small when compared to the size of the project?…the sheer number of things cited reflects the “let it slide” manner that Evansville has been running its projects for perhaps a century?…if Evansville were a ship it would have many small leaks and occasionally teeter on sinking but would somehow find a way to remain afloat?…organizations like our local government always seem to flirt with disaster in earning Fs but figure out how to charm their way into a diploma without learning a thing?

IS IT TRUE of course there were six pages of excuses and rationalizations about why the seven (7) citations were “okay” or “wrong” or still being finalized and that is par for the course?…those of you who read the audit will not find malice or criminal indications?…what you will find is just plain old fashioned sloppiness?…as long as sloppiness goes unchallenged it will continue?…if the City of Evansville wants to be seen as a competent place then competence needs to start inside of local government?…the people named in the audit as responsible parties and their managers do not seem to be doing their best or even performing at an acceptable level?…if the past is protocol there will be raises and accolades for them all and the buffoonery will continue?

IS IT TRUE that City Council members John Friend and Jonathan Weaver squared off in a debate last night on Local 7 to debate the merits of financial consultant David Garrett’s performance in providing 3rd party oversight for Evansville’s budget?…long time critic of Mr. Garrett Councilman Weaver admitted that the Weinzapfel Administration handed the Winnecke Administration a financial “mess”?…the debate was monitored by Brad Byrd and had some comical interchanges where Councilman Friend made it obvious that Councilman Weaver did not have a clue about the scope of David Garrett’s function?…it is also obvious that Councilman Weaver has been trying to run some independent traps toward Mr. Garrett that Mr. Garrett has not been getting caught in?…the thing that was not mentioned is that David Garrett is providing contractual oversight on a continuing bank reconciliation problem for $1,666 per month which is less than a City Council person earns and much less that either the present or former Controllers currently earn?…if the Evansville Office of the Controller and two high dollar consulting firms have not been able to do this job correctly after over a million dollars being spent, to tee off on David Garrett for finding many shortcomings that are exposed in the SBOA audit is quite disingenuous on the part of Councilman Weaver?…you can view the debate on the following link?

http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=621822

IS IT TRUE President Barack Obama will be meeting with the Premier of China in Rancho Mirage, CA this weekend at Sunnylands that is also known as the Western White House?…Sunnylands is on this writers jogging path but I gotta find a new path for the weekend because the roads in and around Sunnylands are closed to traffic and covered up by men in black?…I better watch my cell phone and email activity though because it has now been revealed that government goons have not only been tapping the phones of some reporters but have been routinely monitoring the cell phones and emails of unsuspecting private citizens?…the USA seems to have become the Gulag Archipelago while we have not been looking?…eternal vigilance and continuous diligence is needed in more than local government if any of the Bill of Rights is to survive even until New Years Day?