IS IT TRUE we are awaiting to see how City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr, CPA  Anne Hargis CPA , Missy Mosby,  Jonathan Weaver and City Council Finance Chairman Dan McGinn are going to spin how the Indiana State Board of Accounts made major mistakes in reporting the final audit results of the 2014 City of Evansville state audit?  …we wonder what quailifies Mosby, McGinn, Weaver to discuss the details of the SBOA findings of 2014 audit of the city books?  …its obvious that members of the main stream media don’t have the interst in reporting the real truth concerning the 2014 audit of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that the City originally borrowed $8.4 million from Old National Bank to purchase D-Patrick  downtown property?  …we still owe ONB nearly $5 million after receiving $16,000,000 from the IU bond proceeds?
IS IT TRUE that the suit involving the terribly botched SWAT raid on the home of Louise Milan is now scheduled for trial beginning August 22 of this year? … not only city government is open to  major financial liability , but we hear EPD Chief Billy Bolin may face the possibility of being held personally financially liable for master minding this SWAT team raid on Louise Milan home?  …all of the 7th Circuit Court Judges called this a “Keystone Cop” style raid?…when this case goes to trial we expect EPD and Evansville will get national news coverage, and that is one more good reason to settle before the case goes to court?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke is forming a task force to address what to do with Mesker Amphitheater and Lloyd Pool?  …we can’t wait to see who he appoints to the committees to study Mesker Amphitheater and Lloyd Pool?  …we predict whom ever he selects they will do his bidding?
IS IT TRUE that we are very disappointed to see that Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve is seeking permission to start charging admission?
IS IT TRUE we don’t understand why the Mayor considers a Humboldt Penguin display at Mesker Zoo to be a “quality of life†issue for the City?  …we doubt that the quality of life for the penguins will be improved by being on display in the local zoo, and we don’t believe the life of the average resident will be better for it, either?
IS IT TRUE we are surprised that the Mayor acknowledged the 2014 SBOA audit when addressing the Rotarian? … we are not surprised that Mayor put the best possible face on it by dismissing the importance of consistent $6 million dollar shortfalls in  the city account balances?
IS IT TRUE that no mention was made in the SOTC address of upgrading city bus service to seven days a week? Â … we believe that is a major quality-of-life issue?
IS IT TRUE that we are pleased to hear that the Wellborn Baptist Foundation is narrowing the focus of the grants it will be giving in the future, in hopes of achieving stronger outcomes? …we believe the Wellborn Baptist Foundation process could benefit with a tighter, more realistic focus?
IS IT TRUE that this legislative session may also open Indiana to costly suits in the matter of the Legislature’s failure to pass any job protection for LGBTQ Hoosiers? Â … also true that the law passed to prohibit abortions based on defects in the fetus will likely make Indiana a target of costly legal tests as well? Â …Indiana is only the second state in the nation to pass such a law?
IS IT TRUE that our far East side area is growing again? Â …Evansville Federal Credit Union is building a new 85,000 square-foot main office on their Morgan Avenue site? Â …this location is very near the new Meijer’s, several new restaurants, and most of the other private investment growth in that area?
IS IT TRUE that we applaud Berry Plastics for opening their doors to the 600 people being laid off as a result of the Alcoa smelter closing? Â …that Berry Plastics has about sixty job openings that they informed displaced Alcoa workers about and encouraged them to apply for this weekend? Â … that we wish the very best to the employees who are losing their jobs and hope that they will not have to leave this area?
IS IT TRUE that we continue to urge our readers to keep a watchful eye on the votes of our ‘Rubber Stamp” City Council members, especially regarding spending on the luxuries that our mayor appears to lust after?
IS IT TRUE that the newest pot of Federal cash will come in the form of grants to the “Promise Zoneâ€, which encompasses much of the Second, Third, and Fourth Wards?  …needs exist that could make the grants great assets to the neighborhoods, and we hope to see it spent accordingly, but we doubt it?
FOOTNOTES: Our next “IS IT TRUE” will be posted on this coming Wednesday?
Please take time and read our newest feature article entitled “HOT JOBS”posted in this section are from Evansville proper.
If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com.
Todays “Readers Poll” question is: Do you feel that members of the Evansville City Council are just rubber stamps for the Mayor?
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The terribly botched SWAT raid will probably go to the supreme court. The unreasonable force charge, especially concerning the use of flash grenades is of great concern. I have heard the national FOP is worried about the president set. This case may be as important as Row&wade in deciding The law enforcements right to blast into our homes versus the publics right to be safe in their homes. A lot of people in law enforcement and the government would prefer we settle.
I hope it goes to trial and Bolin and Winnecke are humiliated. Sadly, most of Evansville appear to be incessant bootlickers of authority and also proud racists, so they of course will still back the idiots in charge.
You’re behind on the news. As expected, SCOTUS refused to hear the suit. The City wasted around a hundred thousand dollars of our money on the foolish attempt to protect Chief Bolin from personal liability. By refusing to hear the case it allows the 7th Circuit’s ruling to stand. That ruling found that Bolin’s behavior was so far beyond the pale of professionalism that he can be held personally financially responsible.
I believe it would be better to pay a seven figure settlement than to pay a seven figure order after getting the negative press that a trial will bring to town. Winnecke’s hubris will not let him do the prudent thing, and settle. He refuses to face the fact that he has surrounded himself with incompetent appointees and we will pay the price. In the meantime, Bolin will continue to bring substandard leadership to EPD, at a time when local crime rates are high and we face the possibility of a reduction in the number of officers because of the Mayor’s profligate spending habits.
Of course we wasted legal fees Who received those fee? Well it is old Ted Ziemer just like the Cross deal when in the hell are the citizens in this town going to wake up!!!!!
I think he’ll settle now. The hail Mary to the Supremes failed when they denied certiorari. I don’t know of anyone who thought they’d hear it, it was just a dilatory measure to put this nastiness off until after the election. Winnecke must now pay up, the clock is ticking. Like you mentioned, probably marginally better to pay a negotiated settlement than lose at trial. However, taking it to trial likely has a certain allure to our hyper-litigious mayor. He is probably being advised that any award by a jury can be appealed, dragging the final settlement out until he is safely ensconced in Tucson.
Every court that’s heard this has rejected Evansville’s arguments, the Federal District Court, the 7th Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Like panicky defendants often have to hear, ‘you knew this day would come’.
The third round of Promise Zone designations has not yet concluded. Echo (Evansville’s applicant) is competing with 64 other applications for 5 or 10 designations. There is between a 10% and 20% probability that Evansville will be chosen. Good luck, but don’t cash any Promise Zone checks before they are written.
There will only be 5 urban applications approved for Promise Zone designation. Here is a link to the Promise Zone fact sheet.
https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/promise-zones/promise-zones-overview/
I agree that it is something of a longshot that Evansville will be chosen for the Promise Zone, but it really was hyped prior to the election by a few of the Council candidates.
Joe:
Where is there anything new here?
https://www.hudexchange.info/onecpd/assets/File/Promise-Zone-Designee-Indy-East.pdf
These five “goals” have been the same goals of cities all across the Country for a century. If throwing a pile of federal dollars in their laps would permanently fix these problems it would have happened long ago.
More “central planning” failures are no more the answer than creating a communist state is the answer.
A good economy is when people earn money, and they go out and spend it. A bad economy is when people borrow money, and they go out and spend it. HUD’s largess is here today and gone tomorrow, and nothing good of a sustainable nature is left behind when the HUD funds expire.
That is correct. Southeast Kentucky got one of the first Promise Zone designations in round one. With the collapse of the coal industry, I can’t imagine things are better off today than they were before. This is just political nonsense.
Evansville Federal or Evansville Federal Teacher’s Crédit Union?
Actually Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union and it’s located on Theater Drive, not Morgan Ave.
I think I snorted up a lung reading this. MaruoSye-y-urself smut novels? Now you don’t have to merely dream about finding a creepy obsessive stalker hunk of your very own, you can ad lib a purple prose novel about it!
My Dad, V, as you knew him here, passed away earlier this year. I’ve been, quite frankly, torturing myself by reading his postings here. He was a brilliant man, contributed much to the betterment of the world as a whole through his multiple careers.
He was also an alcoholic and irreparably mentally ill. It saddens me to see how much time he devoted in his final days to local political bickering. There is a great big world out there, folks, Do something good for it.
Son of V, please accept very sincere condolences. I’d missed V posting with his particular insight into infrastructure. His comments were often thought provoking. May he rest in peace and may we all take your comments to heart.
Son of V,
I can’t state it any better than Joe Biden did. Please accept my sincere condolences, I enjoyed the interactions with your dad here immensely.
V was enjoyable and unique. His intelligence shined through. I hope it’s some comfort that he enjoyed the “bickering.” We enjoyed him.
My deepest sympathies on the loss of your father. I enjoyed his intellect and unique vantage point. I spent twenty years working with the chronically mentally ill, and they taught me far more valuable lessons than most of the allegedly “sane” people I’ve known.
V was a true kindred spirit of mine in the quest to get Evansville to deal with its sewer issues before spending money on fun and games. I truly miss his posts.
Son of V,
Thank you for sharing your father with us. My sincere sympathies to you and your family. Losing a parent is very very hard. Always hold him in your heart and treasure his memory, even the difficult patches. We will all remember him with respect.
Joe and V were the canaries in the “sewer” mine for years. I also remember a young politician that ran on “Sewers before Stadiums”. All our best to V’s family.
CCO – Thanks for pointing out the trash that passed through the legislature this year and will probably not only cost Indiana money in court fees and bad publicity but also in any tiny bit of positive reputation it may hold as a state. There could have been many more nasty things passed in this session. Maybe we should count our blessings that not all the horrific junk got through. Naw! It will just be up again next session. One did notice though that a huge issue was that many good measures did not even get heard in committee much less on the floor for a vote. This says volumes about committee chairs —- in a negative way.
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