IS IT TRUE November 15, 2013

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

IS IT TRUE the City of Evansville is now in possession of the letter from RGL Forensics that covers the topic of accounting activities during the Ford Center project?…the good news is that no willful fraud has been identified by RGL and no one will be facing charges?…the bad news is that this “Initial Observation” by RGL has identified some sloppiness in the accounting processes that looks more like an accountants version of an Evansville City Park than a report about a tightly run ship?… the study stated that “David Garrett’s lead sheets do raise questions as to the accuracy of the information reported in the accounts and we cannot discount the possibility that accounting irregularities may have occurred?”…the study also brought up the fact that a Kansas City company was overpaid by $350,000 and that no one seems to know whether or not that money has been returned to the City of Evansville?…while there was nothing illegal identified in the audit the fingerprints of SNEGAL (sneaky but legal) were all over the Ford Center project in the form of contractors who made political contributions to politicians who were in the approval cycle of the project?…like it or not when a politician is part of making a project happen and then is the recipient of donations from contractors, suppliers and consultants who materially benefitted from that project of public dollars has occurred and the judgment process of such politicians has been compromised?…this pass through of public dollars into the campaign coffers of politicians SHOULD BE ILLEGAL AND HAS COSTS THE TAXPAYERS OF EVANSVILLE PLENTY?

IS IT TRUE it has now been approximately 2,000 days since a smiling former Mayor announced to the people of Evansville that he had made a deal to get the McCurdy Hotel refurbished into 90 luxury apartments?…despite this premature announcement of a half baked project after 2,000 days the McCurdy looks like the Wreck of the Hesperus with broken windows and graffiti dominating its former imposing but now rotting shell?…many of our readers are beginning to believe that the McCurdy Hotel is destined for the wrecking ball because of neglect?

IS IT TRUE it has also been nearly 2,000 days since that same former Mayor and his Director of Metropolitan Development Tom Barnett announced a deal with Historical Landmark Indiana to refurbish the old Greyhound Bus Station?  …because of Historical Landmark Indiana failure to follow its commitment  the Greyhound Bus Station it now considered to be schedule to a future  wreaking ball project.  …the results are similarly abysmal to those of the McCurdy as the old Greyhound Station is deteriorating and some days even sending forth foul odors that are reminiscent of a stroll through Bee Slough after a big rain?…it is in Evansville as it is in Washington true that government has lost its ability to do anything but push meaningless papers around and claim future victories to distract voters from the malaise of the present?

IS IT TRUE we now wait word from our new Mayor, Department of Codes Enforcement part of the Evansville Building Commission, Evansville Historic Preservation officer and the officials of  Historical Landmark Indiana what they are planning to do with the McCurdy and the Greyhound Bus Station?

IS IT TRUE yesterday President Obama relented to pressure from former President Clinton, the 15 Democrat Senators who gave him a Friday ultimatum, and the American public that has driven his job approval rating into the 30’s and changed one of the bedrock requirements of the new health-care law by yet another executive order?…the President took this action to fulfill his promise to allow people to keep their insurance plans if they want?…this sane act in no way changes the fact that the President stood in front of the American people and told a bold faced lie more than 30 times during the last 4 years?…insurance companies, lawyers, and pundits immediately pounced on this announcement as not passing constitutional muster and hanging new buyers of health care out to dry by essentially pooling the old, sick, and previously uninsured into what will certainly be one of the most risky insurance pools ever created?…while the President’s move was aimed at solving a problem that was threatening the president’s credibility and public faith in the law, it raised a slew of new questions, including whether insurers would adjust, whether millions of customers would pay higher premiums and whether states would make the fix available?…the only thing that is certain about this portion of America’s health insurance markets is that for those who have been cancelled due to ObamaCare that CHAOS is the result of a government that had the hubris not to read the bill, to blatantly lie, and to carve the bill up by executive order at the will of the Chief Executive who is not supposed to make laws?…if this does not teach the voting public a lesson on voting in experienced people then more CHAOS will follow until the good old USA goes the way of the Roman Empire?

IS IT TRUE that the Wall Street Journal reports that 2014 has already set a record for native born Americans renouncing their citizenship?…during the first 9 months of 2013, 2,369 Americans moved to other countries and renounced their citizenship?…the previous high happened in 2011?…the reason stated by many of these former citizens are the economic policies of the Obama Administration?

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37 COMMENTS

  1. I say to the tax dodgers leaving the country: don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.

  2. Will these “old policy’s” that they get to keep include the new features of the ACA? Actuaries are laying awake trying to figure this out. Do they get to keep them at the old price? Obama did not say anything about price. This is going to be interesting as to who will pay.

  3. CCO Editor,

    Please read the report more carefully. The RGL document is NOT an Audit, it is RGL’s ” initial observations following review of the documents provided to date relevant to the Ford Center Construction Project”.

    Pg 5, RGL states: ” Obviously, to determine definitively that there was an intentional misstatement in the disbursements, transfers or account balances associated with the Ford Center Construction Project would require a forensic audit”.

    Pg. 5, RGL states: ” We would recommend that a selected Lead Sheet be investigated completely to verify whether it is associated with intentional material misstatement . . .We would recommend Lead Sheet No. 5, Purchase of the Executive Inn Hotel”.

      • Editor, thank you.

        Also, please note that “intentional mistatement” = Fraud; and the forensic accountants state that that would only be found (or not found) definitively if a forensic audit were conducted.

        Therefore, your statement that “no one will be facing charges” is premature.

  4. CONTINUE THE FORD CENTER INQUIRY
    Let us clear the air

    IMHO: The cloud of doubt and suspicion that looms over every aspect of the Ford Center project must be lifted.
    RGL FORENSICS has identified numerous mistakes and recommends further investigation. To stop now would render all time, money and hard work done so far, … useless.

    I have great faith in City Governance and would think anyone with clean hands would embrace a process that might, once-and-for-all restore confidence in their competence and integrity.

    City Council Finance Chairman John Friend recently saved the Taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by organizing Council members, then rejecting the 37 million dollar incentive package demanded by the Mayor and Convention Hotel Project developers.

    The Council has proven it can act effectively; and in the best interest of the taxpayers/voters. I expect that has not changed and they will continue to serve us for some time to come.

    Let’s finish this inquiry, … then move on. …

    • bubbageek: The Ford Center was constructed, and paid for on John Friend’s watch. I do not know how you give Friend “high fives” for his oversight of this project.

      • John Friend was a Republican that turned Democrat much like you with your spend and tax tactics and leanings. When you try to save money and someone like Wayne Parke starts belittling you! You might be doing something right for a change!

        • rk812: Why do hide behind an assumed name? Are you ashamed of your comments.

          What are your examples of my “so called tax and spend policies”? Answer: There are none.

          The best time to save money is before you spent it. John Friend was Chairman of the City Finance Committee when the money was being spent.

          Investigating now will not save any money that was spent for Ford Center. It is built.

          • Wayne, while I agree that Investigating now will not save the spent money, it may shed light on practices that could be changed so as to save money on projects in the future.

            Not to mention, if an investigation turns up any type of “Corruption”, it would be nice to see someone held accountable. (Not that anyone in our fair city’s leadership would EVER do anything of a dubious nature, mind you…)

            All the comments that seem to amount to “Whats done is done, Nothing to see here, look the other way” have me a little concerned.

          • It is not an assumed name it is a screen name and I will continue to use it as it is my right to do so!

          • Wayne: if you truly are the head guy at Republican Party locally, what does it say when you try to deflect blame to John Friend ? And stating that no money will be saved by doing the audit ?

            Do you think you will somehow “scare” Friend from proceeding ?

            There is a little thing called ‘transparency’ out there. Even if not one dime is recovered from an audit, it needs to occur–as a means to get rid of any ‘bad actors’ that are in our midst.

            Or is the Republican Party opposed to looking at a project which was done during a Democrat Mayor’s tenure ? Strange bedfellow, indeed ?

          • John_Sebastian : I am Chairman of the Vanderburgh Republican Party. The Republican Party had little to nothing to do do with the construction management of Ford Center. Democrat Weinzapel and a Democrat controlled City Council did. So there is no blame deflection going on to John Friend. He was Chairman of the Finance Committee when it was built. Everything was done–good or bad under Democrat control. RGL Forensics did an audit and no fraud was found.

            Time and money is limited and we need to directed our attention to current on going and future projects.

          • Wayne,

            Read the RGL report. It is NOT an Audit, they simply reviewed documents which were submitted to them, and are presenting their ‘preliminary findings to date’.

            Pg 5, RGL states: ” Obviously, to determine definitively that there was an intentional misstatement in the disbursements, transfers or account balances associated with the Ford Center Construction Project would require a forensic audit”.

            You said below that the R’s don’t have a dog in this fight, so why are you spinning this ?

          • Missouri_Kid: I am not spinning it. Several people are saying John Friend should a good mark for leading the the charge investigating the finances/expenditures. He should not. It was on his watch when it was built. He should have done it then

          • OK Wayne,

            Using your logic Friend should get “blamed” for not having done a Forensic Audit at the end of the project two years ago.

            Knowing what I know about politics, wouldn’t this be a golden opportunity to support the Audit; find the Fraud; and then “lord over it” for what ” happened on Friend’s watch” ? i.e., stick it to the D’s ?

            You are NOT saying that, and that is why I suspect a cover up.

    • I agree that halting the audit of the Ford Center now would be a travesty.

      As for the cost of these forensic audits, had the city followed best practices guidelines at the time they were contemplating the project, they would have included a post construction audit of this very expensive arena in the budget for the project.

      On a related issue, the SBOA took the city to account on the last audit for failing to perform a single review or audit of the city’s contracts with SMG for the management of the city owned entertainment facilities for a SIX YEAR PERIOD! With the SBOA commenting that the records were insufficient for an audit to be made at that time.

      Form 2006-2011 there was no audits or even a single review of these contracts for a business that dealt in mostly cash transactions, i.e. ticket sales, complementary tickets, sky-box lease/rentals, concession rental, concession percentage of sales, temporary employment, and the list goes on.

      Over a six year period I can only assume we are talking about millions of dollars. No one has any interest in this? Not the least little bit of curiosity? Well pardon me if that runs up huge red flags for me!

      ___

      • Perhaps the fact that the person incharge of SMG’s accounting practices was made comptroler of the city then moved to the water/ sewer dept with a raise/ pension is the shady part of the deal. Money could have changed hands in large quantities, and probably did. The fact that wieneke is not interested in investigating the lack of audit invites question of his ethics.

  5. Your area needs a series of viable project audits I suppose?
    One thing noted here of concern,after having had a multilevel samples of the biosphere around Bee Slough and Pigeon creek looked at last summer the samples indicated, if you do smell that aroma around the Old Greyhound Station hold your breath till you clear that.
    POP’s,PCDF’s PCDD’s PCB’s
    POP’s Persistent Organic Pollutants,can bio accumulate in human and animal tissue,thus may bio magnify in food chains.
    This is why Bee Slough needs to be “covered” ASAP,as according to the EVSW CSO sustainability planning. Probably ought to dredge Pigeon creek below Oak hill road to the river to.
    (Simply Wikipedia:) Photodissociation/photolytic/photolysis in the atmosphere, POP’s containing, thylakiods,cyanobacteria,and cloroplasts of green alage.
    Read on to related subjects, such as the (:The Love Canal disaster) and lastly read up on the (Ordovician Silurian extinction event) and that’s relationship to (Climate Change today.)

    “Insanity: Doing the same things over and over again and expecting the different results” ,”if the facts, don’t change the theory,change the facts.” (Einstein)

  7. I say a big Congratulations to CCO in their assessment of BHO and his handling of Obamacare. No spinning by CCO. Does he truly think that he can force the insurance companies to reinstate the millions of policies that have already been cancelled because they did not pass ACA’s muster? What a fool. You can see it coming already: the blame will now be shifted to the insurance carriers because they will not reinstate the cancelled policies as he has directed. Is this arrogance or ignorance on his part? If the GOP has any sense(questionable)they will just sit back and watch BHO self combust and ACA implode. I find it rather funny that the normal BHO staunch supporters, the ones that feel he can do no wrong, the ones that state that the GOP is on it’s last leg, are nowhere to be found.Those are the ones that I would want on my team. Right. When the going gets tough, the weak are nowhere to be found. GO TEAM!

    • Im glad taxpayers overpaid for parkinglot for the McCurdy at $600,000 k so grafitti artist have plenty of room to park their bikes and scooters.

      Oh and dont blame Dunn. Who wouldnt take 600k for something you bought a year earlier for 200k?
      Another great move by Weine.

      • I think you are overstating the amount he paid for the property. He was on the ONB Board and bought the property from ONB.

  9. I’ll never look at a wrecking ball demo project the same way again after seeing Miley sitting naked on one singing her hit song, wrecking ball!

    • Coyote: Had to crack up a little,thinking of the little Miley stinker on the demolition ball. What made me LOL was the others who are spoofing that,the likes of Betty White,or Hulk Hogan.
      Now envision a couple of your local twerk city council persons or other political’s riding it face to face. See why I LMAO.

      Really though,watch out there for the incoming weather maelstrom loading into the atmosphere in the next 30 hours for your local tri-state area.
      Go to the Paducah KY. National Weather Service,NOAA forcast discussion.
      Worth the look, The possibility of a weather related wrecking ball could develop overnight and after 2:30 tomorrow afternoon.
      The frontal approach and upper altitude moisture levels at changing altitudes are active to the jet stream dipping right now. Not a real nice situation with the warm southern gulf moisture feed possible.

  10. Note: To Editor;
    Could the CCO “include a link” To the site to The National Weather services NOAA site at Paducah KY. On your home page?
    This could be an, really useful “Local information moved forward” go too for your readers,its usually the just the facts with no bull or commercial dust included from the local media supplied/relayed information.
    The Paducah site is updated practically real time,and does include really good information at a glance along with “forecast discussions” with usable timing and understandable graphics. Its a funded government service, everybody should take advantage of it. (“Bang, for your Buck.”)

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