IS IT TRUE? November 18, 2011 Part 2 “BUTTONGATE, Polls and the Machine”

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IS IT TRUE? November 18, 2011 Part 2 “BUTTONGATE, Polls and the Machine”

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer was graciously provided the powerpoint presentation that Vectren CEO Carl Chapman made to the Evansville City Council on Monday night by Vectren’s PR department?…that we didn’t even ask for it and they sent it anyway and that we appreciate that openness?…that we called the Evansville City Clerk’s office so that we could listen to the tape that was made of Monday night’s meeting and ran into a series of excuses that are reminiscent of an elementary students excuses for not doing their homework?…that we heard, we don’t have it, it isn’t ready yet, the notes are not transcribed yet, and that we were poised to deal with “the dog ate it”, “the McCurdy brown bats flew away with it”, and even the CCO’s flying monkey’s took the tape?…that the Courthouse Moles told us that City Clerk Alberta Matlock forgot to push the button to tape the meeting so there is not a tape available?…that after six phone calls back and forth that Alberta’s trust assistant finally admitted that Alberta did not record the meeting?…that the Evansville City Clerk Alberta Matlock has just broken the record of 18 minutes of missed recording set back in the 1970’s by the Nixon Administration in what started the GATE suffix phenomena with WATERGATE?…that we do appreciate the office of the City Clerk owning up to the truth and for providing us with a new term FORGOT TO PUSH THE BUTTONGATE?…that we expect that WNIN has a recording and will bail the City Clerk’s office out with a reproduction recording so they can put the minutes on paper?

CCO Flying Monkey
IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has conducted a series of polls since the election and that all of the polls have been allowed to stay up for a couple of days so that a significant number of votes could be cast?…that the main topic of these polls have been the so called “machine” that received so much attention and scorn during the recent campaign?…that we have determined from our polls regarding the “machine” that our readers believe that there is a “machine” that runs Evansville by a 3 to 1 margin?…that our readers furthermore believe by the same 3 – 1 margin that the “machine” contains both Democrat and Republican members and that the only way to rid the City of Evansville is to either wait for the people making up the “machine” to die or to just Grin and Bear it since the “machine” is just part of what Evansville is?…that 18 of our reader voters are idealistic and believe that the “machine” can be reformed?

IS IT TRUE that things have not changed much in 3 decades as exactly 30 years ago a distinguished professor at the University of Evansville told this writer that the best career move would be to get out of here and don’t come back until there had been about 200 funerals that were needed to clean up local government?…that the funerals happened but the “machine” is still in charge and that the remedy for fixing Evansville is still a bunch of funerals?…that it seems as though the “machine” teaches its children well and makes sure that they inherit power and position even if it is elected?

IS IT TRUE that in another poll our readers believe that major spending that is being contemplated or contracted right now by the Weinzapfel Administration should be subject to the approval or the veto of Mayor Elect Lloyd Winnecke?…that the City County Observer believes that while shoving through $100 Million in spending during a lame duck period may be legal that it is just not the right thing to do?…that soon Mayor Winnecke will have to deal with these contracts and pay for these contracts so he should have veto power over any major expenditure right now?…that goes double for legacy bumbling projects like the McCurdy and the downtown Convention Hotel?…that even the Congress of the United States that has an approval rating that is flirting with single digits knows better than to shove major legislation through in a lame duck session?

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6 COMMENTS

  1. The “machine politics” could have been reformed in the proposed consolidation plan (Pig-In-A-Poke) by making the elected positons NON-PARTISAN, but the drafters of the plan, and both elected bodies would not hear of it.

    • If the elected positions were nonpartisan the Democrats wouldn’t know who to vote for, and it would be left to the Republicans to decide who would run the government!

  2. Normally I agree with the CCO, but on one I have to dissent. Though I in no way, shape, or form support Mayor Weinzapfel and cannot wait for the next 42(?) days to be over, it is still his ship to sail, nor does Mayor-elect Winnecke have any legal obligation to approve or deny these contracts. JMHO

  3. Forgot to push the button!

    I have never voted for the woman and never will! Completely and utterly incompetent! Stick to karaoke!

  4. Some people just don’t understand or cannot accept democracy with all its inherent faults.

  5. Keep in mind that state statute does not require a city council to produce verbatim transcriptions of their meetings, only synopses.

    The audio tapes are kept for legal purposes such as when the council might need a complete record in court.

    With the city council, if you miss the WNIN airing of the meetings, you’re basically screwed if you want a complete record of what went on.

    The county commissioners, on the other hand, provide verbatim printed minutes of their meetings. County government is a much more transparent government.

    Hope you enjoy life under consolidated local government with a mayor and city council rather than a 3-member executive commission and a city manager.

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