IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011

IS IT TRUE that today the City County Observer sends out our condolences and best wishes to the family of Mrs. Genna Lloyd who passed away yesterday?…that Mrs. Lloyd was the wife of Evansville Mayor Russell Lloyd, and the mother of Evansville Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.?…that these two gentlemen are the only Republicans to have been elected to be Mayor of Evansville in over 50 years?…that our thoughts and prayers go out to this family and especially to our friends Russ and Theresa Lloyd?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville City Councilman John Friend advises us that he was prepared to raise the issue of accelerating the meeting with Vectren regarding their pending fee increase request back to its original date of October 24th?…that Councilman Friend was preemptively contacted by a Vectren officer yesterday to let him know that Vectren would not have been accepting the Evansville City Council’s invitation because they would be spending that time preparing for the pre-hearing in Indianapolis?…that it seems as though the meeting for November 14th is still a go?…that Vectren officials assured Councilman Friend and others that the meeting on October 25th in at the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission in Indianapolis will not result in any decision?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council in other business last night passed the 2012 budget by a vote of 7 – 2 with Dr. H. Dan Adams leading the dissenters on the basis that the budget is “archaic” to work with in its present format and that there is no contract with the firefighters?…that outgoing Councilman Don Walker joined Dr. Adams in voting nay?…that Dr. Adams has cited what could be characterized as “laziness” in the budgeting process where no year over year changes are implemented?…that his nay vote was characterized as “irresponsible” by outgoing City Councilmen Curt John and B. J. Watts in much the manner that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel had chided Dr. Adams last year for a similar nay vote?

IS IT TRUE that in a previous meeting City Council President B. J. Watts chided some of the community speakers for wearing politically driven t-shirts when speaking before council?…that last night nothing at all was said when a speaker came before council sporting a fresh new “Winnecke for Mayor” t-shirt?…that many people watch these meetings on TV and this is a chance for some free advertising?…that the CCO does not think that the City Council has any business making remarks or instituting a dress code for the people who speak at council?

IS IT TRUE that a renovation of the first floor of the Old Post Office into a catering and events center is in the midst of being undertaken by the group that leases the building from the City of Evansville?…that this building as magnificent as it is has legacy problems such as leaking roofs that have plagued it for many years that are not yet repaired?…that in the worst case the leaky roofs may do some damage to the new improvements being made by the lessor?…that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission had made some commitments to either do the repairs needed or finance these repairs back during the planning phase of this project and seems to have fallen off of the radar without solidifying this commitment?…that the ERC is the landlord and may have only 4 more opportunities to do what is expected of them by the business that is leasing the building?…that today would be a great day for the President of the ERC, Mr. Bob Goldman to bring the topic of the Old Post Office and the renovations that are underway up in the “Other Business” part of this morning’s meeting?

IS IT TRUE that there is also much anticipation that something regarding either the downtown Convention Hotel that seems to be slipping away or the McCurdy which is only two weeks from hopefully a big positive announcement may be snuck in under the guise of “Other Business”