IS IT TRUE October 4, 2013

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Live Long and Prosper
Live Long and Prosper

IS IT TRUE October 4, 2013

IS IT TRUE Leadership Evansville has concluded 32 public sessions and spent in the neighborhood of $20,000 taxpayer dollars?…this has all been done in a quest to identify what the people of Evansville think needs to be done to make Evansville a better place to live?…to their credit Leadership Evansville has successfully attracted over 1,000 participants to these meetings?…the dominant age of the participants is under 18 years old with some being as young as 5 years old?…after all of this time, money, and youthful collaboration the top three action items to come from this effort are “healthy green spaces”, “a vibrant core”, and “enhancing experiences”?…while it is admirable to put in such an extended effort the output is quite touchy feely and will mean vastly different things to different people?…these initiatives seem more like a travel agents brochure for a cruise or a visit to some far off exotic location?…it is expected that if 100 people were asked to precisely define what any of these three initiatives mean to them it is highly probably that 100 different answers would be offered?…

IS IT TRUE that vibrant is defined as “full of energy and enthusiasm” and core is defined as “the central or most important part of something?…when you combine these terms vibrant core must mean “the most important part of Evansville being full of energy and enthusiasm”?…while this sounds cool it is pretty hard to really put specific actions in place to achieve such an undefined thing?…the other two initiatives are equally as disparate (def: things that are so unlike there is no basis for comparison) as the vibrant core initiative that being able to define or measure steps toward the goal is as impossible as getting John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi to agree on what the nation should do?…wanting something that can’t be agreed upon, defined, or measured with precision is not a constructive exercise but we are sure everyone felt good when it concluded?

IS IT TRUE it is almost mystifying how such a group would not come up with initiatives like exemplary infrastructure, high skill jobs that pay well, and world class public education?…these kinds of initiatives are the details that lead to things like broad things like “vibrant core” that are impossible to define?…that it what happens when the K-12 crowd is put in charge of setting the agenda?…all due respect to the people who worked hard on this but a general initiative like “Evansville needs to be more like Disneyland” would have been as useful as what came from the process?…pursuing things like “vibrant core” without drilling down to the next level where the age old problems like infrastructure, jobs, and education is simply a smiley face diversion to working on Evansville’s real issues that have lead to a “spiritless core”?…spiritless, sleepy, lifeless, cavernous, etc, are antonyms of vibrant and all still define the state of downtown Evansville?…the real question is whether “core” really means downtown or something different to different people?

IS IT TRUE that it is now the 3rd day of the government shutdown and the sun is still rising, life is still happening, and the FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCOLYPSE (Boehner, Pelosi, Reid, and Obama) are still acting like petulant children who think the world revolves around the breaths they take?…these four and several other members of Congress need to spend the weekend watching Star Trek reruns?…Mr. Spock got it right when he said “THE NEEDS OF THE MANY OUTWEIGH THE NEEDS OF THE FEW OR THE ONE”?…the question is what means few?…few could be the FOUR, or it could in the scope of the entire United States mean the 10 Million?…either way it is a better way to live than being selfish and arrogant?…we support the spirit of Mr. Spock for President?

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57 COMMENTS

  1. If its not too late for her two cents, my 3-year-old would like an Evansville with no naps, plenty of chocolate milk, talking trains with cute faces…oh, and sound leadership working to a master plan.

    Ok, I may have asked her about that last one, and I may have gotten a blank look followed by a disinterested “yep”.

  2. You really “nailed” the Leadership Evansville “study”. Evansville’s true “core” is no longer downtown. The geographical core of this city is not the spiritual core, and if the truth were told, I don’t believe that the residents of downtown truly want middle-class housing there. That, like it or not, is what gives vibrance to an area.
    I think that the idea of the urban life-style led by “young professionals” has caught the imaginations of some of our leaders, but we don’t have anything to “draw” those young professionals. This is a middle-class, family-style city and we should embrace that. We need to stop watching TV and look around us, people.

  3. Yup agreed editor: “Vibrant core” lets see here,biologically a rotten apple or a pile of dung has a vibrant core.
    Planning rebuilding a ” solid economical core ” would be what would catch my attention.
    Pay -looww -“si”, looks like a Rommulan already, casting makeup savings there,
    Spock might be the answer,the others leaders look like there still stuck in a “warp wormhole”.

    • Heh heh.. Casting call here, I always thought Pelosi had the look of a Klingon bag,
      Boehner is on a Kirk trip.
      Reid and Obama seem mixed up, might have been caught up in a Multiple person transporter screw up of unknown origins.

      Yeah, I’ll go with Spock too.

  4. Vibrant Core? With $200,000 dollars worth of “Vibrant River” hanging on the side of “The John”,–I understand the desire for a Vibrator Store, next, for Old Downtown, in the minds of Evansville’s Politicos.
    I might suggest setting up a tent in the $600,000 McCurdy parking lot as a prime location for it. With a TIF designation, it can be a Reality!

    • They don’t believe in participating to make change through positivity. Only observing and criticizing.

    • It’s the Roberts Stadium Task Force version 2.0. Why bother? The second verse won’t be any different than the first.

      Can you name one master plan or even one community outreach project that was realized in this city? On my desk I have the 01 master plan, the 02 parks & rec master plan, the Jacobsville master plan, and the Garvin Park/ Kleymeyer Park master plan among many others. I’ll give the Jacobsville plan a pass since it’s fairly new but not one single plan has ever come close to realization. How many times do we have to go through this before we stop wasting our time?

      • Phyllip, you see, Jordan comes from a place where he’s seen the sneakiness of this Mayor up close and personal. I learned of his self-serving nature through family members who worked at GAGE while Winnecke was on the board.

        You and all the other wide-eyed K-12 Voice participants have the luxury of assuming positive intent. The rest of us free and critical thinkers with real world wisdom and experience have no such luxury.

        • What have any of you done to actually try to improve the community. You’re just a bunch of crybabies with a keyboard. Real life, my ass. You hardly even come out of your house. Everyone associated with page plays some kind of crazy victim card and feels that they have inside knowledge to justify their butthurt feelings.

          • To Herman Clark: In regards to Phyllip’s comment: He calls them like he sees them. Sometimes the truth hurts.

          • I put in many hours weekly to a non profit that in a lot of ways has a direct impact on the community. I don’t think people are not trying. I think they are tired of trying with little to no results. Some just came to the realization they were barking up the wrong tree but will come back out before elections to start fresh.

          • Vox populi Voice of the people.

            autem, scientia est potentia also Knowldege is power.
            Autem, tua toga suspina est. Phyllip you figure that one out.

            ut humiliter opinor
            IMHO

        • So true. As the founding fathers laid down we citizens should *always* be critical of government at any level. The sad part is this; the local level governments like that of a small city like Evansville should be so transparent a lead wall could not hide their activity (as hard as they try).

          • Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

            Never tickle a sleeping dragon. (potters alma mater)

            absom

            I’m outta here.

  6. Derp declares:

    “We must endeavor to persevere and create a healthy green space with a vibrant core and have fun!
    We will name it- EW-ANSVILLE!”
    or (green apple full of worms)

    Seriously:
    Vibrance derives from vitality and vigor; health from wholesomeness and right thinking; enhanced experience is a byproduct of these.

    We are so far off track that aphorisms are substituted for reason, example and logical plans. …

  7. Scene downtown evansville 2015..SCOTTY! Kirk here. Beam Us Up NOW! ,aye sir however You just beamed down Captain! beam us up NOW this place sucks,Spock just determined through logic this place was build by the dreaded ancilartorians.
    Aye sir activating transporter! Bones! Thee place must be an engineering cluster (–>add comment<—.)

  8. One of the main tenets in the Voice sessions was “assume positive intent”. CCO has the opposite motto, “assume negative intent”. You are right about the three topics being broad. That’s why there are more meetings to narrow it down within these categories. If you had went to the meeting last night or this morning, you would know that “city core” as LE means it is not just the downtown area. We’re talking about investments in the central areas in our city. North Main, Franklin St, Haynies Corner. If you ever want to be more than a tabloid, you might want to witness an event before you report it. BTW, Tim Etheridge was there this morning. Therefore, anything that he writes on the topic has more validity.

    • What does that mean? “Assume positive intent?” Do you mean assume no one has ulterior motives for doing something? If that’s what’s meant you might want to avoid being rude, dismissive, and calling people arrogant the first time you meet converse with them.

      I haven’t attended one of these meetings, but Phillip Schultz, whose assessment I pretty well trust, said he went to one of these events and said it was (paraphrasing) touchy/feely BS. That they might as well have had fingerpaints and a drum circle. Not that I have anything against drum circles and finger paints, heck I’m an artist too who happens to play a djembe, but they have no place in a serious discussion of planning a city’s future.

      You could gather up riff raff from under a bridge and get better answers for your $20k.

      Tim Etheridge isn’t an unbiased observer reporting on what he sees any more than I am when I choose to write something. This guy nodded, spoke, and bayed for the hotel at $37.5m just like you, Wayne Parke, and most everyone else at those townhalls. To then say his opinion is more important because he gives himself a thin armor with a “journalist” nametag is ridiculous. I admit I’m an activist. I don’t claim to be a journalist.

      The same can be said for the CCO. The “Is It True?” articles are unabashedly editorial. They ask pointed questions to elicit thinking and critique within the reader. That’s the difference between the CCO and Courier Press. The CCO isn’t pretending to be anything it’s not, while the Courier pretends to be unbiased “journalism” when really they’re just a badly disguised mouthpiece for certain politicians and area businessmen who round out their locally-produced drivel with AP articles and a slick website.

      Just my opinion, which I will be careful not to misrepresent as journalism.

      • “That they might as well have had fingerpaints and a drum circle. Not that I have anything against drum circles and finger paints, heck I’m an artist too who happens to play a djembe, but they have no place in a serious discussion of planning a city’s future.”

        Haha, we’ve gone from the Gateway Consultants giving us a complete market position analysis with multiple amazing projects to back it up to a reading of the Flower Man book…

        http://instagram.com/p/SBqz8MnieB/

      • Like I said, second hand knowledge. Is that your real world experience? Your source is the person that suggested adult playgrounds with fighting robots like the movie, Real Steel? Everything that is written on these electronic bathroom walls is opinion without a drop of journalism. I called you arrogant when I met you because I meant it. We weren’t at a Voice session.

        • Haha. Sounds like he was just succumbing to the whimsical atmosphere in which he found himself immersed. I guess if we’re offering up a no-holds-barred wish list for the city, I’d like to find a way to make it float above the clouds like Laputa in Gullier’s Travels.

          You called me arrogant when we first met because you had a preconceived notion of who I was when I told you my name. You didn’t care to take any time to get to know me or try to find out what I was all about. That’s the sum total of that. You later admitted you were wrong about me and called me a “worthy adversary”. Now I guess you are back to your original mantra.

          As for journalism… it’s very easy to maintain an air of unbiased journalism while simultaneously skewing a debate by choosing a slanted headline or cherry-picking quotes that promote an agenda. The Courier does it daily. Again, the difference is, they take a paycheck as “journalists”, whereas I get paid nothing for being an “activist”. At least for now, until I convince Cosby to hire me. 😉

          • NEWS FLASH: I, like most people in Evansville, have never heard your name. That’s the delusions of grandeur thing I keep telling you about. If I had a nickel for every time that someone replied, “who?” when I’ve said your name, I’d have a dime. (I’ve only mentioned you twice) I called you arrogant because you made a scene and wanted everyone to look at “the smart guy”. You’re fooling yourself. You’re a nobody with a keyboard hanging out with a bunch of other nobodies with keyboards. Before, the hotel debate I had not logged on to this site in months. I’ll go back to that. I tired of trying to teach a bunch of crybabies how to stop crying and get up and walk to improve your surroundings. You can reply with whatever you want because I’ll never see it or visit your tabloid again.

          • Mean-spirited much?

            You don’t need to answer that. That have a chip on your shoulder the size of El Capitan.

            • Maybe the myth ain’t true when it comes to old Phyllip. Why is he is so sensitive?

          • To tape_measure: Plain and simple. Phyllip wants people to help try to make Evansville a better place for all it citizens.Get the facts and do something positive–not bitch all the time

        • Most of us have things to do with our lives that don’t leave a lot of time to participate in farces like the Voices “survey”, Phyllip. I don’t understand why you get so upset with people who offer constructive criticism, engage in “loyal opposition”, and ask questions.
          There is a big difference in being a “negative Nancy” and in questioning opinion. It is a sad state of affairs that has our leadership only listening to the “yes-toadies.” Maybe you need to hone your own critical thinking skills, instead of attacking people who exercise theirs.

          • Well said Laura. I associate myself with your comment.

            BTW: I see Phyllip has vowed to stop posting here. Let’s see if he can keep his promise.
            I doubt if his ego can rest. …

          • He won’t respond to you. He took his ball and went home… At least, that is, until he comes back.

            It’s easier for people who can’t win an argument on merit to just sling insults and leave. He has absolved himself from having to face the reality that he might not always be right by calling the CCO a “tabloid” and everyone who participates in its discussions and debates as “low brow” – far too low brow for his lofty intellectual position of having figured everyone out from his perch atop the apex of the pyramid of human understanding.

  9. This “VOICE” idea was launched just a handful of weeks after the Roberts fallout. It was basically an attempt at trying to do damage control and claim that the city was indeed listening to people’s ideas. Winnecke literally used the same leader for this as he did the task force (and of course that was completely fair). And of course, Ethridge had to call out the Roberts supporters when trying to support this program. Fool me once…

    Once it hit the paper that only seventeen people showed up drawing stick figures with crayons, the movement instantly turned to the K-12 crowd and that’s where these bloated figures came from. I appreciate those who boycotted this.

    Until there is an effort to form a program that has guts and requirements built into it that are binding, we are just going to keep going around and around with these dog and pony shows that are nothing more than pr gimmicks to try to soothe over the masses.

    The city knew what they were going to do with Roberts, the county and ECVB knew what they were going to do with the ball fields, and now the city knows where they are going with the IU Med School bid. They have funds earmarked for all of them and no other project of any size or shape will ever be allowed to get in the way. No crayola crayon is ever going to change someone’s mind that is already made up.

    I look at OKC at what they have done with their MAPS program and I wonder just how nice it would be to have the opportunity to pick and vote for your own projects, then vote to fund them or not, and then form a committee for each project that deals with the public directly on where these amenities should be located. Minus the voting aspect, we had this with the 01 master plan and it turned out great. The mayor promised to bring it back, why has he turned his back on it?

    • Jordan, how many have you went to? I’ve been to plenty of them and they all had at least 30 attendees. LE decided to roll them out in EVSC because they wanted the high school kids opinion. That was to avoid brain drain and come up with ideas to keep our kids in the area instead of continuing the shrinkage of our community. Like I’ve said, before you can’t criticize if you didn’t go to one. Keep that “it wouldn’t matter anyway” crap in Jr. High, where it belongs.

      • “how many have you went to”

        I’ve told you exactly why I don’t go to these crayola sessions. I’ve already been through this song and dance with this organization (and by organization I’m talking about its leaders not those who actually go out and do the work).

        “LE decided to roll them out in EVSC because they wanted the high school kids opinion.”

        And high school opinions they got. They got next to nothing from the general population. That’s when this bloated figure from k-12 students came out. Don’t tell me that didn’t have anything to do with it. How many high schools were surveyed about the hotel?

        “Like I’ve said, before you can’t criticize if you didn’t go to one.”

        How many of these dog and pony shows do I have to go to before this merry go round of programs that I “just have to go to” ends? You’re telling me that if I would have walked in there and drew out my ball fields plan in crayon things would be different? Don’t kid yourself.

        “Keep that “it wouldn’t matter anyway” crap in Jr. High, where it belongs”

        No, I’ll keep it in H.S where you guys are now targeting. Just about every project in this town is rigged. There is ample proof of it, zero against.

  10. Lets see here spud:,sticking with the Star Trek theme.
    Scene: Bridge of the Enterprise(catch word name there)
    Science officer Spock…Captain the ancilartorians have just gone tactical on the innocent CCO with an weapon of intent.
    Chechov.. KapEtain Vah phasers are locked on ve aggressors!!
    Spock..Captain the non interference directive.
    Right Spock set course for solar warp worm hole engage max warp drive for time jump forward 48 universal time clock units, Mr.Scot power up the tractor beam lock up the ancilartorians. Upon arrival forward disengage the tractor beam and deposit them into the city core. Spock..Captain logic predicts heavy precipitation and combined sewers outflow events in that location.
    Yes Spock,drop them into it,ancilitorians thrive by creating events. Spock.. illogical Captian science determines more advanced infrastructure supports events.
    Bones…put a sock in it Spock that’s just a human weakness ancilatorians exploit.
    Spock… yes doctor now I understand. Its a emotional human weakness.
    Captain The Science Officer would advise the CCO to sustain their shields in the present. Yes Spock,and Mr Scot now find a way to beam the whole mess back to the Acilitorian star system. AYE CAPTAIN! may we include the whole alliance Captain? the wee C&P? Certainly Mr.Scot.. Kirk out. 🙂

  11. A couple of miscellaneous things here.

    First of all, I would like to thank Councilman Friend for his work in fighting Roberts Park…

    http://www.14news.com/story/23612894/funding-for-roberts-park-could-be-delayed?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer99cc3&utm_medium=facebook

    Secondly and most importantly, I’d like to express my condolences to Mr. Scott Danks who lost his brother Michael last week. Have been definitely keeping him in mind this past week and very sorry to hear…

    http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courierpress/obituary.aspx?n=michael-danks&pid=167247049&fhid=10661#fbLoggedOut

  12. I would like to bring up a couple of misc things that I think need to be brought up for separate reasons.

    First of all, according to 14 News, Councilman John Friend is recommending delaying for at least a year the initial $1.5 million for Roberts Park. I want to be the first and main person to thank Mr. Friend for doing this. This has made my day and I have thoroughly excited about this news since hearing it.

    Also, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Mr. Scott Danks who lost his brother and law firm partner Michael this past week. I have been thinking about the Danks family the past week and offer my deepest of sympathies to them. I hated to hear the news.

  13. pretty good size puddle in Roberts park this morning. “broad things like “vibrant core” that are impossible to define?…” We have a vibrant commercial core on the east side. We have a vibrant entertainment core on Franklin street. Neither of witch has cost us taxpayers anything. Downtown will never be either. The traffic an the noise vibrantsey requires would never be allowed.

    • Yeah Grump like I said turds can have vibrant cores.
      When you said “broad things” I started reading,thought you were about to mention that mosby bag or something.
      you didn’t. blast.
      Darn your saying people have commercial entertainment here without some taxpayers pooch and pony set up.
      I guess someone has a dog that hunts that stuff vibrancy, must not be hard to find, lots of people, noise and such. Who’da ever thunk it.

  14. so why did the Missy Mosby story disappear? Was the CCO mistaken or did someone just get to you guys? If you were mistaken, you owe her a hell of an apology. If someone got to you then you owe me and all your other readers one.

      • Funny, it just showed back up on the site. I still say its below the standards that I thought CCO stood for.

        • I didn’t find it. You may have accessed a cached copy on your computer.

          I am glad it is gone, but you can’t un-ring a bell. Missy deserves an apology, but I wouldn’t sweat it to much with some of her past antics.

          • it’s there just way way down the list, and if it’s true, and it appears to be no one owes Missy an apology. When you choose to enter the public spotlight, be you Missy Mosby, John Friend or anyone else you had better be prepared to have your life under a microscope. Missy has been the first to throw stones in the past so I don’t feel very sorry for her, except for the fact that it came to light at the same time as she is dealing with the death of a family member. This lawsuit isn’t going away and the dirty linen might better have been aired in a week from now. After all, there isn’t an election next week. I would love to know what the suit with Integra Bank was about as she was employed there at that time

      • Talked to Stephanie about this topic this morning, she did the research for someone else who supplied it to the CCO. She said she had asked Joe to take it down

  15. Vibrant core and healthy green space is what I consider important for Evansville. This, to me means nice streets, sidewalks and clean safe parks. We really have some nice parks that just don’t get taken care of and aren’t that safe. I went to Roberts Stadium 5 plus time per year, found it dated but adequate, rarely ever spent more than 4 hours there for an event. It was comfortable enough for a few hours. At the concerts I went to very few people were sitting down. Went to a few events at the Executive and found it more than adequate. Not at all happy with the way local politicians damaged Evansville and wasted terrible amounts of money. The Johnson Control deal coupled with the arena and the hotel is like spending all your money on landscaping while your roof is leaking. I want people to come to Evansville and leave knowing Evansville is a nice, clean, safe, well maintained city. Just my opinion and that’s not happening.

    • How can a park that is not maintained and dangerous be nice? I was told once that there are two kinds of management. One turns shit into money and the other turns money into shit. Evansville has a legacy of turning money into shit. I would agree that Evansville has allot of shitty parks that are dangerous that were nice back when there was some civic pride in this place. Please stop calling shitty places nice. The elected folks will all repeat your words when they should be doing something about the neglect.

  16. McCurdy Hotel

    P/R Mortgage & Investment Corp. of Indianapolis:

    P/RMIC’s primary source of funding is the secondary market of federally chartered agencies and the federal government.

    The company is an approved FHA mortgagee and is an approved Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender for HUD. During 2010, the company was #1 in the country in FHA Multifamily production.

    The company is also a Fannie Mae DUS Affordable Lender. Additionally, P/R Mortgage is a Rural Housing Service (RHS) approved lender for the Section 538 program.

    The company is a Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) Issuer of Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS). These agencies offer secondary market programs that provide a full range of loan structures for multifamily rental projects and health care facilities. Through these programs P/RMIC can provide acquisition, refinance, rehabilitation and new construction loans for our clients. These programs offer competitive long-term, fixed-rate loans that will meet the needs of our clients. Through its banking parent, P/RMIC can offer floating and fixed rate interim construction and acquisition/rehab loans.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Indiana Business Journal
    9 May 2013

    Carmel-based Merchants Bank of Indiana is merging into Mooresville-based Citba Financial Corp., the parent of the $375 million-in-assets Citizens Bank—a deal that sent Citba shares soaring 87 percent Thursday morning.

    Merchants’ eight shareholders will receive Citba shares that were valued at $98.3 million before the announcement of the deal caused the stock to surge from $26.60 to $49.50. The increase—fueled by optimism that the deal will boost profits—swelled the value of the transaction to $183.5 million.

    Although Citba will be the surviving corporation, it will take on the name Merchants Bancorp, and its branches will take on the Merchants Bank moniker.

    Merchants is larger than Citba, with assets of $1.2 billion. But much of that involves Merchants’ multifamily mortgage and health care facilities financing arm, P/R Mortgage & Investment Corp., which was particularly attractive to Citba.

    _

  17. I do not think this project is heading in the direction that was originally envisioned.

    Surely local taxpayers are not on the hook for any type of incentives for this project at this point in time?

    This project has gone from private luxury apartments to “market rate” apartments funded by HUD tax money.

    It looks as if the can is just being kicked down the road a little farther and that in the not too distant future we will have come full circle back to where we are now.

    __

    • I think it is time for CCO to look into the real situation on the McCurdy. Much as I love that building, we don’t need to sink taxpayer money into it at this time.

      “It appears to me that Ben Kunkel is tap dancing while he whistles “Dixie.” Maybe he should take his act to the Amateur Show at the Fall Festival, because I didn’t read anything that sounded like a professionally positive attitude in this interview. Thanks for the pertinent information, “press”.”

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