IS IT TRUE October 8, 2012
IS IT TRUE the eyes of the people of Evansville should be on the Evansville City Council meeting tonight at 5:00 PM on WNIN?…this will be the first opportunity for this elected body to have an official say on the failure of the City of Evansville and the Water & Sewer Utility to reconcile the accounts of the government of Evansville for 21 months?…not only were the books not balanced monthly as they are mandated to be by Indiana law but that fact was kept quiet for 20 months according to those who should have known?…that front and center stage on Monday night will be Councilman John Friend, CPA from the 5th Ward who served as Chairman of the Budget Committee during the entire AuditGATE fiasco?…that Councilman Friend has been quite adamant that he did not know about this until the State Board of Accounts Auditor brought it to his attention in August of 2012, a full 20 months after it began?…that the courageous questioner of the Earthcare Energy deal City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley is expected to be the backstop for tonight’s inquisition if the John Friend who been nearly ranting for an audit of the City of Evansville’s IT Department for longer than we can remember fails to show up tonight?
IS IT TRUE that of all of the abject failures of the government of the City of Evansville that have been exposed during the last several years, the failure to balance the books on a monthly basis for 21 months is the most damaging?…in the real world of human beings that failing to reconcile accounts on a monthly basis usually leads to bounced checks and insufficient funds fees?…that the first lesson a young person learns in the world of managing a checking account is that failing to write down that debit card swipe for a $3 cup of overpriced coffee is that letting that slide while carrying low balances can cost a whopping $35 fee on top of the $3 charge?…even when real people have overdraft protection there is usually a significant fee in the $10 range that is automatically deducted for overdrawing an account which is almost a certainty for people of realistic means who do not reconcile their account?…that of course Kings, Queens, Barons, Baronesses, and even an lowly Duke, Gates, or Buffet are probably backstopped well enough to avoid that nasty task of balancing the checkbook?…that unless the government of the City of Evansville has reached royal or billionaire status that playing fast and loose with the checking account balance without remedy for 21 months AND COUNTING is the most egregious violation of the public trust and arrogant negligence the people of this city have had perpetrated on them in many years if not since the founding?…maybe if the Centennial Park is ever built there can be a WALL OF SHAME installed to remind the people of Evansville just how terrible the oversight of this fair (or should we say fare) city was at one time?
IS IT TRUE in politics as in life the last refuge of a scoundrel is stating that “it doesn’t matter how we got into this mess let’s just concentrate on moving forwardâ€?…that often when this cry is heard the one(s) spouting it were either part of making the mess or buddies with who did?…the focus of the City Council that hopefully starts tonight must address to separate questions and solutions?…the obvious is how do we fix this MILLION DOLLAR FIASCO so we can once again count?…that more importantly is to find out how on earth did a town of over 100,000 people create an atmosphere where the bar of accountability was set so low that the checking accounts could go without being balanced for 21 months without anyone so much as asking any questions?…if there is some nefarious activity exposed then there should be consequences?…if this just turns out to be systemic ignorance that must be exposed and repaired as well?
IS IT TRUE the people of Evansville will be counting on Councilman Friend and Councilwoman Rile to lead the effort to expose a system that is so porous that two administrations with two different controllers could just let balancing the books slide for 21 months before the truth came out?…this is Councilman Friend’s opportunity to step up and show his stuff and Councilwoman Riley’s chance to cement herself as a protector of the people’s money, as Mayor Winnecke is on record as saying “all is well in River Cityâ€?…if the people and government of the City of Evansville fail to challenge, expose, and rectify this situation with no accountability that this shall be the time that Evansville does not get up from the mat after being knocked senseless by local government failure once again.
Is it true…..That given the results of the recent audit of the City of Evansville financial ledgers, and the report generated by the Indiana State Board of Accounts, that it is reasonable to assume that the US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana would have an interest in what was uncovered in the audit?
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I am especially concerned with the City of Evansville-SM&G contracts for 2006-2011. The SBOA says they have no clue what went on financially and they took a powder on the issue.
That particular type of business, where multiple-millions of dollars change hand and nothing but a ticket stub and access to an event is given in return, is the type of operation ripe for fraud.
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CCO’s moles failed on this one. This would’ve been great if it came out before the end of Weinzapfel’s term.
It would have indeed. The fact that we did not have it with the number of civic center moles that we have leads us to conclude that this knowledge was know to a very select few insiders. We do assure you that Mayor Weinzapfel was not a CCO mole.
Are you saying that the current crop of civic center moles who are so prolific with their insider scoops were in fact hired, retained, or promoted to their current positions with access to all this mess by Winnecke?
No, not at all. We are saying that there had to have been a very select group of NON MOLES who kept this under wraps for 19 or 20 months. We only started hearing about this in early July.
No that’s not what they are saying Bill Jeffers. What I’m saying is that you’re Mr. Nepotism.
“We do assure you that Mayor Weinzapfel was not a CCO mole.”
HA!!!!
Nothing to cheer about here. Just don’t why the Mayor and his city Controller did the same thing that Weinzapfel did for the last 8 months? It looks like the real coverup on this issue is with Winnenke and Lloyd.
Most important, I can’t believe that Russ Lloyd being a CPA would allow this type of thing to be happen.
Word also have it we that we need to watch City Councilmen Al Lindsey and Dr. Dan Adams at tonight’s city coucil meeting concerning the bookkeeping coverup issue.
Are you saying that these and other city council members will be riding the Fall Festival bandwagon float to the Civic Center this evening? Hip hip hooray!
Yes everyone but Jarvis is allowed to ride
I’m not sure what you mean by watch. I would think that Al would not cut them any slack since the Mayor played a part in trying to get him fired from the fire dept.
Hope Jenny Collins has her attorney with her at tonight city council meeting.
She should remember that everything she says shall be on public record.
I also hear that someone from the Inpector General office may attend this meeting tonight.
The Inspector General?!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuU9gtsjzww
Me?
Just for clarification on the second section of today’s “Is It True”, the laws pertaining to overdraft fees were changed at the Federal level. Now people have to opt in to overdraft protection at the bank in order to be liable for overdraft fees on debit cards. If you haven’t opted into the overdraft scheme, your card will simply be declined and you can’t order that $3 coffee in the first place.
Prior to this change, there was no way a customer at a bank could stop this automatic overdraft protection. I tried to shop for a bank that would allow me to turn it off, but they didn’t exist. The scheme was industry wide. Banks are Federally insured and create their credit through the Federally allowed fractional reserve banking scheme. Therefore, I think the Federal government has purview in this matter and it was one of the best things to come out of the Obama presidency and Pelosi congress.
As for AuditGate and tonight’s meeting… The Council had sure better open up discussions on this matter lest they themselves start looking like cohorts. My guess is the guilty parties will be asked to speak and they will stick to the “blame the computer” line.
H.A.L. will be the one in the hot seat ultimately.
Reading CCO and looked up and saw Evansville Chief of Police Chief and Sheriff Eric Williams (in his Uniform) doing an commercial for a local union.
Both Eric Williams and Billy Bolin should be taking to task for doing this type of thing on taxpayer dime. I’m personally insulted that they would have the guts to publically push union workers over non-union workers.
I have dealt with the IBEW on numerous charitable projects and they are always more than willing to step up and help our community. They provided thousands of hours of labor, for free, to Holly’s House, which the Police Department uses for office space. I stand by my support of the IBEW.
No one cares about you supporting the IBEW. It is politicking in uniform that has people questioning the appropriateness of your actions. You an Eric Williams are both using your positions and the uniforms to politic. That is wrong.
I was not wearing a uniform.
Mayor Winnecke: Why is Jenny Collins still on the city payroll (Water and Sewer Department)? If you wanted her fired, it would happen. In your public release sent to CCO, you indicated that there was mis-management, etc. in the office she held in the Weinzapfel administration. And at $8,000 plus, per year. You are not supposed to be running a “good ol’ boys club, you are supposed to be functioning as the CEO of a Second Class City.
Is it true that Winnecke abetted her being put on the payroll so she (and one other Weinzapfel appointee) would achieve the ten years needed to qualify for a pension?
Jenny is like King Midas but the opposite. SMG, City Controller’s Office, City Utilites…Everything that she touches turns into s–t!
Queen Detritus?
If you are watching the budget hearing, the worm has turned.
The administration, Rusty Lloyd and the parks director have just gone through a buzz saw.
Roberts demolition funds have been stripped from the transfer/appropriation ordinance.
It seems clear the demo of Roberts needs to be re-bid as the entire concept is morphing into a project significantly different from the original specifications.
AuditGate is up next.
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