IS IT TRUE? October 9, 2011
IS IT TRUE that former Republican candidate for Evansville City Council and the champion of the “Sewers Before Stadium†campaign has endorsed Democratic candidate Rick Davis for Mayor of Evansville?…that in his endorsement letter to the City County Observer and the Courier Press that Smith did not discuss the proposals of either Mr. Davis or his opponent Republican Lloyd Winnecke?…that what Mr. Smith discussed was instead the once in a generation presence of a candidate for Mayor of Evansville that is not part of the “machine†politics that he gives credit for the 50 year decline of the City of Evansville?…that there has been much written and said this year regarding the “machine†that supposedly has run Evansville for most of our lifetimes?…that the most common name for the “machine†is the good old boys network?…that Mr. Smith is clear in his letter that he likes Mr. Winnecke but that taking that once in a generation opportunity to break the machine makes his endorsement the right thing for him to do?
IS IT TRUE that Mr. Smith has reason to want to see the “machine†removed from power?…that in his run for Evansville City Council when he extolled the people of Evansville to his battle cry of “Sewers Before Stadiumâ€, he most certainly ran into the obstructive capacity of powerful people in both parties who very badly wanted “Stadium Before Sewersâ€?…that Mr. Smith never ever said that an Arena was a bad thing to do?…that he simply advocated for Evansville making the conscious choice to repair the sewers which are under EPA court order to be done before maxing out the City of Evansville’s credit card to build a stadium?…that if one is living in a home that is in need of a complete plumbing repair job for the toilets to work yet one chooses to spend that money on an expensive toy that most people would consider that to be poor judgment?…that “Sewers Before Stadium†was prudent, it was necessary, it was logical, and it was the right thing to do?…that there was indeed a bi-partisan group of powerful community leaders assembled to advocate for “Stadium Before Sewers†and by-golly that is what we are doing?
IS IT TRUE that of all of the things that has been done in Evansville in recent history that the Arena Committee worked with precision and efficiency?…that they were successful in having all of the public meetings to provide cover for the decision to proceed, hiring a consulting firm to sanction the Arena as a “needâ€, construct pro-formas that eliminated the need for a referendum, and placing the Arena downtown?…that if such an effort of capable people was directed at stopping brain drain, attracting outside investment that results in job creation, or helping existing businesses to expand that Evansville could probably have both the Arena and repair the sewers in a timely manner?…that going downtown last night made it abundantly clear that the sewers are in terrible condition?…that between Kentucky Avenue and the Museum on Southlane Drive that is one of the Gateways to the City of Evansville, the kind of stench that was present last night is becoming more and more commonplace?…that often the smell is annoying but not enough to make one gag?…that last night was just awful and that we hope that today’s last couple of miles of the Evansville Half Marathon are not fouled by the same conditions?
IS IT TRUE that Evansville does often seem to be run by some invisible force that pushes for things that do not serve the people of Evansville well?…that doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is the commonly accepted definition of insanity?…that if there is indeed a “machine†in Evansville that is quietly controlling the events that shape our lives that this machine most certainly has the face of a Democrat and the heart of a control freak?
IS IT TRUE that there is something very wrong with the governance of the City of Evansville and it has been that way for a very long time?…that the wrongs are not always the doings of elected officials?…that Mr. Smith is correct in his assertion that the “machine†must go?…that the City County Observer would like to encourage both candidates for Mayor of Evansville and all of the candidates for Evansville City Council to do as Apple’s Steve Jobs said and to “THINK DIFFERENTLYâ€?…that to think differently is only the first step?…that we have seen “Thinking Outside the Box†before?…that it is having the courage to “Live Outside the Box†is where Evansville comes up short?…that the BOX referred to in those expressions is the MACHINE?…that Thinking and Living Outside of the Box whether you are in Evansville or any other town is the difference in growing an Apple and losing a Whirlpool?
What department is Joe Wallace hoping to lead under Rick Davis? If this isn’t ass kissing, I don’t know what is.
None, I have had my fill of working for governments. The private sector suits me much better.
You and me both, brother!
You two are indeed brothers. Both of you were canned and fired, and now both of you have dedicated yourselves to revenge on anyone responsible. Get real – everyone sees you two for who you are.
Is this the same Andrew Smith who operated AmeriDebt in 2003, when it was described in a Senate subcommittee hearing as “nothing short of a sweat shop?”
Is this the same Andrew Smith after whose tenure as AmeriDebt president the company “began winding down, laying off half its employees and no longer accepting new clients,” and against whom the Federal Trade Commission filed suit in November 2003, and against whom the states of Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Maryland and Texas also filed suits?
Is this the same Andrew Smith who when he ran against state representative Phil Hoy (the founder of TriState Food Bank, and one of Rick Davis’s most ardent supporters), claimed to be and advocate for poor people when at the same time Andrew Smith headed up Fairstream, a “loan consolidation” company some say preyed on financial disadvantaged people?
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/oct/20/smiths-record-of-helping-poor-in-contrast-to/
Is this a political endorsement that Rick Davis sought, or that Rick Davis seriously desires? Let’s hear from Rick Davis on this one.
It’s the same Mr. Smith that demos agreed with
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“But Mosby, who has spoken out against the stadium in the past, said he had no problem voting “yes.”
“Take one-fifth of the money that’s talked about being spent Downtown and use it to renovate Bosse Field,” he said.
Stadium backers say the project would create jobs. Mosbysaid Evansville has a lengthy list of needed storm sewer projects that could put people to work.”
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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2003/feb/04/fanello-mosby-oppose-stadium/
Joe Biden, I’d still love to hear from Rick Davis himself just how he views this endorsement, and whether he accepts this endorsement from Andrew Smith, who as a former opponent of Phil Hoy ran what some have said was a very negative and demeaning campaign against Rev. Hoy.
Here comes the machine (Mark) with the outlandish personal attacks.
Guess I hit a nerve. LOL.
Give ’em hell, Rick!
Are you the same Andrew Smith who ran against Phil Hoy for State Representative? Are you the same Andrew Smith who after losing to Rev. Hoy then managed David Hennig’s run against Phil Hoy in a subsequent election? Many of us remember those two particularly nasty campaigns.
If you are that Andrew Smith, and if you are the Andrew Smith who now endorses Rick Davis, many of us would love to hear opinions on this endorsement from Rick Davis, Phil Hoy, Bill Bennett, Wendy Bredhold, and others. Oh yes, that TRULY will be interesting!
Your facts and your chronology are incorrect. But you know that, don’t you?
I just remember you and David Hennig having a “professional” relationship, both of you running against Phile Hoy, and both of you resorting to homophobic rhetoric and less than savory campaign tactics during both your campaigns. Other than that, both of you are largely forgettable.
Funny, Veracity (or it it Mark/David/Jonathan). If I’m so “forgettable,” why do you keep a file on me? LOL.
If it weren’t for all the evil things you’ve done to people over the years, I’d almost feel sorry for you as your little empire comes crashing down around you.
A file? What an ego! The public vaguely remembers you being flushed down the sewers of politics as a two-time loser. All the other snippets of your sordid past remain online for anyone to google. You and Davis deserve each other – two inflated egos running on conspiracy theories and backed by a bunch of loonie tunes.
As usual veracity, you tell only ever tell your version of the truth. You know there was a file. Not a conspiracy, just fact.
Andrew Smith was lone voice objecting to the City’s ERC purchase of Mr. Dunn’s parking lot for their McCurdy project. If you are happy with how the City and its mensa like ERC have handled both the McCurdy and Executive Inn replacement, then ignore Mr. Smith:
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“City Council candidate Andrew Smith, a Republican at-large, said Monday the city’s decision to buy the property “fundamentally calls into question the transparency and accountability of the redevelopment commission … the complaint seems to be that they had to pay too much money for this, but they have only themselves to blame for that because of the way that they went about putting together this deal.
“If they had done the smart thing and tried to acquire these parcels together before announcing the project, then they would have had more bargaining leverage. Instead, in a rush to make an announcement about Downtown development, they seem to be engaging in the kind of fiscal mismanagement that I think has typified this administration.â€
Weinzapfel dismissed that suggestion, saying the realtor representing the city who approached Dunn about buying the parking lot did not tell him who he represented.
Smith sent a letter Monday to Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter, asking his office to investigate the details of the transaction history of the parking lot.
After reviewing the letter, Weinzapfel said: “If (Smith) wants to have a policy discussion about whether we should encourage Downtown development, whether that is important to this community, whether we should incentivize residential housing construction — that is another point worth having a discussion about. But that’s not what he’s doing here.â€
Weinzapfel said the McCurdy renovation is a “great project†and a building that, because of the operational costs of sustaining it, was at risk of becoming vacant before the city and Scott-Hilliard-Kosene reached a deal to redevelop it. “That would (have been) the worst thing that could have happened,†he said.â€
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http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/oct/09/mccurdy-deal-defended-mayor-developer-say-needed/
Reply
Rick Davis wants to raise taxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wDHsS0k5PA
What’s up with the lack of audio on these videos you folks have been posting? don’t you know that without audio they are not believable? The videos with subtitles stating the text supposedly being spoken with no real audio reference is the easiest way to manipulate a situation, even easier then just cutting the audio into soundbites and rearranging them to make a false statement…..without the real audio this is a epic fail on the part of the creator of the video.
Please try again, if you want any credibility your going to need real audio.
JMHO
Ooops…..it was a youtube problem.
Joe Wallace is an outstanding, honest member of this community. He has not deserved or earned any of the cheap shots thrown at him in this matter.
If Mr. Smith indeed lives in Louisville he ought to concentrate on the affairs in community in which he resides. In other words, mind your own business, Andrew. We can screw up our town without your assistance.
Respectfully, Dr. John, I was born and raised in Evansville and still care about the place.
You’re free to ignore my endorsement, but I have every right (and every reason) to make it.
IS IT TRUE: “…that there was indeed a bi-partisan group of powerful community leaders assembled to advocate for “Stadium Before Sewers†and by-golly that is what we are doing?”
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There is more than just a little naivete present in that statement. The decision that guaranteed the building of the downtown arena and condemned Roberts Stadium to the wrecking ball was made before committee was even peopled.
That, of course, was the placement of the arena in the downtown TIF district. That strategic move precluded any possibility on the part of the public to mount a remonstrance, and the machine politics that had placed 8 democrats on a 9 member city council assured that the democrat mayor Weinzapfel would have his way.
How many people reading this would have handled a project that was going to cost the taxpayers $100.Million in interest alone in a different manner by allowing the people paying for it to have an up or down vote on the project?
The fact that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel deliberately precluded voters from any say in the matter speaks volumes about his character.
Weinzapfel is the boss of local machine politics, a fact we have seen demonstrated many times, and both he and the machine need to go if this city is to prosper.
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Have people forgotten that the City of Evansville has three branches of government: the executive (the mayor), the legislative (the common or “city” council), and the judicial (the courts).
The city council is NOT subservient to the mayor, it is EQUAL to the executive office. The sooner candidates for city council understand that, the better.
Those 9 members who comprise the council should represent a balance of people in our city, and all 9 should be independent thinkers, not just people elected to be rubber stamp votes for the city executive.
In an effort to bolster his campaign, Rick Davis has apparently resorted to fishing for endorsements as far away as Louisville, this time in the form of Andrew Smith. Some have labeled Smith a “prominent” Republican, but such a claim is inaccurate at best. Smith has not been a part of our community for years, and even when he was, his influence within the party was negligible. The manor in which the CCO hyped Smith’s endorsement calls into question the CCO’s motives and its alleged neutrality in this race.
In his letter, Smith makes numerous references to a “political machine”. But which candidate in this race can truly be described as part of a political machine? Rick Davis has been a full time government bureaucrat for 9 years and was mentored by Betty Knight Smith, a local political boss for nearly 50 years.
The Davis “machine” doesn’t end there. Rick Davis’s cousin is Fire Chief Keith Jarboe. His aunt is one of the longest serving city clerk’s in Evansville, Betty Lou Jarboe. His sister was her long serving chief deputy. His brother and another sister are also long-time government bureaucrats.
Simply put, his entire family has been active in political circles for decades. Rick Davis embodies the status quo. It’s no wonder that in April the Courier & Press said he “is every bit as much a political insider as anyone else running.” Perhaps that is why he has already proposed new tax increases and millions of dollars in spending increases.
There have been many good people from both political parties that have held office in our City, County and State Government. But when talking about a “political machine”, one also needs to keep in mind that Democrats have controlled City Council for the last 35 straight years. A Democrat has held the Mayor’s office for 27 of those same 35 years. And a Democrat has held the Mayor’s office the 8 last years.
It’s true that Evansville needs a fresh perspective. Our city needs a leader whose experience is rooted in the private sector, who has never been a full-time bureaucrat, and who will focus on job growth as his top priority. That candidate is Lloyd Winnecke.
Evansville is a great city and it can be made better with the right leadership. Lloyd Winnecke will take us in the right direction.
Wayne Parke
Chairman Vanderburgh County Republican Party.
“Simply put, (Rick Davis’s entire family has been active in political circles for decades.”
Decades? You need to go back farther than “decades” Wayne. Rick’s grandmother and grandfather Rohner were party insiders nearly a century ago.
Wayne-
The more the party bosses protest, the more obvious it becomes.
I won’t comment on whether or not I am “prominent” or whether I had any influence “negligible or not,” within the Vanderburgh County GOP. It is irrelevant.
What I will say is that it is time for the party bosses, the backroom dealers, and the machine footsoldiers to stand aside and let the people decide. The rest of the country has figured this out–and Evasville is catching up. The days when party fatcats can meet behind closed doors and decide who is “in” and who is “out” are coming to an end.
There are quite a few Republicans like me who share this view. It would behoove you to get on their side or get out of the way.
Andrew–
Please check out the facts before making unfounded/incorrect allegations and statements.
Wayne Parke
Chairman VCRP
Wayne-
Kindly point out to me any facts I have overlooked, as well as any unfounded or incorrect allegations.
-Andrew
Just a couple of small quibbles:
1) As a lifelong entrepreneur and someone who has literally had to make payroll throughout most of my professional career, I would suggest that banking is at best a public-private partnership. In an era of bailouts, TARP, and Federal Reserve shennanigans, it stretches credulity to call banking a true private sector activity.
2) Are you really suggesting that Rick Davis is an insider on account of a cousin and an aunt???
Well, welll, well…look who is jumping in to defend the machine. Neither party chair nor the current mayor can stand the fact that Rick Davis is marching to his own drum instead of pounding their tired tune. Isn’t that the type of leader we need? Now, you criticize Rick Davis for working for government for 9 years full time, while not bothering to mention how many years Winnecke has been drawing a county paycheck, full time or not. I love the smell of hypocrisy with my evening vodka. Furthermore, this city isn’t nearly as large as many are loathe to believe and many families tend to be large, thus would make it likely some in leadership may be related. Who cares? Why should a familial commitment to serving their fellow citizens be deemed a terrible thing? Sounds like civic pride to me, something that seems to lacking in our society’s decorum these days. Furthermore, I no longer live in the same school district I grew up in, but I still follow what happens in that community. My point is, Mr. Smith is an Evansvillian relocated. Maybe you do not agree with him, but he did care enough about this community to attempt to lead it, not once but twice. He was defeated. What does your lack of respect for his attempts teach our children? No wonder he relocated. Mr. Smith, I did not agree with you when you ran against Phil, but I respected your “Sewers before Stadium” mantra (and Im a Democrat, by the way). The fact you are a conservative and support Democrat Rick Davis proves that the right candidate can transcend party lines and that is precisely what Davis has done and it scares the business out of the establishment.
Thanks, All4_1. I appreciate that. In retrospect, I probably wouldn’t even run against Phil Hoy if I had it to do over again. He and I may differ on many issues, but he is a person of conscience and an independent thinker. You really can’t ask for much more than that.
As far as Rick Davis, he first impressed me with the classy campaign he ran against my friend KC Cox. After that, I began following him more closely.
Evansville so desperately needs real CHANGE. If there were a GOP candidate whom I thought could and would deliver it, I’d support him or her. But the fact is, Rick is the first person to come along in a long time who has a chance to make a difference in the way this town is run. That is a lot more important to me than his party label.
It is too bad veracity has such a bad grasp on when people have run for office.I ran on the issues of the times.As far as using unsavory political tactics or running an unsavory campaign perhaps veracity should review my opponents tactics before he casts stones.
Where was Lloyd Winnecke when Mayor Weinzapfel decided to shove this arena down the peoples throat with out a vote?
If he was on board with Weinzapfel for that one, then I can tell you he is not the man for the job he seeks!
BTW, there has not been a “PROMINENT” republican in this city since 1980. Why is that Mr. Parke?
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Pressanykey, Mr. Parke is the messenger. He’s a good man. In the City the Demos have a 2+ voter advantage over the Repubs. In the last 50 years 2 Repubs have been elected Mayor, both last name Lloyd. This election will be very, very close. Less than 1,200-1,500 votes should be the margin. Team Weinzapfel and the Maim Stream Demos are openly AGAINST Mr. Davis and Dr. Adams for their refusal to blindly follow orders from the Mayor and Commissar Owen. This Team Weinzapfel support seemingly should have helped Mr. Winnecke, a nice guy as all agree, but it also HURTS him to have been at the homestead tax grab meeting in Weinzapfel’s office AND he’s getting the obvious Demo machine’s back door support. Conservative Repubs NEVER EVER find any Demo support for one of their conservative candidates. Mr. Davis is maybe slowly figuring out he won the Demo primary ONLY because he’s the anti-team Weinzapfel Mean Street Demo fighting against all odds the machine. People including Repubs like the underdog Rocky theme. Yet, Mr. Davis has backing from the few remaining Jurassic Park aged Demos that hate the upstart Team Weinzapfel/Chairman Owen/Main Street Demos. This HURTS Mr. Davis as it looks he’s stuck in like Demo tribal feud in the Westside. IMHO.
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