IS IT TRUE September 26, 2012

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The Sun King, Louis 14th

IS IT TRUE September 26, 2012

IS IT TRUE Mole 2.5 claims to be hearing strong talk that a group of Evansville City employees are talking about filing a formal complaint against Mayor Winnecke, the Personnel Director of the City and select members of City Council (John Friend, CPA, Connie Robinson, Dan McGinn, Conor O’Daniel and Jonathon Weaver) with the Human Rights Commissions of Indiana concerning wage discrimination? …these employees believe that when 11 political /patronage employees received 9.9% raise and they only received a 3% for 2013 violates State and Federal laws in the work place because they were by passed for a similar wage increase because of age, education, gender and political patronage is direct violation of State and Federal laws? …that they believe that these raises have merit because City Councilman and Budget Chairman, John Friend, CPA bypassed a public commitment he made to do a comprehensive wage and salary study but instead cut a back room political deal with the Mayor and select members of City Council to give special political treatment to 11 patronage employees?

IS IT TRUE Mole 2.5 has nearly a perfect record over the last couple of years so we put the previous paragraph up just like it came to us?…we do recognize that all of the ones who were referred to yesterday as THE GUILDED GROUP did not actually receive a 9.9% raise because they were not recommended for one?…the City Council limited raises to 9.9% so some got less than that?…the dust up over raises at the City of Evansville and the last play of the Monday night football game should serve to remind us that qualified people are needed in every position of any importance and that sometimes it costs more to attract the right talent or in the case of the refs the right team?…the failure of the NFL and the referee’s union to come to terms cost the Packers a win due to referee incompetence but also endangers players?…the high school chant: “We’ve got a rope, we’ve got a tree, all we need is a referee”, would play well among NFL fans right now?…similar chants apply to government performance at all levels?…that the sameness and the blandness that goes with the misguided belief that all employees are the same has nearly dumbed Evansville and other government entities back to the Dark Ages?…if there is something that we really can’t afford it is to have local governments performing at Dark Ages mental capacity?

IS IT TRUE Whirlpool announced yesterday that the final exit from Evansville will begin in November?…this has been a long time coming since the days of 10,000 people were working for Whirlpool and Evansville was known as the “Refrigerator Capital of the World”?…that there was no two day advance notice of a jobs announcement from GAGE or Mayor Winnecke?…there was no attempt by any elected official to call a press conference and smile for the cameras?…that negative job announcements are just as much worthy of explanations from local officials as positive ones are?…that the failure of 60 years of Evansville administrations to take the flight of manufacturing jobs to other areas seriously and identify then correct the problems identified by the Fantus Study from the 60’s and several others since has also contributed to the drift to the Dark Ages?…that the 200+ jobs leaving Evansville with Whirlpool cannot be replaced by even 2,000 phone bank or dispatcher jobs when it comes to prosperity and disposable income?…once again the Ostrich called government buries its head in the sand when something bad happens and celebrates the expansion of mediocrity?…the Fantus Study was right, the Next City Symposium was right, countless former residents were right, yet the latest in a long line of Sun Mayors (as in Louis the 14th, the Sun King) concentrates on the good of the few and the day?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer sits on pins and needles for the posting of the State Board of Accounts report on the finances of the City of Evansville?…this posting is confirmed to be ready and should be up any time in the next three days?…about the worst thing that could possibly be in an audit is a blanket statement that essentially says that “the books are in such disarray that we could not do an audit”?…we shall know soon if that will be said about Evansville’s finances?

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24 COMMENTS

  1. Word is from someone that works in the Controller’s Office that said audit report must be published by September 30th. I am also hearing that it’s a disclaimer with several comments that start off with “As stated in prior reports” which translates to “we’ve told you goobers before that this isn’t the way that things are supposed to be done”.

    The City still hasn’t reconciled since the end of 2010 and I am hearing that the Utilities are in worse shape.

    I am appalled that they would call the Governor and ask for the report not to be released. They haven’t done their job for 21 months. That should not be a valid excuse. The Governor should have started a State Police investigation as a result of that phone call. Like I said a few days ago, I hope that JW and JC have their passports ready.

  2. If the audits findings state that the books haven’t been balanced for the last 21 months get ready for political heads to roll.

    Looks like the past Mayor, present Mayor, past and present City Controllers and City Council Budget Chairmen, John Friend, CPA will have a lot of explaining to do to the taxpayers of this community once the audit is made public.

    I also hear that the Water and Sewer Department accounting records are in worse shape than the city books. Can’t wait to hear what the Mayor, Russ Lloyd, Jr., City Councilmen and Budget Chairmen,John Friend and Water abd Sewer Financial Officer, Jenny Collins will have to say about this?

    • “If the audits findings state that the books haven’t been balanced for the last 21 months get ready for political heads to roll.” (tea anyone)

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

      Not reconciling the books for over a year is a violation of state statute and it is actionable.

      Any person, or group of persons, with standing, can file an action to have the responsible people removed from their jobs.

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  3. My sister-in-law works for the city and when she is ask to join a class action law suit against the city of Evansville and select city council members you can include her in the process.

    Lloyd Winnenke has caused major problems in his hiring pracices of hiring his unquaified political buddies to head key city departments. Political patronage rules in the Winnenke Administration!

    Three great exapmles of questionable political hires in the Winnenke Administration are his Controller, Parks Director, DMD Director and Chie of Staff!

  4. I watched the budget hearings on the public station last night.

    7 of the 11 gilded cronies work in the Mayor’s office, Controller’s office and Administrative Services. This says a lot.

    A comprehensive job study should have been completed prior to giving new political appointees triple raises and the rest of the unwashed enough to cover inflation.

    If you haven’t seen the televised budget session, tune in for the re-run.

    Russy Lloyd Jr. appeared totally dumbfounded. His facial expressions made him look to be a complete buffoon.

  5. It will never make it past the cutting room floor of ANY local media outlet TV and print in a negative way(CCO excluded). Control the media, control the people. The spin will be a true show to watch, if it makes it on air or print. IF, a big IF it does, it will be short, simple, and quickly brushed from the public eye.

    You will see more pet and youtube sensations than ever before on local tv.

  6. As much as I disagree with the 9% increases some employees got, I disagree even more with this childish idea of “equality” in which EVERYONE gets equal treatment regardless of workload, talent or merit.

    It’s one thing to complain on an individual basis and say, “hey I did a better job than that guy and he got a bigger raise!” It’s another thing to say, “hey, this group of people got a bigger raise than my group of people! No fair!”

    The former is the proper, individualist approach. The latter is the collectivist approach we all should abhor. Those who insist on whining in a fashion reminiscent of children should not be surprised when they are not treated as adults.

    • I agree. There are a lot of employees that should not even receive the 3%. Last year a written announcement was sent out stating all employees would receive raises. Guess how many part time employees received them? The answer is zero. Many city employees are passing their work loads on to part time and the lower paid. These are the same people being passed up daily for full time employment only to have unqualified friends and family fill the positions. This is where the real law suit should be. How do you not compensate someone for doing others work and libel yourself by stating they all will receive raises?

    • The bigger picture shows that the whole municipal government process here in Evansville is overblown. Evansville employes approximately 1300 people. The city budget for payroll is $63. Million, and you can add another $33. Million to that for their healthcare package.

      When one considers that a lot of the interaction that citizens have with government is with the Vanderburgh County government, it makes the size of Evansville’s government seem all the more overblown.

      This, along with its reckless spending over the last eight years has produced a crisis that should come as no surprise to anyone.

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      • Are they running a municipal government, or a jobs program for those in charge?

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      • 1300 people? Where did you find the breakdown for that figure? Not saying I don’t believe it, but the EPD and EFD are the two biggest departments by far and employ less than 600 people total.

          • Its a little dated (2004) but I imagine that employment has only gone up for the city since then.

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          • The way I read the article you linked (the numbers in the sidebar), the number of city employees has DECREASED from 1,595 in 2000 to 1,146 in 2007. Public safety accounts for about 50% of that number. Accordingly, about 0.5% of the population is employed by City government, that figure goes up to around 1% if you figure public safety personnel into it.

            It would be interesting to see what the percentage is for similarly sized municipalities around the country, but less than 1% doesn’t seem to be that extreme for public sector employment.

            I know that the EFD is fortunate to run minimum staffing of four firefighters per apparatus (2 minimum for heavy rescue units). Some cities run with 3, or even 2 firefighters per truck which is proven to be unsafe for the hoseheads and provide decreased response ability for the people who need help. You can only cut so many corners when it comes to certain essential government services.

          • Oops, actually by 2007 it had dropped to 1,146 according to the Evansville Courier&Press. According to this same article in 2000 city employees numbered 1,595. So we have data for 2000 at 1,595, 2004 at 1,288, and 2007 at 1,146. I have not found any figures more current than 2007.

            Perhaps someone viewing this can verify current City of Evansville employment figures.

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          • The City of Evansville’s 2013 proposed budget for payroll and healthcare is a matter of record and the figures for that are accurate.

            What is less clear is the actual number of employees currently on the payroll and the projected number of employees for 2013.

            I will try to get the employment figures, as that is essential information for making informed decisions about the efficiency of Evansville’s government.

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  7. I hope the City employees sue the heck out of Winnenke who pushed the wage idea and City Councilmen and Budget Chairmen, John Friend, CPA who sponsored this issue.

    What CPA firm does Mr. Friend work for? I like to know because I want to tell my friends to avoid the firm he works for.

  8. If City Councilman John Friend and City Controller, Russ Lloyd, Jr. has information concerning major bookkeeping problems in the City of Evansville Water and Sewer Department they should call the Stae Board of Accounts right awy.

    As CPA’s, they have to report these findings to the State Board of Accounts right away! If they don’t someone needs to report them to the State Accounting Board!

  11. If City Councilmen John Friend City Controller and Russ Lloyd intentionally hides budget information from the State Board of Accounts it could be the end of their CPA licenses!

    That why I urge them to quickly come forward and publically announce what bad shape the accounting bookeeping system is really in at the Water and Sewer Department!

    If they don’t I shall and let the political chips fall where they may!

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