IS IT TRUE September 4, 2013

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE September 4, 2013

IS IT TRUE it has been 30 days since City Councilman John Friend, CPA first asked for a “grant application” from HCW to begin vetting whether or not they are the right partner and this is the right deal for the people of Evansville?…he has never stopped asking and his persistence came to a point of no return last week when he finally out of exasperation let Mayoral Attorney Ted Ziemer know that without a “grant application” with the components he published for the third time yesterday that he will hold this vote in committee for 30 days as is his right to do without a vote?…if Councilman Friend is as good as his word and a sufficient “grant application” is not in his hands the next opportunity for a vote will not be before October 9th but would most likely be held on Monday October 15, 2013?…Mr. Ziemer has pledged to do his best but that will take the cooperation of HCW who seems to be fundamentally opposed to releasing their tax returns and personal financial information?…the CCO would like to ask who among us would be willing to hand over our life’s tax returns and a net worth statement for a gift of $37.5 Million?…we doubt that very many people would turn down that offer?

IS IT TRUE the MOLE NATION is now beginning to hear rumblings that HCW may just tell the City of Evansville to drop dead if they do not get the City Council’s approval for this deal next Monday night?…if that is their attitude they would not have made good partners anyway?…if such an ultimatum is made either publicly or privately it is time to “just say no” after Mayor Winnecke has invested his time and our money in a deal that is just not right?…we have seen this pattern before in the sneaky deal with Earthcare Energy who is still current on their paltry monthly payments that are interest only?…the people of Evansville only lost $200,000 on that deal and that payback time on that little farce is coming to a head in just 6 short months?…Earthcare is keeping their end of that bargain for a reason and we shall likely learn what that reason is next February?…there may or may not be a hotel construction project going on at that time?

IS IT TRUE that a solicitation for donations of $10 or more was sent out by the “Friends of Mayor Winnecke” under the name of Susan Haynie at FC Tucker Realty?…Ms. Haynie is on the McClintock team at FC Tucker making her an employee of the First Lady of Evansville?…the solicitations were for 6 charities that have been advised by John Dunn that his charity will not be extended to them in the future because they have vocally supported the proposal to hand $37.5 Million tax dollars to the new kid in town, HCW that will be his competitor in the lodging market?…the charities are the Reitz Home, the African American Museum, the Willard Library, the Wesselman Nature Society, the Evansville Museum, and CMOE?…Mr. Dunn has also given fair warning that he will be severing ties with the Chamber of Commerce where Kathy Briscoe, of FC Tucker Emge Realtors where the First Lady of Evansville parks her real estate license serves as Chairperson of the Board?…that City Councilwoman Missy Mosby, who yesterday claimed to be completely unaware of Councilman Friend’s vetting requests is also on the payroll of FC Tucker Emge Realtors?

IS IT TRUE that John Dunn and Dunn Hospitality exist in a free society and are free to choose to support whatever charities they wish in whatever amounts they choose including ZERO?…all actions have consequences and charities that depend on the generosity of their donors need to be cognizant of the fact that “biting the hand that feeds them” through political activities is not the way to maintain a sustainable stable of patrons?…it is also not a way to keep a non-profit status as those special charities that are granted 501(c)3 status are forbidden from lobbying by law and are putting their legal status at risk by engaging the taking of political stands which unfortunately this hotel deal has become?…we encourage our readers to tune in to News25 this Thursday when Mr. Dunn will be a guest of Brad Byrd in a special segment where he will have his say in this matter for all to see?

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27 COMMENTS

  1. Mosby an Weaver must go that is the truth!! Giving away 37.5 million dollars to correct mistakes and line the the pockets of the few is just further folly by our current and past leadership!!!!

  2. Anyone else still think blowhard Friend is just grandstanding and will still roll over and vote for it?

    • I am sure there are hundreds of people who suspect that Friend will not have the spine to back up his words. It would not be the first time.

      • If Johnson Controls was a test of fortitude ($ 45 Million giveaway for nothing) then my inclination is YES, Friend will roll over for the Hotel “grant” ($ 37 Million giveaway for nothing). Come on folks, a Union Leader for local Democratic Party Chairman . . . and 8 out of 9 council votes are D’s ?? And with all those tasty union votes out there for politiicans who fall into line with the marching orders ?? ” Ten Hut !”

      • John Friend is the only one with any brains looking out for our welfare in this boondoggle deal . Tax payers will be thanking him when it’s all over . Donating to a charity is great but to do so only to get a return on your money (John Dunn) is greed. I am for the hotel and thanks to Friend we won’t get screwed building it.

        • John is the taxpayers Friend when it comes to the Hotel. I would have expected Al Lindsey to also demand the financials. Mr. Lindsey has shown a lot of common sense. Weaver and Mosby are predictably hopeless.

    • Friend has received a lot of documents that more than answer what he needs to know to make an intelligent vote.
      It is time for a vote.

    • Why? The Chamber helps business grow which provides jobs to people who need them. In Evansville we got a lot of people who need jobs. Unfortunately Dunn has severely hurt himself no matter how the vote turns out on Monday.

      • I don’t call shoving a $5 billion + interstate that’s 84 miles longer than existing interstates and shifts nearly all existing business away from the 41 corridor down people’s throats providing jobs. And I don’t consider creating a social cliche creating jobs either.

  4. The chamber of commerce is a joke.

    They don’t do anything to BRING jobs to our community. Instead, they circle the wagons and do their best to KEEP THE COMPETITION OUT OF TOWN!

    The chamber of communism needs to go.

    • Truthsquad: “chamber of communism”??
      You are flat wrong. This kind of statement shows you have no real credibility.

      • Let me help him out. Before voting on consolidation emails were sent out to employees of a very large company in evansville in favor of consolidation. Where do you think the pro consolidation received the email address list from? Could it have been from a board member? The chamber is another political stepping stone in this city. Not really what is designed for is it?

  5. Top Ten reasons to be FOR the Hotel Project

    10. Mosby and Weaver have vetted the project and wore
    their Build It stickers to Council meetings
    9. Cabaret Venues are making a comeback and Evansville
    will soon get one!
    8. Everybody at FC Tucker Realty is for it!
    7. Because the next thing Event Planners will demand is
    an amusement park next to the hotel and I never got to
    go to Disney World
    6. Because HMR Enterprises needs another courtesy cup and
    toilet paper contract from the City.
    5. If I rent a room I’ll have my own butler or maid to
    take care of all my needs since the room to worker
    ratio is 1:1
    4. Because the Downtown TIF has money to burn
    3. The Mayor says so.
    2. Because lighting a match to 37.5 million will create
    one heck of a bonfire and it’s a great time of year
    to have a wiener roast.
    1. Owensboro and Ft Wayne have them and Evansville
    deserves one too!

    Feel free to add your own!

    • # 11: It is a ‘transformative’ project, and caused the Mayor to postpone his trip to Japan;

      #12: Because this is the 4th try: Try, Try, Try, TRY again !

      # 13: Because no commercial bank will touch this with a 13′ pole;

      # 14: The wealthy old people who advocate for this won’t put their OWN money in, needs to be built using OPM (not opium, Other People’s Money);

      # 15: It’s taken too long (whining), let’s just go ahead and do it !;

      # 16: “We are the business plan !”;

      # 17: We as a community are too impatient to wait to see about the IU Medical School, where private sector will jump into the game to build hotels with no subsidy (in which case the Hotel would be built with OPIUM–Other People’s Indiana University Money).

      ((nice list, Brains))

  6. All of you do realize that certain financial records of a bidder are privileged information? That in Indiana, a municipality is not able to publicly release certain financial information obtained in the bidding process?

    So keep that in mind when asking for all the tax, banking, and financial records to be provided to individuals known to or suspected of immediately turning such records over to the media. To do so imperils future bid prospects.

  7. In honor of Brains Benton, I have compiled a Top 20 Jokes Roast…

    It seems like we’ve heard just about all there is to hear about the new hotel proposal. We’ve heard about parties, conventions, and even the private sector, but we’ve never kicked back and had a good ole roasting. The following are parodies that are of complete and pathetic satire and are intended to offend absolutely nobody. These jokes make fun with these people, not at them. They should not be taken personally or with a grain of salt.

    Hotel Roast: Top Twenty Things I Don’t Expect To Hear On September 9th.

  8. Number 20…

    Lloyd Winnecke: “I am so sick and tired of Joe Wallace cooking up frivolous jobs estimates with no report to back them up.”

    Number 19…

    It turns out, Lloyd Winnecke was right. This hotel will create 250 jobs- 71 from the Hunden Report and 179 from Connie Robinson’s tissue and toilet paper company.

    Number 18…

    Initially when we first started the town hall meetings, all the residents were raising their hands in opposition to the project when polled. So we brought in Police Chief Billy Bolin and a couple of his officers from the South Weinbach area. After that, all hand waving in the air ceased immediately.

    Number 17…

    Forget the Hunden Report, why don’t we just have Bob Warren do a report? After all, didn’t he already form a commission in the 60s to see who shot Kennedy?

    Number 16…

    Look guys, we really did try to get a private developer to pay for the entire project. We even had Wayne Parke dig through the yellow pages and voter vaults but all he could find was a man named Ralph Edwards who called him a liar and hung up on him.

    Number 15…

    Since Jonathan thinks this project is a “no-brainer” we’ve decided to tell the taxpayers not to worry about that $37.5 million bill. Instead, we’ll “Leave It To Weaver.”

    Number 14…

    Why build a hotel recommended by a study when we can have a task force tell us it’s better to build Bob Green Dog Park? I think it’s time we sent Steve Schaeffer out to find some federal grants for it.

    Number 13…

    We almost sold the Executive Inn to HCW instead but Missy Mosby and Carol McClintock lost the keys while showing them around “this gorgeous new F.C Tucker Emge listing.”

    Number 12…

    Starbucks is backing out of being the hotel’s café until the bucks part of their name is subsidized by Evansville taxpayers.

    Number 11…

    We tried to get the hotel LEED certified but Earthcare never came back to install their new generators.

    • Number 10…

      Lloyd Winnecke: “This project will generate $700 million… I mean $7 million… in revenue a year.”

      City Council: “You must be an expert on hotels.”

      Lloyd Winnecke: “No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

      Number 9…

      John Dunn initially supported using Innkeepers Tax money generated from guests at his hotels to build this project. Then he realized, he had already donated enough money this year to non-profit organizations.

      Number 8…

      Originally, we were going to hire Tom Bodett from Motel 6 to “leave the light on for us.” But then, Dr. Dan Adams wouldn’t stop bitching about the proposed street lights so we had to nix that idea.

      Number 7…

      We regret having to raise the public contribution to the project all the way up to $37.5 million, but we are going to have to put a second vending machine on Al Lindsey’s floor. The first one keeps running out of Mountain Dew, Mello Yellow, and all those other citrus drinks that all seem to look alike.

      Number 6…

      Why do people keep worrying about this hotel losing money after ten years? Don’t they realize that once the Building Authority begins maintaining it there will be no hotel left in ten years to lose money on?

      Number 5…

      All the union big wigs were thrilled to death about building the hotel. That was before a guest asked them where the whirlpool was going to be located at.

      Number 4…

      HCW- Is that the initials of all of the developers who have already tried to build this project and failed?

      Number 3…

      Of course John Friend doesn’t want this hotel- The Boat Show was cancelled years ago.

      Number 2…

      This hotel has been a complete disaster now on its fourth try. I guess we shouldn’t have fired Sherman Greer after all.

      AND NUMBER 1….

      We never could figure out why no developer wanted to completely fund a full service hotel. But then we realized, Fares Avenue already has a monopoly on that target market.

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