June 18, 2009 Press Release not on Mayor’s Website: Topic: The Homestead Tax Credit

1. It pretty clearly says that Winnecke called the meeting to discuss HB 1001, which was about property tax caps. It clearly notes that Bill Fluty raised the homestead credit issue, not Winnecke. It also wasn’t a “secret” meeting and was open to the public.

   • That has been the rumor all along that Winnecke was the one who called the meeting…..the first one in the mayors office, not the public meeting.

     JMHO

   • Did you read the Courier article? “Because the meeting contained no quorum of any local governmental body, it was not required by Indiana’s Open Door Law to be advertised or held in public.”

     Unless you’re saying the Courier is lying… That’s secret.

     To this day, have we even heard who voted which way? [secret]

     Is Winnecke’s memory still is fuzzy on who suggested eliminating the credit? [secret]

     • At the very least, it seems there has existed, over time, a very “comfortable” relationship between Jonathan Weinzapfel and Lloyd Winnecke. Show me where the two have ever butted heads on anything Weinzapfel proposed. That is what leads people to believe that Winnecke could be a continuation of Weinzapfel’s administration of the city, possibly even keeping much of Weinzapfel’s staff.

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2. I bet Weinzapful set this thing up and stuck Winnecke with the blame. One thing for sure is that one of those guys is lying through his teeth. My bet is that the liar/manipulator is the current Mayor as opposed to Mr. Winnecke. Sometimes being a team player can get you burned and that is what is getting Winnecke burned on this meeting.

   • The fact Winnecke even played on the same team as the current Mayor is pretty compelling evidence he DOES NOT need to become mayour. Just my opinion…

     • Watergate Jonathan done took those records down from the city’s website. I wonder how many other things that make Watergate Jonathan look bad have been removed?

       • My guess if we elect Rick Davis we might just find out, there are a lot of years worth of skeletons buried in the civic center basement that really need to be dug up and shown the light of day. My other guess is that if Winnecke is elected that they will just keep digging holes and burying more skeletons.

         JMHO

3. The “bipartisan meeting” was held three years ago and the decision was announced over two years ago. Never over these years did Mr. Winnecke come out and say that the Courier misrepresented his presence at the meeting. Never did Mr. Winnecke say that he did not agree with allowing the homestead credit to lapse. Never once did he say that the Mayor’s Press Release was wrong or inaccurate. The language in the Mayor’s press release was explicit – “The attendees agreed that . . . it would be best not to renew the homestead credit . . .” Not until Mr. Weinzapfel, I mean, Mr. Winnecke, decided to run for mayor did he forget about his earlier agreements. Or, perhaps Mr. Winnecke is simply “misremembering.” Here, here for revisionist history.

4. I concur with the RevJermiahWright that either Weinzapfel or Winnecke is telling a bold faced lie about this meeting. Winnecke, whom I support needs to get our it front of this thing and settle this thing with truth.

   Did Winnecke call the meeting? If the answer is yes, then why did he call this meeting and how were the invitees chosen. This all still looks strategic and sneaky to me.

   Next how is it that the Mayor can issue a statement that a decision was made and have every republican in the room including Winnecke dispute it.

   Please Mr. Winnecke tell us who the liar is?

5. It ought to be obvious to every Homeowner by now,
   “Slick Willie” Winnecke is a walking, talking, Fraud from head to toe.

6. The suggestion to not renew the homestead credit was implied at the meeting and tacit approval was inferred by the attendees.

   No need for motions. No need for votes.

   With a wink and a nod, taxes were raised and no one ever knew until the deed was done.

   • Could it be that Weinzapfel, John, and Jarboe tricked them all. After all 2009 was perhaps the darkest period in the history of Evansville for strong armed thugs running the City Council. Weinzapfel could have passed anything by an 8-1 vote back then. Even John Friend and Dr. Adams had not figured out that their master was a bad man yet. Friend didn’t figure it out till he got hosed himself earlier this year. Before that it was puppet city at the council meetings.

7. Here is a link to Mr. Winnecke’s web page that references an Editorial from the C&P on the homestead tax issue.

   http://www.winneckeformayor.com/2011/01/23/courier-and-press-says-winnecke-ready-for-a-race/
   ————————————————————————

   “He addressed his participation in an unadvertised, bipartisan meeting in 2008 of nine city and county officials about the local homestead tax credit. The decision to withold the homestead credit from property owners was seen as a way for local government to recoup some lost revenues. But taxpayers were livid when they learned of the meeting.

   Even so, Winnecke said when he left the meeting he did not have an understanding that a decision had been made.

   “‘But clearly some of us, including me, at some point weeks or months down the road, should have raised our hands and said ‘What’s going on here?’” he said.

   That was the right thing to say for a candidate about to enter a campaign for a major municipal office. Otherwise, he could spend the entire campaign answering the question over and over. He still could, but he is better prepared now with an open assessment of what he did wrong. He said this week he took episode as a critical learning lesson.

   “I understand that transparency is not just a buzzword, ” he said. “There’s a real meaning behind it.”

   A lot of voters will forgive someone who admits he made a mistake, but not someone who tries to hide from it.”

8. http://www.news25.us/story/15563718/rick-davis-accuses-mayor-weinzapfel-of-protecting-lloyd-winnecke

   • Interesting news piece. So why was this particular news release that reflects very poorly on the Mayor conveniently omitted from the website. Whether it was never uploaded or removed is not that important. The important thing is that it is not there now? The Mayor seems to have been using Evansville’s website to promote himself.

     As for Winnecke, he needs to stop accusing Rick Davis of silliness and state whether the Mayor is a liar or whether he is the liar. One of them certainly is. Davis is just the clown at this sideshow. Mr. Winnecke, please explain the content of the press release. Did the Mayor lie on you?

   • No one can dispute the Mayor’s 6/17/09 Press Release was released. The Courier published it. Mr. Fluty responded with his own press release challenging the accuracy of what was in the Mayor’s press release. Mr. Winnecke backed up Mr. Fluty’s position in the Courier article:

     “Republican County Commissioner Lloyd Winnecke, who suggested the meeting while serving as a County Council member, agreed that property tax caps were the topic — but he said he doesn’t recall Fluty suggesting elimination of the homestead credit.

     “I don’t remember who it was, but I feel pretty confident (Fluty) was not the one,” Winnecke said. “

     • Forgot to add that since Mr. Winnecke backed up Mr. Fluty’s version of the meeting in the Mayor’s office, they both challenged the Mayor’s Press Release which tried to blame the homestead tax grab on the Repubs. I believe both Mr. Winnecke’s and Mr. Fluty’s statements that someone else made the decision to eliminate the homestead credit.

     • So I do not want to put words into Mr. Winnecke’s mouth but it sounds as though you believe that Winnecke has already called Weinzapfel a liar.

       Winnecke does not seem like the kind of guy to use the word liar on someone but what you just posted looks like a gentleman’s way of saying “Weinzapfel is a Liar” to me.

       • Rev., Mr. Winnecke did not dispute the Mayor’s Press Release stating that Mr. Winnecke called for the bipartisan meeting in the mayor’s office. Mr. Fluty immediately disputed the Mayor’s claim that Mr. Fluty suggested consideration of [eliminating} the local homestead credit. Mr. Winnecke concurred that he was “pretty confident” it was not Mr. Fluty that suggested elimination of the credit. The Mayor’s attempt to blame the Repubs for the idiotic ERC like idea was immediately disputed. The Mayor’s Press Release stating in first sentence that “a decision was made by City and County officials not to renew a local homestead credit during a meeting on April 1, 2008.” Mr. Winnecke’s web page above states “when he left the meeting he did not have an understanding that a decision had been made.” So here it is, the Mayor’s June 17, 2009 Press Release states a bipartisan decision not to renew homestead credit was made during their April 1 meeting, and Mr. Winnecke states he did not know a decision had been made during their April 1 meeting. Call it what you want.

         • Well this scenario sounds abit more like the Pied Piper and one of the children that followed him. Why did he use that term “pretty confident”? I will tell you why, because he was too much of a chicken to call a liar a liar. By being a chicken he threw his party under the bus just like Weinzapfel wanted him to. Do we really want a chicken that doesn’t know he is getting played for a Mayor.

           Weinzapfel’s and Winnecke’s chickens are comin home to roost.

9. “HOMESTEADAQUIDDICK”
   The incident that has and will continue to haunt any and ALL who engaged in, or held in confidence or this despicable betrayal of The Vanderburgh County Residential Taxpayers.

10. A fish rots from the head down. That head would be Whine-zipple’s.

11. What you fail to realize is that the Mayor had no vote. The 9 members of the City Council and the 7 members of the Counnty Council were the legal body required to vote on this. So, why did NOT one of these Councilmen raise the issue and call for a vote? These are Councilmen from both parties and both city and county? They all knew that every year the Homestead Credit had to be renewed.

    • They only needed to vote to renew the tax credit not to eliminate it, it would be easy to over look not voting on it after watching them in action, unless someone pointed it out I’m sure it would go unnoticed (like it did) until the tax bills went out. I’m not defending anyone but the folks who knew it wasn’t voted on (Winnecke, Jarbo) because of the meeting kept their mouths shut and let it happen….it was planned and went down exactly as planned, the result just wasn’t what they expected.

      JMHO

12. Lloyd Winnecke is a gentleman. As a gentleman and as he is becoming known a great collaborator, calling someone a liar would be a very difficult thing for him to do. As long as Mr. Winnecke is only required to collaborate with honest people this distemper will work well for him.

    The halls of government have been and will continue to be places where the dishonest people are hired by the voters. I have read this document and a later article where Mr. Winnecke in his own way did say that the Mayor was not truthful. Perhaps it was not visible enough or forceful enough to have been understood.

    The poll here is quite clear that the overwhelming majority of the people voting in it see he and the Mayor as birds of a feather.

    Mr. Winnecke would be well served to put this to rest with one public statement refuting the parts of the Mayor’s press release that he finds to be untrue. He also would be well served to set the gentleman routine aside show the people of Evansville just how he will deal with purveyors of lies if he should become Mayor.

13. Hey CCO, it looks like the Courier & Press took two days to catch up to you guys again. Why is it that the CP are such chickens when it comes to ruffling someone’s feathers that deserves some ruffling.

    http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/sep/28/no-headline—ev_homestead/

    • It pay$ to be a chicken !

    • That article on the Courier sounds to me like Winnecke is saying that the Mayor is liar without using that word. Neither of them says they changed their story and both claim to be honest yet they completely disagree.

      After seeing it all, I think Winnecke is being truthful in what he thinks happened. I think the Mayor is a lying dog. I think Winnecke is too into the nice thing to have the courage to call a liar a liar.

      He will get rolled if any big boys come to town with that need to be liked by everyone.

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