LETTER TO THE EDITOR: VOICE YOUR OPINON ON NOVEMBER 3 AND VOTE

50

Letter to the Editor by Laura Blackburn

Most years about this time, I start to feel a sense of anticipation and exhilaration. It isn’t because of the crisp fall air. I don’t like cold weather. No, it isn’t because of Halloween. I’ve never been a big fan of costumes and Jack O’Lanterns. My excitement stems from a politics geek’s anticipation of “the most wonderful day of the year” – Election Day. After all, it is the day that we have a chance to celebrate America with something far better than parades and fireworks, we get to VOTE. We have a voice in our future, and all we have to do is cast a ballot.

This year is no exception, but I feel like so much more is at stake for my hometown this time around. Always before, I had the sense that if my candidates won, great. If they didn’t there would always be another chance in four years. This time, I’m not so sure that Evansville will have another chance to “get it right.” Four years ago when Lloyd Winnecke narrowly beat the late Rick Davis, my first thought was that the voters had made a terrible mistake and they would clearly understand it very early-on into the Winnecke administration. Now, four years later, I truly do not believe that our great city can withstand four more years like the last four. I believe we will be on the verge of bankruptcy and we will have lost the great sense of community that has always made Evansville feel like “home.”

We’ve all seen how freely the tax payers’ money has been spent and our children’s futures mortgaged for a “value engineered” downtown hotel to serve phantom conventioneers. There is a medical school planned downtown at a cost of sixty million dollars, although it will not include the Ivy Tech students that would have comprised the bulk of the student body. Like the hotel, the cost stayed the same while the product we bought shrunk significantly. Those things, along with the dire financial straits we find the City in and the disregard those in power treat the struggles of everyday people with are all “old hat.”

Those issues speak to the judgement of the Mayor, but I am also concerned about the integrity of our current mayor. One of the things that alarm me most about the position we find ourselves in is that for the first time in Evansville history, a mayoral candidate has raised more than a million dollars for a campaign. Most of that money comes from outside of the city, and even from throughout the country. Those very generous donations are coming from individuals and businesses that want to do millions of dollars’ worth of business with this administration. It appears that the City of Evansville is on the radar of a lot of businesses that are willing to spend a lot of money to curry favor with our Mayor.

Another,  example of how willing Lloyd Winnecke is willing to compromise the well-being of our city for his own purposes is the way in which he attempting to used the heads of the non-profit organizations that lost public funding because of the financial mess he has created. Does he not understand that by enlisting them to “politic” for him, he is placing their 501 (c) (3) standing? When these people put their organizations into the political arena they stand to have their non-profit status revoked by the IRS. I hope that any CCO readers who find their votes being solicited through non-profits that they support will remind those doing the politicking that they are endangering the very existence of their organizations. I believe that they would make better use of their time looking for alternate sources of funding. The City can no longer afford to support them. The Mayor spent their funds on the hotel and raising his own property values.

I won’t deny that I am especially excited about one other, more positive historical aspect of this election, too. I confess that I am anxious to see if Evansville will elect its first woman mayor. The thing that would make the Gail Riecken’s victory next Tuesday even greater for me is not that a woman won, but a qualified woman of high moral character won. We just can’t give up on Evansville and let it go down into the maelstrom that is the Winnecke administration.

Sincerely

Laura Blackburn

Evansville

FOOTNOTE: This letter was posted without bias, option or editing.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

50 COMMENTS

  1. Mrs. Riecken? As our state representative for the last several years What has she done? How many jobs has she brought to our area? What bills has she sponsored?
    Don’t vote for somebody because of their gender? Vote for the best person for the job.

    • I doubt that few would have more at stake in a Winnecke reelection than you. That said, I can not get excited about Gail either except for the fact that I do not see how she could do any worse than Winnecke, and she could take a lot of cheese off the table for some people. Which I would very much like to see.

      • What is it that you think I have at stake here? Do you know something I don’t know?

        • EKB, I like your essay. I din’t think the mayor was planning to offer you a job in his administration. I appreciate you being involved without being compensated.

          • Laura has profited from her campaign work before, but I don’t know that she will now and choose to accept that she is helping Gail because she believes in her.

  2. I’m not a fan of Winneckecand his minions but get off your pompus sexist high horse LKB. That’s like saying we should elect a President because the candidate is female. Or because they’re an indigenous person. No, we should elect people to offices because they’re better qualified for the office; not because they’re male or female or bi or whatever (although we shouldn’t elect child molesters or pediphiles) or because they’re black or brown or red or yellow or white.
    Your letter should end with the statement “but a better qualified PERSON of high moral character won.”

    • I am not a sexist. I am simply taking some pleasure in that I don’t think the voters of my hometown are either. I have never voted for anyone based on gender or race. I am just glad that we are now recognizing that gender shouldn’t play a role in who we vote for. Do you really think the long string of white men that we have had for Mayor have always been better qualified for the office than of all women and/or minorities may have wished to seek the office? I don’t.

      • First of all, Laura, we don’t vote for those who may wish to run for office. We vote for those who DO run for office. The fact Democrats have not nominated a female suggests you may want to re-examine your party affiliation.
        Using “standards” used to judge those who criticize Hillary on policy, your comments definitely ARE sexist.

        • I’m a Bernie fan. That being said, I’m addressing the LOCAL election. There will be plenty of time to carp and harp about the presidential election after it is over.

          ca

      • There are better women in both parties that I could enthusiastically support. Sadly, neither party is providing that choice. I don’t think the citizens of this city are just recognizing that gender should not play a role. Hos many times has Gail been elected to a higher office? And yes, you do come off sexist and racist with your first woman mayor and string of white men comments.

    • Get off LKB’s back.
      It is a good letter.
      I may not agree with a lot LKB says, but she is standing up and being counted.
      Good for you ELKAYBEE.

      • I agree with Don on this one.

        It takes a tremendous amount of courage to step out into the spotlight and the glare to write letters like this.

        I applaud Laura and all that she does. It is not a matter of right or wrong, or a question of ethics or morality, it is being brave enough to articulate a strong stance and opinion of why her chosen candidate is the best candidate in her opinion. Laura does a grand job of articulating her thoughts in a cogent fashion.

        PS: Yes, I am voting for Gail as well. But I especially glad Laura writes such opinion articles with so much passion

  3. Gender should play no roll in politics. The best all around candidate should win election to office.

      • That’s fine if you believe her to be the best qualified for office but she deserves not a single vote just because she is female.

  4. If Winnecke was a democrat you would be singing his praises. I am disappointed that neither party could field a more exciting candidate and will show my “enthusiasm” by voting for neither.

    • No, I would find it impossible to find anything to praise him for. I’d be supporting the democrat in the race. It’s not like I have anything at risk here. Of course, he could never survive as a Democrat.

  5. Good point, Laura, about the $60,000,000 (+ interest) downtown “Med School.” But shouldn’t your patron saint Riecken be calling the downsized “Med School” a blight on downtown, as she did the downsized hotel, and opposing the $60,000,000 (+ interest) expenditure?
    Sorry, but I do not consider a person who shirked their sworn duties by going A.W.O.L. and fleeing to another state, then suing Indiana taxpayers to be paid for the time they were A.W.O.L., to be a person “of high moral character.”

    • What Gail did was commit an act of civil disobedience, which is a thing that does take a lot of moral character. That being said, do you think someone who would endanger the tax status of a number of non-profits for his own purposes is a person of high morality? How about someone who spends the taxpayers’ money like Winnie has, often to benefit a crony, is that the behavior of a scion of morality.

      • What Gail did was flee from our constitution to avoid her elected duties in support the union class. Character would have been rejecting Pat Bower’s bad leadership and stayed and cast her vote.

        • IE did you support that sow in Kentucky ignoring the supreme court mandate on gay marriage?

  6. Why would she say that a medical school is a “blight?” It won’t be. The over-priced hotel will have to be torn down in order to build one like we bought if it is needed in the future, which does make it a form of blight.

    • Because she said the scaled down NEW hotel would be a blight on the downtown. Why not the NEW scaled down “Med School”?

      • Commonsense,
        I will will tell you why all three projects, Motel, School Building, and Stadium are a blight on Evansville. It is because Evansville is more than just the downtown. These projects because of their placement Downtown have sucked up so many of the city resources the city cannot even take out the trash. The cities 0ne million funding demolitions a was cut to $500,000 a couple of years ago and then much of that $500,000 was even ilegally diverted to general fund expenditures last year resulting in about only 50 houses demolished per year. On top of that when we do get an infusion of needed demolition funding a huge chunk goes to tearing down good houses where the appearance of blight was created to make room for the car dealership to move out for the med school.

        Sometimes things are not a one step direct relationship but yes these projects have promoted a blight on the Evansville neighborhoods.

        • Maybe so, George. But that’s not what Riecken and LKB meant. They meant that simply because the hotel wasn’t as big and as fancy as first envisioned, this perfectly NEW building would be seen as a blight on Evansville. It was a stupid statement. And an insult to those who recognize true blight.

    • Blighty himself seems to be growing unhinged. His handlers are huddling, chanting, burning incense and hoping for him to make it to the election without a total breakdown. They might want to consult a sports medicine doctor. When he doesn’t get his way he shows his true colors, I fear he is going to breakdown and call a Plastic Cross March again. If that’s what his erratic behavior and those demanding voices in his little haid dictates, it’s another large chunk of our money down the drain. His friends at the 7th Circuit have him flagged.

  7. Was Ms. Blackburn as excited when Vanita Becker ran… and lost because Democrat Women would not support her?

    • Oh Llordie. That’s a bit of a stretch, careful or you’ll snap. Things must be even worse than we thought for Winnecke.

      We are going to switch him out in a week or so for someone up to the job. Someone with a moral center. Someone called Gail Riecken.

      • She was not qualified in any way. As I have said repeatedly, I would NEVER support someone on basis of
        gender.

    • I don’t vote based on gender. I know too much about Vaneta to support her. I was a Republican back in the day when the “Widow Becker” began her political career.

      • Doesn’t matter, Laura. Judging your words in the same manner conservative’s words are judged, you are sexist. Welcome to our world.

    • I-E,
      Bingo!
      Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
      As much as the national GOP is a total, out of control dumpster fire,
      the Evansville Democrat Party is every bit the same dumpster fire.
      The Dems locally hate each other, sabotage campaigns, pretend and feign, then seize to get power.

  9. I’m very disappointed in the independent candidate, Steve Wozniac. It seems that with the latest political criticisms that both the Republicans and Democrats are throwing at each other, The WOZ has been silent in a time that he could point out fault with both the R&D political party candidates. Gail is on the offensive by throwing mud at Lloyd for keeping the lid on the Schriber scandal, and spewing her s#!t with her vague promises. Lloyd is outright lying…embellishing the truth about his accomplishments. And the silence is deafening from The WOZ.

    As far as I’m concerned, there is NO DIFFERENCE between the Republicans and Democrats. Every election time, the elected “public servants” just want another 4 years of pillaging the taxpayers, and want to be called “dignitaries”. It’s no different than Professional Wrestling. The wrestlers (politicians) are divided into 2 groups, Faces & Heels. They dupe the fans (voters) into cheering or jeering. At the end of the day, they get their paycheck from the promoter (Government). With the Republicans & Democrats making all their back room deals, they might as well merge into ONE PARTY, and name it “The Vulture”. So it can feed on the DEAD CARCASSES OF THE TAXPAYERS.

    So Voters, here’s our choice:
    * Lloyd; Incompetent buffoon! 4 more years of his policies will turn Evansville into a 3rd world city. Evansville is already a 2nd world city!
    * Gail; Political Hack! Knows all of the tricks of the trade. She’s just a Jonathan Weinzapfel in a skirt. History will repeat itself!
    * Steve Wozniac; All I can say is that I’ve heard no lies from him…I’ve heard NOTHING! HELLOOOO! Anyone home?!?!

    I want nothing to do with Lloyd or Gail. I’m PISSED at The WOZ because he is missing a golden chance to create BALANCE in our local government by equally attacking his opponents.

    At least the only saving thread that the taxpayers have is GRIDLOCK. When “the peoples’ business” is stalled, the people are safe from the government. When politicians are able to move forward with “the peoples’ business”, we taxpayers are not only screwed, we have to pay for and thank them for it!

    • “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

      ― George Washington

      * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
      What a gifted and prescient man he was. He certainly nailed that one right on the head. It was unimaginable to Washington that the anyone other than the best men in the country would run for, or be elected to, office. Therefore he saw no legitimate need for political parties.

    • I can’t believe anybody’s even paying attention to the independent candidate. He’s a total non-factor — as most independent candidates are.

      That’s no rousing endorsement of the two major party candidates, of course. It’s just reality.

  10. Gail Riecken has been an awful candidate. I’d be unpleasantly surprised if she wins next Tuesday. Calling the downtown hotel a “blight” on the city and referring to it repeatedly as a “motel” — and then, when asked if she’d maintain that opinion if she were to win, she answers “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

    That’s amateur hour stuff, there.

    • Words have a lot of different meanings. A brand new house trailer is not allowed in most Evansville neighborhoods because it would be considered a blight on that area. I am not clear on the definition between a motel and a hotel so I googled it. Looks like Motel or Hotel could apply. It is definitely not a grand hotel or any-kind of an attraction to be spending public funding on. I will compromise and say it might make the class of a grand motel.

    • You must be one of the Winkie cronies. In your eyes, honesty is definitely “amateur hour stuff.” A smiling professional liar is far preferable to an honest person for all of the Winkie ilk. That’s why he’s their man.

      Speaking of the Mayor being someone’s man, I see that the Courier has finally endorsed him by praising is business acumen. He is the same man who was conned into giving EarthCare $200,000 and is happy with his deal on the hotel. We were sold a tower hotel with an indoor pool and a rooftop bar, that was accompanied by high-end apartments. Our shrewd “strong leader” managed to negotiate that deal into a five story stick built hotel with only an outdoor pool and main floor bar and no apartments. He got us this great deal for only a few thousand more of our dollars. I’m certain a lovely place like that will bring the conventions to town, and we won’t have to bother with those apartments, either.

      The good news for Gail is that the endorsement from the Courier, which has been sold three times in the last nine months because it is losing money, will likely encourage voters to come out to vote against Winnie.

Comments are closed.