LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mayor Winnecke Refused To Issue Proclamation For Cloth Diaper Awareness.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mayor Winnecke Refused To Issue Proclamation For Cloth Diaper Awareness.

by Laura Blackburn

Just when I think the Mayor can’t get any further out of touch with the reality most Evansvillians face, he takes it to a new level. What I learned today will surely be the outer limits of his disconnect with the public.

Our Mayor, the man who wants to spend millions on things like Emperor Penguins and a dog park as quality of life issues, refused to issue a proclamation for cloth diaper awareness. That proclamation would cost nothing and would make some of our neediest residents aware of help with a real quality of life issue, the cost of disposable diapers. That help costs the taxpayers nothing. It is funded purely by donations from the public and has no paid staff. It is a people-to-people helping hand of the kind that should fill any card-carrying Republican’s heart with joy. Not only does the use of cloth diapers have economic benefits, but it prevents disposable ones out of landfills, and they are better for babies with sensitive skin.

A friend of mine, Angela Casteel, discovered the Rebecca Foundation and cloth diapers when her youngest child required very expensive special formula that was not covered by health insurance. The Rebecca Foundation furnished her with cloth diapers at no charge. Relief from the cost of disposable diapers gave some breathing room in her tight family budget.

When the Foundation made it known that they needed someone in this area to serve as a District Chairperson, Angie volunteered because of the gratitude she has for the help she received when her family’s quality of life was at stake. The Rebecca Foundation got an energetic supporter when they helped Angie and her family. Today I was talking with Ms.Casteel about the fact that June is the month set aside to raise awareness for cloth diapers She told me that she had just gotten notification from Governor Pence’s office that he would be issuing a proclamation on behalf of awareness of the benefits of using cloth diapers. Angie went on to say that she had been shocked at Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke’s refusal to issue a local proclamation, especially the way the refusal email read.

I must have sounded incredulous, because she sent me a copy of it. The email, over the signature of Chelsea M. Brown, Administrative Assistant, explained condescendingly that proclamations are made for “significant events” and “personal achievements” of residents, and they were “unable to grant the request at this time.” Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks back, I believe, we had a proclamation honoring a local heating and air company for being in business for 25years?

PS: Anyone interested in donating diapers to the Rebecca Foundation can message me or Angela Casteel on Facebook. This is a truly worthy cause, and if you want to make a big difference in someone’s life for a small donation, this is your charity.

Sincerely

Laura Blackburn

Evansville

FOOTNOTE: THIS LETTER WAS POSTED WITHOUT OPINON, BIAS OR EDITING.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. The mayor probably needs as many diapers as he can get his hands on ,for he does have a lot of asswipes on his staff and other boards

    • I understand that this seems petty to some people, but it could be a huge help to a lot of families. The fact that the Mayor said “No” to this small charity for something as simple as a proclamation while asking for millions to spend on things that he argues will make the quality of life here better speaks to his character. His elitist outlook needs to be brought to the attention of the voters, who seem to already be suffering from buyer’s remorse.

      Seriously, you need to open your eyes.

      • Well….here is my contribution. I think it is perfectly in line w/ Laura’s comments about the election elsewhere:
        http://www.clothdiaper.com/cloth-diapers/prefolds/Politician-on-a-Prefold.html
        From the Cloth Diaper Mfg:
        “These limited addition cloth diapers feature either Donald Trump’s or Hillary Clinton’s likenesses printed on a prefold. Soon babies all over will be taking a “Dump on Trump” or they may be giving “Hillary the Business”. It has been said that politicians are like diapers, they needed to be changed often and for the same reason. Now both chores can be done at the same time!”

  3. ‘Just when I think the Mayor can’t get any further out of touch with the reality most Evansvillians face…’

    I knew we were in trouble when the poor little guy started wearing French cuffs around here. Not sure if he’s made it back from Germany yet but if they’d like to make an offer for him, an angebot, we hereby accept it. Duly sworn, stamped and hot wax dripped, how’s that for a proclamation?

    Laura’s point about Winnecke’s unwillingness to do such a free and minor thing for a good cause is well worth telling.

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