Dr. Richard Moss of Jasper, Indiana has announced that he will seek the nomination for Congress for the 8^th Congressional district in the May 3, 2016 Republican primary.  He believes that Republican leadership in Washington has strayed from the voters that sent them there.

Dr. Moss is a board certified specialist in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Ear Nose and Throat). He earned his undergraduate degree in Biology at Indiana University, and completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the I.U. School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Moss has been in private practice since 1991 with offices in Jasper and Washington for over 20 years.  He previously had offices in Paoli, Tell City, and Huntingburg.  He is one of the original investors in the St. Thomas Surgery Center in Jasper.  He is a member of the Indiana State Medical Association and a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Between 1987 and 1990, Dr. Moss traveled extensively throughout Asia, serving as a visiting surgeon on a voluntary basis at major medical centers in Thailand, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Although he received little or no compensation during these three years, he considers them among the most rewarding periods of his life.  He continues his volunteer work and extensive travel with his family around the world today.  Dr. Moss gives multi-media presentations and slide shows of his travels and work overseas at local schools and churches.

Dr. Moss has written a regular conservative column for the Dubois County Herald for more than ten years. He has written also for the Indianapolis Star, the Evansville Courier and Press, the Bloomington Herald-Times, the Petersburg Press Dispatch, and the Ferdinand News. He maintains a conservative blog (exodusmd.com) and has recently authored a memoir about his mother (Matilda’s Triumph).  He continues to write political columns that are distributed through his book signings and speaking engagements and often published. He is completing a second book about his life as a traveling cancer surgeon in Asia in hopes of promoting better understanding of the challenges of poverty, neglect, and advanced disease in the developing world. He also seeks to cultivate an appreciation of the excellent healthcare we enjoy here in the states and the freedom and opportunities that America uniquely provides.  Dr. Moss also founded and owned the Bronx Bagel, a bagel shop and deli in Jasper.

He has been married to his wife, Supit (“Ying”), for 26 years.  Supit was a nurse whom he met while working in Thailand.  She now assists him in his office.  They are proud parents of four children, Arielle (23), Noah (21), Adina (12), and Isaiah (11). Arielle is a recent graduate of I.U. Bloomington and winner of a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Morocco where she now resides. Noah is currently studying Business Management at I.U. Bloomington. Adina and Isaiah attend Jasper Middle School.  All of the children play multiple musical instruments and perform regularly. Dr. Moss eagerly attends their many recitals, competitions, and performances and is actively engaged in the education and rearing of his children.

Dr. Moss and his family regularly participate in interfaith activities with local churches including a local food bank. They are members of the Temple Adath B’nai Israel (a synagogue) in Evansville.

Dr. Moss seeks office because of profound concerns over the direction of the country.  He feels that both parties have failed the American people.  He believes firmly that new leadership is required if the nation is to correct itself.

Find out more about Dr. Moss at www.rmoss4congress.com.  Call or email at 812-684-0971 or hq@rmoss4congress.com.

Please take time and vote in today’s “Readers Poll”. Don’t miss reading today’s Feature articles because they are always an interesting read. Please scroll at the bottom of our paper so you can enjoy our creative political cartoons. Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without our permission

RIECKEN CHARGES THAT WINNECKE CONTINUES TO DENY CITY HAS SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

Reading the article from the September 29th newspaper about the transfer of casino and rainy day money reminds me yet again that the city has a serious financial problem that Mayor Winnecke continues to deny. He uses the bond rating and audits to proclaim a solid financial situation. He is confused on the issues. In his September 12 Letter to the Editor he said, “It has been confirmed time and time again by the state’s independent audits and the independent bond rating agencies that the city has operated in a financially sound, efficient and prudent manner.”

Even if you take Winnecke’s position, he cannot make that claim. The audit for 2014 has not been completed by the State Board of Accounts, so no one has any idea where we stand. Also, it was the dissention over the 2013 audit last year that caught many people’s attention, including mine, that something is wrong with the finances. As for the hotel bonds, why weren’t they higher? After all, payback is guaranteed with casino and COIT (local income tax) monies, just like the arena, which was rated higher than the hotel.

The reality is the city is not financially sound. During his term, the Mayor has decreased the city reserves – with the starting general fund balance going from approximately $4,000,000 to $307,000 in in just three short years. At the same time, the Mayor has increased the city’s debt from $396 million, to $514 million by the end of this year. That is $4,278.32 dollars of debt for every man, woman, and child in the city of Evansville.

Just to stay in the black for 2014 and continue to paint the picture that all is well, the Mayor shored up the general fund with a $2,400,000 advance from the water and sewer utility. Now, we see the Mayor had to borrow from the casino monies and emergency rainy day fund. He has no reserves, he cannot control spending and he does not plan to.

One indicator of government spending is efficiency. There is a table of comparisons on the Gateway Indiana website. From 2012 to 2014, looking at the per person efficiency rates of the top four cities of comparable size to Evansville, Fort Wayne cut their per capita spending by 1.66%. South Bend raised their per-capita spending by .72%. Indianapolis cut their per-capita spending by 4.82%. Evansville increased per capita spending by 4.98%! That is spending $1,877.14 for every man, woman, and child in the city of Evansville. Not only are we the highest in spending, we are way out in front, and the spending is spiraling out of control.

The other issue that came to mind about the City Council meeting on Monday was how the administration refused to tell us exactly how the monies to the casino and rainy day fund will be repaid. If you spend more than you take in (about $600,000 per month) and the November tax monies must help pay the bills till next property tax monies, you tell me how the Mayor is going to pay back the monies.

You can’t ignore the fact there is a shroud that covers the details, whatever the issue, such as why the administration left one accounting method that gives a true picture of the finances or why the council and the public could not get solid financial information on the hotel project.

Time and time again we hear Mayor Winnecke say that “Since taking office, our administration has spent less than what has been budgeted by our City Council every year.”

This has been the rallying cry of Mayor Winnecke in 2015. However, the details are that he absolutely spent more money than he has brought in (from controller’s financial books). He greatly over-projects revenues during budgeting, and then recognizes the over projection later in the year. However, the problem is, when the revenues are reduced and not coming in, the Mayor does not address reducing spending to be in line with the actual revenues the city is receiving.

Evidence is a budget meeting in the mayor’s office in August or early September of 2014. Mr. Hedden of Umbaugh was on the phone with Councilmembers Dr. Adams, John Friend and Conor O’Daniel, the Mayor. Controller Russ Lloyd and Steve Schaefer. There was one more person from the Controller’s office. In that meeting Mr. Hedden said that the Mayor Needed a spending plan. There has been none to date and it is over a year later and millions more wasted.

The Mayor has nothing in his checking account, and rather than trying to curtail the spending, he simply looks for other bank accounts he can borrow money from to continue his spending spree. If we truly want to get our city back in strong financial standing, we must change the philosophy of government and that means starting with a thorough assessment to find out exactly where we stand financially, department by department. Then we must create a spending plan and a strict budget to make sure that we know where every dollar is. To move forward we must have the continued resources to do so. That means conserving and spending wisely.

Our “cash flow” issue that was addressed at the September 28th City Council meeting is not a cash flow issue at all. The Mayor cannot boldly claim we are financially strong when all evidence is to the contrary. There is an over-spending problem that Mayor Winnecke must face.

Please take time and vote in today’s “Readers Poll”. Don’t miss reading today’s Feature articles because they are always an interesting read. Please scroll at the bottom of our paper so you can enjoy our creative political cartoons. Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without our permission