Evansville, September 17, 2013:

Written by: Brad Linzy and Posted by CCO, without opinion, bias and editing

 Since the stalled vetting process has made headlines, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has made a couple statements our group finds highly questionable.

In a recent statement released by his office, the Mayor not only blamed Crowe Horwath for the stalled vetting process, but he nominated their successor – a company called Springsted. The problem with this is that this company has come to the attention of the Mayor by HCW themselves. In other words, the Mayor wishes for the Council to use the vetting firm HCW recommends while simultaneously defending their right to privacy, even from the City Council members.

Furthermore, the Mayor has for the second time released a statement by Rob Hunden calling our efforts to digest his 193-page report for public consumption “cherry-picking”, an accusation we find deeply offensive. In fact, most of our questions about the Hunden Study remain outstanding such as the Mayor’s assertion of 250 jobs created, rather than the 41-71 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs cited in Hunden, and the fact that anything beyond a 120-150 room hotel will require significant “future reinvestment”.

It is our firm belief this hotel vote should go ahead on September 23 – the next scheduled Council meeting. We have said for some time that regardless of the outcome of additional vetting, this deal is not in the best interests of the people of Evansville. We stand by that claim now more than ever. We further renew our call for the Mayor to withdraw support for this project and stop trotting out Rob Hunden to scare the people of Evansville with threats that if this deal falls through, the next deal will be 100% publicly funded. Hunden was hired to do a study of a 240-270 room hotel, not a study of the fiscal situation of the City of Evansville. Rob Hunden is not an expert on the fiscal situation of Evansville, therefore, he is in no position to offer up advice on what is best for the people of Evansville given their current fiscal situation.

Pro-Hotel Facebook Admin Alleges John Dunn Buying Councilmen & Councilman Friend of Improper Accounting Practices

 

The mudslinging has truly gone beyond the norms of civilized discussions in the wake of this weekend’s revelations about the stalled vetting process of the hotel agreement with HCW. Not only has the Mayor’s Office released a clarification statement by Rob Hunden but the administrator of the Facebook page “Citizens of Evansville for Progress on a Downtown Hotel” has accused John Dunn of a crime and Councilman John Friend of improper accounting practices on the Courier and Press comment site. Both posts are included in this article for our readers to make their own conclusions:

Community Comment

In the last 24 hours numerous allegations of a serious nature have been flying freely in comments on both the Courier Press, article entitled “Consultant Refuses to Review Hotel Developer” and now the Pro-Hotel Facebook page.

In a post dated September 16th at 12:57pm, pro-hotel Facebook group Administrator Phyllip Davis alleged on his page that hotelier John Dunn is “buy[ing]” Council votes and/or paying Council members to obstruct the process.

“What I’m most amazed by in this is the number of people still with Dunn on this,” said Davis. “If it were a movie, it would be unbelievable. A rich, hotel tycoon is against a competitive project in the city that will help the city because it affects his plans for growth on the east side. He then turns on several community organizations and ends his support of them. He buys Council members to do his bidding and people stand with him like he smells like roses. Unbelievable.”

In another comment on the Courier Press article entitled “Consultant refuses to review hotel developer” Davis alleges improper behavior specifically on the part of Councilman John Friend: “They should have been capable of vetting HCW without having to give John Friend, who is rumored to be associated with Dunn, their financials.”

Bribing a public official is a serious crime in the State of Indiana, a felony in fact, and may even come with Federal charges as well. If there is any merit to this most serious of allegations, Mr. Davis and others should present whatever evidence they possess to our County Prosecutor, the Indiana State Police, and the State Attorney General.

If no such evidence exists, we would remind Mr. Davis and anyone else thinking of making such allegations of felony activity in a public forum their words may be considered libelous if they are not true and the offended parties wish to litigate.

(Washington, DC) – Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-8) along with Representative Dan Lipinski (IL-3) introduced legislation to save America’s trucking industry over $1 billion annually by ensuring due process on an important Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulatory matter.

The bill, H.R. 3095, will require FMCSA to go through a formal notice and comment rulemaking proceeding when issuing guidance on the screening and testing for obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders for drivers of commercial motor vehicles.

“If FMSCA wants to weigh in on this issue then they should go through the proper rulemaking process,” said Bucshon. “With such tremendous potential costs to the truck and bus industry, it is critical that we include all the stakeholders, including the medical and trucking communities, in any thorough analysis of fatigue-related crashes. This bill will provide an open and transparent process to evaluate both the costs and benefits of any proposed regulations.”

Without due process, the FMCSA guidance would sidestep a thorough analysis of obstructive sleep apnea among truck and bus drivers, the range of possible actions to address the problem, and full consideration of the views of all affected stakeholders, including the drivers themselves. Further, non-binding guidance would make the industry extremely vulnerable to litigation – whether they enforce the guidance or ignore it.

The trucking industry estimates the impact of screening, diagnosis, and treatment for obstructive sleep apnea could exceed $1 billion annually. With a $100 million impact specific to the private school bus industry.

“This is not an insignificant step,” said American Trucking Association President and CEO Bill Graves. “There are more than 3 million professional truck drivers and the cost of screening, diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea could easily exceed $1 billion annually. Taking a step as potentially costly as that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly and outside of the normal processes.”

The American Trucking Association, American Bus Association, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, National School Transportation Association, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, and United Motorcoach Association have all endorsed this bipartisan bill.

“Small-business truckers applaud Representatives Bucshon and Lipinski for their efforts on this important issue to truckers and to small businesses,” said Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Executive Vice President Todd Spencer.  “H.R.3095 is common sense legislation that has the support of the entire industry.  That fact alone should send a strong signal that anything FMCSA does regarding sleep apnea should absolutely consider the costs such a policy will pass on to truckers, especially more experienced and safer drivers.”

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will consider H.R. 3095 in a markup hearing on Thursday, September 19, 2013.

 

Chances are, you have probably heard the phrase “Share the Road”. This is a campaign known for their efforts to educate motorists on how to safely operate alongside bicyclists on the street. This is likely to remain important as the number of people using bikes will almost certainly continue to rise rather than decline.

Southern Indiana provides some of the best scenery in the state and many people in our area take advantage of that either on foot or on bike. One of our biggest attractions in Warrick County is the Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area. Like many, I take advantage of this beautiful backdrop and walk these roads daily- usually around 3 to 5 miles a day.

In a tragic accident earlier this month, a gentleman riding his bike in nearby Vanderburgh County lost his life after being struck by a car. Unfortunately, he had run a stop sign. This was devastating to the driver and the community.  Thoughtful words of support began to pour in for everyone involved. These, however, are the types of accidents that we can and must work to prevent.

While on my daily walks, I have witnessed first-hand some of the problems we are currently facing between cars on the road and people riding bikes, walking or jogging on those same roads. I have noticed that while state law permits bicyclists to use most roads, they do not always comply with traffic laws. This includes things such as stopping at stop signs and looking both ways as well as occupying the correct side of the road.

Bicycles are considered vehicles and while motorists must be cautious of them, the same laws still apply to bicyclists as apply to cars. Thus, bikers should be moving in the same direction as traffic and adhere to any and all traffic laws. On the other hand, walkers and joggers are not vehicles. Therefore, those of us who prefer to walk or run are supposed to move against traffic so that they can always see what is coming towards them.

I wanted to raise awareness about this issue, not because I want to get bicyclists off of our roads, but because I am currently in the beginning stages of working with Warrick County Officials and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to get a grant which would provide for a bike and running lane on some of our county roads.

Nearby Vanderburgh County is already home to the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage, a planned walking, jogging and biking trail along the Pigeon Creek and Ohio Riverfront that will connect to Angel Mounds and the Newburgh Riverfront.  I believe that a similar trail in northern Warrick County would be a great addition to our community as well as an added layer of safety for everyone. It will likely take time to come to fruition; however, ultimately, I would love for this trail to connect to the Vanderburgh County Greenway.

For years, there has been a great deal of emphasis placed on teaching drivers how to be on the lookout for bicyclists but I feel it is equally important that we help and encourage bicyclists to also be on the lookout for motorists and obey the rules of the road.   In order to achieve the highest level of safety on our roads, everyone needs to be educated on this issue. Sharing the road is a two-way street and with a bit of heightened awareness by everyone on the roads, we just might save a life.