IS IT TRUE the report of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to the City Council has finally been made available for 2012 and the results give pause to any financially prudent person who is observing the claims being made to justify borrowing $37.5 Million to give to a hotel developer?…in 2012 the downtown TIF reported revenue of $6.9 Million to cover expenses of $8.4 Million?…that is an annual deficit of $1.5 Million which is clearly not a sustainable spending model?…luckily there is a cash balance that has built up over time of $7.9 Million to cover a few more years of this unsustainable spending pattern?…Mayor Winnecke has been quoted as claiming that the downtown TIF brings in $14 Million per year in the dog and pony shows so he must be anticipating that the hotel will bring in about $7 Million per year?…that is irrational exuberance at its finest as the hotel property taxes are only anticipated to be between $500k and $700k?…TIF spending in 2012 that was related to Ford Center was just over $5 Million or 72% of total revenue?…the most disturbing revelation in the report was the line where the obligation of the ERC for Ford Center over the next 26 years is $260 Million?…that payment started on 2/1/2013 so it was not consuming any money in 2012?…that is $10 Million per year that a revenue source does not seem to be identified for?…this is the kind of thing that just makes you wonder if the elevator in the Civic Center goes all the way to the top?

IS IT TRUE according to the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County officials in the past when it was time to muster the faithful drones for a giveaway program it was claimed that the Victory Theatre was supposed to bring in 100,000 people a year to downtown Evansville?…the Riverfront Dock that incidentally is in Kentucky waters was also supposed to bring in 100,000 people a year downtown?…the LST was supposed to bring in 100,000 people a year?…the Centre supposed to bring in 100,000 people a year when the powers that be were selling it to taxpayers?…the Soccer Fields were claimed by the CVB to bring in 100,000 people a year, as were the initial claims of the not yet built $20 Million ball fields?…that these sales pitches all seem to revolve around claims of 100,000 tourists, none of which were realistic to begin with and none of which have worked out the way they were promoted when taxpayer dollars were being thrown at them?

IS IT TRUE the Vectren Headquarters was supposed to bring vitality and high paying jobs along with massive sums of money to downtown Evansville?…the American General Headquarters (Federal bailout AIG) turned Springleaf was supposed to be the hot ticket to transform downtown Evansville into Manhattan?…the Ford Center has supposed to be the final catalyst to make Evansville a major metro area and fill all of the empty storefronts on Main Street?…Main Street opening to traffic was supposed to stimulate private investments?…the Loft Program was supposed to stimulate private investments?….all of these programs were paid for with public money?…all those promises would mean that downtown Evansville should be coming into the national spotlight by now for positive things?…none of this has made much tangible difference in the downtown experience?……and now the hotel is represented to be the savior of downtown and all of the baubles of entertainment that have failed before?…If that hotel is a good investment and is going to bring in people and large sums of money private business or wealthy believers should invest their money to make this happen?

IS IT TRUE that  we are hearing from creditable sources that the City of Evansville shall expect some outside visitors from Washington, D C and Atlanta Ga.in the very near future?  …we hear that the officials that are planning to visit Evansville  are employed by the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Commission.

IS IT TRUE August 28, 2013

IS IT TRUE that the Facebook war for “likes” is being waged by the administrator(s) of the page called “Citizens of Evansville for Progress on a downtown Hotel”?…in the 24 hours after the City County Observer pointed out that the demographics of that particular page are old (35 – 54) as compared to the “Citizens of Evansville Against a Taxpayer Funded Hotel” are young (25 – 34) the old folks must have mobilized a telemarketer to get some more likes because their likes increased rapidly by about 50?…the admins for the “Against” group must not be as versed at gathering “likes” as the old folks are because the “likes” on their page only increased by a mere 4 during that same day?…this public funding of a downtown hotel issue is really turning traditional demographics on its head in Evansville?…it is odd that young people are supporting the conservative approach of being frugal with public support of a traditionally private project but the old folks are supporting giving HCW a gift of $37.5 Million to build a hotel in downtown Evansville?…it is also odd that the old folks seem to be much more adept at Facebook than the youngsters are?…we want to thank the old folks at the “FOR” Facebook page for allowing discussions to take place while the youngsters at the “AGAINST” Facebook page seem intent on taking down every challenging post to their position that is put up?…it seems as though the youngsters are practicing censorship while the old folks are allowing informed discussion to occur?…in this case we support the actions of the old folks at the “FOR” page?

IS IT TRUE that one of the discussions on the “For” page resulted in the City County Observer offering an audience to one of the people who are in favor of giving away $37.5 Million to make her case without being subject to editing, opinion, bias, or even a word limit as most publication hold onto till the death?…we were surprised to be declined on the basis that “the CCO is tearing our community apart”?…we would like to take a few lines to rebut that assertion as we have always been and shall always be a website that advocates for good public policy?…we would like to know how exposing the back room meeting to take away the Homestead Tax Credit called by Mayor Winnecke as a favor to former Mayor Weinzapfel tears this community apart?…we would like to know how exposing the sneaky back room way that Mayor Weinzapfel used GAGE to supplement the salary of Tom Barnett tears the community apart?…we would like to know how pointing out the failure of former Mayor Weinzapfel’s chosen developer to pay the property taxes for the McCurdy Hotel is tearing this community apart?…we would like to know how exposing the dilapidated state of the parks and the neglect of maintenance on nearly every publicly owned facility under the stewardship of the City of Evansville is tearing this community apart?…we would like to know how taking the bull by the horns to expose the underhanded and uniquely ignorant things that lead to the Earthcare Energy debacle is tearing this community apart?…that finally we would like to know how demanding and encouraging our elected officials to demand a business plan, a supportable job creation estimate, and an economic impact study based on reality for the hotel the “FOR” site wants to pass without VETTING so badly is tearing this community apart?

IS IT TRUE what we suspect is that there are indeed a small group of people who refer to their ranks as a “community” is perhaps being torn apart by the CCO’s rational requests for information?…if all we are tearing apart are the community of social butterflies that support this hotel so they can have another place to socialize and a few unions who are for anything that involves construction whether it is the right decision for the entire City of Evansville or not, then we are doing what we want to do?…thinking is good?…VETTING is good?…making informed decisions rather than catching a case of irrational exuberance at a tent revival is good?…if all of these things had been done from the start then downtown Evansville would probably already have a downtown convention hotel in place for much less that a public subsidy of $37.5 Million?

IS IT TRUE that “Our Times” newspaper published an editorial in support of giving away $37.5 Million to HCW to build a downtown hotel?…the article cited a few other cities who had done such things and then laid the words “Evansville is really a southern city” in at just the right time to send a subliminal message to her readers?…there was then a paragraph that cited what other cities are ended with “Who is Evansville”…that is a legitimate question that we would also like and answer to?…that the last part of the article was one of the most self serving and misinformed string of words ever put into print?…it stated “we are still smarting over Mayor Winnecke backing off of the Earthcare Energy deal” and then ended by stating that with the hotel we should be like Nike and “Just Do It”?…we applaud Mayor Winnecke for seeing the error of his ways and backing off of the Earthcare Energy deal?…that reversal from an idiotic sneaky start is his finest decision as Mayor?…we ask “Our Times” what other city has embraces Earthcare and where are they now?…with deals like that and avoiding VETTING of a hotel the answer to “Who is Evansville” may be answered as “the most gullible bunch of dopes on earth”, if every person that knocks on the door gets some of our tax money?…as for the “Just Do It” attitude, that works for shoes and hamburgers but it is no way to run a City?…we counter propose “Just VET IT” as a better slogan?