IS IT TRUE August 15, 2013

IS IT TRUE it was disclosed during yesterday morning’s meeting of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Board that board members received their data packet – consisting of a ambiguous letter from Ed Hafer asking for 2 Mil on MONDAY night?…there was not Hunden Study summary, there was no business plan from HCW (the developer), there were no hiring projections, and there were no assumptions of occupancy or room rates?… board members acknowledged they historically take more time on financial decisions involving much less money?… despite that, the vote what pushed through by the four people who were originally appointed to this board by either Mayor Winnecke or former Mayor Weinzapfel despite demands to simply wait and review more information by the other three members of the board?…these kinds of strong armed “damned the torpedoes full speed ahead” are dominating the 3 week rush to force a vote by the City Council before the financial plan is released, the books are reconciled, and the 2012 audit is completed?…these tactics are an insult to freedom of thought and typify narcissism coming straight from the top as it has been for 10 years?

IS IT TRUE that the same power grabbing in your face tactics were used at last night’s town hall discussion?…Mayor Winnecke ignored the time honored tradition of allowing speakers to speak in the order that they came in and rearranged the speaker order to have people who support giving away $37.5 Million speak first, last, and after the stronger rebuttal speakers so they would not be embarrassed as they were at the City Council meeting Monday night?…even with $37.5 Million at stake only about 30 people have been attending these meetings and 80% of those are the pom-pom carrying cheerleaders for the project?…it is appalling that the people of Evansville have no more interest in local finances that they are choosing to sit home in mass?…they must think that they have no voice and as some locals say “the fix is in” and no matter what logic is presented the Blitzkrieg tactics to ram this through are going to happen anyway?…it seems as though much of Evansville has given up on itself?

IS IT TRUE that the local Libertarian Party is the only party to have taken a stand on the cash giveaway to get a hotel and their position is to oppose doing this?…it has been pointed out by Wayne Parke, the Chairman of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party that the numbers of Libertarians are too small to matter?…when it comes to registered Libertarians Mr. Parke is exactly correct?…the first real question though is how many Democrats are of the blue dog type and think that giving away $37.5 Million is pretty stupid and silently oppose doing so?…the second question is how anyone who claims to be a Republican and believes in free markets could even support having McDonalds serve as the tax collector and giving the money to Burger King?…this decision should not be about party affiliation, it should be about sane public spending policies?

IS IT TRUE we wonder how in a short span of 5 years Evansville has gone from a city that was told by former Mayor Weinzapfel that “if we build an arena a $40 Million 4-Star hotel will be built without public assistance” to a shriveling beggar willing to hand out $37.5 Million in gifts that should be reserved for critical infrastructure to get a 3-Star hotel built?…it is a sad story but a true story and it began with insufficient planning and delusions of grandeur?…we wonder how Kunkel’s construction budget of $30 Million for a 250 room hotel morphed into a $44 Million price tag in one year for what is essentially the same thing?

IS IT TRUE as has been the case with other things like the McCurdy Hotel, the Johnson Controls deal, Roberts Stadium, Mesker Amphitheatre, and Centennial Park, Mayor Winnecke has come face to face with the reality of the haphazard way that Evansville has been governed?…in many ways his role has been the role of a financial planner who showed up the day after a frat party when the last keg had been drained and the coffers were nearly bare?…Evansville is at a crossroads and the choices are to dust ourselves off and invest in things that are necessary to remain a viable city like sewers, roads, and infrastructure, or to pull out the credit card and keep the party going until our collective face is in the gutter?…it is unfortunate but it looks as though our leaders including the last hope for solid resistance, the City Council are being railroaded straight into the gutter?…it will be interesting to see which members of the City Council will rise above the madness of what the CP and Councilman Weaver call a “joint venture” and oppose this venture that is anything but joint when it comes to ownership?

The Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau’s board of commissioners voted 4 – 3 this morning to approve spending $2 million on the City of Evansville’s proposed Downtown convention hotel project. All four of the YES votes came from commissioners who were originally appointed by either former Mayor Weinzapfel or current Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.

Half of the $2 million, will go toward accessories such as a parking garage and sky bridges that would connect the hotel to adjacent buildings. The other $1 million would go toward improvements at The Centre, Evansville’s downtown convention facility.

The funds will be provided over 10 years, with $200,000 paid each year

The seven-member board approved the spending by a vote of 4-3. Donna Leader who was first appointed by Mayor Weinzapfel, Earl Milligan who was appointed by Mayor Winenecke, John Montrastelle who was appointed by the County Commissioners when now Mayor Winnecke was its president and Mike Roeder of Vectren who was first appointed by Mayor Weinzapfel voted in favor of the spending.

Mike Roeder’s day job is with Vectren who provides space for the Evansville Regional Business Committee that employs Evansville Redevelopment Commission President Ed Hafer who spoke out in favor of the hotel project at Monday’s meeting of the Evansville City Council.

Rita Bauer appointed by the County Council, Ward Shaw originally appointed by Mayor Weinzapfel, and Kevin Stahl appointed by the County Commissioners voted against the motion.

The money will come from the CVB’s tourism capital development fund, which the CVB can spend only on projects to promote local tourism. Fund money is generated by Vanderburgh County’s innkeepers tax — money that overnight guests pay when they stay at local hotels.

IS IT TRUE August 14, 2013 Part 2

IS IT TRUE an unannounced meeting of the Salary Advisory Committee 10:00 am this morning in the Mayor’s office was called by the Mayor to discuss about 5 to 8 new positions within the Evansville Water and Sewer Department?… that one of the new position requests may  a $20,000 raise to new city Water and Sewer employee Mike Duckworth?…we shall keep you posted on the happenings of this non announced meeting?

IS IT TRUE the speakers from last night’s meeting at the library regarding the proposed downtown hotel were in near unanimous agreement that the empty lot where the Executive Inn was once is a great place for a hotel and parking garage?…there was even near unanimous approval that these things will help with conventions?…when the discussion moved to how the hotel and its accessories should be paid for the agreement ended?…there were the starry eyed dreamers who really seem to believe that just another $37.5 Million gift to land a hotel and parking lot will instantly transform downtown Evansville into a sparkling vibrant city and that this needs to be supported at all cost?…there were many such people in the room as they had been recruited by the Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Winnecke, and others who have an agenda to move this project forward the way it is right now?…there were an equivalent number of people with a more realistic view of economics that ranged from free market people who think subsidies are just wrong to others who think some subsidy like a traditional tax abatement would be okay but handing out cash like Halloween candy is stupid and counter competitive?

IS IT TRUE that one attendee asked the attorney for the group of hoteliers why this hotel is not being undertaken by some local company?…the answer was for the record that they would if the project was capable of turning a profit as they have all proven by investing in hotels in the suburbs?…it was touched on last night and we do not think it has been touched on before that roughly $10 Million of the deal for the hotel alone are developer fees that will go straight into the pockets of the developer from the pockets of the people of Evansville?…the developer is free to sell the property after 5 years and keep ALL OF THE PROCEEDS?…it would not be the first time that such a stunt has been pulled?

IS IT TRUE that while the City of Evansville has been busily laying the groundwork to follow the mistakes of many other Midwestern cities by betting the last of the discretionary money on hotels, dog parks, and other assorted brick and mortar temples to fun and games the Obama Administration has been running up more white flags of surrender in the implementation of ObamaCare?…first came the delay of ObamaCare’s Medicare cuts until after the election?… then there was the delay of the law’s employer mandate?… then there was the announcement, buried in the Federal Register, that the administration would delay enforcement of a number of key eligibility requirements for the law’s health insurance subsidies, relying on the “honor system” instead?… now comes word that another costly provision of the health law—its caps on out-of-pocket insurance costs—will be delayed for one more year?…according to the Congressional Research Service, as of November 2011, the Obama administration had missed as many as one-third of the deadlines, specified by law, under the Affordable Care Act?…it seems as though there is not a governing body left in this country that can actually put together a cogent plan for anything at all and follow it up with even a half assed implementation?…ObamaCare is the proof that the Evansville City Council needs to VET the hotel proposal completely and take as long as it takes to come up with a contract that is acceptable to the people of Evansville?…it will be interesting to see if 5 members of the City Council will have the courage to step forth and insist that this is VETTED as it should be prior to humoring Mayor Winnecke with a vote?