The City County Observer has learned tonight that members of the Evansville City Council led by Councilman John Friend and the Office of the Mayor have agreed to delay a vote on the downtown convention hotel to allow for sufficient time to vet the project.

The vetting is expected to be done by the firm Crowe Horvath but will not go forward without an open discussion and a vote of the City Council next Monday at the meeting that the Winnecke Administration had hoped would result in an affirmative vote of the council to borrow the money required to provide HCW of Branson, MO with incentives of $37.5 Million to build a downtown convention hotel. $20 Million of that amount is a direct subsidy for the hotel while the balance is to develop a parking garage, a storage facility for Ford Center, and other associated infrastructure.

Despite six meetings in the Wards of the city of Evansville where supporters of the project that included labor union representatives, the convention and visitors bureau, and Mayor Winnecke himself only two members of the city council (Weaver and Mosby) have openly offered support for the project in is present stage of vetting. It has become clear over the last couple of days that holding an up or down vote Monday night would have resulted in a failure so both sides agreed that Councilman Friend was right and that a through vetting process of the project and HCW is in order.

One of the components of the vetting process is expected to be a comparison of the projections vs. the financial reality of what happened with the flagship hotel at Branson Landing during its first 5 years of operation.

this is a developing story

IS IT TRUE September 4, 2013

IS IT TRUE it has been 30 days since City Councilman John Friend, CPA first asked for a “grant application” from HCW to begin vetting whether or not they are the right partner and this is the right deal for the people of Evansville?…he has never stopped asking and his persistence came to a point of no return last week when he finally out of exasperation let Mayoral Attorney Ted Ziemer know that without a “grant application” with the components he published for the third time yesterday that he will hold this vote in committee for 30 days as is his right to do without a vote?…if Councilman Friend is as good as his word and a sufficient “grant application” is not in his hands the next opportunity for a vote will not be before October 9th but would most likely be held on Monday October 15, 2013?…Mr. Ziemer has pledged to do his best but that will take the cooperation of HCW who seems to be fundamentally opposed to releasing their tax returns and personal financial information?…the CCO would like to ask who among us would be willing to hand over our life’s tax returns and a net worth statement for a gift of $37.5 Million?…we doubt that very many people would turn down that offer?

IS IT TRUE the MOLE NATION is now beginning to hear rumblings that HCW may just tell the City of Evansville to drop dead if they do not get the City Council’s approval for this deal next Monday night?…if that is their attitude they would not have made good partners anyway?…if such an ultimatum is made either publicly or privately it is time to “just say no” after Mayor Winnecke has invested his time and our money in a deal that is just not right?…we have seen this pattern before in the sneaky deal with Earthcare Energy who is still current on their paltry monthly payments that are interest only?…the people of Evansville only lost $200,000 on that deal and that payback time on that little farce is coming to a head in just 6 short months?…Earthcare is keeping their end of that bargain for a reason and we shall likely learn what that reason is next February?…there may or may not be a hotel construction project going on at that time?

IS IT TRUE that a solicitation for donations of $10 or more was sent out by the “Friends of Mayor Winnecke” under the name of Susan Haynie at FC Tucker Realty?…Ms. Haynie is on the McClintock team at FC Tucker making her an employee of the First Lady of Evansville?…the solicitations were for 6 charities that have been advised by John Dunn that his charity will not be extended to them in the future because they have vocally supported the proposal to hand $37.5 Million tax dollars to the new kid in town, HCW that will be his competitor in the lodging market?…the charities are the Reitz Home, the African American Museum, the Willard Library, the Wesselman Nature Society, the Evansville Museum, and CMOE?…Mr. Dunn has also given fair warning that he will be severing ties with the Chamber of Commerce where Kathy Briscoe, of FC Tucker Emge Realtors where the First Lady of Evansville parks her real estate license serves as Chairperson of the Board?…that City Councilwoman Missy Mosby, who yesterday claimed to be completely unaware of Councilman Friend’s vetting requests is also on the payroll of FC Tucker Emge Realtors?

IS IT TRUE that John Dunn and Dunn Hospitality exist in a free society and are free to choose to support whatever charities they wish in whatever amounts they choose including ZERO?…all actions have consequences and charities that depend on the generosity of their donors need to be cognizant of the fact that “biting the hand that feeds them” through political activities is not the way to maintain a sustainable stable of patrons?…it is also not a way to keep a non-profit status as those special charities that are granted 501(c)3 status are forbidden from lobbying by law and are putting their legal status at risk by engaging the taking of political stands which unfortunately this hotel deal has become?…we encourage our readers to tune in to News25 this Thursday when Mr. Dunn will be a guest of Brad Byrd in a special segment where he will have his say in this matter for all to see?

The following solicitation for donations of $10 and up was distributed today by a group of six charities that vocally advocated for the giving away of $37.5 Million to HCW to build a convention in downtown Evansville.

The Hunden Study that was commissioned by and paid for by the Office of the Mayor explicitly states that 70% of the business that a new 253 room hotel will attract will come from cannibalizing the existing hotels.