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CORE: KERNAN SHOULD BEGIN HIS CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS AT HOME

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KERNAN SHOULD BEGIN HIS CONSOLIDATION EFFORTS AT HOME

September 4, 2012 CORE2012.NET

St. Joseph’s County lags far behind Vanderburgh County when it comes to efficiencies

Recently former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan of South Bend, Ind., a city located in St. Joseph’s County, endorsed the question on the ballot to “reorganize” the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County governments. This endorsement should come as no surprise at all considering Mr. Kernan helped author the Kernan-Shepard report “Streamlining Local Government” in December of 2007.

However, not a single Indiana county — including Kernan’s own home county — has ratified the Kernan-Shepard initiatives in full. We at Citizens Opposed to Reorganization in Evansville(CORE) believe Mr. Kernan, a former mayor of South Bend, should follow Vanderburgh County’s example and begin efforts to find efficiencies in his own hometown before instructing us what we should be doing here.

We now take the opportunity to demonstrate to local taxpayers just how well our civic leaders here at home have already done in finding efficiencies and eliminating duplication of services when compared to other Indiana communities. St. Joseph’s County, which is on the border with Michigan and represents a 5-hour drive from Evansville, is a shining example of how well Vanderburgh County has already done finding efficiencies in local government. For instance:

* St. Joseph’s County has TEN city/county/town government entities. The cities are Mishawaka and South Bend, both with mayors and completely different city administrations. St. Joseph County is the county arm of local government. And the towns are: Indian Village, Lakeville, New Carisle, North Liberty, Osceola, Roseland, and Walkerton. Vanderburgh County only has 1 incorporated City (Evansville), 1 incorporated Town (Darmstadt) and obviously Vanderburgh County government. Incidentally, the Town of Darmstadt is not part of the proposed unification plan.

* St. Joseph’s County has at least NINE publicly funded law enforcement agencies, all with a chief. Those agencies are: St. Joseph’s County, Town of Roseland, Town of Lakeville, City of Mishawaka, Town of New Carlisle, City of South Bend, Town of Walkerton, Town of North Liberty, and Osceola. It should also be noted that St. Joseph’s County has a Sheriff, a Chief, and an Assistant Chief. Vanderburgh County has only two law enforcement agencies, the City of Evansville Police Department and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. It must be noted that neither of these two departments locally are a part of the consolidation picture for the next 10 years. The University of Notre Dame also has a police force, but we have been told it is privately funded and does not take tax dollars. That brings the number of law enforcement agencies in St. Joseph’s County to TEN!

* St. Joseph’s County has SIX school corporations (John Glenn; New Prairie United; Penn-Harris-Madison; City of Mishawaka; South Bend Community; and Union-North United school corporations). Vanderburgh County only has 1. We obviously have already discovered efficiencies and eliminated duplication of services, while South Bend has not.

* St. Joseph’s County has FOUR Library Boards (Mishawaka, New Carlisle, Walkerton and St. Joseph County). Vanderburgh County has 1.

* St. Joseph’s County has TWO Redevelopment Commissions (Mishawaka and South Bend). Vanderburgh County has 1.

CORE has said for months that most of the opportunities for cost savings and finding efficiencies in Vanderburgh County have already been capitalized by local taxpayers and elected leaders. Mr. Kernan’s hometown provides a shining example of how well Vanderburgh County sits compared to other communities thoughout the state.

In the above examples, St. Joseph’s County has 31 taxing units compared to Vanderburgh County’s 8. And of those 8, the only “duplication” of services would be from the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Town of Darmstadt, all of which are specifically NOT a part of the reorganization question on the ballot.

We at CORE remind voters that the current reorganization plan puts too much power into too few hands. Reorganization would lead to LESS REPRESENTATION for voters and therefore REDUCE ACCOUNTABILITY. We have already demonstrated the ability to find efficiencies and eliminate duplication of services without gutting local government.

In a letter to newspaper editors throughout the state of Indiana, the Association of Indiana Counties — a nonprofit organization — had this to say about the Kernan-Shepard Report:

“Taxpayers should be wary of efforts to eliminate county elected government officials and replace elected positions with appointed people. If it comes down to democracy vs. appointed bureaucracy, the choice seems abundantly clear: democracy. A commission appointed by the Governor to find efficiencies in government recommends doing away with many county elected officials. The report has some positive recommendations but eliminating the opportunity for taxpayers to serve their communities is not one of them. One size or form of government does not fit all communities.

“Framers of Indiana’s Constitution designed county government to carry out state laws and policies. To create a balance of power between state government and the citizens throughout the state, the designers of the State Constitution believed voters should directly elect people from their county to administer state laws. Why should that be changed? No evidence has been produced that appointed people will do a better job than elected people. In 1851 it would have been easy to allow the state to appoint people in each county to administer state laws. However, framers of the State Constitution must have been concerned about too much power being concentrated in state government or in the hands of too few people.”

We feel these comments about the Kernan-Shepard report also apply to the reorganization question on the ballot.

We ask that you VOTE NO in NOvember!

For a link to taxing units in St. Joseph’s County, please visit:

http://www.in.gov/legislative/pdf/STJOSEPH11.PDF

FOOT NOTE: This article was written and submitted to the CCO by members of the CORE committee.

VHS Pet of the Week: “Minnie”

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This is Minnie. She is a two year old female, hound/shepherd mix.

She is a gentle girl looking for a gentle person who wants to spend some quality time with me. She walks nicely on a leash and would love to get some regular exercise . She would enjoy getting in some quality TV/movie time, too. Of course, consistent and positive reinforcement for her positive behaviors will help her be the best companion she can be.

Her adoption fee includes, her spay, microchip, up to date vaccinations and a free bag of food.

Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden Closed to Public on Sept. 8, 2012

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Due to a corporate private Zoo rental, Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden will be closed to the public on Saturday, September 8, 2012. Normal hours of operation will resume on Sunday, September 9. Please call (812) 435-6143 with any questions

EVSC Schools to Host Marching Band Invitationals

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This fall, music will be heard all around Evansville as four EVSC schools host marching band invitational competitions. Two firsts are happening this fall in the EVSC – Harrison High School hosting its first-ever competition; and North High School having its first invitational in the new Bundrant Stadium. Central and Reitz also have events planned for this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 8, at their respective school stadiums. Central’s event will begin at 4 p.m. at Central Stadium. Admission is $5. Reitz’s event this weekend will be at the Reitz Bowl with the first competition beginning at 11 a.m.

Harrison’s invitational, which will include more than 500 students representing seven schools, will take place Saturday, September 15, at 11 a.m. and awards will be presented at 1 p.m. Admission is $5. Harrison’s event is unique as it is the first invitational the school has hosted in its history. In addition, the event coincides with the 50th anniversary of Harrison High School. According to director William Gumula, the invitational will add to the excitement of celebrating the school’s 50th anniversary.

North High School will be a prelude to the Indiana State School Music Association’s (ISSMA) District competition and round out this fall’s marching band invitationals by hosting its competition Saturday, September 22, beginning at 5 p.m. Admission is free. This year marks the first year for the event to take place at North’s Bundrant Stadium, but is the 31st competition the school has hosted. Twenty area schools will participate for the Best in Class award.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.

This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, August 31, 2012.

Amanda Dickman Theft – Class D Felony
Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug -Class D Felony

Tyler Emrich Theft – Class D Felony (Two Counts)
Possession of a Synthetic Drug – Class A Misdemeanor

Olivia Harpole Forgery – Class C Felony
Theft – Class D Felony (Two Counts)

Allen Joiner Strangulation – Class D Felony
Domestic Battery – Class A Misdemeanor

Aubrey Patrick Theft – Class D Felony

Thomas Payne Operating a Vehicle as an Habitual Traffic Violator -Class D Felony

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
SENTENCE CHART

Class Range
Murder 45-65 Years
Class A Felony 20-50 Years
Class B Felony 6-20 Years
Class C Felony 2-8 Years
Class D Felony ½ – 3 Years

Gallup Rasmussen Polls September 3, 2012

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The Rasmussen Tracking poll today shows President Obama trailing Mitt Romney by 48% – 44% with while Gallup’s Tracking poll shows the President leading at 47% -46%.

The average of these two polls is now showing the Romney/Ryan campaign with 47.0% and the Obama/Biden at 45.5% for a Romney lead of 1.5%.

The average approval rate for President Obama is at negative 4.0% meaning that 4.0% more of those polled disapprove than approve of the Presidents job performance. The average approval rating for the President was 45.5% and the average disapproval was 49.5% largely on the big increase in disapproval in the Gallup poll.

Real Clear Politics today has an average of 8 polls has the race tied at 46.4%. Since the Republican Convention Romney has made small advances daily as new polls are introduced while President Obama’s numbers have stayed the same.

All polls continue to indicate that between 7% and 8% of those polled have not yet expressed an opinion putting the undecideds in a position to choose the next President. These numbers are down from 10% earlier in the week with substantially all of the undecideds breaking for Romney. Changes in polling as a result of the Republican Convention have started to show up in polls.

The Democrat Convention is this week with the President needing to ebb the flow of undecided voters expressing their choice for Romney. The race remains a statistical dead heat with 8 states within the margin of error of the most recent polls.

IS IT TRUE September 4, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE September 4, 2012

IS IT TRUE that former Governor Joe Kernan issued the following statement to the people of Evansville and Vanderburgh County regarding consolidation:
“”The citizens of Evansville and Vanderburgh County should be very proud of the great work that has been done to create a unified local government plan for the greater good of the community.

“Your local government will be less redundant, better organized, more efficient, less expensive for all taxpayers, and very importantly more transparent and easier for everyone to understand.

“Your community has stepped to the front of the pack because of enlightened leadership and citizen participation. You will set the standard for the rest of Indiana on how to best provide local government services to your citizens.

“Congratulations on moving this process along as far as you have. Now just push it across the line in November.

IS IT TRUE that upon learning of this statement opponents of consolidation took Governor Kernan to task on this competence regarding this issue?…coming from South Bend and finding his way into the Governor’s office by virtue of the death of Governor O’Bannon do not allegedly give Governor Kernan and experience at all in governing a consolidated city-county?

IS IT TRUE that gasoline was reported this morning to have set a record for high prices nationwide for the Labor Day weekend?…that gasbuddy.com reports today that the average price of a gallon of gas in the United States is $3.80 per gallon which is indeed the highest ever for a Labor Day weekend but not the highest ever but it is close?…that El Paso gets the award for the most affordable gas at $3.43 but that our friends in Chicago get the award for getting hosed the worse paying an average of $4.33?…that here in Evansville we are still paying above average prices at $3.87?…paying above average prices may be worth it if we were not getting clubbed with excessive prices for electricity too?…what would really ease the pain of high energy costs would be some higher wages?…that as long as our local schools continue to see ISTEP scores fall that it is going to be difficult to attract better paying jobs to this region?

IS IT TRUE that the embattled President Obama has hauled out the Alpha President Bill Clinton to take to the television to ask American voters for 4 more years for the incumbent who has had a very fiery past with President Clinton?…that President Clinton has accused then candidate Obama of pulling the race card on his wife’s campaign in 2008 and recently referred to the business career of Republican candidate Mitt Romney as “STERLING”?…President Clinton reminisces in the commercial about how great the economy was during his administration and how four more years for President Obama is just the cure for the stubborn malaise of an economy we have now?…that President Clinton must have forgotten a few things about his years in the White House if he is confusing 2012 with his second term?…President Clinton’s time in office was economically a very good time for America and was from a policy perspective more like the times of President Reagan than President Obama?…the wheels did fall off of the stock market bus at the end of the Clinton presidency just like the wheels fell off of the housing bus at the end of the Bush presidency?

IS IT TRUE the Obama campaign was out in full force this weekend asserting that in spite of high unemployment, falling wages, doubled gas prices, skyrocketing energy prices, and over a 20% rise in the price of necessities like food that we are all better off than we were four years ago?…that politics surely does make strange bedfellows and even stranger rationalizations?…that even for staunch democrats to hear words like “we really are better off now than four years ago” not only counters President Obama’s own words but has about the same believability factor as claiming that a head of lettuce is a filet mignon?…as one of our favorite songs states, “we won’t get fooled again” may become the anthem for this presidential campaign?…that applies to lies and distortions coming from both campaigns?

“Jerry Baum: A British Experience” Opens September 10 in Melvin Peterson Gallery

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The University of Evansville Friends of Art are proud to present “Jerry Baum: A British Experience,” featuring original watercolors by a popular Southwest Indiana artist. The exhibit will run from September 10-November 9 in the Melvin Peterson Gallery, located on the corner of Lincoln and Weinbach avenues.

From London landmarks to countryside scenes, “Jerry Baum: A British Experience” will feature approximately a dozen large watercolor paintings Baum produced from visits to England. The paintings, which have been on exhibit throughout the United States and Europe, are on loan to the Peterson Gallery from the Barning family’s private collection.

Baum has been a professional watercolor artist for over 55 years. He has held shows nationwide and in countries such as Bolivia and Germany, donating the proceeds from much of his work to religious, educational, and humanitarian causes. His work is featured in embassies around the world as well as notable private and corporate collections.

Baum was one of the founding members of the Watercolor U.S.A. juried exhibition and has taught workshops and master classes for the last 45 years in venues around the United States, including the University of Evansville.

The Melvin Peterson Gallery is open from noon-3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday or by appointment. All exhibits are free, open to the public, and handicap accessible. For more information, please contact the University of Evansville Department of Art at 812-488-2043.

Source: Evansville.edu

Vanderburgh County Felony Charges: August 30, 2012

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris Walsh is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.

This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday, August 30, 2012.

Jennifer Bates Intimidation–Class D Felony, Domestic Battery–Class A Misdemeanor, Disorderly Conduct–ClassB-Misdemeanor.

Terry Edwards Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon–Class C Felony, Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury–Class C Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement–Class A Misdemeanor, Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury–Class Misdemeanor.

Jarrod Na Possession of a Controlled Substance–Class D Felony-Habitual Substance Offender, Unlawful Possession or Use of a Legend Drug–Class D Felony-Three Counts.

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

SENTENCE CHART Class

Range Murder-45-65 Years

A Felony-20-50 Years

B Felony-6-20 Years

C Felony-2-8 Years

D Felony-½-3 Years

A Misdemeanor-0-1 Year

B Misdemeanor-0-180 Days

C Misdemeanor-0-60 Days