IS IT TRUE CCO Mole #31 tells us that Chris Cooke the Superintendant of the City of Evansville cemeteries has resigned his position as a Democrat precinct leader?…Mr. Cooke allegedly resigned his Democrat party position over becoming angry over a position paper written about the dilapidated condition of the Oak Hill cemetery that was written by Evansville City Council President Connie Robinson that was published in the City County Observer?…that Mr. Cooke who like President Robinson was a vocal supporter of the Winnecke for Mayor campaign has now followed in Robinson’s footsteps right out of circle of Vanderburgh County Democrat Party elites?…in the big picture that both Mr. Cooke and President Robinson have liberated themselves by leaving the confines of party leadership and will be better voters through the eyes of independence?

IS IT TRUE that at the latest count eleven Olympic athletes have gone missing in London and are suspected of defecting?…that seven of these athletes are from Cameroon and four are from Congo?…that both of these countries are continually mired in civil wars, poverty, and oppression?…the CCO wishes these athletes good fortune in whatever country that they choose to seek asylum in and fully understand the risk they have taken to liberate themselves from the yoke of political oppression?…that we as Americans take many things for granted that people from the world of less freedom are willing to risk death for?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville budget hearings have started and that now is the time for competent and engaged members of the Evansville City Council to look diligently for any line items that have been snuck into the 2013 budget?…that the line to look for is that increase line from the previous budget?…that we have already had Mole Alerts that at least some of the raises that were deferred by the City Council last month have been put back into the 2013 budget in hopes that they will be approved when they are done the old fashioned way?…this is indeed the right way for department heads and even for Mayor Winnecke to give our merit raises but that the reason and motive behind every one of them needs to be fully vetted before approval?

IS IT TRUE there have been some people that were so upset at the recent report that Indiana is the 4th worst polluter in the nation that a study was done to determine just how much of that pollution was coming from the greater Evansville region?…that if Evansville is the center of a large circle that has a radius large enough to be a small state that the CCO suspects that the “State of Evansville” may have an even worse pollution problem that the State of Indiana?…this study is expected to be released soon and that the CCO will publish the results however ugly or pretty they might be?

IS IT TRUE that the subject of the City of Evansville being able to recover tax and other incentives offered to companies that do not come through with their end of the bargain came up at last night’s City Council meeting?…a young man representing GAGE who seemed quite competent on the subject was grilled a little by some Council members who justifiably are interested in recovering any unearned incentives that can be recovered?…the conclusions were that there have been several beneficiaries of incentives that have not lived up to their end of the bargain?…it was furthermore concluded that there are no clawback provisions, contracts, or memorandums of understanding that City Council’s past have put into place to hold companies that are granted incentives accountable to their end of the bargain?…the young man from GAGE seemed to imply that adding contractual accountability to the incentives would actually put Evansville at a competitive disadvantage in the business attraction game because other places do not hold the companies accountable either?…this just makes the whole GAME wide open for corruption and over estimating economic impact because THE MORE ONE LIES THE MORE ONE GETS and THE BIGGER THE LIE IS THE BIGGER A LIE IS TRANSMITTED TO THE PUBLIC BY ATTENTION STARVED PUBLIC OFFICIALS?…a town without accountability is a town without honor?…this whole concept of no accountability does not lead to good companies or good government and violates the common sense axiom we are taught as children of “Just because Johnny stuck his hand in the fire or told a lie does not mean it is the right thing to do”?…this sort of poor public policy is the sort of thing that makes things like Earthcare, the McCurdy, the Hotel, Whirlpools departure, and the fall of AIG probable and adds to the already tarnished reputation of elected officials?

IS IT TRUE the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA Football BCS Championship LSU Tigers have tossed their most celebrated player Tyrann Mathieu off of the team for violating “team rules”?…those of you who follow college football probably know Mathieu by his nickname “Honey Badger”?…the Honey Badger had a video made by a fan last year comparing him to the powerful animal of the same name that “takes what he wants”?…that Honey Badger was forced to sit out one game last year over being caught using synthetic marijuana or K2?…the team rules for which the Honey Badger was tossed for may very well be for another round of taking what he wants?…that all things aside Tyrann Mathieu will go on to the NFL and make some good money doing so?

IS IT TRUE that Mitt Romney has now chosen Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate?…Ryan is best known for having authored and passed two budgets through the US House of Representatives?…that is two more budgets than President Obama has gotten passed through any house of congress?…this year President Obama’s budget was shot down by a vote of 414 – 0 in the House and 99 – 0 in the Senate?…that in honor of the mascot of the University of Wisconsin and playing on the tenacious football player from paragraph one that we hereby offer up the nickname “MONEY BADGER” for Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan?…all that is needed now is a youtube video like the Honey Badger has stating “MONEY BADGER GETS WHAT HE WANTS”?

IS IT TRUE the cemeteries owned and operated by the City of Evansville are now advertising their services?…we wonder where in the budget of the City of Evansville that any line item for advertising on behalf of the Oak Hill and Locust Hill cemeteries would be hidden?…the City County Observer will not be holding our breath to be getting any checks from the Winnecke Administration for a banner ad offering the services of the cemeteries as criticism is never taken well in the halls of government?

IS IT TRUE that multiple moles are telling the CCO that GAGE president Debbie Dewey is asserting that there are no clawback provisions in place that will allow the City of Evansville to recover unearned incentives that Whirlpool has benefitted from at the expense of Evansville taxpayers?…in the old days GAGE was only responsible to score the tax phase in applications but any contractual relationships were the responsibility of the Evansville City Council as the taxing authority?…it is very possible that Ms. Dewey is not the right person to ask about the contracts or lack of contracts governing tax abatements and incentives?

IS IT TRUE that clawbacks are usually included in a separate memorandum of understanding between the taxing authority and the company according to the attorney at the training session on tax incentives conducted by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance?…it is entirely possible that the Evansville City Council does not have any contractual basis on which to repatriate unearned incentives?…if this kind of incentive is granted with a nod, a wink, or even a handshake, then some serious reform needs to be taking place?…if there is indeed no way, no will, or both on the Evansville City Council to collect money that is due the people of Evansville that this is just one more fine example of doing things like bumpkins on the banks of the Ohio?…the time to keep electing bumpkins and good old boys (or girls) to majority positions over the people’s money should have ended 50 years ago?…maybe we should send Deputy Dog, Boss Hogg, and Barney Fife to collect our money?…maybe we already have?…we wonder where is Buford Pusser when you need him?