IS IT TRUE? October 18, 2011

IS IT TRUE that it is now only 3 days until the campaign contribution disclosure reports are due for public evaluation?…that we are very curious to learn the top contributors to each Mayoral campaign and that we are sure that both candidates for Mayor will be very interested in the cash supply sources of their opponent?…that based on the activities of the candidates for Evansville City Council we expect that the disclosure reports from these candidates to be shallow and narrow?…that we do not remember there ever being such an apparent shortage of cash for the down ballot positions?…that even though he was functionally unopposed in the 2007 Mayoral election that Team Weinzapfel always seemed to be in the costly advertising venues?…that a war chest at the top of the ticket works wonders?…that people are very interested in exactly what the over $700,000 that is reported to be in the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign fund will eventually be spent on?…that we would bet that it is not being spent on any “Davis for Mayor” advertisements?

IS IT TRUE that we are a bit confused by the recent “Winnecke for Mayor” TV commercial that is a pretty drive on an autumn lane and seems like a “Davis for Mayor” commercial until that bug eyed astonished lady pops up right at the end of the commercial?…that the commercial is all negative and started the day after Mr. Winnecke scolded Rick Davis for negative campaigning?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has decided to travel to Indianapolis to report on the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission meeting with Vectren regarding the proposed fee increase?…that if the IURC will not come to Evansville then it is time for Evansville, its elected officials, and its media to go to the IURC?…that we are expecting that some elected officials and other media may respond by going to the IURC meeting as well?

IS IT TRUE that this Thursday is the last meeting of Smokefree Indiana before this year’s City of Evansville elections and that the agenda for the 3:30 meeting at the library is to give the candidates for office one last opportunity to state their position with respect to strengthening Evansville’s smoking ordinance next year?…that this issue has sort of taken a back seat to the whole “jobs, meth, and gangs” issues as it well should?…that making a city that is plagued by unemployment, drugs, and violence smokefree just doesn’t seem to be as lifestyle enhancing as making a great place without rampant problems smokefree does?…that the next administration will have its hands full from day one but that if an opportunity to strengthen the smoking ordinance presents itself it will improve the quality of life?

IS IT TRUE that northern Indiana’s Democratic Party along with the national Democratic Party are coming under some fire for faking signatures?…that we wonder if they were partaking of any pronto pups before the signatures were allegedly forged?…that the place to watch for shenanigans is not just on petitions?…that if one really wants to prevent SNEILLEGAL (Sneaky and illegal) tricks the place to watch would be absentee ballots?

IS IT TRUE that today the City County Observer sends out our condolences and best wishes to the family of Mrs. Genna Lloyd who passed away yesterday?…that Mrs. Lloyd was the wife of Evansville Mayor Russell Lloyd, and the mother of Evansville Mayor Russ Lloyd Jr.?…that these two gentlemen are the only Republicans to have been elected to be Mayor of Evansville in over 50 years?…that our thoughts and prayers go out to this family and especially to our friends Russ and Theresa Lloyd?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville City Councilman John Friend advises us that he was prepared to raise the issue of accelerating the meeting with Vectren regarding their pending fee increase request back to its original date of October 24th?…that Councilman Friend was preemptively contacted by a Vectren officer yesterday to let him know that Vectren would not have been accepting the Evansville City Council’s invitation because they would be spending that time preparing for the pre-hearing in Indianapolis?…that it seems as though the meeting for November 14th is still a go?…that Vectren officials assured Councilman Friend and others that the meeting on October 25th in at the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission in Indianapolis will not result in any decision?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council in other business last night passed the 2012 budget by a vote of 7 – 2 with Dr. H. Dan Adams leading the dissenters on the basis that the budget is “archaic” to work with in its present format and that there is no contract with the firefighters?…that outgoing Councilman Don Walker joined Dr. Adams in voting nay?…that Dr. Adams has cited what could be characterized as “laziness” in the budgeting process where no year over year changes are implemented?…that his nay vote was characterized as “irresponsible” by outgoing City Councilmen Curt John and B. J. Watts in much the manner that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel had chided Dr. Adams last year for a similar nay vote?

IS IT TRUE that in a previous meeting City Council President B. J. Watts chided some of the community speakers for wearing politically driven t-shirts when speaking before council?…that last night nothing at all was said when a speaker came before council sporting a fresh new “Winnecke for Mayor” t-shirt?…that many people watch these meetings on TV and this is a chance for some free advertising?…that the CCO does not think that the City Council has any business making remarks or instituting a dress code for the people who speak at council?

IS IT TRUE that a renovation of the first floor of the Old Post Office into a catering and events center is in the midst of being undertaken by the group that leases the building from the City of Evansville?…that this building as magnificent as it is has legacy problems such as leaking roofs that have plagued it for many years that are not yet repaired?…that in the worst case the leaky roofs may do some damage to the new improvements being made by the lessor?…that the Evansville Redevelopment Commission had made some commitments to either do the repairs needed or finance these repairs back during the planning phase of this project and seems to have fallen off of the radar without solidifying this commitment?…that the ERC is the landlord and may have only 4 more opportunities to do what is expected of them by the business that is leasing the building?…that today would be a great day for the President of the ERC, Mr. Bob Goldman to bring the topic of the Old Post Office and the renovations that are underway up in the “Other Business” part of this morning’s meeting?

IS IT TRUE that there is also much anticipation that something regarding either the downtown Convention Hotel that seems to be slipping away or the McCurdy which is only two weeks from hopefully a big positive announcement may be snuck in under the guise of “Other Business”

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer is pleased to announce that we had a record week for internet traffic in every category measured?…that in the often watched category of pageviews that we exceeded our previous record by a full 18% and added a similar number of first time visitors?…that we would like to thank the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party for the ridiculous antics now known as “FLOATGATE” that helped accelerate the growth of the City County Observer’s readership?…that we also had the highest weekend readership ever and that thanks are in order for our “Moles on the Ground” at the Four Freedoms Monument whose dedication to making the United States better kept the phone calls and text messages coming in all through the night?…that we assure you that our “Moles on the Ground” and the people who participated in Occupy Evansville do not as a majority support the 13 goals published by the Courier and Press and authored by Neil Barnett last week?

IS IT TRUE that Alexa.com a third party internet traffic monitoring service reports that the City County Observer has expanded its reach by 40% in three months and time on site by 24% to an all time high of 97 minutes and 25 seconds per visitor?…that Steve Jobs predicted in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2005 that print media would not exist by 2012?…that while we agree that at some point in the future that print media will disappear that once again Mr. Jobs is ahead of the curve?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville’s de-facto home team in Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals are heading to the World Series after pulling themselves from the jaws of not even making the playoffs a couple of weeks ago?…that the series starts in St. Louis on Wednesday night and that the Tri-State area will be tuned in and watching?…that we hope that WOW actually takes the time to pay attention to the details of their guide so that we do not miss the first inning because of their mistakes again like many people did yesterday?

IS IT TRUE that a small company from Indianapolis that was just an idea and a dream three years ago had a very big week last week?…that if Angel Capital or Venture Capital would have been available in Evansville three years ago that this business would very likely be thinking of a new headquarters and engineering center right here in Evansville?…that alas the money did not come but some Evansville people may just be in for a big pop in equity for having seen the potential and made the investments of both time and money in this fledgling technology company?…that the City County Observer shall be the first to make the formal announcement of the fruits of last week when all permissions are granted?

IS IT TRUE that there is a meeting of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission tomorrow and that the published agenda seems uninteresting from a downtown Convention Hotel or McCurdy start date point of view?…that is any shenanigans are on the agenda they must be in the category called “other business”?…that the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s Website finally really does show that the taxes are up to date?…that it also shows that on November 10, 2011 that the fall installment of $10,268.66 will be due?…that by that time the financing should be in order, permits should be pulled, and construction will have begun if City Centre Properties LLC is correct in its last presentation to the ERC?…that we wonder for all of this to really proceed according to statement that there must be a plan somewhere with renderings and a timeline?…that we would love to see the layouts and renderings and to be able to confirm that permits have been pulled to get this party started?

IS IT TRUE that speaking of shenanigans and SNEGAL activity we have a mole alert coming regarding some of the behind the scene manipulations within local government to grease the skids for the Wesselman Park Indoor Tennis Court Proposal?…that there will be much more on this published this week?

IS IT TRUE that this morning the City County Observer would like to ask each of our readers to say a prayer or think positive thoughts for its owner Mr. Ron Cosby as he undergoes surgery to remove his gall bladder starting at 9 am?…that we thank you in advance for your good wishes?

IS IT TRUE that we are as surprised as any to learn that the recently dedicated Martin Luther King that cost American taxpayers $120 Million was made in China?…that the master sculpter of the King Memorial is also famous for two gigantic likenesses of Chairman Mao Tse-tung?…that some sourcing decisions just make ones head spin?…that we wonder with the cost to transport the 1,600 tons of granite from China to Washington DC would have made this more cost efficient to do in America with American granite?…that the love of task that would have been enjoyed and passed down for generations by American artisans is lost forever?…that the personalization of the next generation of Americans several of whom could have said “my grandpa or grandma worked on the King Memorial” is now lost forever?…that the statue looks good and meets all of the specifications but there is no specification that will ever capture that unification and pride that could have come from the shared labor of this national monument to have been “Made in America”?

IS IT TRUE that the new San Francisco to Oakland Bridge is also being made in China?…that the bridge will be made in Shanghai and shipped to the Bay Area in sections to be assembled from ship to pylon?…that this is another one of those lost pride of workmanship opportunities?…that living in the Bay Area for a while it is impossible not to run across someone even today that proudly states that “my grandparent worked on the Golden Gate Bridge”?…that we learned both of these facts when a reader sent us the article below from a British news outlet?…that US media has not really trumpeted these facts?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8602786/New-San-Francisco-bridge-built-in-China-to-be-shipped-to-US.html

IS IT TRUE that tonight is another Evansville City Council meeting and in particular the meeting when the 2012 budget is up for approval?…that there are some people on council that are opposed to voting yes based on the fact that there is no contract in place for the firefighters?…that some others should be upset because of the supposedly “non-budgetable” status of the legal costs?…that Councilman Dan McGinn has been asking for this breakdown for what seems like a couple of years to no avail?…that Councilman John Friend, CPA has been stating recently that the electric bills for the City of Evansville have increased by 20% in the last year and as high as 47% in certain categories?…that last week the Evansville City Council punted the discussion over rates with Vectren until after the election?…that some members of the Mole Nation are telling us that Councilman Friend may be bringing up the October 24th date for the Vectren meeting again tonight in view of the fact that every member of the City Council was unaware that Vectren would be publishing a hearing on that increase for October 25th right after the Evansville City Council kicked the can down the road?…that we shall know tonight if the Evansville City Council knows or appreciates the fact that they got the wool pulled over their collective eyes on that one?…that we shall also know if the Evansville City Council cares enough about getting bamboozled to reverse last week’s decision on the invitation to Vectren to speak before council on the 24th?

IS IT TRUE that the disclosure statements for all of the candidates for office must be filed by Friday?…that we will secure these reports at our first opportunity to do so and will make them available online?…that seeing where each candidates money is coming from may just illuminate where their future allegiances will lie?