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Is GAGE really a Private Entity and not subject to the Freedom of Information Act?

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From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:

Private and Quasi-Private Entities: Private entities are generally not subject to federal FOIA. A quasi-private entity is one that, while private, conducts government business. For example, in 2000, the Colorado Court of Appeals determined that a nonprofit corporation was subject to the state open records law in Denver Post Corp. v. Stapleton Development Corp. The company, while private, had been created by the city of Denver and tasked by to redevelop a former airport through the Denver Urban Renewal Authority. The court held the private corporation was subject to the state open records act because the project was of a public nature, on publicly owned land and because the city had significant control over the project and the corporation.”

“A federal court may also find private or quasi-private activities subject to FOIA if it is determined that the government retains custody and control of the records. No matter how much federal money an entity receives, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Forsham v. Harris that to determine whether an entity’s records are public is a question of control. It is not clear, however, how much control over an outside entity is needed to satisfy that test, as the Court in Forsham determined that a mere right to possess and control the records is not enough to subject the entity to FOIA. Records must “have been, in fact, obtained,” according to the Court.

States often follow similar rules as the federal government, but many tend to follow a “functional equivalent” test to determine if the records of private or quasi-private entity should be disclosable. That test involves determining whether the entity has become essentially a branch of the government either through financial support or whether the entity performs a task that is traditionally one conducted by government.

In Memorial Hospital-West Volusia, Inc. v. News-Journal Corp., a private company was found subject to the Florida open records act after the West Volusia Hospital Authority transferred to it its duties to operate and maintain local hospitals. “[I]n performing pursuant to the Agreement transferring the authorized function, West Volusia, Inc. was ‘acting on behalf of’ the Authority.”‘ When “acting on the behalf of” an agency, the Florida Supreme Court held that private entities are subject to the state open records act.

States use differing language and look to different factors, but the Florida case is relatively typical. West Volusia, Inc. was receiving benefits normally reserved for the government — it was able to exercise the government’s right to eminent domain and received tax money to fund its operations. In addition, the company was performing a function that had been previously tasked to a government authority. These factors added up, in the eyes of the court, to the company “acting on behalf of” the government and, therefore, subject to the open records law.

GAGE Executive Committee List to Accommodate Readers Requests

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Carrie Ellspermann, Old National Bank
President, Old National Wealth Management
Chairman, GAGE Board

DAN ARENS, Business Developer
Vice Chairman, GAGE Board

DANIEL C. BUGHER, Vectren Corporation
Vice President of Performance Management
Past GAGE Chairman

Dr. Ed Jones, University of Southern Indiana
Former Vice Provost for Outreach & Dean of Extended Services

W.D. “Turk” Walton, Jr.
Keep Evansville Beautiful Board
Public Education Foundation Board
Secretary, GAGE Board

ELECTED OFFICIALS

MAYOR LLOYD WINNECKE
Mayor, City of Evansville

STEPHEN MELCHER
Commissioner, Vanderburgh County

TOM SHETLER, JR.
President, County Council

IS IT TRUE April 20, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE April 20, 2012

IS IT TRUE that the six opportunities that have floated to the top of the Roberts Stadium committee are scheduled to be released today?…that whatever these six end up being and whatever the end result for Roberts Stadium turns out to be it seems to have gone through a time tested VETTING process that was carried out in public so that the people of Evansville know the process, will have seen the opportunities, the costs, and the benefits associate with each of the opportunities?…that the forthcoming report is a result of a collaborative community effort that has had sufficient time to do both discovery and due diligence?…that in today’s Courier and Press Mayor Winnecke is quoted as saying the following:

“I said this during the campaign, I want to make a good, data driven decision,” Winnecke said. “I still think that, and I think it should be what’s best for the city financially.”

IS IT TRUE that the reported costs to operate Roberts Stadium so far in 2012 was reported to be $55,754 that is well below the budget for the year of $127,235 according to City Controller Russell Lloyd Jr.?…at this rate of spending and assuming the numbers were for the first quarter that on about August 1st Roberts will reach the point that its budget has all been spent?…that gives any eventual implementation 14 weeks to make the transition from study to action whereby some new budget or hopefully some private entity can take this asset off of the City of Evansville’s balance sheet?…that it seems as though the drum beating of Roberts costing well over $400,000 per year to mothball were off by nearly 100% when this year’s actual costs are used?…that was another Mayor’s assertion at another time and that we are not surprised that the legacy operational costs were overstated?

IS IT TRUE that when Mayor Winnecke stated during his campaign that he wanted to make good data driven decisions that lead to what is best for the city financially that we assumed he was talking about all of his executive decisions and not just the dispensation of Roberts Stadium?…that we have to ask where the data and the transparency are with respect to the Earthcare Energy deal?…that we are also interested in what Evansville City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. who has diligently counted the pennies over at Roberts Stadium thinks about the quality of the investment summary of Earthcare Energy?…that we wonder if a team of 15 private citizens were convened to collaborate for three months with the charge to VET the investment summary, the market prospects, the management team, and the technology that Earthcare Energy is proposing would come back with an affirmative recommendation?

IS IT TRUE that if the surrogates of the City of Evansville like GAGE and the Evansville City Council will not take the time to do proper VETTING or insist on hiding behind a corporate veil of a separate non-profit to negotiate on behalf of the City that a blue ribbon committee is probably the only way that a data driven decision that is best financially for the City of Evansville that is conducted in a transparent process will happen?…that we are shocked that the City of Evansville obsesses and allocates the resources to VET and manage an aging facility that costs less than $250,000 per year to operate take a secretive and cavalier approach to approving a $4.8 Million loan to an unproven company to build a product that has yet to see a single installed unit paid for by a customer?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke is talking out of both sides of his mouth with this whole transparency and data driven decision speech unless he applies the same logic to all decisions?…that Mayor Winnecke’s campaign broke new ground with campaign promises of a deliberative approach to things like tech transfer and angel investing?…that since taking office when it comes to investing that the due diligence that angel investors apply has been thrown to the wind in favor of a secretive and populist anti-vetting process that has divided the Evansville City Council and raised stern questions within the investment community?…that this deal has the potential to take down the self proclaimed Great Collaborator’s administration for failing to collaborate?

IS IT TRUE that it will soon be time to start asking the four members of the City Council who opposed this loan what their reasons for opposition were?…that maybe some information is available now that was either hidden or suppressed prior to the vote that would have made a difference in the outcome?…once again the people who are paid or appointed to VET have failed to do so and private VETTING efforts are making up for those failures and for the veil of secrecy hiding them?

GAGE Rejects Freedom of Information Act Request from CCO

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GAGE

Only 48 hours after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with GAGE, the office of Mayor Winnecke, and the Evansville Controllers office, GAGE has rejected the FOIA request through attorney Krista Lockyear. The letter to Tim Eckels, the Publisher of the CCO from GAGE asserted that GAGE in not a public entity and is completely separate from any government entity and therefor is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

There has been no response to the identical requests that were served upon Mayor Winnecke’s office and the office of City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr.

The request was for information gathered in the vetting process by GAGE which lead to president Debbie Dewey’s recommendation that the Evansville City Council should approve a loan of $4.8 Million to Earthcare Energy. All of the proceeds for such a loan to be made by the City of Evansville to Earthcare Energy will be from taxpayer dollars. GAGE reportedly receives a total of $375,000 per year in financial support from the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County. It is not known at this time what percentage of GAGE’s overall funding is from public funds. GAGE also derives income by leasing out space in the Innovation Pointe Building. It has been reported that GAGE pays the Evansville Redevelopment Commission $10 per year in lease payments. The extent of GAGE support from private sources has not been disclosed.

GAGE’s Letter to Publisher of CCO:

Eckels_letter_4-19-12

Early Childhood Education Summit

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Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and Ed Hafer of the Evansville Regional Business Committee
will host a Summit on the Economic Benefits of Early Childhood Education on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Culver Family Learning Center, 1301 Judson Street. The Summit will bring
together community business leaders, government leaders and other key community leaders to learn
and discuss the economic benefit of Early Childhood Education.

The Summit will feature national speakers Rob Grunewald, Associate Economist with the Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Tanny Crane, President and CEO of the Crane Group and Co-Chair of
the Ohio Business Roundtable Early Learning Initiative.

Crane serves as the Board Chair of the Columbus City Schools Education Foundation and is the past
Board Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Grunewald is the co-author of “Early Childhood
Development: Economic Development with a High Public Return,” an economic policy paper which has
been featured in the media, legislative hearings and seminars throughout the United States.

The summit will conclude with a question and answer session, and speakers will be available for one-
on-one interviews at 11 a.m. The media is welcome to attend the entire session to learn why early
childhood education is one of the most cost-effective and potent economic development tools available.

Enthusiastic Sell-Out Crowd Welcomes Eric Church to the Ford Center

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Headliner Eric Church with special guests Brantley Gilbert and Blackberry Smoke brought their special
brand of southern-fried country rock to the Ford Center on April 19. Church proclaims in “How Bout You,” one of his
most popular hits, “Give me a crowd that’s redneck and loud, and we’ll raise the roof.” This sold out audience was eager
to comply as voices and lighted cell phones alike were often raised during the entirety of the three and a half hour show.
“Evansville continues to show great support for top country acts such as Eric Church,” said Executive Director Scott
Schoenike. “This will continue to attract elite country performers to the Ford Center in the future,” stated Schoenike.

Ford Center continues to stay active with a strong list of upcoming performance such as; All Time Low & Gentlemen Hall
April 20, Guns and Hoses April 21, Cirque Du Soleil presents Quidam April 26-29, Staind & Godsmack May 6, Hank
Williams Jr. May 11, WWE SmackDown on June 26 and James Taylor July 11.

Ford Center is managed by VenuWorks of Evansville, LLC

IS IT TRUE April 19, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE April 19, 2012

IS IT TRUE that it was refreshing to learn yesterday that some people in control at the Secret Service have been fired from their positions over the recent WHOREGATE scandal that happened in Cartagena, Columbia?…that it still is shocking to accept the fact that the advance team whose job it is to protect the president of the United States got off the plane and headed straight to a whorehouse to drink top shelf whiskey and partake of the paid companionship of Columbia’s “best whores”?…that makes one think “Holy Puta Batman”?…that we expect that the Secret Service will quickly clean the sandbox and get right back to their long tradition of professional service to the United States?

IS IT TRUE that no such thing is occurring at the General Services Administration where smiling government bureaucrats were having their pictures taken in hot tubs and some taking over 100 trips per year to exotic locations?…that no heads have rolled there but that the top head has pleaded the 5th on everything from being in the town to what he had for dinner?…that there is now a hotline established for other GSA employees to report inappropriate spending without fear of retribution?…that several actually were afraid to turn in the wasters to save the taxpayer’s money and that veil of fear has now been lifted?…that the website for reporting waste crashed yesterday?…that we predict that what is now being promoted as a $1 Million self indulgent scandal will rapidly escalate to a Billion Dollar Plus scandal and will take down the entire GSA?…that this is truly an division gone wild and it needs to be reigned in?…that we are waiting to see if and when any real action will be taken as thus far the hearings have mostly been photo-ops for smug politicians (congressmen) to grandstand for the poor folks back home who did not get a government paid trip to Vegas?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Dixon, Illinois is scratching its head today and trying to figure out just how a city employee was able to steal $30 Million and live the life of a Rockefeller right in Dixon without anyone knowing it?…that such a thing tells you allot about the Controller’s office in Dixon, the Dixon City Council, and the Mayor of Dixon running a very loose ship?…that when a civil servant that does not come from wealth and earns an average salary starts collecting exotic things like horses and cars that someone should have enough sense to wonder why?…that only happens when people are engaged enough to have a competent sense of awareness?…that Dixon, IL is not the only city in America that seems to have gone to sleep at the wheel when it comes to oversight of public money?

IS IT TRUE that we would like to recommend those who are interested in the whole Earthcare Energy deal including the market and the competition should read the following report and pay particular attention to the section on harvesting energy from gas let down stations?

INGAA_study

Combined USI choirs perform Spring Concert

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The USI Chamber Choir and Women’s Choir will perform a Spring Concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 216 S.E. Third Street in downtown Evansville.

The combined choir will perform Volkmar Leisring’s “O filii et filiae” for double choir from the church’s two side balconies. They also will perform John Rutter’s “Te Deum” for choir, brass and percussion.

The Chamber Choir will perform selections from their upcoming tour to Ireland, May 8-16, 2012. Included will be several arrangements of Irish Traditional music, and the choir will be accompanied by members of the Rowan Tree Irish Traditional band and traditional players from the ranks of the Chamber Choir.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Daniel Craig, director, at 812/464-1736.

The combined choir also is performing Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra on April 21.

VHS Pet of the Week: “Leopold”

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Hello from Leopold, a 4-year-old neutered DMH! Leopold has come such a long way from when he first arrived at the VHS. He was super skinny and matted. Just goes to show what a little TLC and good food can do for an animal in need. Leopold has blossomed into a gorgeous lion of a cat and is looking for a home where he can be the king! Leopold likes to be the center of attention and can be a bit rough with other cats, so he will need to be the only member of his pride. He needs a nice big chair that he can call his own and stretch out in. Leopold loves to be brushed and will chase a toy mouse until he falls asleep. School age children would be great for Leopold to be around. Oh and if you have a big window he can stare out of, you’ll make his world. For more information on Leopold, give the VHS a call at (812) 426-2563 or visit us on the web at www.vhslifesaver.org.