IS IT TRUE April 15, 2012
IS IT TRUE we are hearing from reliable sources that people serving on the GAGE Board of Directors are required to sign a “Confidentiality Agreement” not to publically discuss that tax supported organization business with the public? …we are amazed that our local (City and County) elected officials are put in a position to withhold some information generated from GAGE such as audit finding and salary and bonuses paid to GAGE employees? …that conventional legal wisdom suggests that this agreement shall not be considered a legal and binding document if challenged by the media and/or elected officials?
IS IT TRUE that the CITY COUNTY OBSERVER is getting a great deal of un-solicited pressure to re-considering its policy of not endorsing political candidates for public office? …we are getting private e-mails, phone calls and face to face comments to re-consider this policy? …we are discussing this issue among ourselves and shall make a final decision sometime next week?…that whether we decide to change our policy with respect to endorsements across the board that we shall be making an endorsement in the Republican primary for the United States Senate?
IS IT TRUE that a person who does VETTING for a living has taken to reading the antics of the elected and appointed officials in Evansville, Indiana?…that this person found the observer by doing a Google search of the term VETTING and has been astonished many times over the last two years a just how regularly the Evansville City Council, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, and now GAGE have failed to do the absolute basic things involved in the VETTING process?…that this person spoke with the CCO last week and wishes to ask the people in charge of VETTING in Evansville including Mayor Winnecke one simple question?…that question is “Have you ever heard of a thing called Google and do you know how to use itâ€?…that we agree that Google is the most basic thing to do in a VETTING process and that GOOGLE is free?…that is even more basic than checking credit, doing a background check, or even confirming a pulse?
IS IT TRUE that the Off Track Betting business in Evansville is going to close their doors in June?…that management is publically blaming the smoking ban that has now been in effect for 14 days for the demise of their business?…that this is the same management group that dropped the ball by not seeking an exemption that they may very well have been granted if they had been doing their job?…that OTB sights in other parts of Indiana have been struggling for years and some are even under the protection of bankruptcy proceedings?…that these OTB sites still have smoking?…that in truth when you become complacent in management, uncompetitive in the marketplace, or if your product or service just runs its course that businesses fail?…that in the case of the local OTB site that is blaming the smoking ban for their demise that it is a combination of factors totally unrelated to smoking that has lead to their decision to close?…that the smoking ban is just their excuse to do exactly that?
IS IT TRUE that we wish the 50 people who work at the OTB site Godspeed in finding new employment by June when they lock the doors?