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IS IT TRUE October 24, 2012 PART 2

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IS IT TRUE October 24, 2012 PART 2

IS IT TRUE that a new home grown family owned Westside business is getting ready to opening its doors to the people of this region? …that this business didn’t seek any public assistance such as grants or tax credits from GAGE, County Commission, City Council or Mayor Winnecke? …that the family of Andy Davidson has invested about $5 million dollars of their own money to bring Tin Man Brewing Company to Evansville? … that this new brewery shall be an earth friendly business that has a Mash Filter system that helps conserves both energy and water? …this type of filter uses about 40% less water and 15-20% less natural gas than a traditional Lager? …that this local Brewery shall create and produce a Robust Porter, Irish Red Ale, America IPS, Irish Dry Stout and a Bohemian Pilsner craft beers on site? …that the Davidson family has work miracles in renovating the building that shall house this upscale Brewery?…it’s about time our local elected officials drop by the Tin Man Brewery located on West Franklin street and thank the Davidson family members for locating this soon to be employer of 75 local people? …the City County Observer would like to be one of the first to thank the Davidson Family for bringing this one day regional multi-million dollars business to Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Roberts Stadium did not “break even” most years? …if you look at the financials reports (this is public record) it often made money? …that SMG who managed Robert’s Stadium had no income from a hockey team, no naming rights, no start up loan from the city, and no loge seating “never” lost $300,000 per year? …that we wonder why VenuWorks seemly withheld their profit and loss statement until after they were awarded the Victory Theatre management contract? …that under the management of Roberts Stadium by SMG they not only made money but also able to pay for some of the losses of the Victory Theatre? …that with the Ford Center financially underperforming and no income left to support Victory Theatre losses the Parks Department had to dump the $350,000 a year debt off of their books and bury them within the DMD and hiding the $350,000 from their books to help fund Roberts Park?

IS IT TRUE with the vote on consolidation looming and both sides making their case it is difficult not to dream about just how much good saving could have been implemented if the consolidation committee had not taken the cowards way out and forbidden some of the biggest opportunities from being considered?…that with a current combined City-County budget that spends roughly $1,800 for every resident of Vanderburgh County when Fort Wayne-Allen County is spending closer to $1,200 per year, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME REAL TANGIBLE SAVINGS?…just scaling could have saved up to $100 Million per year IF EVANSVILLE-VANDERBURGH HAD THE COURAGE TO SIMPLY COPY OTHERS?…at this point the decision to support consolidation looks very much like the Obama Campaign of 2008 that was swept into office on the promise of HOPE AND CHANGE?…it is very difficult to justify trusting any group of candidates to do the right thing when entrusted with nothing by HOPE?…it is regretful that the consolidation plan is so protective of sacred cows that HOPE for real CHANGE has been forcefully deferred for 10 whole years?…that would’a, should’a, and could’a are the most regretted words in the English language but they are a perfect description of the consolidation plan through the eyes of one who believes in the concept but is in disbelief at just how toothless the reality is?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO encourages the City Council to put a moratorium on further spending on things that are non-revenue generators of a playtime nature?…this means Centennial Park and Roberts Park both of which will eat up a total of more than $10 Million and cost maintenance fees that Evansville does not have?…the City of Evansville needs to get its own financial house in order before it expects to be an attractive candidate for consolidation with the county or even with a place like Darmstadt?

IS IT TRUE October 24, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE October 24, 2012

IS IT TRUE the Reuters news agency is now reporting that the White House and the State Department had emails from known Islamic terrorist organization had claimed credit for the attack that resulted in the death of the American Ambassador to Libya and three other Americans?…the two emails specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks?…the White House including the President of the United States continued to blame the killings on a spontaneous response to a video that had been on youtube since May for a period of two weeks after the September 11th attacks?…that in the name of common sense one would think that even the most challenged people could connect those dots and acknowledge the significance of the dates, the reality of the attackers, and the absurdness of blaming a video?…election years make for some strange rationalizations?

IS IT TRUE that it is now be projected that gasoline prices will be dropping up to 50 cents a gallon in the United States before the election?…what will amount to over a 10% drop in prices in two weeks is projected to happen on the same day when Iran is threatening to “cut us off”?…that despite the threats from Iran the supply has exceeded demand at the perfect time for gas prices to become favorable right before we head to the polls to vote?…that two tanks of gas for two cars at a 50 cent a gallon price break will mean an election day dividend of about $25 for this household?…that with the accompanying fall in corporate earnings that has inspired a selloff of stocks to the tune of $500 Billion is lost equity in the last 3 days that getting $25 will cover the cost of a case of Corona and 3 limes to heal the pains from the market losses?…the cynics among us might just think the drop in gas prices is somehow manipulated by the government to improve the mood of the country as we vote?…the reality is that it is probably an oversupply caused by people conserving during the last couple of months when we were all bent over a barrel every time we filled up our tanks?

IS IT TRUE that hitting a bit closer to home, the City County Observer was not at all surprised to hear that the Ford Center incurred $300,000 in operating losses in its first year and that the projection is that the losses will continue and grow?…in the summer of 2009 Arena Project Manager John Kish stated that he expects to see a positive flow of cash from the beginning. Making a large profit isn’t a goal, since that would mean tickets sold for various events could be cheaper then followed his statement with, “The arena needs to at least break even.”?…that very same summer former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel touted “the Recession” as the best time to build an arena because materials were cheaper and interest rates were lower but about to rise?…we wonder since the Ford Center seems to be a great venue for concerts, the Icemen are overachieving, and even UE basketball is drawing the 3,000 person crowds that the Arena pro-forma projected just how the place could possibly be losing money?…it has not been more than a couple of months since press releases went out stating how the Ford Center was making money?…we wonder if the City of Evansville was doing the books and failing to reconcile because both of these claims cannot possibly be the truth?

IS IT TRUE that when the repayment of the debt on the Ford Center is added to the total the annual losses (or should we call it redistribution) amounts to $8 Million plus the operating losses leaving the other projects in Evansville short by $8.3 Million this year and $8.4 Million next year?…this could easily continue for 20 years or more?…there is still nothing like buying a Rolls Royce on credit when the plumbing doesn’t work to measure the practical nature of an administration?…the other promise of a 4-Star hotel “if” we build the Arena is still a dirt lot that will require roughly $20 Million of public dollars to materialize just like the CCO said it would?

Extravaganza with Dinesh D’Souza Tickets Now Available

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Speaker: Dinesh D’Souza, Producer & Narrator of 2016: Obama’s America
Date: Monday, November 5,2012

Location: The Centre, Downtown Evansville

Time: 6:00pm: VIP Reception (tickets $150 per person) in Centre Ball Room

7:00pm: Speaker – Dinesh D’Souza (tickets $15 & $35) in Centre Auditorium

For Tickets: 6:00pm VIP Reception: Call 812- 425-8507 (Republican HQ)

7:00pm Program: Call 812-435-5770 (Centre/Ticketmaster Box Office)

Fellow Republicans,

Just 2 weeks remain until we have the chance to elect a new president and get our country working again! However, there is still work to be done, and if we slack off now, we may very well see another 4 years of President Obama, which we cannot afford!

Many of you are familiar with the movie 2016: Obama’s America, which details exactly what we will face under a second Obama term. As a special treat, Dinesh D’Souza, writer, producer, and narrator for the film, is coming to Evansville to talk about 2016 and the importance of this election. D’Souza is also a bestselling author and FOX News contributor.

D’Souza will be speaking at the Election Eve Extravaganza at The Centre on November 5th at 7:00pm. General admission tickets are $15 & $35 for the Program only. Purchase your tickets today by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/Dinesh-DSouza-tickets/artist/1786852, or by calling the Centre Box Office at 812.435.5770.

There will also be be a VIP Reception at 6 PM preceding the event where you can meet Dinesh personally. Tickets for both the Reception and Program are $150 each. Call the VCRP @ 812-425-8207 for more information.

Congressman Larry Buschon and Richard Mourdock (candidate for U.S. Senate) will also be attending this event along with our local candidates.

You won’t want to miss this exciting event at the Centre! Call or email right now to order your tickets.

Collectors Carnival Antiques and Collectibles Show October 27-28

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Collectors Carnival Antiques & Collectibles Show 100 quality dealers in 3 buildings plus outside Hwy 41 North, 5 miles south of I-64. Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. $2/person Saturday Preview Shopper 7-9 a.m. $5/person Friday Setup Shopper 3-8 p.m. $15/person

For More Information, visit http://www.collectorscarnivalshows.com/

UE’s Anthony Beavers Named Finalist for World Technology Award in Ethics

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Anthony Beavers, professor of philosophy and director of cognitive science at the University of Evansville, is one of five finalists nominated for the World Technology Award in Ethics, which will be presented tonight at the World Technology Summit in New York City.

The awards are presented in association with TIME, Fortune, CNN, Technology Review, and Science/AAAS and go to the peer-nominated individuals “who are the most innovative in science and technology,” according to the World Technology Network.

Beavers joins approximately 50 organizations and 100 individuals in 20 different categories, ranging from the arts to energy to health and medicine. Nominees for the 2012 World Technology Awards were selected by the WTN membership, which spans more than 40 countries.

The winners of the World Technology Awards will be announced tonight during a black-tie gala and ceremony at the Time-Life Building. The award announcements mark the close of the World Technology Summit, a two-day thought leadership conference held at the Time-Life Building.

A full list of finalists is available online at http://wtn.net/summit2012/finalists.php.

Source: Evansville.edu

USI AmeriCorps observes Make a Difference Day

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USI
Students in the University of Southern Indiana’s AmeriCorps program will observe Make a Difference Day on Friday, October 26, at the YMCA’s Caldwell Community Outreach Center, located at the Caldwell Housing Development not far from Glenwood Leadership Academy.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m., students will be painting, making repairs, and working on a variety of other projects. Work will continue until projects are complete – probably about 2 p.m. Students in the Evansville Housing Authority’s YouthBuild Evansville program are expected to help.

In the spring, students in USI’s AmeriCorps program and the YouthBuild program built two accessible garden beds and a shelving unit in the Culver Hoop House, an urban gardening partnership between the EVSC’s Culver Family Learning Center and the City of Evansville.

For more information, contact Marcey Head-Vanpell, AmeriCorps coordinator, at 812/430-1905.

What Austerity Looks Like When a City is Bankrupt, by: JEREMY ROZANSKY

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JEREMY ROZANSKY

22 October 2012

Three interconnected forces brought the working-class, inland Southern California city of San Bernardino to insolvency: a burst housing bubble and lethargic economic growth; high police and firefighter salaries mandated by the city’s charter; and compounding pension obligations. Bankruptcy should give San Bernardino leverage to deal with the last two, but the big, structural changes required will not be easy or pleasant. Absent such changes, though, salaries and pensions will continue to grow faster than the city’s revenues, crowding out most other government functions and services. San Bernardino offers a telling illustration of austerity’s causes and effects: a tragic failure to think beyond the short term eventually necessitates painful reforms.

We already know something of what San Bernardino’s government will look like in the age of austerity. The city, with a poverty rate equivalent to Detroit’s and a homicide rate that has quietly surpassed Chicago’s, declared a fiscal emergency in early July and officially filed for bankruptcy on August 1. Deferring payments to bondholders just to make payroll, the city has been forced to trim its budget radically.

As a bridge to the bankruptcy proceedings, interim city manager Andrea Miller attempted to reduce the deficit by proposing a new budget called a pre-pendency plan. Her austerity budget, which passed with only a few changes after much haggling, will form the basis of the plan submitted to the bankruptcy court. The city projects a $45.8 million budget deficit, which the pre-pendency plan would reduce to $7.5 million by making “draconian” and “catastrophic” cuts, in the words of some city council members. Even then, the budget wouldn’t be balanced, and the plan doesn’t address an $18 million cash deficit from the previous fiscal year. Approximately $7 million in deficit reduction comes from transfers, either from special funds—for, say, road work or sewer repair—to the city’s general fund or from the federal government. The city would save another $9.4 million by continuing a 10 percent pay reduction for some municipal workers. The remaining $21.9 million in reductions comes from drastic cutbacks to services or deferred payments, mostly to the pension fund.

In cutting overall expenditures nearly 25 percent, the city leaves virtually no department untouched—including city hall, which will operate with a skeleton crew. Since 2006, the mayor’s office has gone from ten employees to three, counting the mayor. The city eliminated six positions from its information-technology department, cutting to the point at which “core” functions would be threatened. The city has combined departments, contracted out services, and even closed down its successful Operation Phoenix program, an anti-crime initiative Mayor Pat Morris launched shortly after taking office in 2005. San Bernardino’s community-policing effort will thus lose its two headquarters, which also served as community centers. Three of the city’s four libraries will close, while layoffs will hit 32 parks department employees and one-third of the city’s code-enforcement officers.

These savings, however, won’t be enough to erase the deficit. San Bernardino spends about three-quarters of its budget on public safety—meaning police and firefighters. Very little in the police budget is devoted to non-personnel expenses, so the cuts inevitably affect staffing levels. The new budget leaves the department with 320 employees, down from 379. Most of the reductions were to civilian support staff, not sworn officers. But the police will have a great deal more work, especially now that the department will pick up the slack from laid-off code-enforcement officers. Residents can assume that crime rates will continue to climb, especially given the demise of Operation Phoenix.

The firefighters’ union has been the most stubborn and transparently self-interested in San Bernardino. The average firefighter earns about $150,000 per year, and the union has resisted making any salary concessions. The city manager’s initial proposal would have eliminated 20 positions and either closed down a battalion or implemented rotating brownouts (that is, temporary shutdowns) of stations. City council members, some elected with help from the firefighters’ union and many worried about angry constituents facing slower response times, postponed a decision to explore alternative proposals. According to the city, the San Bernardino Fire Department has among the highest call loads in the country for a department its size.

San Bernardino’s austerity plan leaves an atrophied city government, but essential functions remain in place. Crime will likely go up, but it won’t necessarily skyrocket. Greek-style looting and arson appear unlikely. Closing three of four libraries isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the end of civilization, either. At the same time, however, the deep cuts do make San Bernardino an even less hospitable place. Businesses will be even more skeptical about moving to a city where the government can’t afford to fill potholes or respond quickly to crimes because it has been compromised by decades of poor decision-making. Much of the city’s deficit reduction is in deferred payments that have recently earned the ire of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Securities and Exchange Commission; under a “best-case scenario,” the budget is unlikely to be balanced even with these cuts and deferrals. San Bernardino can balance its budget only by boosting revenues, which requires more businesses, not fewer. It’s not clear how long the city can continue on this unsustainable path.

Perhaps bankruptcy will prove the ultimate salve, cutting away the structural inefficiencies (from pensions to high municipal salaries) that went unaddressed for years. The city’s options are now limited, because it waited too long to address these problems. The United States has many structural problems of its own—most notably Medicare—and, as San Bernardino shows, myopia is never recommended. San Bernardino is a tragedy—and a warning to the rest of the country.

Public Health Mole Award: Herbert Dan Adams, MD, MBA,

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Dr. H. Dan Adams

Herbert Dan Adams, MD, MBA, & at-large Evansville City Council member has been chosen as a MOLE AWARD winner by the City County Observer for his diligent efforts as a councilman that paved the way for the enhanced smoking restrictions adopted by the Evansville City Council in 2012.

Dr. Adams a1982 transplant who has adopted Evansville as his home eloquently states his current goal in life is “to be the BEST At Large Member of the Evansville City Council I can”. In addition to his duties as a Councilman, Dr. Adams has a full life serving the community on the Evansville Airport Board, Port Authority, as a substitute high school teacher EVSC; a Lecturer at Signature School, the University of Evansville, the USI School of Nursing, and the IU Medical School – Evansville.

Prior to giving in to the internal compass that pointed to public service, Dr. Adams spent his life as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in the Evansville area for 26 years after 7 years in the same capacity in Montana. Prior to entering the world of private medicine Dr. Adams served the United States of America as a ship’s surgeon on the USS John F. Kennedy and as a Commander in the United States Naval Reserve. During his service Dr. Adams was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for Professional Excellence.

Dr. Adams was graduated from Yale University in American Studies and Pre-Med before having his MD conveyed onto him by the Harvard Medical School. Following medical school he served as an intern at the Brigham Hospital in Boston, and completed residencies at the University of Pennsylvania. After his time as an active member of the military Dr. Adams completed fellowships at the Texas Heart Institute and the Baylor University Medical Center. Recognizing the benefit of a business education to complement his medical practice Dan completed an Executive MBA in Health Care Management at the Olin School of Business, St. Louis, MO

Civic duty has long been a good habit of Dr. Adams who has served in the promotion of both soccer and hockey in Evansville and Missoula, Montana. He takes pride in his membership in the Evansville Northside Kiwanis Club as a devoted soccer coach at the Boys & Girls Club.

It was his time as a surgeon that inspired the passion for public health and the candid willingness to share the truth about the positive health implications of restricting smoking in public. There are many people who were instrumental in the passing of the Evansville Smoking Ordinance in 2012. Without the efforts on the City Council by Dr. H. Dan Adams this successful accomplishment may have taken much longer than it did and for this he is honored with a Mole Award for his tireless promotion of public health.

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 Monday, October 22, 2012.

Derek Clark Intimidation – Class D Felony
Criminal Trespass – Class A Misdemeanor
Criminal Mischief – Class A Misdemeanor
Public Intoxication – Class B Misdemeanor

Dylan Farmer Forgery – Class C Felony
Fraud – Class D Felony
Conversion – Class A Misdemeanor

Latonya Harris Battery by Bodily Waste –Class D Felony
Criminal Trespass – Class A Misdemeanor
Battery –Class B Misdemeanor

George Schmadel Sexual Battery – Class D Felony

Jerry Thomas Child Molesting – Class A Felony (Three Counts)
Obstruction of Justice – 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
Class A Misdemeanor 0-1 Year
Class B Misdemeanor 0-180 Days
Class C Misdemeanor 0-60 Days

“Why I Voted Against the 2013 City Budget” by: Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley

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3rd Ward City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley

Rather than take a 3.5 hour meeting into 4 hours, I have opted to release a statement regarding my vote on the 2013 budget. I voted against the 2013 budget for the following reasons:

1. The 2013 budget proposed by the Administration is financially irresponsible and short-sighted. With less money next year from Aztar, the need to find $10 million dollars for a downtown hotel, and only $3 million in the rainy day fund, a $3 to $5 million dollar cushion between revenue and expenditures is not enough. The Ford Center and Centre are operating at losses and the downtown TIF and food and beverage tax revenues are not producing enough money to cover the loans we took out to build them. We are having to use Aztar funds, which are normally used for capital projects such as police cars, to make up the difference. It’s difficult to imagine how we are going to borrow an additional $10 million next year to incentivize the building of the downtown hotel. With the Centre not being paid off until 2015, this bloated budget will most likely stall hotel construction until 2015 or later. The local economy needs the hotel project. If we could have saved $10 million in the 2013 budget, we could be building the downtown hotel next year without borrowing any money. Money for Keep Evansville Beautiful, Leadership Evansville and other unnecessary expenditures such as increasing the flower budget for the Parks Department have led to a budget that reads more like a child’s Christmas wish list.

2. What was believed to be the final budget was not emailed to City Council until October 19th, however it was adjusted yet again when we arrived to vote. The budget is approximately 200 pages long and somewhat incomprehensible. It is full of abbreviations that are nonsensical and has literally hundreds of thousands of dollars buried in categories labeled “contractual services” and “miscellaneous.” It is not in a format that is user friendly, and it is nearly impossible to decipher. It is unacceptable that the final budget is not provided in a user friendly format with enough time to actually go through it. The entire schedule for reviewing and voting on the budget should be started much earlier so that City Council is not essentially forced to vote a mere days before the deadline.

3. The budget contains nearly $1 million dollars for the destruction of Roberts Stadium. Three years ago, Roberts Stadium was a profitable venue for the City. However, it was systematically attacked and the public misled as to its condition. A refusal to maintenance the building, a financing agreement for the Ford Center that required the removal of all of its seating, and an auction that sold the fixtures for pennies on the dollar has forced the destruction of a landmark in this community. City Council was misled at its last meeting as to the cost to mothball the building. We were told that it was $25 to $30 thousand dollars a month to maintain the building. The records revealed otherwise. In its most expensive month last year (January), water, telephone, pump monitoring, gas and electric was approximately $14 thousand. An average cost to mothball the stadium would be approximately $10 thousand a month. We are destroying a perfectly good building, that is paid for, due to a complete lack of creativity.

4. As of the time of the vote on the 2013 budget, the major accounts of the City were not reconciled. Although it is doubtful that reconciliation would create major changes in balances, it is irresponsible to vote for a budget without certainty as to the funds.

5. The 2013 budget contains unreasonable raises for a select few employees.

6. The Fire Fighters are still in negotiations for a contract. It is not appropriate to vote on a budget where the end result of the negotiations, and therefore the final cost, is not known.

I am available for questions at 812-499-3384

Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley

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