IS IT TRUE that the new Executive Director of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau addressed the Evansville City Council on Monday night regarding the subject of tourism?…that Bob Warren is a man who seems to have fallen in love with the concept that Evansville is a place that has a great amount of potential as a vacation destination?…that he went on and on about how Evansville is a great place to visit yet has never really shared that with potential visitors?…that when he started discussing the MARKETING BUDGET of the ECVB and comparing it to other cities in which he has worked in his career that all too familiar DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS look came upon the faces of our City Council members?…that the entire marketing budget for the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau to tell the world about how great Evansville (population 117,400) is for vacationing is $116,000?…that Mr. Warren’s previous place of work, the town (not city) of Galena, Illinois (population 3,500) had a marketing budget of $330,000?

IS IT TRUE that Galena is about the size of Chandler, IN or Morganfield, KY?…that these towns are no more than 3% of the size of Evansville?…that Galena’s marketing budget is TRIPLE the size of Evansville’s?…that the other places that he has worked are closer to the size of Evansville but spend in the millions of dollars per year to attract tourism?…that once again Evansville is exposed as being hopelessly out of touch with the reality of the cost of doing business in the outside world?…that this was reminiscent of the paltry wage scale that inspired Mayor Weinzapfel to propose a dual pay scheme to attract Tom Barnett to Evansville over a town of 3,000 people in Florida?…that in the recent ‘Competitive Realities” report from the SW Indiana Coalition for Economic Development the MARKETING BUDGET to attract new businesses was fingered for being hopelessly low?

IS IT TRUE that one of the 10 things identified by the CCO that need to be done right in 2011 was to upgrade municipal pay scales in the City of Evansville to national levels?…that having a marketing budget for tourism that is 1/3 of a place the size of Chandler is almost hard to believe?…that if the City of Evansville chooses to not even try to compete either through complete ignorance or disinterest that the population shrinkage will continue, the number of abandoned houses will increase, the local wage base will continue to decline, and we can continue to experience DEER IN THE HEADLIGHT MOMENTS at City Council meetings?…that our City Council should not be blindsided by things like this?…that our City Council is elected to do what is best for the people of Evansville?…that being completely oblivious to the economic reality of the modern world is not in the best interest of the people of Evansville?…that what scares us the most is that the City Council members really seemed to be surprised that a town the size of Chandler has a tourism budget that is TRIPLE Evansville’s?…that we wonder if they are surprised that a Colts ticket costs more than $3, that a beer at the game is more than a dollar, and that a bag of peanuts costs more than 50 cents at Lucas Oil Stadium?

IS IT TRUE that the street sweepers that are deployed for downtown are about an inch or so too tall to fit into the City of Evansville parking garages?…that this is a repeat performance of the performance out on a Diamond Avenue overpass a few years ago?…that the first suggestion at that time and again Monday was to deflate the tires?…that is a lame way to make up for the failure to get out the tape measure in the design stage?…that the DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS look is once again indicative of obliviousness?

IS IT TRUE; Part 2: August 22, 2011

IS IT TRUE that there were some lighter moments in last night’s meeting of the Evansville City Council and that one of them turned into a 30 minute discussion on pigeon coops inside the city limits?…that this 30 minutes started and ended with humor but that in between this 30 minutes seemed like it took longer than watching “Out of Africa”?…that the controversy is over a very animated couple who live in the 2nd Ward and have been keeping “racing pigeons” as a hobby for many years?…that it was stated that about 100 people in Evansville have “racing pigeons” and that one of their supporters even referred to these “racing pigeons” as athletes and that he goes to Louisville to buy their training meals?…that in one particularly animated exchange when referring to a neighbor who “doesn’t like their dog, doesn’t like their pigeons, and doesn’t like them” that the couple was defended by another neighbor who “likes their dog, likes their pigeons, and likes them”?

IS IT TRUE that it seems as though the City of Evansville has a law on the books that one can’t keep a pigeon coop closer than 50 feet from another person’s home and that this pigeon coop is only 35 feet away?…that the rule was changed back near the turn of the century and that pre-existing pigeon coops are grandfathered in?…that there was even a discussion about whether the law applied to the pigeons that were alive at the turn of the century or the coop itself?…it looks as though this very likable couple and their pigeon coop will be grandfathered in as the Council members saw the humor in the whole discussion but were worn out after their 4 hour session?…that maybe Evansville will have an entry in the Pigeon Olympics soon?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has been referring to the McCurdy Hotel as the convalescent home for pigeons and bats for over a year now?…that the population of pigeons and bats has been steadily increasing in the old classic hotel?…that the top floor of the McCurdy is more than 50 feet above the ground so it would qualify as a home for “racing pigeons”, passenger pigeons, and for pigeons of the plain ole sky rat variety?…that the best short term prospect we have heard to generate revenue at the McCurdy is to designate it as the “Official Pigeon Coop of the City of Evansville” and to charge the refugee pigeons that have been displaced by the 50 foot resolution a fee to live there?…that 5th 3rd Bank may want first dibs on the rental fees though as they are holding the superior mortgage on the McCurdy and the City of Evansville holds the 2nd?…that once the pigeons or their masters have paid off the 1st mortgage of over $1.6 Million, then the City of Evansville may get something after all?

IS IT TRUE that there is a public works project in San Francisco that makes the Front Door Pride program and the Vision 1505 project look like thrifty acts of genius?…that the City of San Francisco’s Chinatown subway project is 1.7 miles long, 8 stories underground, and is now estimated to cost $1.6 Billion up from the $647 Million estimate when it was first proposed?…that at $1 Billion per mile it is no wonder that subways are not adopted all over the country?…that the first trial estimates show that it would be 10 minutes faster to just take the bus?…that adding some busses would have only cost a couple of million dollars?…that when our elected officials continue to spend $1 Billion per mile for subways and $240,000 for each apartment at the safe house that they just demonstrate how out of touch with reality they are?…that it is good to know that the Mayor of San Francisco in his project that was really designed to get the political support of the power brokers of Chinatown make the City of Evansville look like Albert Einstein for their unsustainable and overpriced “affordable housing” programs?

IS IT TRUE that John Kish was in attendance at last night’s City Council meeting and was prepared to discuss the concerns of Councilman John Friend on “vetting the vettors”?…that City Council President B. J. Watts abruptly adjourned the meeting and that Mr. Kish’s opportunity to address this publically was circumvented?…that we look forward to September 12th when concerns regarding London Witte can hopefully be discussed in a public meeting?

IS IT TRUE that the 2012 City of Evansville budget hearings starting off with a thud yesterday?…that back when the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau was intent on spending $18 Million to put 8 little league ballfields where Roberts Stadium that there was a generous budget of $2 Million to pay for the demolition?…that when it was discovered that Corpus Christy, TX demolished a similar building for $1 Million the City of Evansville and the CVB had a bit of egg on their face for budgeting the $2 Million?…that when the City of Evansville was finally coming to grips with the demolition of the Executive Inn that the little hotel is rumored to have cost about $800,000 to demolish?…that the Civic Center propaganda machine was even churning out a trial balloon that someone may actually tear Roberts down for free just to get the recyclable materials?…that the ZERO COST trial balloon was a bunch of BULL?

IS IT TRUE that the Weinzapfel Administration is now on record as proposing a budget of $200,000 for the next administration to do whatever they want to with Roberts Stadium?…that the proposal of $200,000 to demolish it or to fix it up and use it is sort of a great big middle finger aimed straight at Evansville’s next Mayor and an insult to the people of the city?…that $200,000 is not enough to keep the water pumps running for more than 7 months, is only about 20% of the real demolition costs, and not even enough to repair a roof that is leaking from 3 years of neglected maintenance?…that Mayor Weinzapfel did not get his way with Roberts and that this $200,000 allocation for the next Mayor to clean his mess is nothing more than a tantrum being thrown for all to see?…that na-na-na-naaa-naaaa Rick and Lloyd is the sound coming from the third floor of the Civic Center right now?

IS IT TRUE that the budget proposal is to cut nothing and to raise the people’s taxes by approximately $10 Million?…that the tantrum continues?…that the sound is na-na-na-naa-naaaa Governor Daniels?…that the property tax caps that were passed cost me $4 Million so I will sock it to the people of my City of Evansville for $10 Million to make up for it?

IS IT TRUE that in the City Council meeting after the budget hearing that the Evansville City Council over the objections of Indiana State Senator Jim Tomes passed a resolution asking for the State of Indiana to make the meth making over the counter drugs containing pseudo-ephedrine require a prescription?…that the City Council furthermore asked for the ability to be stricter than the state if the state could not muster the votes to restrict the sale of this component of the scourge of meth?…that the Evansville City Council passed this by a 9 – 0 unanimous vote?…that the City County Observer salutes all nine of the members of the Evansville City Council for this largely symbolic resolution?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville was treated to another house fire tonight not three hours after the City Council adjourned?…that we do not know yet if this fire was meth related but it sure did look familiar?…that we think that Senator Tomes should be treated to the privilege of touring one of these burned out meth houses or even spending the weekend living next door to one?…that Councilman John Friend reported that in his field research that local pharmacists expressed the opinion that 90% of the pseudo based products that they sell are destined for a meth lab?…that if it were 9% instead of 90% that we may just be siding with Senator Tomes?…that at 90% this choice is easy?…that Councilwoman Wendy Bredhold said it all when she said that “drastic times call for drastic measures”?…that we could not agree more with our City Council’s unanimous position on this terrible problem?

IS IT TRUE August 22, 2011 Early Evening Edition (Budget Hearings)

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council will start the 2012 budget hearings from 3:30 to 5:30 and the it will be televised on WNIN?…that there are several issues that we at the City County Observer along with some City Council members are just itching to see brought up?…that we are predicting a healthy level of discomfort as some of the questions or possibly even inquisition level issues are brought up?

IS IT TRUE that with respect to the plan that is required by the EPA to be completed and submitted for approval by the end of 2012 that there had better be some money allocated to make the plan and verify the technical feasibility of the plan?…that failure to do this will result in the future administration being fined up the wazoo just like the Weinzapfel Administration was last year to the tune of $490,000?…that if this ball gets dropped after the 20+ times that the City County Observer and other news outlets have reported on it then someone or some group on the City Council need to be gone?…that we will be watching closely and reporting on this situation?

IS IT TRUE that City Councilman John Friend, CPA who heads the Finance and Budget Committee is spoiling for action on two fronts?…that Councilman Friend has been adamant that the $160,000 that has been verbally committed to audit the IT Department of the City of Evansville be included in the IT budget as opposed to an independent line item that may magically disappear later?…that Councilman Friend also has some serious questions regarding the choice of London Witte as the lead Vettor of the proposals for the downtown Convention Hotel?…that in 2010 London Witte made a campaign contribution in the amount of $8,500 to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign?…that Councilman Friend is intent on having assurances that the vetting process is not compromised or even appear to be compromised by any previous work that London Witte had done for the City of Evansville or by any political contributions of any kind?

IS IT TRUE that last October was when City Councilman Dan McGinn received the commitment that he would be provided with all of the details and line items associated with the full legal services spending by the City of Evansville?…that it has now been 10 months and Councilman McGinn has not received the information that he requested?…that the firm of Jones and Wallace LLC, and David Jones, one of its partners made political donations to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign in 2010 in the total amount of $13,200?…that this is the firm that has been under contract to represent the Mayor’s office and to do other legal work on an hourly basis?…that the people of Evansville deserve to know exactly what is being spent and where when it comes to legal services?…that until this information is provided and made public the legal budget for 2012 should be set aside?…that maybe it would even be worth considering freezing further spending in 2011 until Councilman McGinn is provided with the information that he requested?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer would once again like to express our appreciation to the Office of Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel for keeping us off of the distribution list regarding the Bob Seger concert to open the Ford Center?…that the Mayor’s policy toward us just inspires the CCO and the Mole Nation to work even harder to scoop Evansville on every embargoed piece of information that there is?…that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel is perhaps the biggest contributor to the juggernaut of growth that the CCO has experienced?…that the City County Observer, its owners, and its principle writers contributed exactly ZERO DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign in 2010?