IS IT TRUE? April 18, 2011

IS IT TRUE that we are pleased to see that some other publishing businesses in Evansville are finally getting on board to demand some substance from our slate of candidates for Mayor of Evansville?…that the City County Observer has been asking “WHERE’S THE BEEF” and even posted a picture of 4 parrots that can reportedly mimic the words “CREATING JOBS” in unison but are really just interested in a cracker or a piece of fruit for themselves?…that we would like to congratulate and commend Mizell Stewart III for his editorial titled “Move beyond talking points” that was published yesterday?…that the talking points that were chosen by Mizell (closed door meetings, public disclosure, jobs, and parks) are among the ones that the CCO has been calling out the Weinzapfel Administration over for a couple of years now?

IS IT TRUE that these talking points without substance are all just symptoms of a system without checks and balances?…that an easy path to elected office as Mayor Weinzapfel and his then Team Weinzapfel rode to office in 2007 against an outmatched and unfunded Mayoral opponent was not good for Evansville?…that the message received (not necessarily the real message) from an 85% – 15% victory in an election with an anemic turnout supplied the Mayor with the false sense of a mandate when there really was no mandate at all?…that confidence leads to arrogance and arrogance leads to closed door meetings, disclosure issues, strong arm tactics, Executive Inn Dilemmas, the McCurdy Home for Aged Pigeons, and ultimately to deciding not to seek re-election?

IS IT TRUE that it is time for Evansville to have a real election with candidates that are both qualified and humble with a desire for public service that exceeds their desire for applause?…that begs for some substance to back up the parroted platitudes?…that we are waiting guys?…that once again we ask but are not alone in asking from this day forward in asking“WHERE’S THE BEEF”?

IS IT TRUE that the GUNS AND HOSES event held at Roberts Stadium on Saturday night was proof that our firefighters and law enforcement professionals are much more than one dimensional people?…that these public servants boxed each other in front of a crowd of 6,700 to raise money for children?…that there were 15 bouts of 3 rounds each and that this year the POLICE took back the championship belt from the defending champion FIREFIGHTERS?…that Sheriff Eric Williams and Chief Brad Hill were sitting ringside supporting their guys enthusiastically?…that police and firefighters from all around the Evansville region and all three states in the area were represented in and out of the ring?…that is the government officials need an example of how to run a regional event that they need look no further than the promoters and managers of GUNS AND HOSES?

IS IT TRUE that Mayoral candidate Troy Tornatta is most remembered for his reinstatement of smoking in the county restaurants?…that Mr. Tornatta had the opportunity to have lobbied his fellow political allies in the Evansville City Council to have a fair and consistent smokefree workplace laws in 2007?…that he had a golden opportunity at that time to have been the leader of smokefree workplace laws and chose not to?…that siding with business owners over worker safety has never been a part of the Democratic party’s ideals?…that the City County Observer would welcome a cognizant position paper of substance from candidate Tornatta on the subject of smokefree workplace laws with respect to public health and would publish it in its entirety without edit or bias?

IS IT TRUE that at-large candidate for the one of the three Democratic nominations for City Council Jonathan Weaver has expressed that he believes that a public referendum is the right way to decide on smokefree workplace laws?…that we would welcome a cognizant position paper from candidate Weaver regarding the referendum process for such things in the State of Indiana and just how his suggestion could become a reality?…that we would publish his position paper in its entirety without edit or bias?

EVANSVILLE NEEDS A VIBRANT PARK SYSTEM

Introduction

The quality of a City’s park system is directly related to its economic health and development. A vibrant park system helps stabilize neighborhoods and property values. A diverse park system with lots of recreational opportunities also improves the health and quality of life of residents. Quality of life is a big part of what attracts business and creates jobs. New businesses and businesses looking to relocate are looking for quality of life and a strong infrastructure. We can provide both. The park system is a big part of our quality of life.

We have an incredible resource in our park system. It’s one of the largest in Indiana and one of the largest for any community of similar size in the United States. The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) operates and manages over 2300 acres divided into 65 parks and 21 special facilities in the City and County. The Board of Park Commissioners (BPC) oversees the DPR and Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Gardens (Zoo). The Zoo has an Advisory Board that makes recommendations to the BPC. Burdette Park is the only facility that is not under the control of the BPC. Its Director reports directly to the County Commissioners. Last year the budget for the DPR was over $13 million.

Issues

The issues facing the DPR include a decrease in revenues and the public’s use of the park system, crime, broken and dilapidated equipment, and workforce that is not big enough to keep up with maintenance.

A. Decrease in Revenues and the Public’s Use of the Park System

In 2006 an Efficiency Study of the DPR was conducted. It was determined that “[i]n order to maintain the existing park programs and develop new ones while maintaining quality, the services provided by the Parks Department must become more self-sustaining. This would require an increase in the public’s use of the parks, an increase in fees charged for their use, or a combination of both.”
Since 2006, the quality of the park system has degraded. It seems clear that in the last five years the DPR has failed to become more self-sustaining. When quality goes down, usage goes down, which decreases revenues, which triggers a further degradation of quality, and so on. It becomes a downward spiral. The budget for the DPR should focus on providing quality services and reflect the value the community places on the park system. As quality goes up, usage and revenues will increase. Additionally, a significant portion of the DPR budget is the Zoo, which operates at a loss. If we can make the Zoo more self-sufficient, the DPR will have more funding for the parks.

B. Crime

The crime issues in the parks include drugs, crimes against DPR property, sexual activity and fights. Judging from the current state of the parks, these problems have gotten worse since the Park Rangers were eliminated. When the Park Rangers were eliminated, additional officers were not added to the Police or Sheriff’s Department. There is currently not enough manpower to adequately patrol the park system. In considering whether to add manpower for park patrols, we need to consider the cost to the community in continuing to leave the parks with their current level of coverage. There are significant costs associated with repairing and replacing vandalized signs and equipment, and there are people who are deterred from using the parks because of a perception that they are not safe.

C. Broken an Dilapidated Equipment/Insufficient Workforce

The DPR is unable at its current staffing to adequately maintain the parks’ equipment. Over the last 20 years, the number of employees has decreased while the area managed by the DPR has increased. The additional summer employees for this year will help get some of the maintenance backlog cleared, but it is a temporary fix. A longer term solution is needed. An Assessment should be done of the park system to evaluate and prioritize the issues to be tackled to get the parks back into good shape. We also need to really look at what it takes to maintain the parks. It’s pointless to fix our parks and then let them degrade in quality again.

In looking at the current volunteer issues related to the contract the City has with the Teamsters, we need to understand from where the language comes. It is my understanding that during a time when there were significant layoffs in the DPR, the Teamsters sought language to try and protect the remaining jobs. The language of the contract is understandable under those circumstances. That being said, the DPR needs to be able to more freely use volunteers for trash pick-up, weeding, and other simple tasks. I do not advocate for violating the current contract. I think the Teamsters are entitled to the benefit of the bargain they made with the City. However, I think the City should make it a priority in the next negotiations to work on this issue. Making it easier to use volunteers should not mean that the number of employees at the DPR should be reduced further. If anything, we should look at the cost of not taking better care of our parks compared with the cost of adding addition full-time employees. There is only so much that volunteers can do.

Conclusion

The quality of our park system is directly related to our ability to attract high-paying, quality jobs. Evansville is already ahead with the size and diversity of the park system. However, we need to work on quality. After an assessment is completed, the community can develop a game plan. We will definitely need a vibrant volunteer network and lots of public/private partnerships to take on various projects. Maintaining the park system in good condition may require additional full-time employees. We may have to make some tough decisions in determining the correct budget for the park system.

Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley
Candidate for City Council in the Third Ward

EPD Activity Report April 16 2011

IS IT TRUE? April 17, 2011 Connecting some Value Dots

IS IT TRUE that Ann Ennis of Keep Evansville Beautiful contributed a very well written and no holds barred call to the people of Evansville to do exactly what her organization exists to promote?…that talking the problems of litter, parks maintenance, and general appearances is picking up steam and gaining some awareness in Evansville for the first time in what seems like a long long time?…that when Ann writes things like “see a weed, pull a weed” and “see litter, pick up litter” that she is admonishing the citizens of Evansville to do exactly the most cost effective beautification lifestyle possible?…Cheers today to Ms. Ennis for going public in a big way to call upon the citizens of Evansville to do exactly as was admonished in the passage of Luke chapter 4 verse 23 where Jesus is quoted as saying “Physician, heal yourself’–meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’

IS IT TRUE that connecting related articles and events is a very effective way to promote understanding?…that Mort Marcus in his weekly column addressed the topic of the cost of government?…that it is presumed by most of us that government does not make a profit and that we basically get all of our government services “at cost”?…that digging a little deeper into what it cost to actually pay the government to accomplish something is a worthy set of numbers to crunch?…that when a citizen of Evansville does what Ann Ennis says and pulls a weed or picks up litter that the cost to the taxpayers is exactly ZERO?…that when criminals in orange jumpsuits are out doing these sort of tasks that this service is not free?…that the Orange Jumpsuit Apparatus needs supervision, transportation, and food that is certainly paid for with tax money?…that these same tasks when done by the Evansville Parks and Recreation department are subject to a contract between the City of Evansville and the Teamster’s Union?…that the most expensive way possible for paper to be picked up or weeds to be pulled is to put that responsibility in the hands of local government that is shackled with a contract?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville can and should be litter free and have manicured parks?…that these things can be a collective effort and cost us ZERO in taxes?…that a simple exception added to the Teamster’s contract followed by good habits of the citizens will solve this problem?…that it is also unlikely that any grievance would ever be filed over citizen weed pulling patrols or citizen litter pick-ups?…that it would be interesting to see but that our bet is that the Teamsters are just as much of a part of the community as everyone else and that they would be glad to see the citizens of Evansville take these tasks on?

IS IT TRUE that an army of citizens cannot fix our sewers, should not risk life and limb tearing down dilapidated houses, and really can’t effectively recruit jobs to the area?…that those tasks are best left to professionals?…that the professionals will be better equipped to do their jobs if Evansville is clean and manicured?…that here is the formula to solve the litter problem in ONE YEAR?

NEVER LITTER ANYWHERE

PICK UP THREE PIECES OF RANDOM LITTER PER DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

IS IT TRUE that if all 178,000 people in Vanderburgh County would do this that we will never have our home referred to as a slovenly mess again?…that the City County Observer says “you go Ann, never get discouraged and don’t let them get you down”?…that a new day can dawn in Evansville and that it can start tomorrow?

Take That: April 16, 2011

In Regards to the Tornatta Debate Challenge:

“After 40yrs of decline, a Better Evansville begins with tossing the “Darkside” Democrats to the sidelines.” Crash Larue

“There is no debate about Tornatta’s campaign platform he is the 2nd coming of Weinzapfel only angrier and not as intelligent. The voters will send the same message as was sent him last November we don’t want you Troy.” USA1975

“That’s because they (Tornatta and Weinzapfel) blackball CCO. They should not. CCO keeps the pot stirred and the candidates on their toes.” CRAZ1

“The better course for the city of Evansville is for it to form and install a type of government that is so attractive to county residents that they would willingly join the city in a consolidation. Put your house in order first Evansville, then we can talk about CONSOLIDATION. So what is the position of the candidates running for mayor on CONSOLIDATION? Have all of them stated their positions publicly?” Pressanykey

“Tornatta only wants a debate at this late hour because he is losing so badly. He is grasping at straws trying to stop or steal his opponent’s momentum. Davis doesn’t need the debate.

“The Democratic Committee picks Tornatta as their candidate for Mayor. He couldn’t even win his last election. If Tornatta becomes the Democratic candidate through this primary, it virtually guarantees a Republican victory later.” Big Pappa

“Davis is a coward!” Taxpayer’s Friend

“Come on Davis, stand up and show some fight! We don’t like or need obfuscators. And whether you like it or not, you cannot be a good Mayor communicating only one on one with little ladies down the block! But I do agree that you’ll have a challenge on your hands with these DC handlers that apparently are in the mix. But if you don’t like the TERMS… DEMAND the debate be a CCO – E-DEBATE!” Eville Taxpayer

On Opus One-McCurdy Revisited

“Restoring the McCurdy to a World War II themed hotel (the hotel’s heyday) would create many jobs, add a much needed hotel to the downtown area, and be a drawing card for many history and military conventions (of which there are thousands that Evansville misses out on each year). Much of the hotel’s WW2 era decor is still intact and would be authentic.” Mike Whicker

“Don’t sugar-coat the actions of the EVV Convention and Visitors Board! If they had been able to push the baseball complex down our throats, they would not have been the “bargain” you describe!” NoMoDoh

“It’s disheartening to see that the Opus One Party remains an effective smoke screen for the real agenda that lays behind it all. Good job guys, you apparently are going to pull it off before anyone realizes what’s happening.” Soon2B

And Lastly to the call for a Jobs Plan

“The Weinzapfel “JOBS PLAN” is to fund Mr. Tornatta’s election so all in the Weinzapfel regime keep their jobs.” Joe Biden

“Just what I thought. Of the four candidates for Mayor of Evansville, there has never been so much as one decent job created by all of them combined in their entire lives. What an indecent situation to have to deal with. This reminds me of Weinzapfel’s statement about what he liked about being Mayor when he said it was learning to manage because he had never managed anything before.” mapmaker

Evansville is Available, Observations of an Afternoon Drive
By: Bill Hazelip

The wife wanted to go for a drive. Where do you go in Evansville and not see the ruins of our poor economy and political mismanagement?

We started out on First Avenue, drove by the vacant Iglehardt Flour property, home of ” Swans Down Cake Mix”. I can still hear Kate Smith, singing “God Bless America.” We, continued down Morgan by the vacant International Steel “maker of the revolving door,” Hoosier Manufacturing, Weil Packing, Swift Packing, and my home of Seeger, “maker of world’s quietest refrigerator and home of the “rotary compressor.” We, continued down Maxwell by the vacant Chrysler plant, Faultless Caster, Briggs Body Works, and Servel, the company which at one time had over 15,000 employees. If there was a building standing there was an “Available” sign on the property.—- Enough of this, so, we headed downtown, when we arrived downtown one of the first thing to greet us was “Available” signs it seems like every corner and vacant spot has —“Available” signs. Yes, we are a city that is available! Then it hit me —What a great name for the Mayor’s new arena —“Available Arena”. Not only is this a catchy name, but after the newest wears off, and the parking problem isn’t solved, it could be quite appropriate!

My wife felt, we had seen enough decay, so we decided to skip the total West side, which was once the world’s furniture capitol location and many more quality manufacturers. We decided to just head for home, which took us by the World’s Largest Refrigerator Plant, Whirlpool and by three half million sq. feet of vacant warehouses and two carton and packaging companies. All of these—you, guest it “Available”.—–and next door to all of this is the airport– and we, even lost our weather bureau!—-how do you lose a weather bureau?

So, what does all of this mean? What does it mean for a city that was suppose to have three hundred thousand people by year 2000. Well, we have an election coming up, and hopefully it is for a Mayor who can be involved with business, a Mayor who travels the rough streets of Evansville and is offended by the trash and junk and pot holes and all of the “available” signs. A Mayor, who understands that the first thing you must do is to get business to come to town, before you kiss butt with the unions! The City of Evansville has only had three Republican Mayors in 56 years. All three of them were outstanding just like Democrats Frank McDonald Jr. and William Dress. Personally, I am tired of seeing buildings leveled with no plans or purpose, so I will vote for the Mayor who will keep Roberts Stadium. It is time for the Mayor and the City Council of Evansville, to start listening to the people.

We, certainly don’t need phony population number games. Annexation, is not the answer for past failures, it is like blowing hot air into a paper bag and hoping it flies!

EPD Activity Report April 15 2011

IS IT TRUE? April 16, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the first of the campaign finance reports were filed yesterday and that of the four candidates for Mayor of Evansville three filed their reports properly and on time while the fourth Douglas DeGroot has always contended that he has no budget and raises no funds?…that the City County Observer is proud to see that all of the reports were filed right on schedule and having examined them there appears to be no pattern of sneakiness?

IS IT TRUE that if money raised is the leading indicator for the upcoming general election that the presumed Republican nominee Lloyd Winnecke has a very large early lead?…that Commissioner Winnecke has garnered the financial support of many of the movers and shakers of Evansville to the tune of $147,413 and is sitting on a growing cash pile of $156,908 to buffer his general election campaign?…that while there are some big names with donations to match on Commissioner Winnecke’s finance report that there were no surprises on either the contribution or expense side of the report?…that Winnecke gets the FIRST PLACE GOLD MEDAL for raising the most money in the first reporting period?

IS IT TRUE that in the hotly contested Democratic primary that it is a surprise to many that early announcer and Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis out fund raised perennial candidate Troy Tornatta?…that many people were astonished at that?…that Mr. Davis’s campaign did not garner a list of well to do contributors but was dominated by small donations from lots of people?…that of the three reports Davis’s would win the gold medal for number of pages because of the sheer number of donors that had to be listed?…that Rick’s campaign fund raising operation is quite reminiscent of the mass appeal that now President of the United States Barack Obama put together in his drive to the White House?…that one notable large donation ($9,000) to the Davis campaign came from the Firefighters Local #357?…that one surprise contributor listed by the Davis campaign was former Democratic candidate for Indiana Secretary of State Vop Osili who made an online donation to Davis?…that Rick Davis gets the Second Place Silver Medal for raising $75,423 but only has $752.87 on hand to fuel the final two weeks of the campaign?

IS IT TRUE that the recently defeated but highly recognized former Vanderburgh County Commissioner Troy Tornatta gets the Third Place Bronze Medal for fund raising during this reporting period in what was essentially a three man race?…that Mr. Tornatta raised a total of $42,896 but has a lead on Davis with cash on hand heading down the home stretch with $33,797 remaining?…that the Tornatta campaign was successful at tapping into some traditional Democratic donors in the Indianapolis area while also getting some financial support from the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party?…that the law offices of Jones & Wallace and David Jones as an individual donated a total of $5,500 to the Tornatta campaign?…that this law firm currently represents the Office of the Mayor of Evansville and does a substantial amount of business with the City of Evansville?…that the list of Indianapolis and outside Evansville based donors that are familiar to recent financial disclosures contributed a total of $14,600 (34%) of the total raised by the Tornatta campaign?…that the biggest surprise in Mr. Tornatta’s filing was not who is contributors are but who they are not?…that there was no contribution at all listed from the Weinzapfel for Mayor fund?…that there was much speculation that the Weinzapfel for Mayor fund would be Mr. Tornatta’s Ace in the Hole?

IS IT TRUE that the expenses for Winnecke and Davis yielded no surprises?…that the expense report for the Tornatta campaign had two expenditures that went to the Washington DC area?…that $15,000 went for “RESEARCH” and another $1,961 went for literature that totaled $16,961 or 36% of all spending reported?…that this research was in all likelihood to run a POLL to learn how the race is stacking up?…that the recent debate challenge may very well reflect the results from the $15,000 poll?…that getting over a third of one’s contributions from “other places” and spending an even higher percentage in “other places” does not seem like a grass roots operation?

IS IT TRUE that campaigns with so much cash flowing to and from the area should deserve the title FOPTOP Campaigns?…that FOPTOP stands for FROM OTHER PLACES – TO OTHER PLACES?

IS IT TRUE that the actual reports filed exceed the file size restriction for posting but that the City County Observer is working to compress the files and will post the reports for our readers to examine in detail?

When the Talking and Writing is Over, IT IS TIME TO DO SOMETHING!

Implementation is vital to progress and planning without doing is futile. Of course Evansville first needs to do a Evansville for the Next Decade Plan, but then we have to do something.

We have a very good parks plan from an award winning city. The file is too large to post on WordPress but if you email us and ask nicely we will forward a 10 MB parks plan to you no questions asked.

Ann Arbor chapter_11_master_plan Implementation

A Fine Example of a Written Jobs Plan from a Progressive and Prosperous City

The City of Seattle, Washington has been transparent enough to post their JOBS PLAN that was developed to respond to the recent recession online for all to see. The City County Observer has reviewed this plan and is pleased to make it easily available to our readers.

As a reminder back in the day when Evansville was growing it was larger than Seattle. In the 1890 census Evansville was the 56th largest city in America with 50,700 residents while Seattle ranked 70th with a population of 42,800 souls. Flash forward to the 2010 census and Seattle has risen to be the home of 608,000 people and experienced 8% population growth during the first decade of the new century. The Seattle Metropolitan area is now home to 3.7 Million people.

This is a real JOBS PLAN from a growing progressive city that has a high number of manufacturing jobs but that has also been successful in attracting, growing, and nurturing a private high technology industry. We realize that all cities are different and do not advocate that Evansville just change the name at the top of the page and call it a JOBS PLAN. We do however hope that the candidates for Mayor of Evansville and the current powers that be take the time to read this document and adopt any elements that are applicable to this economy.

Seattle Jobs Plan