Across the board from the lowly paid City Council to the Mayor these salaries look to be about 25% higher than Evansville’s.
The Department Heads all appear to be making $114,705
Link to interactive database
http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/30/1795980/search-the-lfucg-salary-database.html
IS IT TRUE: August 30, 2011 Special Evening Edition
IS IT TRUE that the minutes of the meetings of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for August 12th and August 16th have not yet been posted on the ERC website?…that the agenda for the meeting that is scheduled for September 7, 2011 has also not been posted on the website?…that we are expecting to hear something about both the McCurdy Hotel plans for going forward at this meeting?…that we are anticipating that an elected official may be asking questions regarding the loan that Centre City Properties took from 5th 3rd Bank on the property that may just keep the City of Evansville from ever seeing even one red cent if the financing to turn the McCurdy into apartments never happens?
IS IT TRUE that some citizens of Evansville are sort of miffed that they learned recently that Mr. Tom Barnett, the Director of Metropolitan Development for the City of Evansville and the Field Marshall for the McCurdy and other ERC activities has never been inside the McCurdy?…that on the surface that sort of seems detached on Mr. Barnett’s part and that these citizens who contacted the CCO about this were quite upset?…that these citizens did not have the benefit of knowing that all of the deals with the McCurdy Hotel between the City of Evansville and Centre City Properties LLC were already in place before Mr. Barnett turned down the sunshine of Florida to accept his two paycheck deal in Evansville?…that the McCurdy Hotel is actually the property of Center City Properties LLC that holds a 1st Mortgage from 5th 3rd Bank on the property?…that Mr. Barnett does not have and never has had under his tenure the authority to go onto this piece of private property to do anything but trim some weeds and run off some rats?…that when it comes to the McCurdy that Mr. Barnett is just as much of a victim of poor business dealings entered into by the ERC and the Weinzapfel Administration as the rest of us are?
IS IT TRUE that last spring that Keep Evansville Beautiful did a masterful job of raising over $50,000 to refurbish the fountain at the entrance to Garvin Park?…that the dedication and the pictures of this work were both tasteful and beautiful?…that after securing private dollars to do this work and dedicating the fountain that the responsibility was turned over to the proven un-capable hands of the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department?…that during the last month that there is no water in the fountain?…that we are wondering if the Evansville Parks and Recreation department has set a new record for how fast a public entity could negate a great private effort by failing to operate the fountain?…that when private dollars and private efforts bail out local government entities that these government entities should darn well take the initiative to keep water in the fountain and turn the lights on so that we can enjoy its beauty when we attend Otter games or go to Garvin Park?
IS IT TRUE that up until about 3 pm this afternoon that Garvin Park looked like Hurricane Irene passed through?…that there were trash barrels overflowing and garbage blowing around like a fresh winter snow?…that this kind of negligence is what the people of Evansville are getting from the same organization that showed their arrogance when a father brought it to their attention that a drug addicts needle was in a City Park?…that the failures of this department are way too numerous to list here?…that this fountain that is not being used as a fountain and the multi-acres landfill that should be known as Garvin Park has been brought to you by some of the people who decided that Roberts Stadium is unrepairable because the water fountains don’t work and other maintenance has been ignored?…that it is time for this function to be placed into the hands of people who care enough to do their job?
Excerpts:
“Now Thoreau isn’t quite saying that each of us can actually live the life we’ve imagined. He’s saying that if we try, we’ll come closer to it than we might ordinarily think possible. I suppose that the people responsible for the coffee mug would say that they’d merely tweaked the wording of the original a little. But in the tweaking, not only was the syntax lost, but the subtlety as well.”
“Sure enough, it turns out there is no reliable documentary evidence for the quotation. The closest verifiable remark we have from Gandhi is this: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.â€
“Gandhi, the struggle to bring about a better world involved not only stringent self-denial and rigorous adherence to the philosophy of nonviolence; it also involved a steady awareness that one person, alone, can’t change anything, an awareness that unjust authority can be overturned only by great numbers of people working together with discipline and persistence.”
“When you start to become aware of these bogus quotations, you can’t stop finding them.”
“Thoreau, Gandhi, Mandela — it’s easy to see why their words and ideas have been massaged into gauzy slogans. They were inspirational figures, dreamers of beautiful dreams. But what goes missing in the slogans is that they were also sober, steely men. Each of them knew that thoroughgoing change, whether personal or social, involves humility and sacrifice, and that the effort to change oneself or the world always exacts a price.”
“But ours is an era in which it’s believed that we can reinvent ourselves whenever we choose. So we recast the wisdom of the great thinkers in the shape of our illusions. Shorn of their complexities, their politics, their grasp of the sheer arduousness of change, they stand before us now. They are shiny from their makeovers, they are fabulous and gorgeous, and they want us to know that we can have it all.”
Link to Full Article:
IS IT TRUE: Part 2: August 30, 2011
IS IT TRUE that in pointing out the incorrect message that was sent regarding the overall performance of the EVSC we ran out of space and failed to offer praise where praise is due?…that the 8 EVSC schools that really did make the AYP (adequate yearly progress) standards Cynthiana Heights, Dexter, Harper, Hebron, Highland, Scott, Vogel, and West Terrace all are to be congratulated for their performance?…that furthermore all five of the EVSC schools that achieved a grade of A (Cynthiana Heights, Scott, Highland, West Terrace, and the New Tech Institute) along with the 2 that earned B’s (Reitz and Stringtown) deserve a pat on the back?
IS IT TRUE that we must point out that the word “ADEQUATE†is not to be confused as meaning or even implying “EXCELLENTâ€?…that a cheese sandwich is an adequate dinner but that a steak is excellent?…that a C is adequate but an A is excellent?…that making the team is adequate but that a gold medal is excellent?…that we know that there is excellence in some Evansville classrooms and offer those excellent performers (students and teachers) a hearty congratulations even though they seem to be surrounded by “adequate†and “failureâ€?…that we need more progress and we hope to see it?
IS IT TRUE that just because the overall GPA for the EVSC is a 1.67 does not mean that there are not some very good schools in Evansville?…that we stand by our earlier assertion that putting ones head in the sand is bad?…that calling an F and A so that “Little Johnny†feels good today is just setting him up to fail in life?…that as long as community leaders are reluctant to admit that we have litter in the streets, a poverty problem, have no high crime areas, some schools that are failing, and continue to assert that we are average in areas that we are clearly failing like bandwidth (368 out of 370) and venture capital (tied for dead last with several other cities) that the big picture will not change?
IS IT TRUE that students who got their start in the EVSC and graduated from USI and UE routinely go out into the world and excel in their chosen fields?…that Evansville often sends gifted athletes into the professional ranks?…that these people who do this are sometimes blindsided by the level of competition that they have to rise to when they leave our protected boundaries?…that the students that have parents and teachers that bust their chops when they are young and demand excellence are the ones that have the highest probability of measuring up in the real world?…that the best of Evansville and its surrounding areas often work hard and push their talents to great levels when confronted with tougher competition?…that most of these rascals will only be seen in Evansville at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a few birthdays for the rest of their lives?
IS IT TRUE that we understand how some private schools can get A’s by keeping the most challenged students out?…that what is really worth learning about is how the Catholic schools all get A’s on about half the money that the public schools get a D with?…that we believe that 1,000 Catholic 3 years old children will statistically have the same cumulative IQ of 1,000 3 year old children who are destined for the EVSC?…there is something more than genetics at behind these different scores?
IS IT TRUE that the State of Indiana has now been fingered by that cantankerous old Mort Marcus for losing its well heeled senior citizens?…that while it is bad to lose our best young people to brain drain it is even worse to lose our retirees of means to other areas because they pay lots of taxes that are needed to pay for infrastructure?…that maybe if these retirees children and grandchildren would have stayed in Indiana that the “Gray Drain†would not be depleting our future tax revenues so much that it is getting written about?
Take That: August 30, 2011
IN RESPONSE TO: A Brick has an IQ of ZERO
“Putting the Aces or the Eagles in a new arena will not do a darn thing for the team. Athletic excellence is all about talent that neither of these teams seems to be able to attract in recent history.
As for entertainment, 11,000 seats will attract only what 11,000 seats will attract. We just dropped $200M to move 200 jobs from Boeke to Main with no new features. Pretty yes! Adding value? He!! No.†The Architect
“ Both the Aces & Icemen will have the same teams as before. We are told we will be getting performing artists which Boeke Rd. could never have attracted, but we will stay tuned on that. As I’ve commented several times before, we need to make capital spending choices based on the guidance of many consulting groups which have pointed out Evansville’s infrastructure problems. None of these studies said we lacked an entertainment venue. So the taxpayers pay for all of these studies, and then the local government people ignore the advice.†Beerguy
“When someone that is new that has not played at Roberts multiple times comes to the Ford Center that normally plays at places at 20,000 seat forums we can be impressed. Bob Seger would sell just as much at Roberts as he will at the new arena and he does not travel with a spaceship full of speakers. Bring in Metallica with their stage set up and we have done something. There are only a few acts period that can not play Roberts because of stage gear.†Trainwreck
In Response to: How Baltimore is Killing itself with Poor Public Policy
“During the Vietnam War someone once said that in order for us to save a village we had to destroy it. This wag must be the same clown who destroyed Baltimore. I suppose running a shriveled hulk of a town is better than thriving in a prosperous city run by Republican politicians and Tea Party activists…” Dr.JohnNot theNightTripper
“Mr. Mayor,
How atrocious is our CVB and arena booking agent… if we can’t out bid Baltimore’s events, WITH ACTIVE ROOF LEAKS?
(http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2011/08/23/hole-y-roof-batman-convention-center-leaks-on-baltimore-comic-con/)
Just goes to prove how ridiculous some of our, “if you build it, they will come†hopes and dreams…†EvilleTaxpayer
IN RESPONSE TO: Misleading Headlines
“Putting a “Positive Spin†on headlines then burying the truth in the detail of the article is very commonplace, some people can’t handle the truth, and then there are those that never want to see anything negative on a given topic. Burying your head in the sand is a good analogy for how news is reported and how facts are looked upon, it’s almost like if we don’t discuss the messy details they don’t exist or they are not true. Truth is there is real trouble brewing all over this country even right here in our home town, putting a positive spin on a topic doesn’t change anything but the public perception, then when the truth does finally surface the public feels that they have been lied to.†Blanger
“Lake Evansville where all the Men are good looking, Women are strong and the kids above average.†IG
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AG: Tort claim notice must be reviewed before a claimant can file suit
INDIANAPOLIS – Because a plaintiff’s lawyer did not follow the legal process in filing a lawsuit involving the Indiana State Fair incident, the State of Indiana has asked a court to dismiss the lawsuit until the proper process can be completed.
Indiana law requires anyone who seeks payment for loss or damages from the State to first file a document, called a tort claim notice, with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. The State then has 90 days to review a tort claim and decide whether to approve or deny it. If a claim is denied, then a claimant is able to file a lawsuit against the State.
As of Monday, the Attorney General’s Office has received tort claims from six individuals concerning the August 13 stage collapse at the State Fair. Five of the claimants followed the proper process. One did not.
At the same time as claimant Angela Fischer’s lawyers filed a tort claim with the Attorney General’s Office, her lawyers on August 22 also filed a lawsuit against the State and other entities in Marion County Civil Superior Court, alleging Fischer suffered emotional trauma from witnessing the incident.
Because by statute a lawsuit cannot be filed against the State until the State has had 90 days to review and approve or deny a tort claim, the Attorney General’s Office today asked the court to dismiss Fischer’s lawsuit.
“This is not a reflection on the plaintiff’s claim, but there are deadlines and a process that must be followed under Indiana law. We can’t have one claimant try to cut in line when other claimants are following the rules,†Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said.
The motion the State filed in court today in Fischer’s lawsuit spells out the correct legal process and asks that the court dismiss Fischer’s suit against the State. The tort claim Fischer separately filed still is being reviewed by the State along with those filed by other claimants.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office represents the State of Indiana in various legal matters related to the State Fair incident. The Attorney General’s Office also administers the Indiana Tort Claim Fund.
IS IT TRUE: August 30, 2011
IS IT TRUE that today’s headline in the area’s most widely read print media newspaper boldly states “SCHOOLS GET GOOD REPORT CARDâ€?…that such headlines that are factually accurate yet send a very inaccurate message serve as a mechanism to enable the people of Evansville to be lulled into a false sense of security with respect to the performance of the EVSC?…that it has been stated that perhaps as many as 90% of people who read newspapers for the most part get their news and make decisions on what to read based on HEADLINES?…that this being the case that there are many citizens of Evansville who saw this headline and are feeling good about a report card that would result in ACADEMIC PROBATION and INELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE IN SPORTS if one of the students carried it home?
IS IT TRUE that when the EVSC schools are gleaned from the article the report card given the 34 schools in the report is 5 A’s, 2 B’s, 13 C’s, 5 D’s, and 9 F’s?…that when one takes these grades and assigns each school equal weighted value (as they should be), then assigns a number on the traditional college 4.0 scale that the combined performance shows that EVSC has a GPA of 1.67?…that such a score at even the easiest universities will result academic probation and ineligibility for extracurricular activities?…that the NCAA will not allow any freshman to participate in sports with a high school GPA below 2.0?…that if the EVSC was a college athlete that it could not even sit on the bench with a GPA of 1.67?
IS IT TRUE that the private schools, the parochial schools, and Signature School all got an A?
IS IT TRUE that that the headline writers and the EVSC get this need to put positive spin on negative performance honestly?…that earlier this year that a group of designated local leaders held a discussion with respect to what grade Evansville would get for its investment community activities with respect to angel and venture investing?…that this group courteously negotiated among themselves that Evansville is a 3 out of 5 or a gentleman’s C in angel and venture investing?…that there were some people in the room who know about such things that kindly expressed that the score is really a 1 or 2 (D or F) but that the GroupThink overwhelmed knowledge in awarding a C?…that the reality of the situation is that the score should reflect the actuality and that reality is ZERO?…that the propensity to grade ourselves as acceptable when the score is clearly a ZERO (F) and the need to proclaim that all is well in a headline when the numbers are really no more than a solid D is part of the problem when it comes to Evansville ever becoming competitive nationally in anything?
IS IT TRUE that the first steps to prosperity will only come when the people in charge of Evansville take their head out of the sand and local mainstream media ceases to be an enabler in spreading the myths that result in people thinking things are fine when ACADEMIC PROBATION and a score of ZERO is the reality?
IS IT TRUE we would like to take this opportunity to tell Mike Duckworth, Vanderburgh County Road Superintendent and the Vanderburgh County Surveyor, BILL Jeffers thanks for doing an outstanding job for the public good?
IS IT TRUE that it’s time for the Evansville Housing Authority to start considering to market the large vacant lot located at Lincoln and Governor for new site for affordable homes?
IS IT TRUE that we hear the 1st Ward City Councilman, Dan McGinn-Attorney shall be meeting with the City of Evansville Controller this Friday to review the entire budget of the City of Evansville General Legal Counsel in detail. …we wonder way Councilman Dan McGinn, Attorney has not been afforded the opportunity to to view this budget request in detail for the last 9 months? …City Councilman Dan McGinn, Attorney has pledge that he will make his findings available not only to area media but also to every Evansville City Council member? …we can’t wait to see a detail breakdown in the overall expenses of this department but how much his key people are being paid by the taxpayers to fund this important department?
By Lance Winslow
There sure is a lot of talk about innovation in America, and rightfully so. We are a nation of innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs. We can build, create, and out think almost any country on the planet, or any civilization. Why is that? I believe it is due to our free-market thinking, liberty, and “Can Do” American attitude. When everyone gets in line in their thinking, and they decide there is something they want to do, they can and will make it succeed.
There was an interesting article recently in the Desert Sun, a local newspaper for the Coachella Valley. If you don’t know where that is one of the cities there is called Palm Springs, CA and it is fairly well known. The article was written by K. Kaufmann and the title was “Questions Raised as to Who Will Gain Most from iHub in Palm Springs,” and it was published on May 20, 2011. The article stated;
“The iHub, one of 12 state-designated innovation centers in California, is a partnership between Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs. Its primary purpose is to serve as an incubator for small renewable energy and clean technology companies and start-ups.”
In answering the question on that title, I have a few things to say. First off, maybe folks should stop pointing fingers about who will get the most out of it, and rather put all their energies into it. An innovation center and hub is about harvesting the accumulation of knowledge, human energy, potential, and wisdom available in the area or region, or perhaps sector of our economy. It’s about bringing all that together in a synergistic spot which radiates and flows outward with even more than what has been put in.
Therefore rather than infighting over who might get the most out of it, maybe all the participants should consider what they can put into it. In this case a local bank has donated $250,000 to the project, and the City of Palm Springs, along with the Coachella Economic Development Association have all joined hands in a common cause. It is my contention that this could work quite well. However, it must be done with a free-market flare, and without the bureaucracy or political infighting which often ensues over fiefdom’ism.
Why you ask? Well, because in the end, there is no place in a local innovation center for power grabs, or politics. So to answer your question yes local innovation centers do work, and they work quite well, but only if they are allowed to. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this because it was a topic of conversation recently at our think tank. If you have a similar program in your city or town, please shoot me an e-mail, and perhaps I can send you some good ideas along this topic.
Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you’ve enjoyed today’s discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net – Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
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