IS IT TRUE? August 17, 2011

IS IT TRUE that crime is taking an interesting twist in Evansville this week with the announcement that someone passed a counterfeit $100 bill into the offering plate at St. Ben’s and took $80 change?…that using a church to launder counterfeit money is a new low in the character department?…that we have a suggestion for a name for this bandito?…that we think that this person should be called “Paul”?…that Paul robbed Peter to pay himself?

IS IT TRUE that using a church to launder money or to create fraudulent tax deductions is not a new trick?…that an older version of a self enrichment scheme involving a church is to cash personal checks at church and then deduct the amount as a charitable donation?…that I do remember that trick being exposed by an evangelist back in the 60’s?…that a Google search under the term “money laundering through a church” yields 5.4 Million responses?…that such schemes are as old as the church itself?…that the news of “the Paul bandit”’s exploits is going viral and that our own EPD media rep Karen Kajmowicz is in today’s Chicago Tribune discussing the counterfeit offering?…that the Associated Press has picked up on the story so we can expect to see Evansville on the whimsical parts of some national news stories today?…that here is a link to the Chicago ABC affiliates version of Paul’s deeds?

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/indiana&id=8311145

IS IT TRUE that the subject of hiring a city manager came up in last night’s meeting of the mayoral candidates in the historic district?…that Winnecke expressed clearly that he would not be having such things but that Davis will consider it?…that the issue of having a city manager is not a new one and that many states explicitly call for a city manager form of government?…that Kentucky has city managers to manage the cities leaving the mayors to more ambassadorial roles?…that there are cities that are under a city manager form of government that prosper and those that don’t?…that there are cities with a mayoral form of governance that prosper and those that don’t?…that in Louisville the Mayor’s annual salary is only about one-third of the amount paid to the city manager?

IS IT TRUE that Lexington which has a city manager was one-third the population of Evansville in the mid 1950’s?…that in the 2010 census Lexington has grown to have a population that is nearly triple that of Evansville?…that some of that may be attributed to having a city management style of government where there is little opportunity for a strong-man mayor to gain control?…that strong-man personalities tend to stay away from mayoral roles that are ceremonial as opposed to administrative?…that hiring a city manager that hopefully is not drawn to cameras like a moth to a light bulb may just be a good idea?…that such a person may just protect a population from itself?…that given the track records of populations that repeatedly elect people like Marion Berry and Kwame Kirkpatrick make the city manager option look attractive?…that eventually Evansville will drink the Kool-Aid and elect a Mayor that is all charisma and no substance that does not have a sense of right from wrong?…that when that day comes that we will wish that we have a city manager form of government?

IS IT TRUE that the future of the Front Door Pride program was the topic of interest at the meet the candidates event in the historic district last night?…that this program has used money that was originally meant to be used as a business loan fund to build houses for about $200,000 and sell them for $100,000?…that of the first 14 houses built that 6 are still sitting empty with no buyer?…that the prevailing value of housing where these expensive homes are being built is less than $50,000?…that the area where these houses have been built is the second highest crime area in the City of Evansville checking in with a rating of 9 meaning that 91% of the census tracts in America are safer?…that the target market for these homes has been young educated professionals of child bearing age?…that the neighborhood schools are among the lowest performers in the entire State of Indiana?…that a mixture of high crime, poor schools, low but declining real estate values, and of course the smells from Bee Slough when the Combined Sewer Overflow is happening does not make an attractive package at any price?

IS IT TRUE that the Front Door Pride houses themselves are quite attractive and would easily sell for between $150,000 and $200,000 in any suburban Evansville neighborhood to the East, North, or West?…that this hodge podge approach to placing nice new homes randomly around a neighborhood that is dominated by abandoned shotgun houses, dilapidated homes, empty lots, drug dealers, and prostitutes is an ill conceived scheme and is unsustainable?…that in the free market of residential real estate that this program has already failed?…that it has failed for the same reason that if some quixotic investor built the world’s tallest building in downtown Evansville that it would fail too?…that some things are just too expensive for some neighborhoods and this is one of them?…that we hope that both of the candidates for Mayor will just stop further building of Front Door Pride houses in its tracks?

IS IT TRUE that fixing up the old shotgun houses is even more costly than tearing down and building new?…that the most cost effective solution is to tear down the old shotgun houses and build nothing?…that the population of Evansville is still in decline and that with nearly 10,000 abandoned and/or dilapidated homes there is no need for construction of residential units at this time?…that to build more homes or apartments adds to the oversupply and actually inhibits the investment of private dollars to do improvements on perfectly viable homes?…that the City of Evansville in recent years seems to have forgotten that Economics 101 lesson about “supply and demand”?…that residential housing in the FDP area has very limited demand?…that in spite of that our elected officials continue to invest our tax dollars in additional supply with a guaranteed 50% loss built into the price?…that one definition of INSANITY is to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results?…that by this definition that the Weinzapfel administration’s Front Door Pride program truly is INSANE?…that it is time to STOP THE INSANITY?

IS IT TRUE that demand will only increase when people actually want to live in Evansville?…that the real thing to watch for will be increasing population and elimination of abandoned homes with either the bulldozer or private dollars?…that another indicator is when someone can actually get a conventional loan on a FDP house for 80% of the cost to build it?…that will not happen until Evansville is a net job creator?…that what we really want to see from the candidates is how they will create an atmosphere to bend the wealth creation to the positive?

IS IT TRUE that Republican candidate Lloyd Winnecke actually has published a very comprehensive concept of a “jobs” plan?…that what we are eager to see from Mr. Winnecke is the details about HOW and WHO will be enlisted to execute his plan?…that we are still awaiting a plan from Democratic candidate Rick Davis but are just as eager to see what his plan is?…that if Evansville is to ever start to claw its way back UP the prosperity curve that it will be good jobs that make this happen?…that programs like Front Door Pride, Vision 1505 ($240k apartments), and other residential construction projects in a declining population is not the answer that we need?

IS IT TRUE? August 16, 2011 Special Evening Edition

IS IT TRUE that the Civic Center is reportedly being evacuated because of a gas leak at the construction site of the new Arena?…that we wonder of the evacuation also includes the Centre, the Central Library, Signature School, the Victory Theatre, and the businesses that are within a block of the Arena to the west?…that a couple of weeks ago the evacuations were ordered over a broken water main and now it is a gas leak?…that every hiccup like this in the final stages of the construction project for the Arena is moving that grand opening day further into the future?

IS IT TRUE that the UE basketball games with Butler and IU which will be sellouts are only 3 months from now?…that these games would have sold out Roberts Stadium too?…that with Roberts Stadium being prematurely mothballed that the option of having these games in Roberts will not exist?…that mothballing Roberts Stadium prior to the opening of the new Arena and a moderate period of time to work the bugs out of its operation may just take the prize for the decision with the most unnecessary risk in the history of Evansville?…that if the Arena is late to open for any reason whatsoever and the Butler and/or IU games have to be moved?…that the decision to mothball Roberts before the Arena is opened will go down in history as one of the stupidest logistical decisions in the history of the City of Evansville?…that we wonder which high school gym that these major games will be relocated to if the Arena is not ready?

IS IT TRUE that we hope we do not have to hear the voice of the Aces saying “coming to you live tonight from the _____ High School gymnasium, is a game between the Evansville Purple Aces and the defending NCAA runner-up Butler Bulldogs”?…that such a farce would be the exclamation point on a project that has set new records for what happens when there is no planning at all?…that if this happens it will actually be as a result of one of the only things that has been planned and that is the sabotage of Roberts Stadium?

IS IT TRUE that sure to from that today’s meeting of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission did indeed hide behind the “other business” line item to bring Hunden Strategic Partners in for a presentation on the vetting process?…that this is a very important topic of local interest and should always have its own line item on the agenda?…that Chris Verville of Prime Lodging LLC tells us that he called ahead to see if there would be any vetting issues discussed and was told NO?…that this is just plain SNEGAL (sneaky but legal)?…that thanks to Mole #77 the City County Observer was tipped off that the presentation would be included?

IS IT TRUE that Mr. Hunden’s presentation regarding the vetting process did not include any mention of vetting the designs proposed for reality when it comes to construction budgets?…that some would ask why this is important?…that the reason is so that the pictures and verbal descriptions in the proposals are consistent with what can be built for $33 Million?…that we are aware of other vetting companies that believe that a sanity test on the designs and the construction budget is one of the most important indicators of a projects success?…that we have it on good authority that the vetting process does not include this critical evaluation exercise?