Perry Township Trustee Rick Riney Supports Rick Davis
I know from personal experience that it is very difficult to hold an elected office as a Vanderburgh County democrat when you are not part of the Central Committee inner circle. I was elected to the Perry Township Trustee’s Office last fall and was sworn in January 1st of this year. I was not invited to the recent meeting that was called to decide the future of Connie Robinson’s position in the party. This is not the first meeting or event I have not been invited to. Maybe this is because, had I been invited I would have voted to relieve Mrs. Robinson of her responsibilities as the Vice Chairperson of the Local Democrat Central Committee immediately. Dissention is not something this group of people deal with well.
In my opinion Connie Robinson has been an embarrassment to all democrats, especially her constituents who have worked hard to support her by giving their time, money and long time loyalty. Previous leaders of our party dedicated themselves to building a strong Central Committee that could keep the party united and support its candidates. Mrs. Robinson’s violation of State Democratic Committee rules has brought shame and embarrassment to our local party. It is really sad to me that she and many more of our current party “leaders†have recently turned their backs on their mayoral candidate. They have also turned their back on the democrat base of Evansville. Rick Davis is who the base wants and they made that very clear in the primary when they voted him in by a very large margin.
There are many questions needing to be answered about Connie Robinson and her motivations. Allow me to propose just a few of them for you to ponder: Does she indeed have a contract for supplies with Casino Aztar? If so, how long has she had this contract? Has anyone else ever bid against her for the contract? Or even been allowed to? Is it possible that her 16 year tenure on the City Council has somehow allowed her to maintain the contract? Is it a coincidence that Casino Aztar opened its doors 16 years ago?
More recently Connie Robinson has placed bids for contracts with the Evansville School Corporation and VenuWorks, the management company for the new Ford Center. Her connections and her public support of the people that award these contracts undoubtedly provide her an enormous advantage. It would not be surprising if these contracts have already been promised to her. She has already announced that this will be her last term. My guess is that she will not have time due to the rising demand of her business.
Mrs. Robinson has had 16 years to file her Uniform Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement but just did so on October 5th of this year. Why now? Maybe the possibility of a change in power has instilled a little fear. I haven’t the time to go into her involvement with the Brownfield Corp, which I also find to be very suspicious. My message to you is that that I feel her endorsement of Mr. Winnecke is based on what is best for her personal future, not what is best for the future of the residents of Evansville.
Another sign that party lines have been crossed in the interest of self-preservation is Mr. Winnecke’s cooperation with Mayor Weinzapfel while serving together on the GAGE Board of Directors. They were both members of the Executive Committee in 2009 when they reported that the Freedom Festival that year lost $290,000. However, just last week Rick Davis received a copy of the 2009 financial audit from current GAGE Director Debbie Dewey. The audit suggests an actual loss of over $600,000 for that event. If this is accurate it means a difference of over $400,000 of taxpayer money lost and not reported. My question is how did something this important stay secret for so long (2 years)? Why has none of the local media ever reported this discrepancy? Were they made aware of it and somehow persuaded to keep quiet or was it just that well hidden? If Winnecke and Weinzapfel claim to be such transparent civic leaders why has no one ever seen this oversight? I feel this deception of the taxpayers was intentional and could only be done by these very powerful people in powerful positions. The apparent influence over the civil servants of Evansville and the media outlets we rely on for factual reporting needs to come to an end. Lloyd Winnecke has been involved in a major political cover-up, the Homestead Credit scandal. He must not be allowed to have the opportunity to continue these practices through the most powerful office in the city.
The “Machine†has had it out for Rick Davis since his first attempt at public office. When he announced his candidacy for Treasurer in 2009, the Central Committee democrats ran a man with Republican credentials against him in their own primary! Rick was victorious by a large margin. Under the same circumstances he was victorious in this year’s mayoral primary, and again by a very large margin. It seems clear what the public wants and it is not the same thing the power brokers want. I am reminded of my most recent victory against David Mosby. We started the process of dismantling the “Machineâ€. Now let’s help Rick Davis finish it.
Vanderburgh Democrat Party County Chairman Mark Owens, Vanderburgh County Democrat Party Vice-Chairperson Connie Robinson and the self-proclaimed “elder statesman†of the Democrat party Curt John are all backing Lloyd Winnecke, the Republican candidate. These three top leaders of the party are nearing the end of their political careers. They have nothing to gain politically with a Davis win but it would seem that they have much to gain both personally and financially with a Winnecke win.
Connie Robinson and Curt John have both publicly endorsed Lloyd Winnecke. Mark Owens has been quick to demonstrate that he agrees with their accusations that Rick Davis is too inexperienced and inept to lead Evansville into the future. Yet these same three people fought tooth and nail to give the taxpayers Ms. Linda Durham. If this is a sign of how they judge a person’s character, are you sure that their choice for mayor is the best choice for you?
If this political cycle is allowed to continue, our local government will resemble the political climate of Chicago by the end of the next term. Rick Davis is the man to pull our beloved Evansville out of this vicious tailspin. Please get out and vote this coming Tuesday. Vote for transparency and accountability in the Civic Center. Please vote for Rick Davis!
Thank you,
Rick Riney
Perry Township Trustee
