IS IT TRUE that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel responded to John Friend’s inquiry regarding IT contracts and purchases?…that this 8-page response went into great detail in comparing Cisco and Juniper services, as well as our previous and current contractors?…that according to the figures in this document, Cisco looks to be the superior choice of networking equipment?…that MRC seems to be the superior choice to our previous IT contract?…that the CCO gives credit where credit is due?…that the City/County IT Department seems to be on top of their game, and have made good use of our tax dollars?…that the mayor must have a deep understanding of the IT and Networking world to write such a letter?

IS IT TRUE that the letter that Mayor Weinzapfel took credit for and copied City of Evansville IT Director Matt Arvay on could not have been written by Mayor Weinzapfel as the detail of IT knowledge in the letter is far beyond his ability to opine upon?…that the letter itself was very well written and has impressed several technical people who have reviewed it?…that the shortest and most powerful technical abstract ever published was simply “E = Mc2” and that the author was Albert Einstein?…that putting any other name on that paper for publication would have been recognized as either a joke or plagiarism very quickly?…that the details of science and IT are difficult to master and that this letter was written by someone that has a good grasp of IT?…that Mayor Weinzapfel does not?…that the part about USI wasting $1M was aggravating?…that the part about Juniper does not equal Junnifer was even funnier?…that with public servants like this that Evansville will most likely stay at the bottom of the bandwidth food chain for years to come?

IS IT TRUE that the sparse response to our FOIA request has sparked anger in many of our local readers?…that even if one cannot afford a luxurious premium seat in the arena, that this issue is a blatant example of back room dealings and “the good ol’ boys club” that we as citizens have grown fed up with?…that the image of these good ol’ boys looking down on us from their uncontested premium seats is just another reminder of the SNEGAL dealings involved in our taxpayer funded downtown arena?

IS IT TRUE that the ERC did not grant VenuWorks the authority to sell the premium/loge seats until July 19th?…that the Joe Wallace filed a FOIA request for this information on June 30th?…that ERC/VenuWorks didn’t even bother to cover their tracks until after the FOIA request was filed?…that we still do not know the official “list price” of these seating options?…that we still do not know who was given the priority to buy these seats over the taxpayers who are funding the project?…that if the premium seating was actually “sold out” as Mr. Schoenike claimed on May 25th, that any contracts signed before July 19th are void?…that we expect the term “sold out” was actually more of a “good ol’ boy handshake” which is an awfully SNEGAL way to deny Evansville’s citizens the opportunity to buy those seats?

IS IT TRUE that “CCO MOLE #3” wonders why the present Financial and Budget Chairman of the Evansville City Council hasn’t been invited to attend the State of Indiana Pre-Audit or the Audit Exit conferences that details all audits of fact and deficiencies of the financial activities of the city that was discussed? …that we hear that some of the Indiana State Audit reports could be an interesting read?

IS IT TRUE that the most powerful political person during budget review time is the Budget Chairman?…that from this position one can control what comes up for a vote and when?…that as long as any Mayor has the budget chairman in his pocket that the SNEGAL OLIGARGHY can keep on rolling?…that when a Mayor no longer commands the BUDGET CHAIRMAN that the party is over for the pseudo-dictatorship?

IS IT TRUE that the net worth of Integra Bank before last Friday was more than $100 Million in the red?…that when the chips were counted that Integra’s holding company had less than $1 Million in cash in its own checking account?…that this is a sad tale?…that the purchaser of the assets of Integra, Old National Bank seems to be practicing the art of brutal honesty in announcing that the expenses will be cut by 75%?…that in reality that could scale to as high as 300 educated professionals losing their jobs in Evansville?…that the loss of this many educated professionals as citizens of Evansville may offset as much as 10 years of gains in that category by the traditional methods of growth and attraction?…that we are really concerned that our region will experience a large negative offset in the percent of the population with bachelor’s degrees due to the failure of Integra?…that many branches will be shuttered in the small towns around Evansville as well?

IS IT TRUE that the downtown Evansville real estate market will be heavily impacted by the euthanasia of Integra?…that the building that we all recognize as the Integra Building will be looking for a new owner?…that some of the offices in this Class A building is under lease but that much of it was occupied by Integra?…that based on the asking price for the Mason’s Lodge ($150,000), the failure of the Jackson House and the old Farmer’s Daughter to even draw bids at auction, and the continuing saga of the McCurdy Hotel, that the asking price for the Integra Building may be lower than a high end house in Lake Ridge Crossing in Newburgh?

IS IT TRUE that if the Arena has any coattail effect on real estate values that now would be the time for it to step forward and show them?…that the demise of Integra will open up a number of spaces in the 3rd Street parking garage that were previously used by Integra employees?…that if the Arena had any spillover effect on real estate that out-of-towners would already be entering the market?…that if the empty assertion that Arena’s drive up real estate prices were true that the Masonic Lodge should have been snapped up at a couple of million dollars or more?…that the ONB tower on Main should be filling up at a rate of $20+ per square foot per year?…that there should not be any empty storefronts in our rather small downtown?…that the people of Evansville were sold a PIG IN A POKE on that myth too?

IS IT TRUE that in the midst of all of this economic malaise that the Mayor of Evansville is proudly announcing the consolidation of the city and county building commissions as a major cost saver?…that sure it will save on a few light bulbs, a salary or two, and some letterhead, but the tangible savings will be minimal?…that this is a silly thing to take on in the last days in office?…that if this was such a good idea it should have been done 7 years ago?…that this move is mostly to distract the main stream media from the debacles presided over by the appointed Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that if the Mayor wants to show leadership and save money he should find a solution to the costly abandonment of the McCurdy Hotel?