IS IT TRUE that on this Veteran’s Day the City County Observer would like to take this opportunity to thank and honor all of our Military Veterans?…that whether it is the Veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Grenada, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan or any number of special operations that require bravery and risk of life and limb that our Armed Services deserve honor and support from all of us?…that we raise our glass and tip our hats to all American Veterans living and dead?…that without their sacrifices our prospects for life would not be as good as they are?

IS IT TRUE that our Mole Messenger tab yesterday received a message that stated that 3rd Ward Evansville City Councilwoman Elect Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley has resigned from the Central Committee of the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party?…that we went straight to the person accused and Brinkerhoff-Riley confirms that she indeed did resign from her position with the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party on November 2nd?…that she did not provide any particular reason for her action?…that we have confirmed that there are a number of formal complaints that have been filed with the Indiana State Democrat Party that seek to have Evansville City Councilwoman Connie Robinson and Precinct Committeewoman Louise Williams removed from their positions within the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party?

IS IT TRUE that we shall see what happens with the local branch office of the Democrat Party?…that one thing that is for certain and that is that if the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party is to be credible then something must be done?…that if this were a business undergoing a reorganization that the entire group of officers would be fired and the office would be moved so that the dysfunctional organization could start over?…that I am told by those in the know that in politics it just doesn’t work that way?…that the lecture that the CCO was provided stated that in party politics that only loyalty matters and that performance has little meaning?…that this is why our system of choosing leaders just does not seem to be working?…that at a time that our cities are filing for bankruptcy, our states are cutting services, and our country can’t seem to agree that apples are good for you, that loyalty to rusty old POLITICAL MACHINES is the last thing that needs to prevent real talent and merit from having any interest in seeking public office?

IS IT TRUE that Mole #7 tells the CCO that former Chamber of Commerce Vice President Steve Schaeffer is under serious consideration to move into Rose Young’s office as Mayor Elect Lloyd Winnecke’s Chief of Staff?…that Mole #7 also tells us that Vanderburgh County Councilman Joe Kiefer has been in hot pursuit of being appointed to Winnecke’s seat on the Vanderburgh County Commissioners?…that will open up a seat on the County Council and that a couple of candidates are being considered for that position if Kiefer is successful in his lobbying effort to be appointed as a County Commissioner?

IS IT TRUE? November 10, 2011

IS IT TRUE that today is the day that the property owners of Vanderburgh County need to pay the fall installment of their property taxes in order to avoid being charge a penalty?…that this deadline applies to each and every property owner including City Centre Properties LLC of Carmel, IN that owns tract #82-06-30-020-005.002-029, aka the McCurdy Hotel?…that the tax bill on that property that is due today is $10,268.66 and that if it is not paid will incur a penalty of 5% on the first 30 days that it is delinquent?…that at day 31 that penalty is increased to 10%?…that the choice to pay or not to pay this tax bill will serve as an early indicator as to whether City Center Properties LLC has the means or intention to move forward with this project?…that a 5% penalty per month amounts to an annualized rate of 60% and that any person or business that chooses to pay an annualized interest rate of 60% is sending a clear message about either its capacity to pay or its intention to do so?…that City Centre Properties LLC does have the City of Evansville and its Redevelopment Commission by the throat on this deal and can probably get by with any stunt that it has the chutzpah to try to pull?

IS IT TRUE that Harrisburg, PA has been followed to bankruptcy court by Jefferson County, AL?…that Jefferson County, AL is where Birmingham the largest city in the state of Alabama is located?…that as of the 2010 census that this county was home to 658,466 people who have been saddled by their County Government with a $3 Billion debt for a failed sewer deal?…that this debt works out to exactly $4,556.04 for every resident of Jefferson County?…that the estimate of the cost to repair the CSO problem in the City of Evansville is about $500 Million or $4,273.50 for every resident of Evansville?…that financial failures such as the one in Alabama which will result in lower expectations of ROI for the debt holders will make places like Evansville trouble in trying to finance the repairs of their own for aging infrastructure?…that the project that sunk Jefferson County, AL began when they entered into a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding sewer overflows into the Cahaba River watershed. A total of $3.2 billion of construction was subsequently contracted?…that if this does not sound familiar to the people of Evansville then they must have been living under a rock for the last several years?…that Jefferson County, AL has a form of government called “limited home rule” which is sort of a consolidated government in most aspects with some exceptions but also with some additional activities normally covered by the state?

IS IT TRUE that as cities with financial problems go the State of Michigan is becoming a debtors prison for failing cities?…that the latest to fall into an official state of “financial emergency” is the City of Flint?…that this will involve among other things having the State of Michigan appoint an “emergency manager” to run the city while a long term recovery plan is developed for approval?…that the Michigan cities of Pontiac, Ecorse, and Benton Harbor along with the Detroit school district are already under the management of state appointed “emergency managers”?…that Detroit Mayor and former Detroit Pistons star Dave Bing who followed the now jailed former Mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick into office is having substantial difficulties as well?…that Detroit may be facing a day when the State of Michigan appoints an “emergency manager” to run its affairs too?…that the issues cited in each of these troubled cities are deindustrialization, population shrinkage, brain drain, excessive contractual obligations with respect to union contracts, and a half century of substantial control of the City Council by the Democrat Party?…that once again, anyone that can’t see the similarities with Evansville has been living under a rock?

IS IT TRUE that these other cities with similarities to Evansville that have fallen on times that make our hard ones look like a Sunday School Picnic should serve to emphasize the size and importance of the tasks that are facing Mayor Elect Lloyd Winnecke as he forms his new administration and puts together his plans for moving Evansville forward?

IS IT TRUE that last night was the first real test of the downtown parking situation at the Ford Center as Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band played the first big concert in the new facility?…that Mole #1 arrived at about 45 minutes before the show was scheduled to start and found a free parking place about 3 blocks from the entrance?…that even in the fairly chilly weather that the walk was fine and the new sidewalks on Main Street really were a nice touch?…that passing three restaurants Mole #1 noticed that all were filled to capacity with concert goers?…that after the show there was no problem whatsoever exiting the downtown and heading home?…that given the capacity of the Ford Center that Mole #1 estimates that about 9,000 people were actually in attendance at the event so other than a big event during the workday the parking fears should now be put to rest?

IS IT TRUE that the inside of the Ford Center is a very intimate and smaller than it looks setting?…that the acoustics of the building are the best that Mole #1 has ever heard for a big rock and roll show and that the sound is consistent all around the building?…that the stage area and the lighting are as close to perfect as one can imagine?…that it is really different to be writing an IS IT TRUE and be gushing over something but that from an architectural and acoustical perspective the Ford Center gets an A+ for quality?…that Mole #1 and Mole #4 had a beer together between acts and that Mole #4 expressed the same high level of appreciation for the quality and acoustics of Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that this writer ran into Project Manager Mr. John Kish in the hallway after the show and congratulated him on a job well done?…that the CCO did just give him an A for bringing the project in on budget and on schedule?…that Mr. Kish got the only A that we awarded to the City of Evansville?…that if the final spending report comes in even a cent under budget that Mr. Kish will be upgraded to an A+ for the job he has done on the Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that this writer stood in line on the first day was #35 in line and that the best seats available were very good but not stupendous?…that the lady who stood in line behind me was seated next to me?…that one would think that #35 in line when “no tickets had been released yet” would merit a pair of seats in the first few rows?…that there were no department heads for the City of Evansville standing in line on that early rainy morning?…that two department heads and one member of the City Council actually strolled through the crowd and were seated on front row center?…that two of them were easy to spot because they have a good fresh shine on their heads?…that you guessed it that Director of DMD Tom Barnett and City Councilman John Friend somehow got the best seats in the house without standing in line?…that we trust that they got them on Stubhub and paid over $500 each for them or maybe just maybe they won them by calling in to the radio station?…we would not even think of asking if there were some tickets set aside for these guys?

IS IT TRUE that Ford Center is a non-smoking facility and that the CCO thanks the powers that be for that?…that one idiot was seen lighting up in the corridor but that a security person quickly put a stop to it?…that if there are 15 – 24 such concerts per year that bring in 9,000 people and if the Icemen and the Purple Aces win 70% of their games that this fine facility will do okay financially?…that we hope and encourage the maintenance staff to keep the Ford Center in the beautiful condition that it is in right now?…that keeping the Ford Center pristine is a challenge that most Evansville public venues do not rise to?…that we hope that the maintenance thing gets done right this time?…that we encourage everyone to attend something at the Ford Center soon to get an appreciation for what $127.5 Million buys?

IS IT TRUE? November 9, 2011

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer has gotten some information that leads us to believe that Mayor Elect Winnecke has a strong candidate for appointment as the Chief of Police of the Evansville Police Department?…that this candidate has certainly done a magnificent job in a lead role with the popular Guns and Hoses event that takes considerable management talent to pull off?…that this person is interested enough in public safety to spend some of his precious free time staying current on state of the art public safety procedures and techniques?…that the CCO’s Mole 7 tells us that a leading candidate to lead the EPD is Billy Bolin?…that Mole #3 is smiling on his way to Florida that Mole 7 pulled a good tip out of the hat on its first day on the job?

IS IT TRUE that it is good to hear that Mayor Elect Winnecke’s opponent Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis has full intention to stay in Evansville and to be a part of the improvement of the city?…that Davis not only ran against a very well run campaign by the Republican Winnecke for Mayor campaign but that the movers and shakers of his own Democrat Party were digging a hole under him every chance they got as well?…that an exemplary well funded opposition campaign coupled with chaos within one’s own party is a formula for failure?…that in spite of that the margin of Winnecke’s victory over was wide but respectful of the uphill effort that Davis fought since his primary victory party over the preferred candidate of the Vanderburgh County Democrat Central Committee, Mr. Troy Tornatta?…that we admonish the powers that be of Evansville and the remaining vestiges of “the Machine” to step aside and let Mr. Davis re-enter private life as an educated and competent citizen of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that the last time this writer remembers wearing shorts and a T-shirt on election day was the last time I voted as a Californian?…that in that election the people California elected Gray Davis to be their Governor?…that only a few years later after the dotcom bubble burst and the excessive debt of the State of California was unserviceable due to lost tax revenue the people of California used a recall election to dismiss Governor Davis and elect Arnold Swartzenegger to be the Governator?…that this was the beginning of the end of the nanny state in California and that the rest of the country would be well served to study what has gone on in the public sector there as national decisions are being driven by the same forces?

IS IT TRUE that we hear that there was a punch or two thrown at one of the polling places in the 6th Ward yesterday?…that we furthermore understand that this would make a good ole West Evansville episode of “Family Feud” had there been some cameras rolling nearby?…that just when we think that Wyatt Earp is not needed that grown men decide to argue politics with an ego driven schoolyard fistfight?…that this little altercation surprised no one and no charges were filed?