IS IT TRUE? November 3, 2011

IS IT TRUE that polls taken yesterday and made available to the City County Observer indicate that every race except one for the City of Evansville elections are within the margin of error of the poll itself?…that excluding one contest that the largest margin of difference between any two head to head contests is 3 points?…that what this means is that this weekend’s efforts and revelations will be determining the outcome of this year’s Mayor and the makeup of the Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that with the demonstrably negative directions that the TV ads for both campaigns have taken that one would think that we are faced with a choice between Attilla the Hun and Charles Manson?…that we absolutely know that both Lloyd Winnecke and Rick Davis are much better people than the ads are portraying each to be?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer wishes that there would have been one more debate that would have been conducted in a national format that would not put viewers to sleep?…that an election eve debate would provide voters one last opportunity to see the candidates address the issues so that the most informed votes possible could be cast?…that from a business attraction perspective we would like to hear the 5 minute pitch on Evansville’s behalf that each candidate would make extemporaneously to an executive who is considering an expansion that involved the creation of 500 or more jobs that pay well above local averages?…that this is the kind of substance that the “top salesman for the town” should be capable of doing with ease in an anyplace, anytime manner?

IS IT TRUE that even if the candidates for Mayor are correct that each is a scoundrel and a fool we always have the City Council to keep the scoundrel across the hall in check?…that at least we should?…that the most important outcome of next week’s election may just be the outcome and demeanor of the Evansville City Council?…that for the last 8 years Evansville has had such a supermajority of Democrats that voted as a block in any way the Mayor wished that several poor actions have been rubber stamped?…that a strong and deliberative City Council that paid attention would have passed the good works of Mayor Weinzapfel while filtering out the albatrosses?…that what we need on the next City Council are nine people who think for themselves, do not put party or the head of the party first, and actually practice the rapidly disappearing blend of art and science known as COGNITIVE THOUGHT?…that we encourage our readers to engage in COGNITIVE THOUGHT and to elect people to the City Council who do as well?…that we discourage voting for anyone who is OWNED by a party?

IS IT TRUE that the weather report for election day right now is about as inclimate as it can be?…that we hope that this will not keep people away from the polls?…that the worse part of the rain this time of year is that those darn yard signs will be soaked and more difficult to burn?…that it appears as though we are headed for a campaign for Mayor of Evansville that will result in over $1.2 M spent to woo the 30,000 or so votes that are expected to be recorded?…that this works out to $40 per vote?…that the so called good old days of buying votes with a half-pint of cheap whiskey are dead and gone?

IS IT TRUE that on Tuesday November 1, 2011 that the City County Observer learned of and posted a lawsuit filed by the Bauerhaus seeking payment of a debt that the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party incurred and then never paid for their Awards Banquet held last summer?…that the CCO then cross referenced the official October 21, 2011 “Reciepts and Expenditures of a Political Committee” filed with the Vanderburgh County Clerk with the Bauerhaus debt and found that the Vanderburgh County Democrats reported ZERO DEBT on this official and required report?…that later that day it was learned and reported by the City County Observer that the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party owed other debts including one to THE CENTRE that is owned by the taxpayers of Vanderburgh County?…that much howling and denial followed these revelations and then today within 24 hours of being called out by the CCO something happened?

IS IT TRUE that the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party on Wednesday November 2, 2011 FILED AN AMENDMENT TO THEIR RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF A POLITICAL COMMITTEE that included those two debts and others?…that the CCO shall be getting our hands on this AMENDMENT as soon as possible tomorrow and will post it promptly for all to see just what we are certain will be called an OVERSIGHT contains?…that no matter how this gets spun by the Democrat spin doctors that this was NO OVERSIGHT?…that we have confirmed with MULTIPLE DEMOCRAT ELECTED OFFICIALS that these debts were COMMON KNOWLEDGE?…that this appears to be INTENTIONAL on the part of the VANDERBURGH COUNTY DEMOCRAT PARTY?…that the CCO does believe that it is possible that many people in the party were tricked and were unaware but that it was common knowledge none the less?

IS IT TRUE that the CCO does take pride in being first to break this sort of thing?…that yesterday’s catch was not a result of a MOLE ALERT?…that yesterday’s discovery was simply reading two documents and connecting the dots on the part of the CCO?…that what not only mystifies but in many ways offends us is that none of the mainstream media in Evansville has even reported on this?…that when mainstream media fails to report on something that is as relevant as KNOWINGLY FILING AN INCORRECT CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT that it is a sad day in River City?

IS IT TRUE that if one really wants to know why so many things are just dealt with in a cavalier “LET IT SLIDE” or LET IT RIDE” manner in Evansville we need look no further than things like this?

IS IT TRUE? November 2, 2011 Will the Centre Ever Perform Financially?

IS IT TRUE that the Centre has now released another report of the results of operations from a financial perspective?…that during the last year the Centre has added another $600,000 of losses to bring the 12 year total up to over $7 Million?…that Roberts Stadium is being slated for demolition by the Weinzapfel Administration because it costs about $400,000 per year to keep on ice?…that prior to the opening of the Ford Center that Roberts Stadium was actually running at a profit?…that it was and is the only paid for facility that is capable of operating at a profit in the City of Evansville?…that the dual thought process of the Weinzapfel Administration is nothing short of mind boggling?…that the Centre is owned and operated by the Vanderburgh County Commissioners who are now blaming the lack of a downtown Convention Hotel for losing 20% of the convention business in a single year?…that this was discussed three years ago, two years ago, last year, and today?…that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners are just as complicit in letting a hair brained scheme run amok that has resulted in no downtown Convention Hotel as anyone else including the Administration of the City of Evansville?…that going with the flow and refusing to call out idiocies is pretty much the downfall of downtown Evansville?…that hopefully in 60 days there will be the seed of sanity for a future of hope installed in the Office of the Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that the hour that the Bank of America announced that they were going to be charging a $5 fee per month for the use of debit the City County Observer pounced on those rascals like a cat on a rat running through Bee Slough?…that our story about how the Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Regions, and other banks that were planning to feast on usury fees like this would backfire drew nearly 10,000 pageviews?…that only about 500 of those pageviews came from the Evansville area?…that we can thank our friends at Google for driving people across America who were incensed by this usury fee to the CCO?…that yesterday the Bank of America and several other of those banks have suspended their plans?…that this is a testament to the power of consumers in a FREE MARKET?…that where there are informed people who are aware of their surroundings that competitive forces prevail?…that if everything that we buy including electricity were competitive that the country as a whole would always be able to pound down usury fees like the B of A’s $5 fee?…that in a country that is being driven by fear and uncertainty that this reversal of intent is a validation that when left alone that capitalism and free markets are the best way to go?…that it is a hard but true lesson that everything that the government touches becomes a little bit less competitive even if it is called The Centre?

IS IT TRUE that if The Centre has lost $7,065,744 in 12 years and that it has received a total of $7,244,103 from the people of Vanderburgh County that it may just mean that the real operating deficit is $14,309,847?…that at an attendance of only 175,000 people per year that works out to a subsidy of nearly $7 for every warm body that steps in the building?…that the CCO is interested in what the projections were for the performance of this facility when it was committed to back in the planning stages?…that we would like to know if we were sold a pig in a poke by local government or if we all knew right up front that high six figure losses were expected every year forever?…that we also question the proposition that a downtown Convention Hotel will stop the flow of red ink?…that it really seems as though the financial projections of government paid consultants have about as much credibility as Khadafy’s Ghost would have as the guest speaker at a conference on human rights?

IS IT TRUE? November 2, 2011 McCurdy hits Another Fowl Ball: Pigeons Safe for 30 More Days

IS IT TRUE that The Evansville Redevelopment Commission pretty much just rolled over an capitulated to all future extensions that will be needed for City Centre Properties LLC to have a perpetual extension?…that it does not matter whether the extensions are granted in 30 day increments, 60 day increments, or even full year increments, because given the total circumstance facing the ERC of the bitter pill of losing the building and the $1.4 Million of taxpayer money that has been sunk into it they literally have no choice?…that for the 4th time it has been concluded that the financing is solid and that it is just taking too long so as the song says let’s just “Let it Ride”?…that the City County Observer would like to dedicate the following song by Bachman Turner Overdrive to the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?

https://city-countyobserver.com/2011/11/02/let-it-ride-by-bto-dedicated-to-the-mccurdy-project/

IS IT TRUE that in all honesty between the four year building up this project as though it were the resurrection of downtown Evansville and the SNEGAL financing where an out of town developer that makes healthy contributions to the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign is getting a cash out nothing down deal with not a dime of private money in the deal the ERC is as they say between a rock and a hard place?…that at this point any prudent group would have to grant extensions so let’s just make these extensions renew automatically every 30 days unless of course these people come up with some money?

IS IT TRUE that taxes are due in 8 days in the amount of $10,268 on the McCurdy?…that we shall really see how weak the ERC is in this situation if City Centre Properties just lets this tax bill lapse intentionally?…that they can slip one more tax installment perpetually without fear of the taxman stepping in with an auctioneers gavel?…that believe it or not if the financing is not rock solid and assured of happening very soon the right business decision for City Centre Properties may just be to let the taxes lapse?…that by giving a 30 day extension that the ERC even laid that one weapon that they have down before offering their belly in an up position?

IS IT TRUE that we wonder if the Office of the Mayor of Evansville comes with an annual annuity from City Centre Properties LLC?…that this Indianapolis based company, its shareholders, and its associated businesses have all been very generous to Mayor Weinzapfel’s various campaign funds over the years?…that we wonder if a Mayor Winnecke or even a Mayor Davis can count on this little money party continuing its tradition of enriching the Mayor of Evansville while not paying taxes?

IS IT TRUE that another consideration with respect to the McCurdy Project is if there will be sufficient cash available to do the job?…that the numbers are still based on estimates made in the 2007 – 2008 timeframe?…that construction costs have risen during that time and that some materials have been reported to have increased by over 50%?…that a design audit or dare we say a vetting process of the sufficiency of the funds being sought to do the job being proposed is in order?…that if you think errantly dropping $1.4 Million of taxpayer dollars into this project is problematic just wait until the developer has spent all of his $12 Million and needs another $8 Million to finish the job?…that then Evansville will have a real problem?