Deference to the Mayor? Why? For What?

Last Sunday the City County Observer first reported in our IS IT TRUE column that Mole#3 had confirmed from a highly placed informant that Rick Davis will be announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Evansville. We went on to report that the announcement will be taking place at 6 PM on November 11, 2010 at the Soldiers and Sailors Coliseum. At this point in time Mr. Davis’s plans have been widely reported and the Democratic Central Committee’s Fall Festival Booth Removal crew is spinning like a whirling dervish again.

This Monday, Mark Owen, chairman of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party, said he preferred that Davis had shown “deference” to Weinzapfel. Owen has consistently asserted that “deference” is expected from prospective candidates for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Evansville. Chairman Owen believes that aspiring candidates should wait until Mayor Weinzapfel makes his intentions known to challenge his supremacy. Owen is quoted as saying that “There is a certain level of respect due to the incumbent mayor”.

Davis said he will run for the Democratic nomination without regard to what Weinzapfel’s timing or intentions may be. Davis went on to say that, “no one is entitled to any position in the Civic Center”. The City County Observer agrees completely with Mr. Davis that there are no nobles of rank, title, or entitlement in the American electoral process, the City of Evansville included.

The dictionary defines deference as “respect and esteem due a superior or an elder; also: affected or ingratiating regard for another’s wishes”. Is any sitting elected official such as a Congressman, Governor, President, Dog Catcher, Magistrate, Assessor, or Mayor actually due the level of a respect of a superior or elder? If these people are truly superior beings with elder status shouldn’t they be running unopposed and enjoying near unanimous approval ratings?

We are somewhat relieved that this call for deference came from the mouth of the Chairman of the Democratic Party as opposed to from Mayor Weinzapfel himself. Clearly there is a bit of hero worship and adoration for Mayor Weinzapfel behind Chairman Owen’s words. For any candidate to personally express such a sense of entitlement and superiority would constitute an extreme case of arrogance or narcissism.

Does Chairman Owen want to see a Democratic Mayor of Evansville take office on January 1, 2012? If he does then he should not take actions that undermine the pool of candidates that are starting to come forward and throw their hat in the ring for the nomination. Rick Davis is the first but he probably won’t be the last. This primary is shaping up to be a spirited contest with or without Mayor Weinzapfel on the ballot.

From what we hear the Republican primary will be contested as well. That is the way it should be. There really are more than two people in the City of Evansville with the ability to govern and the more ideas that get introduced the better our governance will be. The election for Mayor of Evansville in 2007 was basically Mayor Weinzapfel against a completely unqualified person that won the Republican primary because there was no truly strong Republican candidate. In spite of the fact that the Mayor’s opponent was widely recognized as not ready for prime time, the challenger still got 15% of the vote. Mayor Weinzapfel went on to his second administration with a sense of mandate. Is it possible that this sense of absolute power contributed to the decisions and actions that have led to his fall in popularity?

Chairman Owen has undermined the democratic process by his insistence on deference. What will he do if Rick Davis wins the primary? Will he support a winning candidate from the party that he has the responsibility to lead or will he give a half hearted effort to a candidate whose every effort he has tried to blunt. First it was the childish removal of one of the Democratic Party’s booths at the Fall Festival and now it is a call for “deference to the Mayor”. What will the next effort to undermine Mr. Davis’s efforts be? Perhaps a phone bank to undermine Mr. Davis’s candidacy will come next. We certainly hope not.

This is the United States of America not the Soviet Union. We do not shuffle our Komrads into and out of power positions based on party allegiances and deferring to others. Americans do not wait our turn to lead. Americans seek leadership position when their ideas and their desire to serve inspires them to do so, not when the head of the Politburo grants permission to do so. This country is better because all people are able to file their papers and run for office when they choose to do so. That is what Rick Davis has done. The Chairman of the Vanderburgh County Democratic Party continues to attempt to blunt his ambitions. Chairman Owen may rest assured that the Republican Party will not be showing any deference to Mayor Weinzapfel.

If Chairman Owen is to lead the Democratic Party, then he needs to do the job that he was chosen to do and stop treating that job as though it is the Chairman of the Mayor Weinzapfel Entitlement Committee.

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Melissa Mauser
V.P. Communications, Women Right of Center
Ph. 812-480-2675
womenrightofcenter@yahoo.com

November 9, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EVANSVILLE, Ind. ~ The founder of an education ministry specializing in theological, historical and Constitutional programs will speak to members and guests at a Women Right of Center (Women R.O.C.) meeting on Thursday, Nov. 11, 6:30 p.m., at Oaklyn Branch Library on Oak Hill Rd.

The meeting is open to the public.

Thomas Weddle, founder of Restore Government Ministry, is working to restore the original principles of historic American Constitutionalism. Weddle holds an annual 12-week Institute on the Constitution and has been an instructor with the program since 2003. The majority of Weddle’s prior career in public communications was spent in Constitutional litigation to restore and protect the rights of competitive public utilities.

Women R.O.C. is a local group that promotes knowledge and involvement in politics and the community. The group’s website is found at www.womenrightofcenter.com.

For more information about Women Right of Center or the November 11 meeting, contact Melissa Mauser, V.P. Communications, at womenrightofcenter@yahoo.com or call 812-480-2675.

Introducing Steve Smith, Finance Columnist for the City County Observer

The City County Observer is pleased to welcome Steven Lowell Smith who most recently emerged onto the Evansville Region’s stage as a candidate for the District 78 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives as our Financial Columnist. Mr. Smith as a CPA and an MBA is uniquely qualified to understand the intricacies of increasingly complex opportunities of personal finance, wealth management, and financial planning. Steve like many of the movers and shakers of the Evansville Region did a stint in the big city of Chicago before returning to the Tri-State to establish a Private Financial Management Firm in the place that he has come to cherish as home.

We are looking forward to Steve’s columns on Personal Finance and hope that our readers learn much about the investment options available from his writing. His first column on Roth IRA’s is now available under our masthead title of Personal Finance

City, Federal and State Regulators Reach Agreement to Resolve Sewer Overflow Litigation Settlement nets City time for critical planning and implementation for long-term upgrades to sewer system

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – November 9, 2010 – Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel today announced that
after lengthy, arduous negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), an
agreement has been reached to resolve the lawsuit DOJ filed against the City in September 2009
regarding alleged violations of the Clean Water Act (the Act). The agreement, or consent decree, is set tobe approved by the Water and Sewer Utility Board this afternoon.

The agreement is of the type previously reached by hundreds of municipalities across the country and
dozens in Indiana. Under terms of the agreement, the City will have more than two years to finish
developing a plan for upgrades to the combined and separate sewer systems and an additional 19.5 to 25years to make the improvements.

“It is unfortunate that Federal and State regulators chose to waste resources bringing this suit against the City. We never disagreed that there was a need to make upgrades to our system to address the decades old problem of sewage overflowing from our combined sewer system during rain events,” said Mayor Weinzapfel. “But we strongly disagreed with the terms under which DOJ sought to force us to make those improvements. By taking a hard line and fighting for terms that are fair, we now have a deal that makes sense for Evansville.”

The schedule outlined in the agreement is important to allow sufficient time to properly assess the needs
of the sewer system and identify a long-term, affordable and cost-effective plan that fits Evansville’s
needs. Such a plan will have to be phased in over time.

When the DOJ filed suit, it was demanding a mere six months to develop a plan and only ten years to
complete all of the improvements. Such a fast implementation period would have had a dramatic impact
on sewer rates and was not justified given Evansville’s already demonstrated commitment to making
improvements to address sewer and flooding problems. Additionally, as proposed improvements are
considered by the City over the next two years, the public will have an opportunity to evaluate and
provide input into upgrade options.

The DOJ also ultimately agreed with the City’s plan to develop an “Integrated Overflow Control Plan”
rather than separate plans for combined sewer improvements and separate sanitary sewer improvements,
conceding that integrated and coordinated improvements to the systems were more logical and practical
since most of the City’s separate sanitary sewer system flows through the combined system. Separate
planning and implementation of improvements would have significantly added to the total costs of the
projects and made it very difficult to properly plan and budget for improvements. The City plans to
aggressively pursue green, sustainable solutions as part of the final plan. Project costs will not be known
until the plan is fully developed, but it is expected that improvements will cost many millions of dollars.
Consequently, sewer rate increases necessary to fund the improvements are also not yet known.

The City will also be required to pay a civil penalty in this matter. Such penalties are a part of every
consent decree Federal regulators enter into with local governments. The penalty in this case was
negotiated forcefully. In the end, the City will be required to pay a $490,000 civil penalty ($70,000
State/$420,000 Federal) to resolve all claims and liability for alleged past violations. While this amount
is in line with what other cities have been required to pay, it is much lower than what the DOJ initially
demanded.

The City’s agreement with the regulators does not resolve the City’s claims against Environmental
Management Corporation (EMC), the City’s former operator which is now owned by American Water.
In fact, the consent decree has language that expressly anticipates that the City will continue to pursue
EMC to pay the civil penalty and other out-of-pocket costs and damages. The City brought EMC into the
Federal lawsuit last year, and intends to continue to pursue EMC aggressively. EMC operated the City’s
system for more than 15 years with express and sole responsibility for compliance over that period.
Unfortunately, EMC failed to stand with the City to help defend this case. The City believes EMC is
clearly responsible for the penalty and should be held accountable for failing to comply with its
contractual obligation to properly run the City’s system.

The City has also agreed to conduct reviews of plant and sewer system operations and develop more
clearly-defined operational procedures. These operational improvements should have been developed and
implemented long ago by EMC; and EMC’s failings put the City in a difficult position in this litigation.
After the Utility Board votes on the consent decree today and it is signed by the parties, it will be filed in
Federal Court. After a 30-day public comment period, the City anticipates the Court will accept and enterthe decree as final.

October 25, 2010
News Release

The delegation of Hoosier business and community leaders traveling to China and Japan with Governor Mitch Daniels has been finalized. The delegation will be in the two countries from November 6 to 17.
This will be the sixth trade mission that Daniels has led as governor. The cost of the state delegation is being covered entirely through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation and utilizes no tax dollars.

Greg Wathen, president and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition for Southwest Indiana will accompany Governor Daniels as a member of the delegation to Japan where he worked with the Governor and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to bring Toyoda Boshoku to SW Indiana.

Below is the governor’s daily itinerary for the trip:

Monday, November 8 (China)
Governor Mitch Daniels will speak at a morning conference for business leaders in Shanghai. In the afternoon, the governor will visit several business prospects and host a reception for alumni from Indiana colleges and universities as well as Chinese companies that are interested in locating in the state.

Tuesday, November 9 (China)
Governor Daniels will meet with representatives from Shanghai Top Motor which in April celebrated the grand-opening of a 60,000 square-foot logistics center in Columbus, Ind. for its U.S. subsidiary, Techtop Motor LHP. He will also meet with several life science and electric vehicle companies in Shanghai before hosting a dinner for investment banking groups including CITIC, a state-owned Chinese investment company.

Wednesday, November 10 (China)
The governor will conduct business meetings with suppliers from Cummins, Inc. which is headquartered in Columbus, Ind., before traveling by train to Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province. There he will meet with Zhao Hongzhu, the Party Secretary of Zhejiang province, who is hosting a banquet to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the sister-state agreement between Indiana and Zhejiang. Former Governor Robert Orr signed a sister-state agreement with Zhejiang Governor Shen Zulun in Indianapolis on July 23, 1987.

Thursday, November 11 (China)
Governor Daniels will speak at a conference for business leaders in Zhejiang and later will meet with representatives from Wanxiang Group and Geely Motors as a follow-up to the companies’ visits to Indiana earlier this year. In May, representatives from Wanxiang Group and Geely Motors traveled to Indianapolis for the first-ever China-U.S. Advanced Technology Vehicle Summit. During the visit, Wanxiang signed a letter of intent with lithium-ion battery maker, EnerDel to jointly produce battery systems for Wanxiang’s existing backlog of customers in China.

Wanxiang is China’s largest auto-parts supplier and second-largest private company, with over $10 billion in annual revenue and 30,000 employees. EnerDel, which is currently ramping production at its three Indiana facilities, said the deal could bring its total central Indiana employment to 3,000 over the next few years. In the evening, Daniels will host a dinner for leaders from the Bank of China and the Chinese Export-Import Bank.

Friday, November 12 (China)
The governor and members of the delegation will meet with several business prospects while traveling to Anji, China, home to Yuankai Furniture, which announced plans in June to locate its U.S. headquarters in Marion and hire up to 100 associates over the next four years.
Saturday, November 13 (China)

Saturday is a non-business day in China so the delegation will take part in cultural tours and host a dinner for local officials from Zhejiang Province.

Sunday, November 14 (China/Japan)
The Indiana delegation will travel from Hangzhou to Tokyo, Japan to continue its economic development mission.

Monday, November 15 (Japan)
Governor Daniels will meet with leaders of Indiana’s three Japanese automobile assembly plants: Honda President Takanobu Ito, Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Subaru Corporate Executive Vice President J. Kondo. He will also meet with Tochigi Governor Tomikazu Fukuda and ITOCHU Chairman E. Kobayashi. Representatives from ITOCHU, one of the largest general trading firms in Japan, traveled to Indiana last November and joined Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob to sign a memorandum of understanding signifying the joint exploration of economic growth opportunities.

Tuesday, November 16 (Japan)
The governor and IEDC officials will travel by train to Nagoya to conduct business meetings with prospective companies as well as companies that currently have operations in Indiana including Toyota Industries, Aisin Seiki and Toyoda Boshoku.

Wednesday, November 17 (Japan)
The governor and members of the Indiana delegation will return to Indianapolis from Tokyo.

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council has not received any update or listing of the expenditures connected with the Arena Project? …. that the City Council very interested in the resolution requested to have a quarterly financial updates since they are the custodians of the money for the Arena project?……that this lack of communication is what caused the spirit of “throw the bums out” that manifested itself at the ballot box in the 2010 election?…. the Evansville City Council requested and was committed to be given these reports by Mr. John Kish project manager of the Arena to be given a copy of all contracts between the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, the Department of Metropolitan Development, or the City? …. that refusing to make timely and accurate reports to the City Council is arrogant, irresponsible, promotes poor public relations, and is another example of bad public policy?….that this is just one more reason that the people of Evansville are looking to someone other than Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel for leadership? ….that the City County Observer encourages each and every citizen of Evansville to watch WNIN tomorrow night to see if Mr. Kish will shine some light on these unanswered questions?

IS IT TRUE that over 8,700 Vanderburgh County households received a Notice of Assessment of Land and Structures – Form 11 R/A dated and mailed on November 4, 2010 just two days after the 2010 election?…..that these Form 11 R/A‘s were to advise these Vanderburgh County homeowners that the assessed value of their houses has been increased?…..that the value of housing in Vanderburgh County like the rest of the United States has DECREASED over the last several years?…..that these notices were prepared to mail BEFORE THE ELECTION but for some mysterious reason were not mailed until AFTER THE ELECTION? ….that if these Notices of Assessment of Land and Structures would have been for the purpose of notifying Vanderburgh County homeowners that their assessments were being reduced to reflect the true market conditions that they may have been mailed BEFORE THE ELECTION with an appropriate press conference?

IS IT TRUE that Mole #12 received one of the Notices of Assessment of Land and Structures advising it that its Molehill has increased in value by $41,300?….that Mole #12’s neighbors home sold this year for 20% below the new assessment of Mole #12’s house? …..that Mole #12’s house is smaller than its neighbors house that just sold for 20% below Mole #12’s newly assessed value?…..that based on its neighbors comparable house Mole #12’s Molehill should be assessed at its current market value that is 26% below the new assessment?…..that the State of Indiana is mandated by law to have market value assessments?…..that competence of valuation is vital to the process of taxing property?…..that Mole #12 will be appealing this politically driven and incorrect assessment in the very near future and encouraging his neighbors many of whom received these bogus assessments to do the same?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) conducted a survey of parents and staff to see what they would be graded for quality of education?….that a full 90% of EVSC staff gave themselves an A (excellent) or a B (good) rating while 80% of parents did the same?…..that the proof in the school systems success is in the success of the students as opposed to the opinions of the staff or the parents?……that the student of EVSC continue to score below the Indiana state averages on the ISTEP tests?….that the EVSC earned a Great Schools Organization rating of 4 on a scale of 10 with 10 being the highest?….that if any student got a 40% (4 of 10) on a test of any kind that the student would get a failing grade (F)?…..that our less below average academic performance in traditional metrics is a D?….that the EVSC staff and the parents of Vanderburgh County students may just be confusing a nice experience with a quality education?

IS IT TRUE: November 6, 2010

IS IT TRUE that Mole #3 has confirmed from a highly placed informant that Rick Davis will be announcing his candidacy for Mayor of Evansville?….that his announcement will be taking place on November 11, 2010?…..that this announcement will occur at a press conference that will be at the Soldiers and Sailors Coliseum?….that the time of the announcement will be 6 PM.

IS IT TRUE that another highly placed Mole tells us that the $32.00 political war chest that Mr. Davis accumulated prior to the November 2nd election day will be growing quite rapidly?….that donors from all walks of life and all economic situations have been making commitments of financial support to a “Davis for Mayor” campaign?…..that the City County Observer encourages all of our readers to vote in our poll for the people’s choice for the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Evansville?