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Clarification and Correction on Democrat Power Broker Meeting

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Yesterday the City County Observer published an article on the words of sources that have in the past been reliable and accurate. The information that we were given and published yesterday was lets just say pushed the limits of truth too far. There were a number of postings that challenged the statements and a large number of back and forth posting took on a little too much of a life of its own.

Our sources for the information have all softened their words and the City County Observer has spent many hours in conversations with other people who should know so that we believe we have a handle on what went on.

First, there was no official letter of support for the Winnecke for Mayor campaign on the agenda nor was there a serious discussion about issuing one. What went on as should not be surprising is that there were a number of attendees who expressed aloud in non-official discussions that they intended to vote for Winnecke and that they as individuals support the Winnecke for Mayor campaign. It is also of note that some of the attendees support the Davis for Mayor campaign.

With respect to leaving the state democratic party, this was once again not an agenda item. There were conversations among some attendees where frustration with the Indiana State Party’s funding of some Davis for Mayor campaign expenses were expressed and even some questioning about what the State Party actually does for the local Party other than of course ask for money.

The CCO is contrite over the inaccuracy of the information and spent much time confirming with others after the fact what was real. As is our policy we are issuing this correction and clarification.

Quotes from the City Council Debates

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Some Defining Quotes from Last Night’s City Council Debates

“Show me the Money, the consolidation plan as written does not do that, therefore I cannot support consolidation in its present form” E. Lon Walters (R) candidate for 2nd Ward

“The 2nd Ward parks are in good shape,…tavern owners should be able to choose what to do about smoking in their own establishment” Missy Mosby (D) incumbent candidate from 2nd Ward

“It is more important to be real than it is to be nice”…”consolidation is inevitable but this proposal does not go far enough to find efficiencies” Alan Leibundguth (R) candidate for 3rd Ward

“Blight is all over the 3rd Ward, the parks have been underfunded for years and are disgraceful, public private partnerships may be necessary to eliminate dilapidation” Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley (D) 3rd Ward candidate

“Evansville is in the Rust Belt”…”A client from California was not even sure if Evansville was worth consideration because the city website is so poor” John Friend (D) incumbent 5th Ward

“When something has functional value you find the money to maintain it”…”during the last 4 years the City Council has been ramrodded by the Mayor, government should be open and user friendly” Brent Grafton (R) candidate 5th Ward

“Jobs are a national problem, people have no jobs, no money, and their Vectren bills are too high”…”I am basically against government interference in people’s lives but a smoking ban is inevitable and 80% of the people don’t smoke anyway” Al Lindsey (D) candidate for 6th Ward

“Entrepreneurs and business will lead any economic comeback”…”Roberts Stadium holds many memories but actions should not be taken because of memories, there must be a cost’benefit analysis for all projects and the City Council should vet any ideas before acting” Shaun Short (R) candidate for 6th Ward

“I think you all know that I support a comprehensive smoking ban” Dr. H. Dan Adams (D) incumbent at-large candidate

“We have been committeed to death”…”How’s the committees working out for you Evansville?” Bill Kramer (R) at-large candidate

“Evansville is not exactly known for progressive anything, we have to do things incrementally” Conor O’Daniel (D) candidate at-large

“We have too many committees already, we have been commiteed to death” Jonathan Weaver (D) candidate at large

“people should be proud to call Evansville home” Michelle Mercer (R) candidate at large
”

Downtown Today: 10/27/2011

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Time 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Subject SHERIFF SALE
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the fourth Thursday of every 1 month effective 10/27/2011 until 10/27/2011 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The meeting actually starts at 10:00.
Categories ROOM 301

Time 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Subject AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND
Location 318
Reminder 15 minutes
LAURA @ 7806
Categories ROOM 318

Time 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Subject CODE ENFORCEMENT HRGS
Location 307
KIM JOSEY @ 7889
Categories ROOM 307

Time 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Subject BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs every Thursday effective 10/6/2011 until 10/27/2011 from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
Sharon Evans @ 4982
Categories ROOM 301

Time 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Subject LICENSE & DISCIPLINARY BOARD
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs the fourth Thursday of every 1 month effective 10/27/2011 until 10/27/2011 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
LINDA PENDELTON@ 7880
Categories ROOM 318

Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Subject SS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the fourth Thursday of every 1 month effective 10/27/2011 until 10/27/2011 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
BONNIE @ 4927
Categories ROOM 301

Finding Funding for Nonprofits workshop at library

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Evansville, IN – Nonprofit organizations can learn how to identify funding opportunities using the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library Foundation Center’s online resources on Wednesday, November 2nd, at 9:30 am. The workshop will be held at McCollough Branch, 5115 Washington Ave., and will last approximately an hour and a half.

The workshop will focus on the Foundation Directory Online, a database which is updated weekly, that contains profiles of over 98,000 grantmakers, including local and regional funders. Other topics covered will be the print resources available to nonprofits in the EVPL Foundation Center.

The EVPL Foundation Center is a part of Business Central located on the second floor of Central Library. Computer work stations, microfilm and microform readers, copiers, meeting rooms, and the library’s reference and nonfiction collections are conveniently nearby. Can’t make it to the workshop on November 2nd? Free orientation sessions on the use of the EVPL Foundation Center are available by appointment by calling 428-8218.

The EVPL Foundation Center is a cooperating collection of the New York-based Foundation Center.

Registration for the November 2nd workshop is required by calling 428-8236 or visiting evpl.org.

Take That: October 27, 2011

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Take That: October 27, 2011

IN RESPONSE TO: Democratic Power Brokers Hold Strategy Session

“When an obvious Central Committe operative like Clovis uses terms like “devious individual or brain dead nitwits” to describe sources, you can be assured the CCO got it right. Sounds just like the John Edwards love baby denials, the Mayors press release that a joint bi-partisan decision was made to not renew the homestead tax exemption at the Mayor’s April Fools day conference room meeting and Clinton’s finger wagging I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” JoeBiden

“Furthermore, why weren’t committeemen/women invited? I know I certainly was not! But if I had been, this is the message I would have delivered: ENOUGH!! Grow up! Democrats have chosen their candidate, and you should be respectful of that and ashamed of your recent behavior. Mr. Owen, if you have any decency left, resign immediately and take Alex Jarvis with you. I hear the Terry White campaign is hiring.” All4_1

“Clearly the topic of endorsing Winnecke was discussed. Connie Robinson’s endorsement was the reason for the meeting.” BigPappa

“Electing Davis will have two very positive benefits for Evansville:
1) The Machine will be finally, irrevocably dismantled. A new, principled Democratic party will rise in its place.
2) The Republicans will finally have to start standing on principle, too. They will no longer be able to cut backroom deals for scraps off the Machine’s table.
This may be the most important election Evansville has ever had.” VonKayel

“This is pathetic! A house of cards tumbling down, blown over by the very children who are its caretakers.” 292

“Johny’s legacy across this state will be how he destroyed the democrat party in southern Indiana.
Mosby clan– Red is rolling in his grave.” Sledgehammer

“I’d say this is the death rattle of the machine.” Blanger

“Perhaps this is the death knell of the political careers of some of the attendees. Me thinks some of these politicians should seceed to private life.“ satireevv

IS IT TRUE? October 27, 2011

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? October 27, 2011

IS IT TRUE that we would first like to thank and congratulate the candidates last night for not pulling any SNEGAL cards from the bottom of the deck or resorting to any dirty tricks?..Thumbs Up!

IS IT TRUE that last night’s City Council debates on WNIN held very few surprises and at times seemed more like a love fest filled with GROUPTHINK than such a debate ever should?…that the format chosen for the debate did not really lend itself to having opposing candidates mixing it up with each other or at each other and thus there was very little direct interaction that lead to exposing differing philosophies among the candidates?…that many of Evansville’s current problems from the budget to dilapidation to messes in the parks have come about because of block voting City Council’s that have functioned like partisan GROUPTHINK TANKS where deliberation and cognitive thought are at best tolerated and occasionally scoffed at?…that debate formats that diminish the potential for rebuttals really do not serve the purposes that they could if the City Council was treated as though it is just as important as the Office of the Mayor?

IS IT TRUE that of the 14 people who took the stage that there were some who still seem to drink the Team Weinzapfel Kool-Aid of “oh gee our parks are not bad”, “our jobs base is growing”, or even “it’s a great place to raise kids”?…that these are the sort of things that the propaganda pieces for attraction seem to tout in every city in America but that informed people seem to be able to expose quickly?…that the vast majority of the people in the debate do seem to get it and have little remnant of ever having consumed any of the Kool-Aid?

IS IT TRUE that if these 14 people plus the unopposed incumbents Dan McGinn and Connie Robinson are true to their word with respect to a stronger or even comprehensive smoking ordinance that a comprehensive smoking ban will pass in early 2012 by at least a 6 – 3 vote?…that if one certain set of candidates is elected that a smoking ban will be passing by a 9 – 0 vote?…that as nearly 80% of people polled by Smokefree Indiana indicated a support for a comprehensive ban that it seems as though most of the candidates had been listening to the will of the people as opposed to the will of a tavern master or two?

IS IT TRUE that nearly every candidate expressed support for finding some positive use for Roberts Stadium AND that small businesses and entrepreneurs are the key to economic prosperity and the creation of wealth?…that the candidates seem to agree that despite all of the claims of the government of the City of Evansville being business friendly that it is NOT?…that most of the candidates support the concept of consolidation yet believe that the proposal that is being voted on in next year’s referendum barely touched the surface on efficiency?…that one candidate quoted a savings from consolidation of $700,000 which is only 0.2% of the combined city and county budgets?…that is the equivalent of the average family in Evansville cutting their weekly budget by $1.31?…that if we all can’t agree that this is an easy task and that the current proposal has not even given real lip service to economic efficiency?

IS IT TRUE that the candidates except for some Kool-Aid drinkers agree that urban blight and just general dirtiness are serious problems that are a result of a lack of civic pride among the population?…that Councilman John Friend stated that the City of Evansville is pretty much at its credit limit with only a $3 Million margin remaining so General Obligation Bonds are really not an option for any of the many infrastructure projects that Evansville is in need of?…that means that only sustainable and cash generating projects that pay for their own maintenance are possible in the near future?…that Friend also stated that METS is operating at a $3.7 Million annual loss?

IS IT TRUE that one of the unknowns going into the debates was the electability of 6th Ward candidate Shaun Short as he is a newcomer to politics?…that Mr. Short is fighting a clear uphill battle in the 6th Ward which had a 6 to 1 ratio of Democratic straight tickets to Republican straight tickets in 2007?…that it will take a miracle for Mr. Short to overcome such a partisan bias but that if he were running at large he would have most certainly been on the medal stand in last night’s debate?…that if Mr. Short sticks with it this 33 year old may just have what it takes to compete for Mayor someday?…that we hope that if the overwhelmingly Democratic 6th Ward elects Al Lindsey who held his own in last nights debate that Mr. Short will not be discouraged from trying again some day?

IS IT TRUE that we hope all of our readers watched the debate or will watch the replay?…that we hope as 5th Ward Candidate Brent Grafton stated last night that the most important job of the City Council is to keep a Mayor from wrecking the bus called Evansville is something that the voters realize and will vote for a strong, independent, and deliberative City Council without regard to party?

Some Democrats Dispute Claims

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Update: Correction Statement

https://city-countyobserver.com/2011/10/27/clarification-and-correction-on-democrat-power-broker-meeting/

Several Democrats who participated in this mornings meeting at the Vanderburgh Democratic Headquarters have disputed our earlier report that any discussions were held regarding secession from the Indiana Democratic Party or endorsement of Republican Lloyd Winnecke for Mayor of Evansville.

The City County Observer has multiple statements from direct participants on both sides of these issues. As one of the reasons for calling the meeting was to offer Democrats an opportunity to express confidence in 4th Ward City Councilwoman Connie Robinson with regard to her recent endorsement of Mr. Winnecke we are quite confident that an endorsement discussion did take place.

With respect to succession from the Indiana Democratic Party, as strange as this may seem we can still report that people are supporting both that it was discussed and that it was not. No official agenda of the meeting has been released to the press nor have the meetings minutes been released.

Democratic Meeting did not Violate Sunshine Laws

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A comment was posted today on the City County Observer regarding the possibility that Sunshine Laws may have been violated by the meeting this morning at the Vanderburgh County Democratic Headquarters. The premise behind the comment was that six Evansville City Council members were meeting in an unannounced meeting that was not advertised to the public.

Upon seeing the follow on comments the CCO sought legal opinion on the Sunshine Laws as the pertain to party meetings. The laws as were explained to us exempt party caucuses from Sunshine Laws. We have confirmed with Democratic officials that this was indeed a party caucus and that no official City of Evansville business was discussed. That being the case we conclude and have been advised that Indiana Sunshine Laws were not violated.

The comment section of this and other publications is a reader’s forum. We do from time to time remove posts that have fowl language or make threats. We along with other publications can not control what someone posts. We can only respond with corrections as we have in this case or with deleting information that is blatantly offensive. For a comment poster to ask that particular question was not deemed to merit removal. We are please to be able to clarify the answer.

IS IT TRUE? October 26, 2011 The City Council Debates

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? October 26, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the only chance that any of us will have to see a televised debate of the candidates for Evansville City Council will be tonight?…that WNIN will be televising these debates tonight from 7 PM until 9:30 PM?

IS IT TRUE that the fight card tonight should include a first bout between Republican Lon Walters and Democrat Missy Mosby?…that the principle differences that these two should be debating are the positions that Walters has taken with respect to Vectren’s highest rates in the state and his support of strengthened smoking ordinance?…that Ms. Mosby has been silent on the Vectren rates and actually collected signatures for a petition to keep the smoking laws as they are and carried her petition to a meeting of the Evansville City Council in 2010?…that Walters has a petition too but his is to question all future rate increases requested by Vectren?…that he has over 1,700 signatures and actually met personally with the IURC yesterday?

IS IT TRUE that the next bout will be Democrat Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley vs. Republican Alan Leibundguth for the 3rd Ward?…that this bout should make it pretty clear that Riley is a classic national Democrat and that Leibundguth is quite Republican in his views?…that this is probably the most well defined difference in ideologies in this year’s election?…that the people of the 3rd Ward who are liberal will most likely side with Riley and those who are conservative will find Leibundguth to their liking?…that the 3rd Ward is overwhelmingly Democratic in registration but seems quite conservative in their ideology?…that this will be an interesting debate and election and that there may be many people crossing party lines for the vote?

IS IT TRUE that the 5th Ward that is politically balanced and always seems to be decided by less than 100 votes?…that this bout will pit Republican Brent Grafton against Democrat John Friend?…that these two gentlemen have a very different style with Grafton being cerebral and deliberative while Friend likes the spotlight?…that these two in spite of style differences share much ideology and that both are entrepreneurs with some local government experience to bolster them?…that one clear difference has been their difference on the smoking ordinance with Friend taking an “all or nothing” stance while Grafton is open to some exemptions if that is the only way to strengthen the ordinance?…that they even seem to agree on the accountability of Vectren with Friend pushing the position with a petition and Grafton with a position paper on accountability?

IS IT TRUE that the bout for the 6th Ward pits Democrat Al Lindsey who has spent more time and money fighting lawsuit after lawsuit filed by other Democrats about his place of residence than he has spent campaigning against a young Republican named Shawn Short?…that both of these gentlemen seem poised to do a good job if elected but that tonight is the opportunity to see what their differences are as both have been poorly funded and doing their campaigning by wearing out shoes?

IS IT TRUE that the at-large debate promises to be a replica of the recent Republican Presidential debates with 6 candidates fighting it out for 3 spots?…that the candidate range from young and aggressive to retired and cerebral?…that this may provide the most illuminating of all of the debates as the only candidate with a well known ideology and demeanor is Democrat Dr. H. Dan Adams?…that Dr. Adams in spite of party affiliation has been a very independent thinker during his first term on the Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that we hope that tonight’s debates exposed differences that the people of Evansville can use to make informed decisions with respect to the kind of City Council that the prefer?…that editorially speaking the current 8 – 1 City Council with the GROUPTHINK mentality that has been shown has not served Evansville well?…that if the people of Evansville like Secret Meetings, Sweetheart Deals, Excessive Spending, Rotting Parks, and Selective Enforcement then what they should do is elect another 8 – 1 block of GROUPTHINK types?…that if the people of Evansville are tired of the same old bull then they should seriously consider voting for the most independent and thinking people seeking to serve on the Evansville City Council?

Candidate for Second Ward City Council E. L. “Lon” Walters Meets With IURC Regarding Vectren

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October 25, 2011

Candidate for Second Ward City Council E. L. “Lon” Walters Attends IURC Vectren Hearing in Indianapolis.

Evansville — October 25, 2011 — Not knowing there was a motion made to postpone the IURC pre-hearing on the Vectren rate increase Monday afternoon, E. L. Lon Walters went to Indianapolis to presents over 1,500 signatures he personally obtained against the Vectren rate increase to the IURC. Instead, Lon met with Aaron Schmoll, Administrative Law Judge for the Indiana Regulatory Commission and presented him with the following information:

Vectren already has the highest rates in the state of Indiana and their demand for a guaranteed 7.3% return is unrealistic in today’s economy. I am a small business owner and in this economy, I cannot raise my rates without losing business. Yet we have a company with a monopoly like Vectren that can! Most families are struggling to make ends meet and many people simply cannot afford yet another rate hike. Vectren’s rates are 50% higher than any other Indiana utility.

Vectren’s high rates are undermining Evansville’s competitiveness as a place to live and do business. Just this past Saturday I talked to a mother who is planning to move to Henderson, Kentucky because of our high utility rates. She has reduced to the point that she has space heaters in each room and they only heat the rooms that are occupied. Vectren’s rates have been escalating for the past decade to the level that they are significantly higher than our neighboring cities. Across the river in Henderson County, Kentucky, the difference is in electric rates much greater than 50%. Lon Walters is asking the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to do the right thing, and put the brakes on this alarming trend because it is undercutting our ability to attract new business to Evansville.

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