IS IT TRUE? December 12, 2011 Special Afternoon Edition

IS IT TRUE that Vectren customers will have an opportunity to voice concerns and complaints directly to Vectren CEO Carl Chapman?…that this will take place at the Coliseum at 6:00 pm TONIGHT?…that customers will have 5 minutes each to speak?…that we have only seen reference to this event from one other local media outlet?…that this outlet was not the C&P?…that this meeting is being sponsored by Valley Watch?…that we realize that this is last minute but the CCO encourages all of our readers to attend if possible and even more importantly spread the word to everyone they come into contact with today?…that we expect a low turn-out due to the lack of publicity?…that this comes just days before the IURC is expected to announce their decision regarding the most recent fee hike request?…that this is the last chance for Evansville residents to show Vectren and the IURC that we mean business?

IS IT TRUE that Vectren Corporation has another public notification in the Courier and Press classifieds regarding a “REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF CHANGES IN ITS GAS COST ADJUSTMENTS”?…that this meeting of the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission will be in Indianapolis at 9:30 am on January 5, 2012 at the PNC Center on Washington Street?…that this news comes out on the very day that it was announced that a former head of the IURC has been indicted for ethics violations?

IS IT TRUE that the lot at 610 E. Franklin was cleared over the weekend?…that this was due to the diligence of 3rd Ward City Councilwoman Elect Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley?…that Councilwoman Elect Brinkerhoff-Riley has been behind the scenes on this project all along?…that she has been frustrated by all of the bureaucratic restrictions that the city had to wade through in order to force the removal of such an obvious danger to this neighborhood’s children?…that we understand the lot owner told the city that the insurance company had denied the claim for the fire that caused this mess?…that once it was admitted that the owner had no money the city began taking bids for clean-up last week and that as of this weekend the project was complete?…that we would like to congratulate and thank Councilwoman Elect Brinkerhoff-Riley for her persistence regarding this matter?…that we hope this is an indication of good things to come for the residents of Evansville’s 3rd Ward?…that the CCO has been harping on this pile of rubble for 6 months now and that it is good to see something finally getting done about it?

IS IT TRUE that the termination of the deal at the McCurdy and the discovery period coming for a new downtown Convention Hotel that the time to ponder what really makes sense is upon us?…that a study has indicated that there is only a need for 160 hotel rooms in downtown Evansville?…that a simple pro-forma indicates that the only realistic way for the McCurdy to justify the investment needed to refurbish it is AS A HOTEL?…that uniqueness brings business and that a vintage beautiful hotel would be unique and perfectly placed on the Evansville riverfront?…that the McCurdy square footage is just about right for the 160 rooms that downtown Evansville currently needs?…that the 6 block walk to the Centre can easily be solved with a couple of shuttles?…that in a few years when the convention business base becomes established that it may just be a good investment to supplement the McCurdy with a new 4 Star hotel that will complement the high class facilities that we already have like the Ford Center, the Centre, and the Central Library?…that this is a good plan that minimizes public investment and will be more upscale in the long run?…that we hope the McCurdy now and 4 Stars when it is prudent catches on among the “powers that be”?

IS IT TRUE? December 12, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the readers of the City County Observer who have responded to our current reader’s poll are voting by a margin of 10 to 1 in favor of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission demanding the return of every dollar that the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign received from any company or person directly associated with City Centre Properties LLC?…that for City Centre Properties LLC to accept the incentive check from the City of Evansville and then turn around and give money to Mayor Weinzapfel’s campaign fund without performing the task that they were incented to do is not consistent with the spirit of incentives and basically turned the “Loft Program” pioneered by Mayor Weinzapfel into a money funneling operation where the City of Evansville’s money ended up in the campaign coffers of the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign while nothing was done for the City of Evansville?…that the CCO suspects that with the principles and the associated companies that the total that the Mayor’s campaign coffers enlarged as a result of the McCurdy debacle is somewhere in the neighborhood of $25,000 or more?…that these contributions clearly should be returned to the City of Evansville as they were ill-gotten in the big scheme of things?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau recently sent out a promotional brochure hoping to attract tourists to Evansville?…that there was one little problem with the brochure and that was that word “Indiana” is reported to have been spelled incorrectly?…that we are sure that there is some fat in someone’s frying pan over this little oversight?

IS IT TRUE that following up on the first paragraph we wonder just how much money was contributed to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaigns during the last 8 years by companies and individuals who materially benefitted from City of Evansville projects?…that we would not be surprised if such contributions exceed $1 Million if all of the construction companies, their owners, law firms, consultants, and other beneficiaries of contracts with the City of Evansville are tallied up?…that many other local politicians have lined their pockets with such contributions as well?…that this is no different than the Wall Streeters bankrolling the campaigns of national politicians while benefitting from federal contracts?…that it would be easy to sit back and smugly say “that’s just the way things are done”?…that the practice of laundering government dollars into the pockets of politicians is the epitome of SNEGAL and undermines belief on governments?…that we wonder if the people of Evansville, Indiana, and the United States will ever demand that this practice be stopped?…that you may contact Mayor Weinzapfel to demand the return of McCurdy sourced contributions on the following link?

http://www.evansvillegov.org/Index.aspx?page=1682&recordid=1

IS IT TRUE that the people of Evansville can take a huge step by calling, emailing, and sending letters to the Mayor of Evansville to return all contributions that he received as a result of the McCurdy project to the City of Evansville?…that this is a clear case of underserved benefit while some of the other cases really are “just the way things are done”?

IS IT TRUE that another corporate headquarters has announced that they are leaving Vanderburgh County last week?…that Champion Labs is following Mead Johnson Nutritionals to greater Chicago for their corporate headquarters?…that we wonder how many of the powers that be were blindsided by this announcement?…that we also wonder what the reason’s were as Chicago is clearly a more expensive place to maintain an office?…that when Mead Johnson made their move the two biggest reasons were TALENT and AIR TRAVEL?…that we suspect that these may be the issues behind Champion’s departure as well?

IS IT TRUE? December 12, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Mole #11 tells the City County Observer that Dan Parker the Chairman of the Indiana Democrat Party is in the last days of his chairmanship?…that after approaching several prominent Democrats like Baron Hill and not being able to strike a deal that we hear that the leading candidate is a lady by the name of Sara Reardon?…that we find it to be an oddity that the leading candidate for head of the Indiana Democrat Party shares a family name with the innovative entrepreneur from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged?…that the Indiana Democrat Party is in need of strength, innovation, an consistency?…that Mr. Parker showed gross inconsistency recently by dismissing a local party official in one part of Indiana for showing favor to Republicans but washing his hands of Evansville City Councilwoman Connie Robinson’s open endorsement of Republican Mayor Elect Lloyd Winnecke of Evansville?…that a Chairman that cannot play by his own playbook need to go and it was time for Dan Parker to go?…that the CCO wonders just how much pressure was put on Parker by “the 23” who signed the pact to back Councilwoman Robinson’s endorsement?

IS IT TRUE that that sometimes laws are just silly and that the original law to only allow casinos in the State of Indiana if they happen to be on a boat was very much one of those “head in the sand” pieces of legislation?…that the way that casinos came to Indiana that allows one to dig a mote in French Lick and call a building a boat is pretty cowardly?…that one could extend that to a slot machine in a hot tub, or a black jack table in a pool and clearly be within the definition of a “boat”?…that land based casinos in states that choose to allow gambling are inevitable and that it should have been that way all the time?…that if the land based casinos are only desired near bodies of water that this is something that can be taken care of with a zoning law that uses the proper language to accomplished the preferred placement?…that as the original casino boats in the state are getting old by allowing land based casinos “next to” bodies of water we may just see some serious construction projects that will create some work and can’t be floated across the river?

IS IT TRUE that as we are discussing laws that are inevitable this merits a discussion with respect to the coming fight in the Indiana legislature over Right to Work?…that without regard to what some advocates on both sides say, that there really are a substantial number of companies that will not consider putting a plant in a state that does not have Right to Work laws?…that Evansville is a prime example of a place that has seen entire industries leave because of friction between labor and management?…that Evansville was once known as the refrigerator capital of the world and that Whirlpool had over 10,000 employees in Evansville?…that the Whirlpool-Evansville marriage was always on thin ice and that a hostile relationship between labor and management was the most visible factor for that thin ice?…that Right to Work would not have prevented the departure of Whirlpool from Evansville in 2010?…that if Right to Work would have been in place in Indiana in say 1980 when Whirlpool was at its peak that maybe something could have been done to preserve a serious and lasting presence for Whirlpool in Evansville?…that we shall never know but Right to Work is inevitable and the only question for Indiana is whether this happens in 2012 or 20 years from now?

IS IT TRUE that in the days of old and sometimes at Renaissance Faire’s the winemaking process begins by stomping grapes in a big wooden vat that resembles the early hot tubs?…that in some places all of the townspeople chipped in and had a great fun time stomping the grapes?…that in other towns the job of stomping the grapes was essentially a civil service job?…that this job had two requirements, those being to have the leg strength and stamina to stomp grapes all day long and the limited mental capacity to be willing to do so?…that in the days of old that every village had some idiots and that the idiot who stomped the grapes was often referred to as a “STOMP IDIOT”?…that this writers mom used that term and she used it on me a time or two when I was deserving but the origin of the term made me curious yesterday?…that methinks that cities still have such idiots and that many of them still find their way into politically appointed places?

IS IT TRUE? December 11, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Indiana University basketball is back?…that last night’s upset of the #1 ranked and miraculously talented Kentucky Wildcats by the Hoosiers is that statement win that was needed to erase any doubts about whether or not IU could play with the upper echelon teams?…that last night’s game that IU won at the buzzer with a three point shot is how IU vs. UK basketball games should be?…that great rivalries require that both teams are good and in recent history IU has not been living up to their end of the rivalry bargain?…that it was not really the last three pointer that did it for IU last night, it was the string of 7 straight three pointers when the faster and bigger Wildcats were dominating the other end with easy layups off of breaks?…that the shooting skill, the discipline, and a few good bounces are what put the Hoosiers in a position to win the game at the buzzer?…that the City County Observer would like to congratulate and give a cheer to the IU Hoosiers and acknowledge the talent of the UK Wildcats who start 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores?…that we would not be a bit surprised to see a March Madness rematch of these teams?…that would really be a trip back to the future?

IS IT TRUE that the UE Purple Aces and the Evansville Icemen both seem to be settling in to crowds of about 3,500 per game?…that the Lady Aces need to do a little marketing, ticket giveaways, or something to bolster the sub 500 attendance numbers that seem to be the norm?…that with drawing power of under 500 that UE may want to consider having the Lady Aces games at Carson Center or a high school gym to save on the rent at Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that a group of well healed individuals are looking into joining the INDIANA Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) group in order to provide local electric rate payers service at “not-for-profit rates”?…that Jasper, Huntingburg, Tell City, Washington, Paoli and Scottsburg are some of the cities involved in taking on the Vectren type monopolies in order to help electric rate payers save a great deal of money in the overall electric bills?…that if you would like to learn more about the IMPA please go to this link http://www.impa.com/ ?

IS IT TRUE that it was quite rewarding for the CCO today to see that the editor of the Courier and Press has actually acknowledged in an editorial that the Weinzapfel Administration has laid three rotten eggs named the McCurdy, the downtown Convention Hotel, and Roberts Stadium?…that we were beginning to think that the CP was making and drinking the Kool-Aid for breakfast every morning and were slow to see the reality of the messes that are being left for the Winnecke Administration to clean up?…that for those of you who missed it here is a link? http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/dec/11/learning-the-lessons-of-redevelopment-challenges/ ?…that readers of the CCO will find these words to be familiar?

IS IT TRUE that the three rotten eggs could well have been three triumphs if there had really been a comprehensive plan that was thought out and vetted?…that the Ford Center alone went smoothly and on budget precisely because it was planned, vetted, and managed?…that everything else was left swinging in the breeze?…that if there had been planning, analysis, and vetting that the three rotten eggs could have and perhaps should have been three more triumphs?…that only the City County Observer among local media has served as an investigative and analysis driven educator of the public?…that cheerleading by the media literally circumvents the reason that there is a free press?…that when the press panders to charismatic politicians that they willfully neglect the most important roll of a free press?…that a free press is not free when it locks itself into the jail of creating propaganda or ignoring obvious wrongs?

IS IT TRUE that if all of the Evansville media would have done their job in exposing pie in the sky schemes from day one that the three rotten eggs would not exist but something good might?…that if the Evansville media that existed in 2007 would have done their job that there would have never ever been a City County Observer?…that if the Evansville media would have done their job we would not have the head of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission muttering about needing to get a refund on the McCurdy…that one start on the refund should be that the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign that is holding some $700,000 should reimburse the City of Evansville for every dollar that it collected from City Centre Properties LLC, its owners, and affiliated businesses?…that the money trail goes from the ERC, to CCP, to the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign fund?…that this sort of transfer of cash make SNEGAL look like an honest broker?…Mr. Goldman that an audit of all funds that ending up in the Weinzapfel for Mayor coffers that are sourced in the McCurdy debacle should be demanded to be returned to the people of Evansville and it should happen before January 1, 2012?…that the other entities that profess to be media need to follow this money trail too?