IS IT TRUE? PART 2 March 31, 2011 The Voices of Consolidation!

IS IT TRUE that last night marked a nearly four hour meeting to allow the jointly assembled Evansville City Council and the Vanderburgh County Commissioners to listen to public input regarding the plan for consolidated government submitted by the MAYOR’S DOZEN?…that this hearing not only packed the house but spilled over into the hallways where it is reported that about 35 – 40 people many of whom were firefighters and law enforcement officers gathered?…that the speaker system in the hall was non functional and that the people outside the room could not hear what was being said?…that all of the other public meetings were in venues that would hold many more people than the legislative chamber of the Civic Center?…that many recognized people were among the over 40 people who chose to speak?…that Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams and Evansville Police Chief Brad Hill both delivered very good speeches regarding law enforcement?…that candidate for the Democratic nomination for Mayor Rick Davis sat attentively for the entire meeting, that Republican candidate Lloyd Winnecke ran the meeting, but that Davis’s opponent Troy Tornatta was not in attendance in the room?…that last night was a good night from the perspective of participative local government?…that Commissioner Winnecke’s suspension of the typical three minute time limit added much to the content of the evening?

IS IT TRUE that Vanderburgh County Surveyor Bill Jeffers came well prepared to discuss some amendments that he thinks need to be made?…that Mr. Jeffers acknowledged that the concept of consolidation is solid but that the details of the proposed plan have been neglected or top down from a City of Evansville perspective?…that among the amendments he supports are term limits for every elected official including the Mayor, eliminating the partisan nature of local elections, redrawing the districts using 2010 census data, putting some definition on what is meant by extending the urban services district, and adopting provisions that make consolidation hold the City of Evansville accountable with respect to proving that it can actually provide the services that it will charge people for?…that Mr. Jeffers called consolidation nothing more than FAST TRACK ANNEXATION and ended with the memorable remark that “PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER BE PUT ON THE DEFENSIVE BY GOVERNMENT”, which is exactly what the proposed plan does?…that Lawyer extraordinaire Les Shively followed Mr. Jeffers and echoed his statements and ratcheted them up a bit by pronouncing that ANNEXATION IS NOT DUE PROCESS, IS A FORM OF HOSTILE TAKEOVER, IS NOT FAIR, and that the city has three years to provide services but raises the taxes immediately?…that Mr. Shively also opined that more districts were needed, that no at large representation is necessary, that arbitrarily raising taxes is not acceptable, and opined that the fiscal solution offered by the plan has no sophistication at all but is rather just a combination of the two merged budgets?

IS IT TRUE that a series of citizens rose to express opposition to the plan and that there were multiple referrals to the Louisville study titled “Beyond the Rhetoric” that the CCO published last week?…that the term “if you lipstick a pig it is still a pig” was used regularly?…that there is general opposition to the number of appointments granted to the Mayor (181) and the lack of accountability or the ability to impeach a wayward elected official?…that a local businessman is concerned that he may lose his trash hauling business if the consolidated government removed competition in the county with a broad contract?…that businessman Bruce Ungethiem called the plan VandyGov IV and stated that “Monarchies are always simple but democracy is complicated” and closed with the statement that “LIKE MINDS DO NOT PROMOTE CREATIVITY”?…that he compared Evansville to Chicago and promised the candidates in attendance that “THIS WILL BE A CAMPAIGN ISSUE” while reminding Matt Meadors, the President of the Chamber of Commerce that they need to spend their time and money on something that is really important like promoting job growth?…that Mr. Meadors spoke and expressed support for taking the plan to vote as it is, that Chamber employee Steve Schaffer echoed his bosses opinion, that was also supported by Roberta Heiman who lead the signature effort to have the study done?…that the supporters of the plan have stated that for every study against consolidation that the is one for it?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer stands by the offer that it made to a Chamber of Commerce staffer last week?…that when they produce a study that is based on economic raw data that shows conclusive evidence that consolidation was a catalyst for economic prosperity anywhere?

IS IT TRUE that entrepreneur and marketing guru Emmons Patzer cited a study of 75 studies done by the University of Tennessee regarding the pros and cons of consolidation?…that this study refutes the economic development argument for consolidation?…that he stated that in business “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WISH AND A WIN IS CLARITY OF PATH”?…that citizens of non-consolidate entities express higher levels of satisfaction with government services than consolidated ones?…that Mr. Patzer closed by admonishing the powers that be to put some detail in the plan so that when it comes to a vote, if it comes to a vote, there will be apparent tangible benefit to both the dwellers of the City and the County?

IS IT TRUE that this will be continued in IIT Part 3 later today?

IS IT TRUE that following Emmons Patzer’s excellent presentation was former Mayor of Evansville and current Vanderburgh County Councilman Russell Lloyd Jr.?…that Lloyd favors partisan elections on the basis that parties recruit and vet candidates?…that the former Mayor is not in favor of the Combined Council having veto power over the Mayoral appointments because this will complicate an already challenging task of hiring qualified candidates to jobs that do not pay as well as their private sector counterparts?…Mayor Lloyd believes that at-large candidates on the Common Council should be part of the representation?

IS IT TRUE that the people who spoke from the rural parts of Vanderburgh County all seemed confused about why consolidation was even something that they should be asked to consider?…that that the people who dwell in the county were unanimous in their desire to have rejection thresholds apply to any consolidation vote?…that the term rejection threshold is one that is not known by many people and a term that only needs to be understood when one finds oneself in the position of being annexed or consolidated against their will?…that in 2009 the Vanderburgh County Commissioners (Tornatta, Melcher, and Winnecke) gave the MAYOR’S DOZEN the marching orders to incorporate a county wide election into the consolidation plan?…that means that the City of Evansville with a 2 to 1 population ratio over unincorporated Vanderburgh County could essentially vote in consolidation without a single vote from the county?…that this is reminiscent of two cannibals and a missionary voting on what is for dinner?…that in such a vote the missionary is very likely to be eaten?…that the people who dwell in the county are simply asking to be granted the right to offer CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED in the case of consolidation?…that the City County Observer believes that this is not only a reasonable demand but a deal breaker if the county is taken over by the City of Evansville in a lopsided vote?…that one speaker opined that the only economic development that would be helped by consolidating Vanderburgh County against its wishes will be the growth of Henderson, Warrick, Posey, and Gibson counties from refugees from Vanderburgh?

IS IT TRUE that the Vanderburgh County Farm Bureau was well represented last night and expressed the opinion that the FARM BUREAU MADE NO DIFFERENCE TO THE CONSOLIDATION COMMITTEE?…that the FARM BUREAU held a meeting at the 4-H Center to discuss the topic of consolidation and that 180 people attended?…that the other two public meetings were held at UE and USI both of whom were paid a combined total of $5,000 for the use of their facilities for holding the meetings?…that approximately only 25 people attended each meeting?…that when the FARM BUREAU asked for reimbursement of their costs to hold the meeting at the 4-H Center that the CONSOLIDATION COMMITTEE TURNED THEM DOWN FLAT AND REFUSED TO REIMBURSE THEM?…that actions like that leave very little to wonder about why the people of the unincorporated parts of Vanderburgh County have a paranoia about being treated like unwilling SUGAR DADDY’S by the City of Evansville?…that the Farm Bureau speaker complained that none of the members of either council attended the meeting at the 4-H Center and that only half of the consolidation committee attended?…that she referred to a meticulous set of notes that were taken and ignored by the councils and the committee?… that just this morning THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER has contacted the Farm Bureau and offered to publish these notes in their entirety without bias or editorial comment?

IS IT TRUE that Republican Candidate for the 5th Ward seat on the Evansville City Council, Brent Grafton spoke briefly on the origin of the plan?…that Mr. Grafton as he often does spoke in an easily understandable parable in saying that in businesses “the President appoints his deputies and then they do his bidding”?…that he then said that is what we have here (in the consolidation plan)?…that we do not think this parable was really about a business or the President of the United States?

IS IT TRUE that two of the most cutting comments of the night came from regular citizens?…that one held up the consolidation plan and uttered the old Wendy’s phrase “WHERE’S THE BEEF”?…that Mike Sandefur not only used the “lipstick a pig” cliché’ but called Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel a “political pariah” for making poor choices while promising each candidate for office that they will be turned into political pariah’s themselves if they resort to backroom dealing and cram downs to get what they want?

IS IT TRUE that this whole attempt at fiscal budgeting is the key to generating a consolidation plan that will really be convincing from an efficiency enhancement perspective?…that the simple arithmetic exercise of adding the two budgets together just made the budgeting prowess of the consolidation committee look simplistic?…that better efficiency is the only real reason to consolidate the City of Evansville with Vanderburgh County?…that identifying and communicating real and tangible savings that can be implemented for everyone’s benefit may just get the ball rolling uphill on consolidation?…that it really can’t get much lower on the acceptance scale than it is now?…that the Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters, the City of Evansville, and any other pro-consolidation entities need to either do the work of detailed financial analysis that leads to savings or hire someone that has the ability to do so if they are to realize their goal of consolidation?…that platitudes, blind acceptance of the concept, and silly bullet points that are easily refuted by scholarly work will not get this across the finish line?

IS IT TRUE that advancing a consolidation plan to referendum that has insufficient substance to have any probability of passing will set the effort back 10 or 20 years just like the soundly defeated VANDIGOV did in 1974?…that if consolidation can really be a benefit (and abstractly one would think that it could) then the powers that wannabe should put some defensible meat on this table of contents before the rah-rah cheerleading starts?

IS IT TRUE that the straw man has been summarily thrashed and that in the Battle for Consolidation that the pawns are all now vanquished?…that the conscripted volunteers (consolidation committee) have done their service to the community and have taken a hail of bullets for the cause?…that pawns never deserve the bullets but that they somehow always get sent into harm’s way first?… that the powers behind the consolidation committee or some new powers that wannabe will need to put some political capital on the table and take a chance with a plan of substance to capture any momentum?…that this is a somewhat complex task and will take a deep dive into the details of both the existing City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County budgets?…that a good place to start would be to identify a couple of financially successful cities and compare budgets on a % of total basis, compare employee counts on a number of service providers per 1,000 population basis, and only use comparisons of cities that we aspire to emulate?

IS IT TRUE that there is always plenty of waste and dysfunction in municipal budgets?…that finding waste and inefficiency is much easier than mustering the political will to expose these inefficiencies and wasteful habits?…that somehow inefficiencies and the people that benefit from them always seem to have sharp teeth when challenged?…that someone or some powers that wannabe will need to have the ability to take the punches that will come from real change and the willingness to punch back with substance and logic?…that maybe this is the start of something positive but that in the short run many sacred cows will be in the same position of the missionary when the two cannibals voted to eat him?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has offered Rick Davis, Lloyd Winnecke, and Troy Tornatta the opportunity to publish a position paper on consolidation?…that in order received that we will publish their position papers without edit or bias and leave them up for at least a week?…that this is free advertising for you gentlemen so please accept our offer?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/sports/ncaabasketball/03butler.html

IS IT TRUE that today is a win-win day for the basketball fans of Southwest Indiana?…that in the first game of tonight’s national semifinals the Butler Bulldogs will take on the Virginia Commonwealth Rams for the chance to return to the national championship?…that little Butler University seems to have taken over the leadership role as the number one team in the basketball crazed state of Indiana?…that IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, and the rest of the teams in the State of Indiana must have the mixed emotions of pride over Butler’s accomplishments while scratching their heads about why it is Butler and not them in the Final Four AGAIN?

IS IT TRUE that the second game pits the University of Kentucky Wildcats against the UCONN Huskies?…that there will most certainly be a multitude of Kentucky Wildcat sweatshirts, hats, belts, etc. roaming the aisles of the retail establishments in Evansville today?…that Kentucky (our you-kay) as some like to call them enjoys as much fan support in Evansville as it does in many parts of the State of Kentucky?…that Evansville is often referred to as being the third largest city in both Indiana and Kentucky?…that on occasion Evansville has even been referred to as the “Capital of Western Kentucky”?

IS IT TRUE that choosing sides in both of today’s games for Tri-Staters should be very easy?…that a Kentucky vs. Butler national final would be the first time that an Indiana team and a Kentucky team have faced off for a national championship?…that for most of our lives people of this area have dreamed of such a match up?…that we always expected that it would be Crimson against Blue?…that if we are treated to a cross border matchup Monday night it will be Blue against Darker Blue?…that the City County Observer wishes good luck but better planning and execution to both Butler and Kentucky tonight?

IS IT TRUE that the Kunkel Group in a rather surprise move has become the proud new owner of the Whirlpool facility on North 41?…that Whirlpool will be their first tenant and has signed a 5 year lease to keep their 300 person design and engineering group on site and on the payroll?…that this is a welcome thing but the whole idea of using that big blue building for some other commercial purpose than a giant manufacturing facility is intriguing?…that one of the age old questions regarding that building has been just how extensive any environmental remediation would be required if the building was ever to be demolished?…that maybe with this deal the whole clean-up can has been kicked down the road for another 20 or more years and we will never know exactly what secrets the special concrete floor is hiding?…that we wish Kunkel prosperity with whatever they are planning for the big blue building?

IS IT TRUE that this meth lab a day routine is tearing the Evansville region to pieces?…that while it is positive to see a meth lab shut down whether by police intervention, voluntary shut-down, or by explosion, that the publicity is just crushing?…that our law enforcement professionals are doing a fine and increasingly dangerous job in fighting the meth epidemic?…that searching out the reasons why Evansville seems to be to meth what Hershey, PA is to chocolate would be something worth doing?…that turning to meth or suicide (the other thing we lead in) are desperate and hopeless acts and that we wish for positive progress to me made this year in fighting against both of these things?

EPD Activity Report April 1 2011

Dissin’ Manners and Mouths?
By: Cheeba Sobotka

OMGsh, I can’t believe he would come here with green things in his teeth! And now he’s like, yelling at me with “R” rated words, pumping my hand up and down and won’t let go!!! I’m tweeting this one.

Don’t act like this. Whoever you are, whoever your friend is, don’t. And if you act like this – stop it. No matter what you think about them, good manners and appropriate communication skills (not untamed mouths) do make a difference. With the huge impact of social networking sites, tweeting this tacky situation could make or break crucial relationships.

Another example: When out to lunch with a prospective client, I was disenchanted by a mouthful of talking food, a cell phone that HAD to be answered about every 3 minutes, and a conversation that was adrift throughout our limited time together. This is too rude.

To make matters worse, when I received an email from this person, (unisex name “Bobby”) it looked as if a fourth grader had sent it. Whoops, another one slid through the system. Obviously this seemingly well-educated person needed an English do-over or an email 101 class.

Though “Bobby” was a very caring person with a great deal of marketable skills, these issues alone seemed to cast a great deal of doubt about the ability to succeed in business in this globally competitive world.

Yet another example: Have you ever eaten with people that eat hunched over their food, inhaling every bite while pushing food on their fork with their finger? If you grew up in a home like this, it’s not a bad thing, but it may be time to give it up. If you do it at home, you’ll do it when eating out. Now combine this with “green stuff in the teeth” and you’ve got a pretty sorry mess with a very little probable case for career advancement.

Finale: If you’re still thinking that this stuff is not that important, remember that we now live in a global business environment that just happens to be in a period of exponential change. It’s not going to stop or slow down while you catch up.

Most of all get over yourself because even though some of the old rules are being re-written, great manners and well-honed conversational skills are still essential. The more success you attain, the more polished manners will make a difference. Who knows? You may end up across the table from some real life royalty as opposed to the person with green stuff in his teeth!

Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a known human carcinogeni, and is responsible for an estimated 50,000 deaths and other illnesses each yearii. Secondhand smoke exposure remains a major public health concern, although it is entirely preventableiii,iv. In 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that “there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke” and that “eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Separating smokers from nonsmokers, cleaning the air, and ventilating buildings cannot exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke.”

Policies requiring smoke free environments are the most effective method for reducing secondhand smoke exposure in public places. Currently, 24 states have enacted smoke free workplace laws that cover all workplaces—including workplaces such as bars and restaurants—and this represents approximately 60% of the U.S. population.

In order to protect the public’s health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set limits of 15 μg/m3 as the average annual level of PM2.5 exposure and 35 μg/m3 24-hour exposure. PM2.5 is the concentration of particulate matter in the air smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter. Particles of this size are released in significant amounts from burning cigarettes and are easily inhaled deep into the lungs.

The study assessed indoor air quality in all 11 casinos located in Indiana during visits in April and
May, 2008.

The average level of fine particle indoor air pollution on the casino gaming floors was 14 times higher than outdoor background levels and PM2.5 levels considered healthy by the US EPA.

Study Highlights

ï‚· The average level of fine particle indoor air pollution on the gaming floor was 159 μg/m3 (range 30 – 323 μg/m3), 14 times higher than outdoor background levels.

ï‚· Employees and patrons of these casinos are exposed to very unhealthy levels of fine particle air pollution exposure according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Index.

 A full-time casino employee’s average annual PM2.5 exposure would be three times the annual limit that is considered healthy.

The only way to eliminate the health risks of tobacco smoke pollution exposure is to establish smoke free workplaces. Despite the ventilation systems installed at these casinos, employees and patrons are exposed to elevated and potentially harmful levels of fine particle air pollution as a result of indoor smoking.

Referemces:

i. National Toxicology Program. 9th Report on Carcinogens 2000. Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; 2000.

ii. CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs – United States, 1995-1999; MMWR
2002;51(14):300-320.

iii. Second national report on human exposure to environmental chemicals. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, 2003.

iv. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing tobacco use: a report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: US Government
Printing Office, 2000.

v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke: a report of
the Surgeon General.Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 2006.

vi. Hopkins DP, Briss PA, Ricard CJ, Husten CG, Carande-Kulis VG, Fielding JE, et al. Reviews of evidence regarding interventions to reduce
tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Am J Prev Med 2001;20(2 Suppl):16-66.

vii Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, January 2, 2008.

New research from Stanford and Tufts universities shows secondhand smoke is a
danger to tens of millions of casino patrons and hundreds of thousands of workers.
Threats range from heart attacks to cancer.

BY ANDREW MYERS
Millions of Americans visit casinos to unwind and test their luck against the hands of fate, but lurking
in the shadows is a gamble few would contemplate before they stepped inside a casino’s doors. The
threat is not addiction. It’s not the specter of losing a small fortune. The hidden danger is secondhand
smoke.

According to a new study by scientists from Stanford and Tufts universities published in the journal Environmental Research, each year 50 million nonsmoking casino patrons and 400,000 nonsmoking casino workers gamble with their lives inside casinos that allow smoking. Less than 2 hours of exposure to secondhand smoke in half of the casinos surveyed is enough to impair the heart’s ability to pump blood, placing susceptible casino patrons and workers at acute risk of heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability, costing the country an estimated $151.6 billion in 2007. Approximately 8 percent of the population 45 to 64 years of age, and 20 percent of those aged over 65, suffers from coronary heart disease. These older people are at greater risk from exposure to secondhand smoke. Compounding the concern, the two age groups have higher gambling rates than those under 45.

The team of experts from Stanford and Tufts examined pollution levels in 66 smoky casinos in five
states, and three casinos that are smoke-free, comparing them with the pollution levels outdoors. The
study is a continuation of earlier research conducted at 36 casinos in California. An additional 30
casinos were tested in four other states.

To make their measurements, the researchers operated covertly. Two to three researchers at a time entered casinos carrying small monitoring devices tucked inside purses or jackets. Combining the Stanford/Tufts data with previously published measurements from three other states, the team developed nationwide averages and ranges for pollution levels inside casinos.

The study focused on two types of air pollutants blamed for tobacco-related cancers: fine particulate
matter, which deposits deep in the lungs, and a group of chemicals called particulate polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, or PPAHs, which include at least 10 different carcinogenic compounds. Results
show that gamblers and casino workers in casinos that permit smoking are subject to levels of
particulate air pollution 10 times higher than those who visit smoke-free casinos.

The researchers also found that ventilation and air cleaning do not control indoor smoke levels. “The
only effective control for secondhand smoke was reducing the number of smokers,” said Lynn
Hildemann, a professor of environmental engineering and science at Stanford and the principal
investigator for the study.

“The fewer smokers, the less polluted the air. If you switch to a nonsmoking casino, your exposure to
harmful fine particulate matter levels indoors will be reduced by 90 percent, and your exposure to
carcinogenic PPAH levels will decrease by 80 percent.”

Unfortunately, smoke-free casinos are rare. In the United States, 88 percent of commercial casinos
and nearly 100 percent of tribal casinos allow smoking.

Those patrons who seek refuge in nonsmoking areas attached to the smoking casinos – such as
restaurants, where children are found – find scant protection. Unless these areas are completely
sealed off from the casino, with closed doors and a separate ventilation system, the researchers found
that secondhand smoke seeps in, resulting in pollution levels seven times as high as outdoors.

In contrast, the three smoke-free casinos surveyed had pollution levels as low as the outdoors. In more than nine-of-ten smoking casinos in the survey, the indoor pollution levels exceeded the World
Health Organization standard for fine particulate matter.

“Casino patrons are gambling not only with their money, but with their health, and the odds are stacked against them,” said Hildemann. “Casinos have always been huge draws, but in recent years we’ve seen an increase of family activities tied to casinos. So in addition to seniors, the health risks are starting to reach new, more vulnerable populations, particularly children.”

The pervasive secondhand smoke indoors poses an even graver health threat to casino workers. In the
new study, using published data measuring the levels of cotinine, a biomarker of tobacco that shows up in human tissue, Hildemann and colleagues added to earlier results and found amounts of cotinine in casino dealers who are nonsmokers were higher than in 95 percent of the nonsmoking U.S. population.

Nevada casino dealers have triple the asthma rates of the general state population. “Cotinine levels in these nonsmoking workers – who were exposed only while at work – significantly increased between the beginning and the end of their work shift. Similar results have been found in casino patrons with shorter exposures. This is clearly due to secondhand smoke in the casino,” said James Repace, a biophysicist and visiting assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

The study was funded by the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute.

Andrew Myers is associate director of communications at the School of Engineering.

EPD Activity Report March 31 2011