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Don’t Shoot the Messenger

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Kathryn Martin

Kathryn Martin has Exceeded Expectations in Cleaning the Knight Township Mess
By: Don Counts

Kathryn Martin was appointed to serve the remainder of the term of Linda Durham the elected Knight Township Trustee by Democratic Party caucus in March 2010. Linda Durham was seated to the trusteeship over objections raised due to her difficulty in obtaining bonding resigned from office and has since been arrested on felony theft and official misconduct charges.

Ms. Martin is currently seeking that office as the democratic candidate running against republican Jim Braker. If the past five months are any indication of what the job of township trustee is, then Kathryn Martin has certainly been battle hardened.

The job of a township trustee typically include recommending an annual budget to the elected legislative body of the township, reporting to that legislative body about the condition of the trustees office, managing the office, and managing the protective and humanitarian services that townships provide to the approved budget. It is certainly not required or even expected that the township trustee should have the responsibility of auditing a predecessor’s performance for fraud, negligence, and abuse. It however appears that Ms. Martin has willfully taken the bull by the horns and led the effort to do exactly that. The City County Observer applauds her can-do spirit and commends the way that she has carried out her responsibilities thus far.

It has been widely documented that the alleged actions of Ms. Durham and her Chief Deputy, Tonda Pauley have left Knight Township in dire financial straits. It was abundantly clear from the time she was seated that she would need substantial guidance and oversight to succeed as township trustee. The responsibility for that oversight falls squarely on the shoulders of what Indiana Code IC 36-6-6 refers to as the legislative body of the township. Locally this term legislative body has been commonly referred to as the advisory board. Despite the less official term adopted locally, the duties of the legislative body are truly legislative as the full body of Indiana Code IC 36-6-6 spells out.

Specifically, in IC 36-6-6-9, the legislative body is tasked with conducting an annual meeting on or before the third Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each year consideration and approval of annual report of executive; disposition of funds. During this meeting the annual report of the executive including the budget and the financial performance of the previous year are approved, altered, or disallowed by the legislative body. A member may administer oaths necessary in the examination of the report. The legislative body has broad powers to go along with its broad responsibilities.

As Ms. Durham was seated as Knight Township Trustee in early 2006, by statute there must have been two annual budgets and two reviews with oversight provided by the legislative body. The City County Observer is quite curious to know about the outcomes of the budgetary and financial reviews of these annual meetings. If the recent revelations regarding the dire financial straits of Knight Township came as a surprise to anyone, they certainly should not have been. The performance of the legislative body should be under just as much examination and scrutiny as the performance that led to Ms. Durham’s resignation. The legislative body in its annual meetings, quarterly reviews, and by calling special meetings could have and should have averted the current situation before the Knight Township Trustees office became financially functionally insolvent.

This insolvency leaves Knight Township in need of a loan to enable the office to remain open until its next allocation of taxpayer money is available in December. Indiana Code provides for the mechanism to seek and secure loans in IC 36-6-6-15. Sec. 15. states that (a) If the legislative body finds that an emergency requires the borrowing of money to meet the township’s current expenses, it may take out temporary loans in an amount not more than eighty percent (80%) of the total anticipated revenue for the remainder of the year in which the loans are taken out, and (b) The legislative body must authorize the temporary loans by a resolution.

The local media has been reporting during the last news cycle that Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has floated an idea for a $200,000 loan from the Evansville Bond Bank that is funneled through the Vanderburgh County to Knight Township. As good as this intention may be, haven’t we been down this path before? This convoluted solution sounds eerily similar to the scheme hatched by Mayor Weinzapfel to supplement the salary of Evansville DMD Director Tom Barnett by funneling Evansville Bond Bank money through GAGE to Barnett. This time it’s different because the Mayor is conducting the people’s business in public.

We believe it is appropriate for the Evansville Bond Bank to make a loan directly to the Knight Township Trustee’s Office because the public good demands it. The City County Observer would like to thank Mayor Weinzapfel for seeking ways to circumvent the major financial challenges facing Knight Township Trustee’s office.

There are legal and appropriate ways for Knight Township to seek and secure a temporary loan. The first step as codified by IC 36-6-6-15 is for the legislative body of Knight Township (Advisory Board) to adopt a formal resolution to seek such a loan. The City County Observer acknowledges that this important first step was taken by the Advisory Board. We hope that a legal and palatable lending source can be secured to keep the Knight Township Trustees office open and functioning. State law states the County Commissioners signs contracts and the County Council find ways to financially honor them.

The fate of keeping the Knight Township Volunteer Fire Department protecting homes and lives and the Knight Township Trustee’s Office to continue helping serve the basic needs of the “poorest of the poor” is now in the hands of the Evansville Bond Bank, Knight Township Legislative Body (Advisory Committee), County Commissioners, County Council and Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel! We believe they are up to the task! In our heart of hearts we believe if the Knight Township Trustee, Kathryn Martin seeks the wisdom of advise of Pigeon Township Trustee Mary Hart and gets the funding for this office we will quickly see if she is worthy of reelection to this office. If she makes any missteps or blunders running this important position that serves the needs of the “Poorest of the Poor” the City-county Observer will hold her accountable.

References:
IC 36-6-6 Township Legislative Body http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar6/ch6.html

Attorney General files suit against ex-trustee, aide, to recover public funds

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Attorney General Greg Zoeller
Zoeller: Embezzling poor relief for personal expenses, concert tickets was “unconscionable”

INDIANAPOLIS – Today Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller filed a lawsuit against a former Knight Township trustee in Evansville to recover nearly $78,000 in public funds intended for poor relief and fire protection that the ex-trustee and an aide allegedly squandered on personal expenses and luxuries, such as New Kids on the Block concert tickets.

“For the ex-trustee to pilfer taxpayers’ money intended to help Hoosiers in economic crisis and divert it for her own entertainment and comfort is unconscionable and a betrayal of the public trust. The Attorney General’s Office will do everything within its legal authority to hold this individual and her accomplice accountable,” Zoeller said.

Zoeller’s office filed a complaint for recovery of public funds against former Knight Township Trustee Linda K. Durham and Durham’s former chief deputy trustee, Tonda Pauley, seeking an order to require the defendants to reimburse taxpayers for the amounts taken by fraud or misappropriation. The lawsuit was filed today in Vanderburgh County Superior Court, along with a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent the defendants from hiding or transferring any personal accounts the State may seek to claim later.

A State Board of Accounts certified audit of Knight Township government’s finances for the time frame of January 1, 2008, to March 31, 2010, found that Durham misappropriated $74,544.76 in public funds and Pauley misappropriated $3,336.23. A certified audit triggers a legal process where the Attorney General serves as the State’s collection agent to recover public funds that were stolen, mishandled or diverted.

According to the SBoA audit, Durham made a long list of purchases using the township government’s credit card without supporting receipts or invoices. Durham’s improper personal purchases at public expense included: Autozone, Bath & Body Works, DIS Disney Movie Club, iTunes, LA Nails, Mineral Makeup, Spencer Gifts, Wet Seal, McDonald’s, KFC, Domino’s Pizza, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Little Caesar’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut and Donut Bank and numerous other eateries. Durham also purchased flowers, hair care items, movie tickets, gasoline, groceries and six New Kids on the Block concert tickets using taxpayer funds, the audit found.

Beyond Durham’s $47,025.71 in undocumented improper purchases, the suit alleges Durham is responsible for another $9,691.06 in undocumented disbursements; $1,115 for unnecessary overdraft and service fees; $4,868.64 in audit costs; and $11,844.35 for overpaying payroll to herself, Pauley and two other employees.

Specifically, the audit found that Durham paid herself her salary in advance — drawing a full year’s salary by August 6, 2009 – and then overpaid herself $8,452.74 in payroll by March 11, 2010, the date she resigned.

Pauley, who left office March 29, 2010, is alleged in the lawsuit to owe the township $3,336.23, mostly for undocumented improper purchases. Zoeller seeks triple damages against both defendants.

Zoeller today also filed motions for temporary restraining orders asking the Vanderburgh County Superior Court to freeze any bank accounts or retirement plans Durham or Pauley may have to prevent them from transferring or concealing funds. A magistrate granted the orders today. If the court later enters a civil judgment against the defendants for the amounts owed, then the Attorney General could seek collection of the assets to reimburse Knight Township’s misappropriated funds.

“The ex-trustee’s misuse of public funds as her own personal blank check has left the Knight Township office and its new management in a terrible bind as they try to meet the basic responsibilities of providing emergency relief to the poor and paying for fire protection. My goal is that we can eventually claw back some of Durham’s ill-gotten gains so that the new management can restore the township office to financial health,” Zoeller added.

Public officials who handle money are required by state law to obtain a surety bond – essentially, an insurance policy against employee theft so that there is money that can be tapped to reimburse taxpayer funds. Zoeller’s lawsuit seeks to redeem three bonds taken out on Durham totaling $60,000. The suit names the bonding company, Platte River Insurance Company, as a defendant.

Separate from the Attorney General’s civil case, Durham was indicted by a Vanderburgh County grand jury on two Class D felony criminal charges – theft and official misconduct – and Durham awaits trial.

Today’s action filed in Vanderburgh County follows a similar complaint for public funds filed last week in another Southern Indiana county, Lawrence County, against three officials of Shawswick Township in Bedford, Ind., after an SBoA audit. The lawsuit alleges former township clerk April Eagen-Dorsett owes $180,376.28 for the misappropriation of public funds for personal expenses; her husband Randy Dorsett owes $113, 017.38 and current township trustee Peggy Dorsett owes $3,952.87. The Lawrence County Circuit Court granted the State a temporary restraining order against all three defendants last week, prohibiting them from concealing or transferring their assets.

Zoeller’s actions in Vanderburgh and Lawrence counties are part of a stepped-up effort to file actions to seek public accountability of tax dollars from public officials who misappropriated them. In 2009, the Indiana General Assembly passed a new state law, House Enrolled Act 1514-2009, that allows the Attorney General to intervene earlier in the State Board of Accounts audit process to prevent public funds from being squandered or depleted during an embezzlement investigation. The new law, which Zoeller supported, also doubled the amount of surety bond that officials must carry, to have more available if reimbursement is needed.

NOTE: Attached is an unsigned copy of the Attorney General’s complaint for recovery of public funds, filed today in Vanderburgh County Superior Court under cause number 82D03-1008-PO-4704. The State Board of Accounts certified audit of the Knight Township Trustee’s Office dated August 1, 2010, is found at this link:
http://www.in.gov/sboa/WebReports/B37346.pdf

Letter to the editor from Brad Ellsworth – Emergency Assistance for States Like Indiana

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Brad Ellsworth

Dear Don,

Thank you for contacting me with your views on recently passed emergency assistance for states like Indiana. I appreciate your comments and I welcome this opportunity to share my thoughts.

As you know, states across the country are dealing with significant budget shortfalls. In Indiana alone, $300 million in education funding has been cut from the state budget, and school districts throughout the state have handed out pink slips to over 2,524 teachers and other education workers. Schools throughout Indiana inform me they anticipate laying off hundreds more in the near future. Additionally, federal assistance for state Medicaid programs are expiring, meaning states will soon cut vital health services that not only affect seniors, the disabled and those with low-incomes, but also nurses and doctors whose employers will be forced to make cuts to staff. As the economy in Indiana continues to recover from the most damaging recession in a generation, the last thing we need to do is lay off thousands of hard working professionals. For these reasons, I voted for recent legislation to provide emergency education and Medicaid funding to states. This vital funding would allow many Hoosier teachers and health care workers to continue to serve our local communities.

I am pleased to inform you this bill, H.R. 1586, is totally paid-for and will not add one dime to the deficit according to the independent Congressional Budget Office. The bill pays for these investments by repealing billions in government spending and closing offshore corporate tax loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying their fair share. These savings actually go beyond the cost of this temporary assistance, cutting the deficit by over $1 billion.

Throughout the year, state and local leaders have asked for this assistance. For instance, in February, Governor Mitch Daniels co-wrote a letter requesting an extension of the Recovery Act’s Medicaid assistance to the state, noting that this funding “would greatly assist us in maintaining services and further stabilizing the economy.” In fact, without this assistance, state leaders said they would slash funding for the CHOICE program, which allows Hoosier seniors to get less-intensive care in their homes instead of moving into a nursing home. This program served over 9,000 Hoosiers last year alone, and many of those seniors could be forced to get full-time care in a nursing home if they don’t have any part-time care options. Extending this federal assistance will also prevent across-the-board cuts expected under current conditions at hospitals and other health care providers. When the state government cuts payments to these facilities–they have no choice but to lay off doctors and nurses.

Meanwhile, I received hundreds of calls and letters from Hoosier educators, parents, and community leaders all concerned about the significant cuts to education. Many were from teachers, who had lost their jobs and told me they didn’t know how they would continue to pay their bills. Parents also wrote in concerned about increasing class sizes and its effects on their child’s education. And superintendents and principals told me this will be the most challenging school year they have experienced in years. Most disturbing to me was a Lafayette teacher who won a state award for excellence in teaching, shortly after she received a notice she would not be returning the following year due to budget cuts. The funding in H.R. 1586 will help schools retain or hire over 3,600 educators and make sure Hoosier students receive a quality education.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your views with me. If you would like to learn more about my positions on issues important to you or receive regular updates on developments in Congress, please visit my Online Office at www.ellsworth.house.gov and sign up for my e-Newsletter.

Sincerely,

Brad Ellsworth

Turn out the Lights, the Party’s Over

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B. J. Watts

By: Ralph Edwards

On March 24, 2010, Dan Shaw of the Courier and Press has reported that the City Council of the City of Evansville is officially considering turning off the street lights to balance the 2011 budget. In Shaw’s article Council President B. J. Watts is quoted as saying,” If we can get rid of some of the street lights and save money, that’s what we should be doing”. All due respect to the honorable City Council President Watts, but there are basic services that need to be delivered to even profess to be a city.

Street lights are one of those services. Functional sewers are another as are roads free of potholes, and potable water that does not emerge from the tap looking like burgoo as some people on Cynthiana Road have been dealing with for years. Couple all of that with the fact that some of our public parks facilities are in disrepair, and a couple of public pools were never opened this summer. It is negligence like this that earned Evansville its place on MIT’s list of America’s 150 forgotten cities.

What on earth is going on in the City of Evansville that has deluded our City Council President, Watts, into a psychosis that rationalizes that it is okay to spend $128 Million on an Arena and $18 Million on 8 baseball fields, at a time when one section of town can’t drink the water, some public areas are neglected, and some south side citizens can’t flush the toilet without knowing that their excrement may show up in their front yard. Now with this new mystifying revelation of City Council President Watts regarding turning off the City street lights, our good citizens may be increasingly victimized by rising crime rate when the lights go out.

According to Shaw, Pat Keepes, city engineer, said the cost increase that comes in response to Vectren’s plan to raise the rates charged to customers for the use of electricity. Vectren is asking Indiana utility regulators to approve a rate increase that will charge an additional $12.50 a month to the “average” customer, defined as someone who uses 900 kilowatts a month. So is a street light an “average” customer? Will the citizens of Evansville be offered the option to “adopt a light” to keep the lights on so toes are not stubbed, cars are not lost, and crime is kept down.

A city without lights is a city in decline. A city without maintained parks is a city in decline. A city without working sewers is a city in decline. A city without potable water for all citizens is a city in decline. If the City of Evansville hopes to ever be a cosmopolitan city these basic services need to be something that its residents can count on. Failing to invest in infrastructure that enables the delivery of basic city services such as sewers, drinking water, public area maintenance, and now street lights is simply misappropriation of taxpayer money. It begs the question “is this reasonable governance?”

If City Council President Watts succeeds in his efforts to turn off the street lights to allegedly save inconsequential sums of money and the City Council agrees with him, MIT and others will continue to consider Evansville to be a forgotten city. If you turn out the lights, your party really will be over.

References: Voices from Forgotten Cities, Lorlene Hoyt and André Leroux http://web.mit.edu/dusp/dusp_extension_unsec/people/faculty/lhoyt/Hoyt_Leroux_FC.pdf

Comps for a Downtown Hotel

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Joe Wallace

By Joe J. Wallace, Hadannah Business Solutions
hadannahbusiness@aol.com

Economy Clobbers Hotel Prices: What is the Market Price for what Evansville Hopes to see Built?

Last week I submitted an article that was published by the City-County Observer that discussed what I referred to as the Executive Inn Dilemma. In that article my research and conclusions were predicated on two of the three most common ways to value a commercial property. In valuing income properties such as hotels, there are three approaches from which to select when conducting analysis: the income capitalization method, comparable sales comparison, and the construction cost approach. Although all three valuation approaches are generally given consideration, the inherent strengths of each approach and the nature of the hotel in question must be evaluated to determine which approach will provide supportable value estimates.

In “The Executive Inn Dilemma”, I chose to compare the income capitalization method to the forecasts that are available for the construction cost approach. As you may recall, the construction costs are estimated in the $40 Million dollar range while the value of a proposed hotel using the income capitalization method is closer to the $20 Million level. It is the difference in what the City of Evansville will have to attract or pay for a hotel versus the value of the cash stream generated by the hotel that created the Executive Inn Dilemma.

The third and typically preferred valuation method that is considered by lenders is the cost comparable method. In this method similar properties are used to compare the “market rate” for a particular property. The theory behind this method is basically the same method that is used to value residential housing. That is, if a 220 room three star hotel in a similar market has sold or is for sale at a particular price, then accounting for any obvious differences, an investment opportunity here should have that same value. Comparable properties are difficult to find in today’s market because a large number of distressed properties on the market or that have sold recently have downwardly biased the values. You see, the great recession has depressed commercial properties as much or more than it has reduced the values of houses.

I was able to access Loopnet (www.loopnet.com) that is a nationwide service for listing commercial property for sale. I was able to find three listed full service hotels all of which have restaurants, swimming pools, and exercise facilities. They are also in similar markets to Evansville from a room rate and occupancy perspective. All are currently operating and are not distressed sale situations. The tabulation of these properties along with the number of rooms, hotel list price, the list price per room and the comparable value of the recommended 220 room, three star hotel that the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County aspire to see opened as close to the grand opening of the Arena as is possible.

Comparable Property Table
Location Rooms List Price $/Room Comparable Value
Norcross, GA 244 $4,950,000 $20,286.89 $4,463,115
Little Rock, AR 212 $3,500,000 $16,509.43 $3,632,075
Dayton, OH 235 $2,900,000 $12,340.43 $2,714,893
Average 230 $3,783,330 $16,449.28 $3,618,841

Using the list prices of these three hotels, and they did take some time to find, the average comparable value for the proposed Downtown Evansville Hotel is only $3,618,841. If one assigns a 100% premium for location and newness to the recommended hotel for being new the comparable value method still only yields a value of $7,237,682. That is somewhat distressing as that value is on the order of only 18% of the projected cost of construction.

I am not advocating that a state of the art Downtown Evansville Hotel will only be worth $7.2 Million. The message that I want to make clear is that the Request for Proposal that is being prepared by John Kish and his team will be competing for funds with opportunities like these comparables. The depressed state of the commercial real estate market has already created a “bottom feeder” mentality among investors in lodging. The “bottom feeders” that may be attracted by the Evansville RFP will be comparing us to these opportunities.

The current market has blunted the efforts that Browning Investments has expended in pursuit of financing. That market is not going to change substantially in the next couple of years. My caution to the people running the effort is to be realistic in your expectations. The City of Evansville does not have an opportunity to buy a hotel from the listings above. If that were possible then today’s buyers market would be of benefit. Evansville and Vanderburgh County will find a way for this to get built or there will be no hotel. The value of the cash stream is worth half of the construction cost and the depressed market has driven prices of comparable properties to lows that have not been seen for decades.

If Evansville is to have a Downtown Hotel, there will have to be significant incentives for the developers. The time is now to take control of this process and to put together a practical and realistic plan that has a chance to attract the investment that everyone agrees that will be needed. Be bold and try “Living Outside the Box©”. Conventional financing and conventional thinking will not yield the desired result

Submitted by Joe J. Wallace, Hadannah Business Solutions
Copyright applied for “Living Outside the Box” by Joe J. Wallace

For those who may be interested, here are the links to the properties that I used for comps.
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Search/SearchResults.aspx?linkcode=13900&SCSN=SSCXml#/GA/Multiple-Types/For-Sale/c!ARUIBQnDAfoBAAABEwACARQB4AQ
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=16387779&SRID=1060553733&StepID=101http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=15726719&SRID=1060564473&StepID=101

US Labor Secretary comments on data on labor force participation for persons with disabilities: ‘We will make sure that people who want to work can work’

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WASHINGTON — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released, for the first time, a detailed comprehensive overview on the employment of Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics, 2009. Armed with this new data, researchers, disability advocates, and policy makers can better project labor force participation for working-aged persons with disabilities.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis stated, “I am pleased that the data released today will help better tailor policies and workforce development strategies, leveraging the talents and skills of this important segment of our population. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, just one in five people with disabilities were in the labor force and the unemployment rate for those with disabilities remains much higher than the national average. We will use this new information to help increase service capacity and accessibility to workforce development systems including the one-stop-career centers and ensure that people with disabilities have access to employment support, transportation, housing, and other support services. We will make sure that people who want to work can work.”

In 2009, the employment-population ratio — the proportion of the population that is employed — was 19.2 percent for persons with a disability. Among those with no disability, the ratio was much higher (64.5 percent). For all age groups, persons with a disability were much less likely to be employed than those with no disability. The latest unemployment rate of persons with a disability is 14.5 percent. These statistics were obtained from the Current Population Survey, a monthly survey that provides statistics on employment and unemployment in the United States.

To read the BLS report issued today and the current CPS go to http://www.bls.gov.

Local foreclosure events offer help to homeowners

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On September 1, the state will host a series of borrower outreach events to provide free help to Indiana homeowners facing foreclosure. All events will run from 3 pm – 8 pm (local time). All events are free and open to the public.

Homeowners can stop by anytime between 3 and 8 pm to attend a free workshop, speak with a counselor and begin preparing to meet with your lender. No registration is required.

Indianapolis: 3612 West Minnesota Street
Hammond: 2530 E. 173rd Street
South Bend: 1901 S Kemble Avenue
Fort Wayne: 130 Cook Road
Columbus: 2160 Arnold Street
Evansville: 3300 E. Division (CST)
Terre Haute: 3614 Maple Avenue
Richmond: 1200 W Main Street

The events are hosted by the Indiana National Guard and sponsored by the Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network, a state-organized coalition of community service and housing-related organizations, government agencies, lenders, realtors, and trade associations that are actively addressing Indiana’s foreclosure crisis. Individuals and families facing foreclosure to seek free assistance by certified counselors at any time by calling 1-877-GET-HOPE or by visiting www.877gethope.org.

Weekly News and Events Blast

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FREE Internet Marketing 101:
How to get the most bang for your buck using the Internet!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
3:00pm – 5:00pm
The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana/Southwestern Indiana SBDC 318 Main Street, Suite 401 – Training Room (Innovation Pointe) Downtown Evansville
Cost: FREE

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

As a local business, how can you use the internet to grow your business, attract new prospective buyers that are in the market for your products & services, build strong relationships with those in your customer base, spread your company message to build brand awareness and improve your company image. It’s a deep and complex digital age we live and work in.

Businesses are utilizing the Internet to connect with new prospects, convert those prospects into customers and build long term relationships by continuing to communicate with prospects and customers.

This seminar will provide insight to the following areas:

Connect: Utilizing search marketing and online display to reach your best prospects

Convert: Creating landing pages and websites to increase the number of visitors that convert into customers

Continue: Using social media and email marketing to improve customer loyalty and retention

About the Presenter

Michael Teitelbaum is the Chief Digital Officer of South Central Media and has been in the marketing/ advertising industry for over 30 years. After 15 years in traditional media, he started his first Internet marketing company in 1995 and sinced that time has worked with businesses large and small including well known brands like U.S. Airways, AMF, Johns Hopkins, Medifast, Washington DC Tourism and the Maryland State Lottery.

Chris Lubenow is an Internet Marketing Consultant and works directly with businesses in Evansville in implementing online marketing strategies and managing their advertising campaigns. After graduating from Indiana University in 2005 with a BS in marketing he has been consulting with local businesses helping to achieve their goals and growth through internet marketing.

For more information about this event or to reserve a seat, please contact:
Debbie Albin, Administrative Assistant/Training Coordinator
Southwestern Indiana SBDC

318 Main St., Suite 401

Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: 812.425.7232

E-mail: dalbin@ccswin.com

A Partnership Program with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana is the proud host of the Southwestern Indiana SBDC.

New Economy New Rules

October 1, 2010 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (EDT)
Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Leveraging University Tech Transfer

8:00 a.m. (EDT) / 7:00 a.m. (CDT) Registration and continental breakfast
8:30-9:30 a.m. (EDT) / 7:30-8:30 a.m. (CDT) Presentation – Adjournment will be on time

University research in many cases is a state’s most powerful engines of innovation – the Indianapolis Business Journal recently reported that Indiana’s major universities more than doubled their research budgets over the last decade.

But how do we ‘graduate’ the scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs that happen on campus into the marketplace as new business opportunities? Is Indiana doing enough to leverage our academic research?

At the October 1st New Economy New Rules, meet officials responsible for technology transfer at IU, Purdue, Notre Dame and Georgia State. Their efforts are moving their respective states towards a more entrepreneurial, high-tech economy.

Speakers:
Richard Cox, Director, Office of Technology Transfer, University of Notre Dame
Marie C. Kerbeshian Ph.D., Vice President, Technology Commercialization, Indiana University
Research & Technology Corporation
Elizabeth A. Hart-Wells Ph.D., Assistant Vice-President and Director of OTC, Purdue Research
Foundation
Gwendolyn Spratt, Assistant Legal Advent, Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc.

There is no charge to attend, but please register!!!!!

If you have any questions, contact Jodie Daugherty at jodie.daugherty@btlaw.com or 317-261-7922.

Where:

Barnes & Thornburg LLP offices in Indianapolis, Elkhart and South Bend, also in cooperating facilities in Anderson, Bloomington, Evansville, Hammond, Kokomo, Merrillville, Muncie, New Albany, Shelbyville, Switz City (Greene County), Terre Haute, Vincennes and West Lafayette and sometimes available at Barnes & Thornburg LLP offices in Atlanta (GA), Chicago, Columbus (OH), Grand Rapids, Minneapolis and Washington DC.

When:

The First Friday of Every Month

8:00 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast (EDT)
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Presentation – Adjournment will be on time

Next Meeting: November 5, 2010, 8:00 am – 9:30 am (EDT)

Topic: To be announced
Speakers: To be announced

The Poll Results Are In on County Government Character

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Susan Kirk
Eric Williams

Eric Williams and Susan Kirk Lead the Pack

During the first week of August, the City-County Observer conducted a non-scientific online poll asking the following question:

“Which of the following three Vanderburgh County elected officials do you consider to be the most transparent, trustworthy, credible and dedicated?”
An assortment of Vanderburgh County elected officials that are not in the legislative bodies were listed on the survey. The respondents of the survey come from the more than 1,085 unique visitors to the City-County Observer’s website during the week that ended on August 6, 2010. A total of 208 unique users casted a total of 360 votes for an average of 1.7 votes per user. It is obvious that some of the voters chose not to utilize their three votes as the total available to be casted was 624 votes. The tabulation of votes in order of finish is as follows:

Sheriff Eric Williams: 102 votes
County Clerk Susan Kirk: 83 votes
Treasurer Rick Davis: 46 votes
Coroner Annie Groves: 39 votes
Assessor Jonathan Weaver: 27 votes
Prosecutor Stan Levco: 17 votes
Surveyor Bill Jeffers: 16 votes
Recorder Z Tuley: 15 votes
Auditor Bill Fluty: 15 votes

The ever popular Sheriff Eric Williams whose law enforcement plan was recommended by the consolidation committee polled very well garnering a vote from nearly half of the respondents. Susan Kirk who has established a record of integrity polled a strong second, leading a pack made up of political newcomers Rick Davis, Annie Groves, and Jonathan Weaver who seem to attract some appreciation. In a virtual dead heat for 6th place were the pack of Stan Levco, Bill Jeffers, Z Tuley, and Bill Fluty.

Care should be taken in reaching any real conclusions with respect to the ranking of these people. Name recognition certainly contributes to a person’s decision on whom to vote on and the name recognition among this group ranges from Sheriff Eric Williams and Susan Kirk who is very well known to some of the others who carry out their duties in relative obscurity. It is reasonable to assume that Sheriff Williams’ and Ms. Kirk’s strong showing in this poll is a strong indicator of their future electability to other offices. It is however no indication on any challenges that the bottom group may have as they are certainly not as well known. Their low polling may just indicate that they are not well recognized among our readers. All comments that we have received have been complementary of all of these peoples service.

The City-County Observer is encouraged that the people of Vanderburgh County and in particular our readers are embracing character and honesty as the criteria for election to public office.

Interesting Letter to the Editor – Liberalism Threatens Evansville

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DISCLAIMER: This letter is printed without bias or any opinion concerning the contents. Published in the spirit of first amendment rights (freedom of speech).

Do they take conservatives for fools? Not if I can help it! Folks, the battle between liberalism and conservatism is alive and well in Evansville and we must unite to overcome the liberal plans to remake our beloved city. Liberals believe our city needs to change and look to out-of-state experts from California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Canada and even Europe to study and recommend strategies for us to adopt. We are expected to understand that these highly educated consultants are best suited to address the social and economic issues of our Midwest city.

Evansville’s City Summit, invited New Generation Consulting, Inc. from Madison, Wisconsin, to offer their ideas for attracting and retaining youth. This group is headed by liberal Rebecca Ryan who went to college at the Institute of European Studies and Budapest University of Economic Sciences. This university was formerly known as Karl Marx University of Economic Sciences. It is widely known that a major tenant of liberalism is for the United States to become like Europe, such as with socialized medicine and the redistribution of wealth.

These progressive city planners stress the economic benefits of becoming a “talent magnet” to attract younger progressives, a more socially diverse and tolerant place, to offer more sustainable living conditions that promote sidewalks, less transportation, less urban growth, and be more responsive to our minority, homeless, poor and youth. The goal for liberals is to turn Evansville into a city such as Portland Oregon, Seattle, or Madison, Wisconsin which are well known for their liberal attitudes, lifestyle and progressive agenda.

Similarly, Smart City Consulting, based in Memphis, Tennessee offers advice in redesigning our city. This group is headed by a famous Columbia University liberal, Dr. Richard Florida, who now consults in Toronto Canada. His advice to cities is to nurture their “creative class” and in doing so, the city will thrive. Interestingly, his efforts to change Toronto are not widely appreciated and there is a movement against his practices. After two years, Toronto objects to his methods and now wants to reclaim their city, institutions and government.

In July, the Economic Club of Indiana hosted a luncheon featuring a retired mayor from Milwaukee Wisconsin, John Norquist. He is known as a fiscally conservative socialist. His idea, “New Urbanism” centers on making our neighborhoods more walking and biking friendly and to revamp our transit system to reduce environmental impact that results from autos. At it’s core is the reconstruction of the “European” city. New Urbanism is based out of the large urban city of Chicago, Ill. One is left to wonder how much local money has been spent on speakers’ fees for ideas that can be easily gleaned from the “consultants” books and publications?

Another example of liberalism encroaching our city is the “Bank On” project that originated in San Francisco, California. It is touted as a means of “economic inclusiveness” to help the poor, such as illegal aliens, get bank accounts. While many believe it is a good thing to help our “unbanked” get financial support, one could argue that this also leads to Evansville becoming a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. Many opponents warn that banks should not open accounts to those who may be earning their money illegally and of inherent dangers in not requiring valid ID or social security cards to open an account.

Liberals will have us believe that Evansville isn’t capable of addressing these important issues on our own. And yet, we have several universities, highly educated professionals, city council, local government, outspoken citizens, a rich ethnic history of Germans and strong minority groups. Multiple social alliances exist in Evansville, serving our homeless, poor, disadvantaged and at risk populations. We have a great health care system, manufacturing, economic development groups and a wonderful river city in development.

Within the USA, Evansville is centrally located and many of us pride ourselves on NOT having fancy coastal trappings. We reject liberal ideas of pandering to the restless youth who “need to be attracted” and fawned about as if spoiled brats who must have a culturally stimulating, progressive, tolerant and green environment to entice them to Evansville.

Instead, we gladly welcome newcomers who accept us for what we are: a flawed city in need of improvement. We should focus our efforts on attracting and keeping anyone whose values are in line with ours and who will help improve our city. Our citizens are conservative traditionalists and smart visionaries who value: liberty, individual rights, family, charity, church, patriotism, military, farming and small government. We consider ourselves Americans but embrace ethnic pride. A majority are pro life, pro guns and pro USA!.

This isn’t rocket science! We all want a clean, vibrant city with various attractions, jobs, recreation, cultural and educational opportunities. Our citizens are best suited to decide what matters most and will use ingenuity to make things happen because it is the right thing to do for Everyone! Strong conservatives eagerly lead the charge to preserve our traditional values, protect our liberties and develop this city from within, not from progressive think tanks and European scholars.

Audrey Andress
Evansville

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