IS IT TRUE? August 5, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville is joining the negotiation with the IceMen through the use of the Courier and Press to forward their position that the Arena’s needs for cash take a superior position to the IceMen’s need for a good business model?…that what the Icemen have been offered is essentially a deal that if they do poorly with attendance that they have to pay more but that if they exceed expectations that they will pay less?…that this is a formula to kill an emerging business?…that if things go poorly they have to pay a higher amount for rent but if they do great they get a break?…that anyone with a shred of business sense would shake their head and just say “give me a break”?

IS IT TRUE that what is needed to help the IceMen grow is exactly the opposite of what the brilliant minds working for the City of Evansville have concocted?…that if ticket sales lag the IceMen need a big break?…that if ticket sales go better than expected (or should I say than the City projected) that the IceMen should pay more?…that we really are starting to wonder what is it about a win-win scenario that our community leaders just do not understand?…that if the IceMen win Evansville should win too?…that if the IceMen suffer at the box office then Evansville should share in the losses?…that we wonder if the deal between the City of Evansville and the IceMen is a partnership or a dictatorship?…that Ron Geary is a seasoned businessman who knows about win-win relationships?…that he is right now in the middle of a negotiation with a collection of simpletons that have never earned a dollar of private profit based money in their lives?…that the City County Observer would like to be a fly on the wall when Mr. Geary tells these guys where to stick this one sided, uncompromising deal that he has been offered?

IS IT TRUE that the leaders of the City of Evansville need to go back to some 8th grade class when the concepts of the free enterprise system and capitalism are taught?…that as long as municipalities elect leaders that know little about the practice of business that they will suffer the consequences of having decisions made and deals put together that would be more at home in the former USSR that they will ever be in a capitalistic society?

IS IT TRUE that there is another situation brewing down at the McCurdy that will reflect very strongly on the lack of business savvy that our Evansville Redevelopment Commission and Mayor Weinzapfel have agreed to?…that we are in the final stages of securing the details of the mortgage situation with respect to this historic property?…that a mortgage on this property is held by the City of Evansville on this property?…that another mortgage is also on the property and that a prominent bank on the Evansville skyline is the mortgage holder?…that the title was transferred to City Centre Properties after the City of Evansville incented CCP with $800,000 in cash and a $603,000 parking lot?…that about a year after the nothing down deal with public money footing the deal that City Centre Properties took out a private mortgage on the McCurdy Hotel in an amount that is larger than the incentive of the City of Evansville?…that if the contract that is now expired is rescinded and a foreclosure proceeding is pursued that the City of Evansville may get absolutely nothing back if the loan that the city holds has been subordinated to the paper held by the prominent bank?…that this arrangement could take years to work its way through the courts, could end up in an auction that brings less than the private mortgage, leaving the City of Evansville out $1,403,000 and with no hotel to show for this inept little exercise?

3rd Ward Republican Candidate Offers Position Paper

City Management: Compliance or Non-compliance?

The City and County elected officials will soon draft the budget for 2012. There is a lot of power in the purse, so we must be sure that our new budget is transparent. We, the people, need to know that our money, including federal money, is being spent wisely. All accounts and sub-accounts should be open for inspection.

I have taken a brief look at the 2009 Audit of City of Evansville, prepared by State of Indiana auditors in compliance with State Board of Accounts directives. This is Evansville’s yearly report card on where and how it accounts for money spent. This report is public record on the Indiana SBOA web page under resources and reports.

There are 5 discrepancies on the 2009 report, one of which shows 12 accounts had been overdrawn.

I have two reasons for concern here, (1) the City of Evansville, in this report, was cited for violations of state statutes; one has carried over for two or more years. These discrepancies should have been cleared in a timely fashion, and then re-inspected. Has this been done and by whom?, and (2) it seems logical to me that a new budget cannot be correctly prepared with open discrepancies, items that should have been fixed in early 2011. How about first things first? It seems like the City Council should have taken the lead here, fixed the problems, filed the appropriate reports of completion with the State Board of Accounts, and then informed the public of what they had done. Do we have any record of this?

For example, there is a discrepancy in the 2009 report citing that parking meter fees continue to be deposited into the general fund, “As stated in several prior reports” … meaning that someone in City Council has repeatedly ignored this discrepancy which states that these funds are to have a separate account. This is a repeat write-up. Placing designated money in the general fund makes it too easy to spend it unwisely. In a year when every tax dollar counts, don’t we all want to eliminate sloppy management, caring even in the small things, and directing dollars appropriately?

Where has the Evansville City Council been on following this up, since they approve all budgets? Granted this is a small thing, but it may represent a lax attitude of council members with respect to oversight of community revenues. With Democrats in control of the council for the past few decades, are they telling us that this is how they do the business of the city?

I am the Republican candidate for City Council, Ward 3 and I have had experience in the inspections and management of military units. It was my job to know higher headquarter directives and ensure compliance. When discrepancies were found, it was my job to fix them quickly. The military had a good system and it worked well.

I think Evansville government would benefit by changing the way it does business.

I wonder if accounts are still being overdrawn and the parking meter fees are still being deposited into the general fund?

We are Evansville, watch us grow.

The College of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of Southern Indiana is expanding its graduate nursing program offerings and student financial assistance with federal grants totaling $2.2 million recently received from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“The HRSA grants provide the opportunity for our college to expand our graduate nursing programs,” said Dr. Nadine Coudret, dean of the college.

A new psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program and a new clinical nurse specialist program (CNS) will be offered.

“We’ve used similar funding to start the family nurse practitioner program and the acute care nurse practitioner program and, we are excited to be able to have these new programs at USI,” Coudret said.

A master’s degree program and a post master’s certification will be available in both areas. Each grant is for three years. The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program will be funded with a $720,850 grant. A $705,980 grant will fund the development of the clinical nurse specialty program.

Family psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners are able to provide children and adults with primary mental healthcare. “There is a major shortage of psychiatric-mental health care providers at both the regional and national level,” Coudret said. Graduates of this program will provide urgently needed services to patients in our community. Dr. Kathy Riedford, associate professor of nursing and a practicing psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, will direct the program development. Dr. Riedford holds a Ph.D. in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing from Indiana University and is a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner(PMHNP).

Clinical nurse specialists are expert nurse clinicians in a specialized area of nursing practice, such as geriatrics, oncology, critical care, and emergency room care. Their practice setting is typically in a hospital or extended care facility. Research has demonstrated the importance of nursing to patient care outcomes. The clinical nurse specialist is prepared to provide care, lead, educate and consult with the nursing staff to advance the level of nursing care in our hospitals. Dr. Judi Kuric is the project director of the clinical nurse specialty. Dr. Kuric earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Rush University.

A grant of $748,805 will provide funding to expand the doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) program which began in 2008. The first class of 15 DNP students graduated this spring. The influence and leadership of DNP graduates in addressing major health problems is evidenced in the numerous publications and presentations that describe the graduate projects that were carried out in schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and in the community. Dr. Ann White, associate dean of the college, is the project director and serves as director of the program.

A fourth grant of $77,049 will be used to fund nursing traineeships. This funding is available for full-time students and for students in their last year of graduate study. Dr. Mayola Rowser, director of the graduate nursing programs, is the project director.

Four nursing specialties are currently offered at the master’s level in the College of Nursing and Health Professions including acute care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, nursing education, and nursing management and leadership in addition to the doctoral degree in nursing practice. The college also offers master’s degrees in health administration and occupational therapy. Total enrollment for the college is 2,218 undergraduates and 458 graduate students.

Source: USI.edu

Thursday, August 4
11:30 a.m.
The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana, 318 Main Street, 4th Floor of Innovation Pointe

Tomorrow, approximately 65 volunteers from Evansville’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) and fourth grade teachers from three EVSC elementary schools will be at The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana to kick off the Fun Steps Program, a program that teaches students the importance of healthy living and exercise. The program, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Kosair Children’s Hospital, The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana’s Young Professionals Network, and the EVSC Center for Family, School, and Community Partnerships, is aimed at fourth grade students at Hebron, Stockwell and West Terrace.

The kick-off event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a check presentation for the funding of the program. Then trainers from Kosair will explain the program to volunteers and teachers and teach them how to implement it in classroom lessons and other activities.

Time 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Subject TREE ADVISORY BOARD
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs the first Thursday of every 1 month effective 8/4/2011 until 9/1/2011 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Reminder 15 minutes
SHAWN DICKERSON @ 475-1426
Categories ROOM 318

Time 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Subject CONTROLLER
Location 307
Reminder 15 minutes
JEANIE @ 4918
Categories ROOM 307

Time 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Subject EMPO TECHNICAL
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the first Thursday of every 1 month effective 8/4/2011 until 9/1/2011 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Reminder 15 minutes
KARI @ 7833
Categories ROOM 301

Time 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Subject BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs every Thursday effective 8/4/2011 until 9/1/2011 from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
Sharon Evans @ 4982
Categories ROOM 301

Time 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Subject EMPO POLICY BOARD
Location 301
Recurrence Occurs the first Thursday of every 1 month effective 8/4/2011 until 9/1/2011 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Reminder 18 hours
KARI 2 7833
Categories ROOM 301

Time 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Subject RE-ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTEE
Location 301
Reminder 15 minutes
MARISSA
Categories ROOM 301