IS IT TRUE? March 25, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the U. S. Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is being closed for two years for extensive renovations?…that the U. S. Cellular Arena is managed by VenuWorks that has been chosen by the Weinzapfel administration to run the new and yet to be named Evansville Arena?…that many of the current employees of SMG that has managed Roberts Stadium for many years have applied for jobs with VenuWorks?…that there have been lots of interviews where the applicants are having their brains picked for local contacts?…that many of the people who work for VenuWorks in Cedar Rapids are being interviewed for a transfer to Evansville during the Cedar Rapids construction?…that this little shuffle will cause Evansville people to lose their jobs in this industry so that temporary workers from Cedar Rapids can come to Evansville to work for two years?…that this sort of reminds us of the things that William Yung did when Columbia Sussex bought Casino Aztar that sent Mayor Weinzapfel into a fit that jeopardized Aztar’s gambling license?

IS IT TRUE that Gail Riecken and the House Democrats have now broken the record for longest walkout for Legislator’s in U.S. history?…that this is not a record to be proud of?…that the State of Illinois is money hungry and has put the word out that the people of Illinois who shop on Ebay, Amazon, and other online sources where sales taxes are not collected with be hunted down and collected from?…that Illinois needs to look no further than the Indiana Democrats to collect some income tax revenue for the income that the wayward rascals have collected from the taxpayers of Indiana?…that they may even be able to collect a license fee from Mrs. Riecken’s hairdresser who travels to Urbana to keep Gail properly coifed?…that this little charade has gone on long enough?…that if these people are not arrested and hauled back to Indianapolis when they make conjugal visits and meet the legislators events in their home communities that the need to hole up in Illinois has passed?…that they can boycott their jobs from the comfort of home in Indianapolis?

IS IT TRUE that Gov. Daniel’s has signed HB1251 yesterday? A “JOB’S” bill co-authored by Rep. Sue Ellspermann & Rep. Ron Bacon that will help Young Entrepreneur’s bring Economic Development & Employment opportunities to Indiana?…that today is the day that the University of Evansville holds its annual NEW VENTURE CONTEST where students from all of the country and even some other countries converge on Evansville to compete with their business plans against each other for the $10,000 first prize?…that in the past students from other institutions have dominated the competition?…that maybe this will be the year for a local team to top the charts and win the top prize?…that the team that won the contest two years ago is the corporate sponsor for this year’s event?

IS IT TRUE that candidate for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Evansville Troy Tornatta is finally getting some momentum and starting to campaign like he actually has opposition?…that he is only about 10,000 door knocks behind in the marketing game?…that Mr. Tornatta is finally making statements about the number of businesses in Evansville and visiting small businesses like a barber shop to listen to people on what it will take to create some jobs?…that what that barber needs is more heads in town to cut the hair on?…that a shrinking population is something that barbers cannot tolerate?…that a growing population means more hair to cut and that means more work for barbers?…that the same thing goes for every personal service business in existence?…that more people mean more business even if it happens to be more sets of tires to be sold?…that thinking about what will make the population of Evansville grow will help Evansville based businesses?…that we are sure that Troy knows that?…that if Mr. Tornatta can just keep himself from seeking advice from Mayor Weinzapfel as he did in his race for County Commissioner that he may have a fighting chance in the upcoming primary?…that Troy knows what to do if he can just make himself do it?

Link to EPD Activity Report for 3.23.2011

EPD Activity Report March 23 2011

Patrick McBride Speaks out on the Evansville Parks Situation

How Did Evansville’s Parks get into such a State of Neglect

I often wonder how and why our elected officials allowed the Evansville City Parks to get into the dilapidated shape they are in today. What I have come to understand is that no one is perfect but that one should also never stop to endeavor to make things better. No one can be everywhere all the time but failure to notice the deteriorating condition of Evansville’s Parks is simply negligence. Did they turn a blind eye to the advanced state decay? I don’t know the answer, but what I do know is that when people ask for help the last thing an elected official should do is to tune them out. It seems as though that is what has happened and no one seems to want to be accountable.

It took two individuals Dr. Neil Troost and Chester Downs to bring it all to light. How many others were aware or have had negative experiences with the parks and were afraid to come forward or had such a lack of faith in local government that they thought their efforts would be useless? These two individuals didn’t want publicity nor did they want to seek celebrity status. What they wanted and continue to want is much more than that. They want what we all want, for our citizens and children to have a safe and pleasurable environment in Evansville’s public parks. They seek to reclaim places for kids and parents alike to feel comfortable showing up not to just the parks in the 2nd Ward but all of Evansville.

They and I want a responsive system to alert others of the dangers for families in the Evansville parks. We as human beings seem to have forgotten our biggest role in life, and that is the caring of others, especially children. We have forgotten to slow down and take a look around to make sure we are aware of what is going on around us.

I have discussed the park ranger program and how there seemed to be less problems back when there were Park Rangers in Evansville. Some say EPD does a better job than the Park Rangers did but fact is that as great of a job that EPD does in our community their resources are stretched to the limit. I prefer that the EPD concentrate on serious criminal activity such as drug dealers, prostitution, and violence in our neighborhoods. The EPD should be called in by Park Rangers when serious crimes are being perpetrated in our parks.

We have to figure out a way of allocating funds to curb the vandalism and to reclaim our once renowned city park system. I am encouraged to learn that both private and public funds are starting to be considered to reclaim the parks. These are steps in the right direction but they are only small steps.

What people thirst for in government more than anything else is leadership. We need leaders and not followers. No park in this city should strike fear into the hearts of our citizens and no park should be littered to the point of being unsanitary or unsafe.

I am committed to seeing Evansville’s Parks safe and attractive. If the people of the 2nd Ward honor me with elected office, I pledge as a member of the Evansville City Council to make the reclamation of the parks and especially the Vann-Pollack Park in the 2nd Ward where I live as one of my most important priorities. I am eager to work with anyone at anytime including my fellow Council members and our next Mayor to make this happen.

Patrick McBride, Candidate
Democratic Nomination for Evansville City Council

IS IT TRUE? March 24, 2011

IS IT TRUE that within an hour of publishing an article with excerpts and a link to a study done on the disappointment with the results of the consolidation of Louisville we got emails from employees of two separate economic development agencies advising us that the study that we posted has been “refuted” but other studies?…that the study that we posted was scholarly and presented raw data and two pages of references to support their conclusions?…that the metrics used and presented as disappointing are job growth, employment, number of businesses, annual payroll, and population growth?…that the raw data presented checks out as accurate?…that the language of the study did seem slanted in a negative way but that nevertheless the data was accurate?

IS IT TRUE that one of the people who contacted us stated that the study was not valid because it was paid for by opponents of consolidation?…that if paying for a study while having a position on a subject invalidates the study, then every study that is paid for by supporters of consolidation are invalid also?…that raw data does not lie but that liars can sometimes manipulate raw data to tell a lie?…that raw population is very hard to lie about in a census year?…that former Mayor Jerry Abramson of Louisville is on record many times as stating that Louisville is now the 16th largest city in America and that being a top 20 city was one of the promises that was made to pass consolidation in Louisville?…that in reality at the time of consolidation Louisville became the 26th largest city in America, slipped to 27 during the first 4 years after consolidation, and has slipped even further to 29th?…that when the ranking is expanded to include the entire MSA which has a population of 1,258,777 but only ranks 41st among American MSA’s for population?…that to claim to be the 16th largest city in America when the RAW DATA does not back up that claim IS INTENTIONAL MISREPRESENTATION?…that all of the cheerleaders for Louisville including the former Mayor get the PINNOCHIO AWARD for truth in advertising?…that to call a study biased by being biased and untruthful has no merit?…that Louisville has grown during the past 10 years, has had some wins, and has visibly improved?…that Louisville has some good truths to tell and that its local officials undermine the credibility of the City of Louisville by advertising false claims?…that we are never surprised when a politician or some group that is beholding to a politician tells a lie?

IS IT TRUE that the CITY COUNTY OBSERVER has offered one of the chief proponents of consolidation the opportunity to provide us with a study that concentrates on raw data that shows where consolidation was a success in Louisville and WE WILL PUBLISH IT IMMEDIATELY WITH EXCERPTS as we did with the study yesterday titled “Beyond the Rhetoric”?…that we will do so even if the submitted study happened to have been paid for by proponents of consolidation?…that we well DO A SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON OF THE RAW DATA of the two studies should a second one be made available?…that we really hope that this is provided and that the RAW DATA cuts through the clutter of self interested bull crap artists?

IS IT TRUE that we wonder if the consolidation committee that has spent the past year crafting the proposal being considered by Evansville-Vanderburgh used any before and after RAW ECONOMIC DATA to first decide if consolidation has yielded the benefits that they claim that it will here?…that we would appreciate a list of references of documentable successes that have been achieved through consolidation that would not have happened anyway?…that we are waiting?

IS IT TRUE? Part Two March 23, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the newly hired staff writer for the Evansville Courier and Press is making his rounds to meet the elected political movers and shakers of Vanderburgh County and Evansville proper? ….that “MOLE # 3” is hearing that AREK SARKKISSIAN ll is being well received by the above political types? ….we just might have another Dan Shaw in the workings? ….we wish Mr. SARKKISSIAN the best and wish him well? ….we have just read an article in yesterday’s Evansville Courier and Press and must admit that he not only writes well but knows the KING’S ENGLISH?

IS IT TRUE that if political signs posted in front yards of possible voters living in the 3rd Ward depict how people are going to vote for City Council member than Don Walker would win the upcoming primary? ….that election isn’t being held today so you can expect an extremely competitive race from here on? ….that you can expect signs for all 3rd Ward candidates to be everywhere starting today?

IS IT TRUE that “MOLE # 3” is hearing that the Democratic candidate for Mayor Troy Tornatta is finally taking his campaign to the streets? ….that candidate Tornatta is going door to door in select neighborhoods asking people to vote for him? ….it’s about time he starts doing one on one type of campaigning because this is really how elections are won? ….that Mr. Tornatta shouldn’t listen to any more advice of the Mayor and start following his own political instincts?

IS IT TRUE that candidate for Mayor of Evansville on the Republican ticket, Lloyd Winnecke is getting it right out of the political box? ….that Mr. Winnecke has just announced that is to be conducting a DOOR TO DOOR campaign to become the next Mayor of Evansville? ….you can expect that a volunteer for Winnecke for Mayor team will be ringing your door bell in the near future? …if you’re interested in learning more about the Lloyd Winnecke for mayor contact jacobkeating@winneckeformayor.com?

IS IT TRUE that Libyan strongman Colonel Moarmar Khadaffi is rumored to have bought most of his official state uniforms at the Michael Jackson estate sale?…that Colonel Khadaffi complements MJ’s clothes with a hat that he stole from one of the Village People?…that the medals on his chest for courage, valor, and all of those other honorable things that leaders exhibit came from various flea markets and Ebay?…that for those of you who are over 50 years old Colonel Khadaffi must remind you of the cartoon character Commander McBragg? Bully!

IS IT TRUE that the Board of Directors of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau has gotten out of the gate very well and has things going in the right direction?…that due to this that the usual suspects have started passing the collection plate to ask for contributions for pet projects?…that very soon the new board of the ECVB will be considering a project in Wesselman Park involving Tennis Courts?…that we encourage them to hold the claims of economic recovery and prosperity for this and other projects feet to the fire of reality and to make wise use of the funds that are available for them to allocate?

Link to the EPD Activity Report for March 22, 2011

EPD Activity Report March 22, 2011

IS IT TRUE? March 23, 2011

IS IT TRUE that some truths are starting to emerge in the “why did Verizon wait until the demolition crew showed up to start to move” drama that is costing time and money to Woodruff Hospitality and the downtown Evansville Convention Hotel?…that anyone who does not live under a rock has known for nearly four years that the Executive Inn parking garage would be coming face to face with the wrecking ball?…that even the most nostalgic of people who deny structural problems have known this building was coming down since last July?…that Verizon either is the victim of Ready, Fire, Aim management or has just hung on with their fingernails to the last hour for replacing their antenna perched atop the Executive Inn parking garage?…that the short term solution is to put a “cell on wheels” unit in the empty lot between the C. K. Newsome Center and the Curtis Building?…that this will be one ugly but temporary solution to the demolition of the parking garage?…that no matter how ugly it may be that the fact that it is temporary exempts Verizon from needing to seek the approval of the Area Planning Commission to put it there?…that last summer a local businessman was turned down in his request to install windmills at an industrial location less than a quarter of a mile from the proposed temporary location for the Verizon antenna?…that this businessman should have attached wheels to his windmills and called them temporary thus avoiding the need to seek approval of the Area Planning Commission that eventually told him to take his windmills and get out of Evansville because Evansville does not have a windmill policy?…that equal justice is due to all of us, not just the ones doing the City Administrations bidding?

IS IT TRUE that the following area attorneys’ were selected as the 2011 Indiana Super Lawyers? ….they are: Thomas A. Massey, Massey Law Offices for Family Law, Steve Barber, Barber & Barber for General Litigation, Robert F. “Ted” Barron ll, Kahn-Dees-Donovan- & Kahn for Health Care, Timothy D. Born, Terrell-Baugh-Salmon & Born for Personal Injury Defense & General, Christopher D Lee, Kahn-Dees-Donovan & Kahn, Ross E. Rudolph, Rudolph-Fine-Porter & Johnson for Civil Litigation Defense, Randall K. Craig, Laws offices of Randall Craig for Elder Law, Robert M. Becker, Bamberger, Foremen, Oswald and Hahn for Estate Planning & Probate and Brian K. Carroll, Johnson-Carroll-Morton- Kent for Estate Planning & Probate?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,420 days since the announcement was made on May 14, 2007 that the McCurdy Hotel was to be refurbished into luxury apartments?…that it has now been 1,274 days since the Evansville Redevelopment Commission at the request of Mayor Weinzapfel approved the spending of $603,000 to purchase the parking lot?…that City Centre Properties and Scott Kosene the developers of the McCurdy project are both listed as contributors to the Weinzapfel for Mayor committee for 2010?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 589 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer is giddy at the attraction of SS&C to Evansville and with the fact that these are 500 good professional jobs that pay competitive salaries and have international visibility?…that this is the best attraction project to be secured by Evansville in over 10 years?…that the CEO of this company is an Evansville kid who understands business and progressive incentives to spread the wealth among his employees?…that the concept of “everyone who helps to make the pie gets to eat some pie” has escaped the bulk of the Evansville business community for many years now?… that maybe this company is the beginning of a positive trend?…that we tip our hat to the entire team that worked to make this happen?

HartfordBusiness.com Reports that SS&C Stock Options created over a two dozen Millionaires with IPO

A local connection may have been instrumental in the attraction of SS&C Holdings to Evansville. The founder, Chairman, and CEO Bill Stone is a graduate of Evansville’s Memorial High School. When SS&C went public with an IPO on NASDAQ on March 31, 2010, Mr. Stones creation helped enable over a dozen employee option holders to become what is often referred to as “on paper millionaires”. Additionally the total who saw their “paper net worth” increase by over $500,000 was 83 employees. The stock which is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol SSNC has since risen by 32% to $19.83 adding even more wealth to the employees of the business.

The company that was founded in 1986 with four people has grown to today’s complement of 1,400 but it has not been without challenge and hard work. The success story of a classic brain drainer who started life in Evansville and left to enjoy success elsewhere has now culminated in this local product choosing to create some prosperity in his home town. Welcome back Mr. Stone, we are certain that Evansville can benefit and learn much from your experiences.

The story of SS&C’ challenges and triumphs are addressed on the following link to the HartfordBusiness.com.

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article.php?RF_ITEM%5B%5D=Article$0@13382;Article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SS&C Technologies to Establish New Fund Administration and Technology Center in Evansville

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (March 22, 2011) -SS&C Technologies (NASDAQ: SSNC) today announced the company’s plans to open a new service and technology center here, creating up to 500 new jobs by 2014.

SS&C provides software and software-enabled services for trading, accounting, reporting, risk management and fund administration to hedge fund clients, insurance companies and institutional asset managers, among other finance industry clients. The company will invest approximately $3.9 million to lease and equip space at a to-be-determined site in Indiana’s third largest city.

“SS&C is a company that has continued to grow even during the challenging economic times,” said Governor Mitch Daniels. “We couldn’t be happier that they’ve chosen to bring these new high-skill positions to Evansville.”

The company plans to begin hiring fund accountants and account managers, in addition to sales and operations support roles, with the anticipated opening of operations in Evansville in the second quarter of 2011.

“According to the 2010 HedgeFund.net survey, we are the fifth largest fund administrator in North America, based on assets under administration, and we plan to leverage our Evansville operations to continue growth in the alternative asset management sector,” said Bill Stone, chairman and chief executive officer of SS&C Technologies. “We selected the state of Indiana and the city of Evansville based on several criteria, including the strong partnerships we have forged with the state and city, and the talent and skills available.”

Established in 1986, SS&C has grown to employ more than 1,400 associates at offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The company counts more than 5,000 financial services providers as customers, ranging from large corporations to local organizations.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered SS&C Technologies up to $8.3 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. The city of Evansville will consider additional property tax abatement at the request of the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville.

“Evansville was up against Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, Okla. and Springfield, Ill., for this highly-competitive project. In addition to the significant capital investment, the SS&C project will further stimulate downtown redevelopment and create just the kind of high-paying, professional jobs our community needs as we head into the future,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

SS&C’s announced expansion to Evansville comes just two months after steel processor, Sugar Steel, announced it would invest more than $1.6 million to locate in the 100,000 square-foot former Patriot Steel building in Evansville, creating up to 26 new jobs by 2012. The facility will be Sugar Steel’s first operation outside of its home state of Illinois.

About SS&C Technologies
SS&C is a global provider of investment and financial software-enabled services and software focused exclusively on the global financial services industry. Founded in 1986, SS&C has its headquarters in Windsor, Connecticut and offices around the world. 5,000 financial services organizations, from the world’s largest to local financial services organizations, manage and account for their investments using SS&C’s products and services. These clients in the aggregate manage over $16 trillion in assets.

Additional information about SS&C (NASDAQ: SSNC) is available at www.ssctech.com.

About IEDC
Created by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Daniels. Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.