Special Election Day IS IT TRUE

IS IT TRUE that the Reagan Democrats and independent voters all over the country are flocking to the polls today to cast their ballots in what looks like it will be a referendum on today’s economic realities?….that today is shaping up to be very much like 1994 with the names changed but the game the same?….that we surely hope that the economy of the late nineties that was lead by a popular Democratic President and a Republican Congress comes roaring back like that combination magically did in the 90’s?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville is a test market for national product launches for a reason?…that the reason is that what works here is most likely to work elsewhere?…that the same thing goes for politics?….that we will know by midnight just how much like the rest of the nation that Vanderburgh County is politically?

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau finally released a two page supposedly detailed budget for the 8 ball fields proposed for the Roberts Stadium site? ….that of the total budget of $17,500,000 that only $4,900,000 is for the actual ballfields?….that the City County Observer in a series of articles has documented the fact that the basic cost for a state of the art ball field starts at approximately $250,000?….that the price per ball field in the ECVB proposal works out to only $612,500 per ball field?….that the City County Observer while thinking this is a high number is not shocked or amazed by this budgetary figure?

IS IT TRUE that an additional $7,932,902 is detailed as infrastructure improvements that are required to make the site “ball field ready”?…that these requirements include water, sewer, irrigation, drainage, earthwork, buildings, electrical work, and nearly $400,000 in project initiation fees?….that there is a “contingency” line item in the amount of $385,254 and a “maintenance equipment package” budget for $350,000?…..that $350,000 will buy lots of lawnmowers?

IS IT TRUE that this budget also includes a “COMMUNITY SUPPORT COSTS” section that plans to spend $2,425,830?….that includes $1,500,000 to demolish Roberts Stadium?….that Mr. John Kish is on record stating that the budget to demolish the Executive Inn is also $1,500,000?…that these facilities are not remotely the same type of structure or even the same size?…..that the first “quote” to demolish the Executive Inn was announced by Mr. Kish at the August meeting of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to be only $1,000,000?…..that the City County Observer wonders just how solid these exact quotes are?

IS IT TRUE that $12,600,000 is budgeted to build, prepare, design, demolish, and finance the proposed ball field project?….that the innkeeper’s tax for these kinds of purposes is designated for brick and mortar projects that promote tourism?…..that we wonder how demolishing Roberts Stadium attracts visitors to Vanderburgh County?….that most of the line items as it turns out are not related to ball fields at all?….that bailing out the City of Evansville for deferring maintenance on an already existing Wesselman Park may not be an appropriate use of the innkeeper’s tax?….that if the City of Evansville would have been GOOD STEWARDS of Wesselman Park and done the maintenance when it was needed that more than half of the line items in this proposal would not even be necessary?

IS IT TRUE that there is still no agreement in place for a Downtown Convention Hotel?….that the innkeeper’s tax is appropriate for doing preparation work to attract a Quality Hotel Developer to replace the Executive Inn?…..that you cannot spend the same money twice?…..that if the City of Evansville should have budgeted any demolition of Roberts Stadium into the new Arena budget?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Evansville should have maintained Wesselman Park and kept the existing ball fields in tournament condition if ball tournaments are indeed beneficial to tourism?….that if the City of Evansville would have done both of the things well and planned properly to avoid the EXECUTIVE INN DILEMMA, that both projects could have gone forward with the bonding of the innkeeper’s tax?….that this $18M Ball Field Proposal is really a $4.9M Ball Field Proposal and a $12.6M BAILOUT OF THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE?

The 2006 election for Vanderburgh County Prosecutor pitted these exact same candidates against one another that are squaring off in 2010. In that election a very young Nick Hermann was introduced to countywide electoral politics by a sound defeat at the hands of the Democratic incumbent Stan Levco by a vote tally of 32,291 to 22,009 a victory margin of over 10,000 votes.

That was 2006 when the sentiment of the county was so strongly in the Democratic camp that Linda Durham rode the coattails of that sentiment to victory in the race for Knight Township Trustee. In the 2006 elections 20,434 (36% of all votes) people voted straight ticket ballots out of the 56,279 that were cast. Of those straight ticket voters 58.4% went to Democratic candidates and 40.2% went to Republicans. The margin of straight ticket voters in 2006 is eerily close to the 59.4% to 40.5% margin that Mr. Levco defeated Mr. Hermann by.

How long were the coattails of Brad Ellsworth and Democratic sentiment in 2006? Did these coattails have any impact at all on the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s race or were the results fully determined by the voter’s judgment on the candidates appeal? The real question in this campaign is whether or not Nick Hermann can convince 9.5% of the electorate that in 2010 he is the best man for the job.

Mole #3 has yet to make a call on this race. During the past four years Mr. Hermann has greatly increased his political knowledge base with a stint as the Chairman of the Vanderburgh County Republican Party, has established a track record as a volunteer in children’s advocacy programs including the Juvenile Drug Court, and accepted several board appointments in Vanderburgh County. He also has grown accustomed to the role of father that always offers opportunities to develop a more mature perspective. It is safe to say that the Nick Hermann of 2010 is a much different person than the Nick Hermann that Prosecutor Levco defeated in 2006.

Mr. Levco has spent the last four years right where he has been since winning the election for Vanderburgh County Prosecutor in 1990. Stan has been the steady hand on the plow continually running the Prosecutor’s office now for two decades. Levco knows the job of Prosecutor as he has defined it and managed it for most of his adult life.

This race was disrupted several weeks ago with the reporting that Mr. Levco had violated the Hatch Act by soliciting political donations from staff members. This allegation was addressed quickly by Mr. Levco who communicating exactly what his fundraising practices have been. The typical reaction among the voters has been “don’t they all do that?” If that opinion is broadly held this allegation should have little impact on the election.

This contest really comes down to maturity, experience, and coattails. There is no question that Mr. Levco, who has the support of Sheriff Eric Williams has more experience than Mr. Hermann who was endorsed by the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) and spent the last four years dedicated to becoming a better candidate for office. It will be up to each voter to decide whether or not Mr. Hermann’s combination of youth and potential merits a decision for the veteran Prosecutor Mr. Levco to pass the torch on to a younger man.

Mole #3, while not making a projection in the Vanderburgh County Prosecutors race is willing to go out on a limb and state that if the coattails of Larry Bucshon, who was recruited to run for Congress by Mr. Hermann, are going to determine this very close race. If Mr. Bucshon’s coattails and the general aura of discontentment with the status quo play themselves out in Vanderburgh County as they are poised to across the nation, then Citizen Hermann will most likely become Prosecutor Hermann.

The discontentment with the state of the country will most certainly influence local elections like the one for Vanderburgh County Prosecutor. Sometimes this is warranted and sometimes it is not. Stan Levco has served this office in an honest and dignified manner and if reelected will continue to do so. The City County Observer hopes that each and every vote is based on a knowledgeable person making an informed vote for the person that they believe is the best candidate for the job of Prosecutor.

Mole #3’s Notes from the Street:

Coattails and sentiment can be quite disruptive. In the City County Observer reader’s polls a “throw the bums out” sentiment runs deep and some of the letters and comments are personal. If 2010 is an indication of things to come, and we have every indication that it is, the volume will be turned up in 2011. The entire Evansville City Council and the Mayor of Evansville are up for election next year. The sentiment on the street with a very few exceptions is that there will be close to a complete change of power in the City of Evansville next year and that no amount of money can keep that tide from coming in.

Election Day is almost here and I want to thank you for all your help. I am feeling very positive about the outcome of our election. I have avoided misrepresentations and exaggerations of the truth as my opponent enjoys and have stayed the course of honest discussion. You have told me you appreciate this.

• I continue to fight against utility rate increases because now is not the time to raise energy rates or taxes, especially in tough economic times.

• In the legislature I fought for a jobs bill that would create up to 30,000 new jobs and establish tax incentives for small businesses to help them grow and create new jobs in-state.

• I believe we need to enforce the immigration laws we have on the books and fine companies who knowingly hire illegal immigrants instead of legal citizens.

• We must put a stop to the outsourcing of Indiana jobs. I will require corporations doing business with the state to hire at least 80% of its workers from Indiana.

• Companies should be held accountable, and I would force them to return taxpayer dollars if they received tax breaks for promising new jobs in our state, but never created the jobs.

• I passed legislation that limits the burden foreclosures have on our community. The result was to speed up the process to sell vacant and abandoned homes, so that new owners can move in and our property values are not hurt by homes left to ruin.

• I will protect local schools from further budget cuts. I oppose the $9 million cuts to our local schools, which have increased class sizes and allows Indianapolis bureaucrats to control our local schools.

I believe you and I share similar values. I have two children, two grandchildren and am a former Sunday School teacher. With a friend and strong help from the Junior League of Evansville, I co-founded the ARK Crisis child care center. I believe our children should have a healthy and happy childhood.
I’ve talked face to face with you at your home, called you on the phone and asked others to call you. As we have talked, you have asked about the confusing and misleading statements of my opponent and I have answered. Until my opponent actually stepped over the line and called me a “liar”, I was comfortable with the tone of the campaign, however, unprofessional and degrading her remarks were to her, personally.
So, let me set the record straight on a few issues:

1.) The vote to not support 10,000 jobs was the right vote. The bill will put another new major highway in front of funding I 69 to compete with Major Moves money we need to complete I 69. It doesn’t provide one job to southwestern Indiana. Obviously, Musgrave would have voted for the bill.

• Was the bill on a statehouse mailer? Yes.
• But was this intentional? No.
• Rep. Jeb Bardon, who voted against the bill, had the same reference as I.
• A lie? Hardly. A mistake? Yes.
• Do I take responsibility? Certainly.

2.) The neighborhood meeting incident with the press. Perhaps Musgrave should tell what really happened at the meeting, how she refused to honor the “rules” the president of the neighborhood association had set. This was a new president and her first candidate meeting. Musgrave’s campaign was disrespectful.

3.) The debates. Neither I nor my campaign field manager nor the person representing me in the negotiation “promised” or even intimated that we would agree to three debates. If the truth be known, Musgrave never expected that I would agree to one; word is she and her husband were pretty upset when I did. Even then, in the debate she didn’t answer questions or present one idea or platform. I did and my constituents loved it.

We’ve come far from the announcement in February. We’ve brought our message to every part of the district. We’ve helped people understand that only one candidate in this race stands for jobs, for a balanced budget, for keeping taxes low, for reforming our schools, and for building a stronger Indiana. And that is me. But, there is still work to be done.

Over 50 people are working for our campaign daily but I need your help to contact those last few voters. Even though this race is not a close one, my opponent seems to want to steer everyone to that conclusion. Let’s prove her wrong. She fantasies this race the status of the historic McIntyre-McCloskey Eight District Congressional race. She compares herself to McIntyre. With your help, I can win this election and continue the work we are doing remembering we should be competing because we want to represent you and your interests not because we want to set another record.

You are what makes me work; you are why I endure being called a “liar” and other degrading, unprofessional and totally out-of-bounds criticisms. My opponent has spent a lot more money than I have been able to getting out her distortions of my record. We will see if she can buy an election with Indianapolis money.
I’m asking you to take action. Email me at my personal email griecken77@aol.com, if you can help me by:

• Volunteering at a precinct on Election Day or just as important,
• Calling or talking to your friends and neighbors, and asking them to vote for me or
• Very important, sending this email to three or four of your friends.

Paid for and authorized by Gail Riecken for State Representative, Treasurer, Marilyn Ratliff

David Brooks in an article in the New York Times titled “The Next Two Years” predicts a thrashing defeat for President Obama at the hands of the electorate this coming Tuesday. He attributes this defeat to the fact that independent voters who supported Democrats in 2008 have abandoned the Democrats in 2010 in favor of Republican candidates. The swing in support among these independents has been nearly 30 points.

This national trend is having great influence in the turnout and sentiment of local races as well. As the City County Observer pointed out in its “Polls vs. Moles” report, right here in Evansville that is usually shows strong support for Democratic candidates, Republicans are surging in areas that have never elected a Republican to any office. For the eight (8) Moles to tie in opinion with respect to the 77th Indiana House District race between Gail Riecken (D) and Cheryl Musgrave (R) is a testament to the local receptiveness to Republican candidates in a part of SW Indiana where Republican sentiment has been low for ages.

Brooks goes on to state the obvious reasons for the departure of the independents from the arms of “Change” such as public debt, inefficient government, crumbling infrastructure, and runaway spending. That which plays in Washington and the nation certainly has spilled over to Vanderburgh County. The shallow support for the Downtown Arena, the outright opposition to the $18M Ballfields, the bearish demeanor of the County residents to consolidation, and citizens astonishment at local governments use of Stimulus funds on fluff projects like the green alley is a microcosm of the backlash to “Hope and Change” that has enveloped the country.

The City County Observer’s readers poll on the preference of straight tickets vs. split ticket voting continues to draw votes. The preferences are maintaining a 3:1 lead for split tickets over straight party voting for either party. These independent voters are not only poised to determine the makeup of both legislative bodies or our federal government, but are engaged locally and keeping our elected leaders feet to the fire. If sentiment toward Democratic policies does not shift back in 2011, the independent voter phenomena that Mr. Brooks has pointed out today on the federal level will possibly reshape the makeup of the Evansville City Council to a more balanced roster for the first time in 50 years.

This is a link to Mr. Brooks’ column. Evansville and Vanderburgh County are very much in step with national independents on today’s changes and allocation of support.

The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact:
Shannon Hurt 812/422-2111
October 29, 2010
PRESS RELEASE

THE ARTS COUNCIL’S BROWN BAG SERIES CONTINUES WITH THREE ENTERTAINING & MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES

(Evansville, IN) – The Arts Council offers another month of great performances for its November Brown Bag Performance Series. Performances take place EVERY WEDNESDAY at noon, in the Arts Council’s Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery. The public is invited to attend any or all of the scheduled Brown Bag series performances, free of charge. The Gallery is located at 318 Main Street in Innovation Pointe.

• November 3 – UE Opera Singers – Excerpts from La Bohème: Besides being a perennial favorite with audiences, La Bohème is also a great, uncomplicated showcase for young singers because the characters in the story are essentially the same as those playing them: young artists in various fields at the beginning of their careers. UE’s fall production of La Bohème will be fully staged with costumes, sets, lights, and chorus on November 19 and 20 in Wheeler Concert Hall on the UE campus. Admission is free.

• November 10 – Signature School Singers – Jazz Choral Mix: These musically gifted students, directed by Terry Becker, will present their unique, upbeat show style including a preview of the upcoming, popular “Terry Becker & Friends”

• November 17 – Jazzafloozie: Cynthia McDonald and Bob Green have been performing together since 2005 and have recorded two CDs. They perform “white glove” jazz – smooth standards with toe-tapping swing arrangements as well as breathy torch songs. Bob accompanies Cynthia on piano, saxophone and flute.

The BSF Gallery hours are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Call 422-2111 for additional information or visit the Arts Council website at www.artswin.evansville.net for updates on current arts events in the Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery, as well as those in our community.

October 29, 2010

EVANSVILLE, IN – The Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana and the Vectren Corporation would like to announce the winners of the seventh annual “digitized” juried exhibition. The awards were presented at a reception on Friday, October 29, at the Bower Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery. This exhibition, specifically designed for digital photographers/artists was originally began in 2004 to showcase the potential of this art form and demonstrate how computers are being creatively utilized by artists. Each year’s show expands upon that theme, offering artists a choice of categories to enter: digital photography or digital illustration. Visitors can view the art between 9am – 5pm Monday through Fridays through December 1, 2010 at the Gallery at 318 Main St. in downtown Evansville.
Jurors for this exhibition were Bruce Frank, Georgetown, Kentucky artist, who has been engaged in creating and teaching digital fine art since the late 1980s and Fred Reaves, owner and operator of Image One Photo & Design Inc. and Image One Gallery in Henderson, KY.
They selected the following artists as award winners:

BEST OF SHOW
Take Warning
digital photography
Jay Hamlin

1st Place – Digital Illustration
A Tribute to Apollinaire
Erich Shelton

2nd Place – Digital Illustration
A Day in Seattle
Keri Duckworth

3rd Place – Digital Illustration
Morning Repose
Lisa Ryan-Hutton

Honorable Mention – Digital Illustration
Banished
Dan Felstead

Honorable Mention – Digital Illustration
Blue Berrie Belle
Con d. Youngberg McConaughy

Honorable Mention – Digital Illustration
Typed Out
Janice Greene

1st Place – Digital Photography
Abandon Staircase
Becky Boggs

2nd Place – Digital Photography
Airways Past
Joy Loeffler

3rd Place – Digital Photography
Self Portrait
Courtney Culp

Honorable Mention – Digital Photography
A Leg Up
Brent Michael

Honorable Mention – Digital Photography
January
Glendon Tyler

Honorable Mention – Digital Photography
Un Posto Stretto
Gary Madding

November 3, 2010

News Release

Merrillville, Ind. — White Lodging Services Corporation has closed a deal to transfer 16 of the company’s Marriott and Hilton affiliated hotels in seven states to Apple Real Estate Investment Trust Companies (Apple REIT). All properties will remain with White Lodging under long-term management agreements.

White Lodging’s relationship with Apple REIT began in 2005, with Apple REIT’s acquisition of the Marriott Hotel in Boulder, Colorado. This current acquisition of the White Lodging properties boosts Apple REIT’s ownership to more than 240 hotels across the country.

“The transaction with Apple REIT, one of our industry’s most professional and prolific owners of premium branded hotels, provides White Lodging with additional capital to continue executing our strategic growth plan at a time when many of our competitors are merely trying to stay afloat,” said Deno Yiankes, president and CEO of investments and development at White Lodging.

Yiankes continued by saying, “The fact that our managed portfolio for Apple REIT has grown from one hotel initially to 31 hotels within five years is a direct compliment to the nearly 7,000 White Lodging associates and leaders who serve as the foundation for our continued growth on a daily basis.”

Apple REIT began in 1999 and is exclusively associated with two of the most recognized brands in the hotel industry – Marriott and Hilton. Throughout the years, they have developed a successful formula for owning geographically diverse, high-quality hotels.

The hotels included in the Apple REIT/White Lodging transaction are the SpringHill Suites in Fishers, Indiana and Salt Lake City, Utah as well as the Residence Inns in Mishawaka, Indiana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Mettawa, Illinois. The Courtyard by Marriott properties that are included are located in Phoenix and Chandler, Arizona and in Austin, Texas. Also part of the transaction are Hilton Garden Inn hotels in Mettawa, Warrenville and Schaumburg, Illinois; Austin, Texas; and Novi, Michigan. Apple REIT will also acquire Fairfield Inn and Suites in Austin, Texas and Chandler, Arizona and one Embassy Suites hotel in Tampa/Brandon, Florida.

White Lodging Services Corporation was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development, and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among premium branded mid- to large-scale hotels across the country. Their current managed portfolio consists of 151 hotels in eighteen states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group, and Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

For more information about White Lodging, please visit or call 219-472-2900.