“Complaint Cited Police Report over Three Chickens mauled by Pit Bull to challenge Residency”

On February 24, 2011 the Vanderburgh County Election Board received a complaint from Mr. Randall Whitehouse regarding the eligibility of 6th Ward democratic City Council hopeful Evansville Firefighter Al Lindsey to be a candidate for Evansville City Council. This complaint challenges the residency requirements as set forth in Indiana law claiming that Mr. Lindsey has not resided in his residence at 433 S. Bosse Avenue in the City of Evansville long enough to be allowed to run for City Council.

In his complaint Mr. Whitehouse included a day by day diary of what he had observed over a period of two months when he claimed to have gone to Mr. Lindsey’s home to take notes twice daily regarding whether or not a vehicle was in the driveway. Mr. Whitehouse also submitted a police report regarding a dispute over three chickens belonging to Mr. Lindsey that were killed by a pit bull dog. The date of the incident report was 04/11/2010 and the address of the incident was recorded to be 10410 New Harmony Road, Evansville, IN. The responding officer was K. Chapman of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department.

On February 25, 2011 Mr. Lindsey filed a complaint with the Evansville Police Department for stalking against Mr. Whitehouse. The responding officer J. A. Becker recorded the following in the police report.

“Victim is currently a candidate running for office. Offender is a friend of the victim’s opponent. Yesterday the offender filed a complaint with the clerk’s office trying to discredit the victim and prove that the victim does not live in the city as is required for the position which he is running for. To back his claim the offender turned in two calendars showing where he has been tracking the victim’s activity for the last two months.”

The Vanderburgh County Election Board will be hearing Mr. Whitehouse’s complaint and Mr. Lindsey’s position regarding his residency on Thursday March 3, 2011 at 1:00 in the election office located in Room 214 of the Vanderburgh County Civic Center.

“Driving past here, it was very depressing,” Discon said. “It really captured a feeling of how the city was not good.”

Discon, who had moved to Mandeville shortly before the storm, said his frustration with the city’s slow pace of recovery came to a head when he was surrounded by the park-turned-wilderness.

“I was driving through the park, going to work. It was hot. At the time, (Mayor Ray) Nagin was mouthing off to the federal government that New Orleans was open for tourism, and that’s what kind of pissed me off .¤.¤. because a simple drive through the park showed that it was not,” he said.

“The grass was like 2 feet high. I would see tourists looking at it. So I just got out and started pulling some weeds.”

Volunteers continue to make a difference in a City that couldn’t or wouldn’t. Please read the whole story.

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/volunteer_grasscutters_still_w.html

IS IT TRUE that the rotting shell of the Executive Inn is finally scheduled for demolition?…that Arena project manager John Kish is now saying that the demolition process will begin sometime in March?…that we are curious about the price that is being paid for this demolition?…that we are equally curious about when the request for bids went out, how many companies submitted bids, and what the range of these prices happened to be?…that as this is a public project that this should have been bid and should be made known to the public?

IS IT TRUE that no contract is in place between the City of Evansville and Woodruff Hospitality yet?…that it was expected that this important step would be completed no later than mid February?…that two demolitions under a single contract would probably be less expensive that two independent contracts?…that if the City of Evansville is going forward with the demolition of the Executive Inn that maybe that job should be upgraded to include the parking garage where the new Hyatt Place Convention Hotel will be built should be done at the same time?…that we are still completely baffled how anyone in their right mind could have ever thought that a refurbishment of the existing Executive Inn would have complemented the new Arena?…that we also wonder how equipment would have been staged into and out of the new Arena with the old Executive Inn still standing?…that it still does not seem like there is a maestro leading the orchestra down on Main Street?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville’s own Gail Riecken, one of the members of the Indiana House of Representatives who are holed up in a hotel in Urbana, IL to obstruct the agenda of the Speaker of the House made the national FOX NEWS report on the Neil Cavuto show yesterday?…that the music in the background during the report about the Indiana Democratic contingency was “Runaway” by Del Shannon?…that we once again encourage our elected representatives to stop this childish tantrum and get themselves back to Indianapolis to do the job that they were elected to do?…that if obstruction of legislation is the right thing to do that there is a right way to do it?…that running for the border to hide behind the fortress of Illinois is the exactly wrong way to do it?…that Indiana is being made into a laughing stock on national news broadcasts all across the country?...that this type of behavior is of no help whatsoever for job creation efforts by the State of Indiana?

IS IT TRUE that just yesterday a lady was attacked by four pit bull dogs while walking on a public sidewalk in South Evansville?…that just last week that the City County Observer reported that one of the negative aspects of looking over the IDEA HOME is the fact that three free roaming pit bulls were hanging out right next door?…that if city beautification programs like Front Door Pride are to ever work that the basics of a safe life must be assured?…that these basics include freedom from violent crime, freedom from property crime, freedom from free ranging pit bull dogs, and a local school that ranks highly in ISTEP achievement?…that building McMansions in unsafe places with poor school performance never really works?

The collective bargaining agreement by and between the City of Evansville and the Chauffeurs, Teamsters and Helpers Local Union #215 makes it somewhat difficult and even expensive for the Department of Parks and Recreation to accept the volunteer services of local individuals and civic organizations.

First off the time requirements prohibit any work being done by part-time or volunteer laborers during the four and a half months from November 1st to the following March 15th so volunteer snow clearance, cutting up of tree limbs that have fallen or any other winter related improvement are not allowed as per the contract.

Second, this broadly reads like the acceptance of volunteer efforts has to run a gauntlet the last of which is whether or not a full-time employee wants to work overtime. If you wish to volunteer in a park on Saturday at ZERO COST, before your offer can be accepted a full-timer has to be offered the work at overtime rate. This whole requirement makes the red tape associated with seeking volunteers or being a volunteer a deterrent to the whole volunteer process.

From an overall perspective to enter into contracts that make volunteering to do work in public parks difficult undermines civic pride and adds unnecessary costs to the budget of the City of Evansville. In prosperous times when the parks are pristine such contracts while damaging could actually be tolerable. In times like these when playground equipment is falling apart, needles are in sandboxes, and four letter graffiti artists have tagged our parks, the restrictions on volunteerism is just insane.

There are many tasks that lend themselves to volunteerism. Just as there are exceptions to pulling permits to do small maintenance types of work on a home, there should be a list of tasks that volunteers can do at will in the public parks and they should be able to be completed year round. If the City of Evansville will not or cannot pay to have our parks properly taken care of let them at least enter into contracts that allow the citizens of Evansville to do things to take care of the parks that they the citizens own.

Following is the exact wording from the collective bargaining agreement regarding staffing levels.

Article XXXIV: Staffing Levels

Failure of the City of Evansville to comply with the March 15th notification or the October 31st cut-off date, or those employees not identified prior to March 15th or who work past the October 31st cut-off date will become full-time employees of the City of Evansville.

Sometimes Words are Just Note Enough. Watch this Video

IS IT TRUE PART 2: February 25, 2011

IS IT TRUE that James Love, Jr. appeared at the February 24, 2011 Vanderburgh County Election Board meeting during the “new business” portion of the Agenda?… that Mr. Love, Jr. said he was an Evansville resident and respectfully requested a meeting the next day with County Clerk Susan Kirk to obtain materials so that Mr. Love, Jr. can run as an Independent candidate on the ballot this fall for Mayor of Evansville?…that Mr. Love, Jr. would have by noon on June 30, 2011, in which to gather and file the required number of signatures from registered voters?

IS IT TRUE that the required number of valid signatures for Mr. Love, Jr. to be placed on the fall ballot for Mayor of Evansville is only 600 or so?…that Mr. Love, Jr. told the Election Board that his employer had just fired him for taking time off from work to appear at the Election Board Meeting so that he could obtain information on how to run as an Independent candidate for Mayor of Evansville?…that Mr. Love, Jr. appeared very passionate about his desire to run for Mayor of Evansville this fall and was willing to risk his job to do so.

The Indiana Democratic legislators refusal to participate in our constitutionally established governmental process has endangered our republic.

PRESS RELEASE

Evansville, IN, February 25, 2011: The United FreedomMakers a regional group of constitutionally minded citizens denounce the Indiana Democratic legislators irresponsible and contemptuous actions of failing to perform their constitutional obligations. The Democratic legislators fleeing to other states to subvert our legislative process posses one of the greatest risks to our Republic ever perpetrated, and reveals their absolute contempt to the citizens of the state.

The irresponsible actions of the Democratic legislators sets in motion a process that could well destroy our republic. Since the inception of Indiana statehood in 1816 no political party has boycotted the Indiana legislature simply because they did not get their way. The citizens of Indiana elected both the majority and minority legislatures to continue the legislative process which has functioned for 195 years.

This reckless action of these legislators could establish a precedence enabling any democratically elected minority to undermine the legislative process. Irrespective of the legislative bills at hand all citizens in as strong a voice as possible should condemn the contemptuous and irresponsible actions that threaten the very foundations of our republic.

Source: United FreedomMakers

Contact: Michael Sandefur
United FreedomMakers
Phone 812-449-5695
Fax 812-449-5695

IS IT TRUE that it looks like the Mayor of Goosetown, Mr. Fred Cook will not be allowed to run for the democratic nomination for the 4th Ward City Council seat after all?…that he did the crime at 17 but did the time after the age of 18 making him ineligible according to the Election Board unless of course Governor Daniels steps in and pardons Mr. cook?…that with Mr. Cook out of the way that Evansville City Councilwoman Connie Robinson will be running unopposed in the 4th Ward contest this year?…that makes two seats that are already secured by unopposed candidates?…that Councilwoman Robinson and Councilman McGinn are both running unopposed and shall retain their seats on council?…that Mr. Fred Cook is a good man who we encourage to get back to his life and to continue any and all of the good things that he does for the Evansville community?

IS IT TRUE that City County Observer Mole #3 has information that a third party candidate for Mayor of Evansville is strongly considering a run?…that the Libertarian Party has ballot access and can make a place not only for Mayor of Evansville but for the other 10 offices too?…that if there has ever been a year that a third party could disrupt or even capture an election that this is the year?…that a very good post regarding ballot access in the State of Indiana is at the following link?

http://ifweonlyconnect.wordpress.com/indianas-undemocratic-ballot-access/

IS IT TRUE that Fred Cook is not the only candidate for Evansville City Council that is having the legitimacy of his candidacy challenged?…that long announced candidate for the Democratic nomination for City Council in the 6th Ward, Evansville Firefighter Al Lindsey’s candidacy is being challenged as well?…that as Mr. Cook pointed out in an interview yesterday that the art of the challenge seems to be how the members of Team Weinzapfel in 2007 are carrying out their initial campaign strategies?…that we are very interested in how this one plays out as well?…finding loopholes to be able to run unopposed is another one of those “sneaky but legal” things that seem to be how business is done in River City nowadays?

IS IT TRUE that it has now been 1,387 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 1,240 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 624 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?

This post is a direct response to several of our readers who have asked how an elected official can be recalled from office. Of course these requests are in response to the fact that the Democratic members of the Indiana House of Representatives need to leave the state to obstruct the House’s ability to conduct business.

Eighteen states have recall provisions according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and interestingly Wisconsin. Indiana is not on the list.

As most of us know California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor as a result of a recall of Democratic Governor Gray Davis. Recalls are disruptive and expensive. We would like to reiterate our request to the Democratic contingency to make the short trip back to Indianapolis and get on with the business that you were elected to do. All of this talk of recall and discipline is not constructive and neither is the absence of a significant part of the Indiana House of Representatives.

Here is a link to a source about recall elections.

http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16581

IS IT TRUE that the most cited reason for Roberts Stadium being on the list for demolition is the high cost of running the pumps that keeps the groundwater out of the floor of the building?…that most estimates of the cost to mothball Roberts Stadium include keeping the pumps on and paying nearly $400,000 per year to keep them running?…that the source of the water that made the designers of the remodeling of Roberts Stadium look pretty darn negligent is an aquifer?…that for the pumps to run all of the time and cost that much to run they must be pushing a lot of water somewhere?…that published estimates of the water removed to keep Roberts Stadium dry run to over 100,000 gallons per day?…that the question that is on our mind is “WHERE DOES THE WATER GO?”?

IS IT TRUE that the water could be getting pumped back into the aquifer so we can just pump it out again next week?…that would be a closed loop process?…that the water could also be getting pumped into the Evansville municipal sewer system?…that the sewer system of Evansville in that area is already overtaxed with the intersection of Boeke and Vogel a short distance away being one of the most foul smelling parts of town this side of Bee Slough?…that if this water is being pumped into the sewer it would be a terrible waste?…that aquifer water is often very good quality water?…that other cities use aquifer water as a source for public drinking water?…that a pennies worth of water placed in a plastic container and offered for sale often fetches a dollar or more?…that the aquifer under Roberts Stadium that is already tapped may just have the potential to be a cash cow to pay the bills to keep Roberts Stadium available for future events?

IS IT TRUE that Keep Evansville Beautiful is 100% privately funded and has been for 37+ years?….Keep Evansville Beautiful is the only Keep America Beautiful affiliate in the United States, out of more than 600, that receives no government funding?…that the City County Observer is glad to have been advised of this and is also pleased that Keep Evansville Beautiful is not beholding to the long arm of political mischief as many local non-profit entities are?…that we are equally as baffled as to why Evansville is the only place out of 600 in the country not to provide financial support to its local Keep America Beautiful affiliate?…that there has got to be a reason for this?

IS IT TRUE that we are profoundly disappointed in the members of the Indiana House of Representatives who have decided to hole up in a Champaign, Illinois hotel rather than doing their job and debating the “Right to Work” legislation on the floor of the statehouse?…that this act of obstruction is sending the wrong message to the children and the workforce of the entire state Indiana?…that these elected and paid to work officials have made their point and that it is time to get on the bus and get their keisters back to Indianapolis so they can do the job that they were elected to do?…that Gail Riecken a local member of the Indiana House sent out the following message?

“Yesterday we Democrats decided we had to leave the State and break from the House Legislative Session. There are radical, extreme bills that negatively affect Hoosier families and it seems this is all the Republicans want to discuss. We Democrats are together in Illinois, reviewing bills, answering communications and studying issues important to people in our districts.

Then, I’ll be ready to return.”

IS IT TRUE that it is completely untrue that Mrs. Riecken or any of the other AWOL members of the Indiana House “HAD” to leave?…that they made the choice to leave because they thought they could not get their way?…that we were taught as children that this is not an acceptable way to behave and that as adults it is certainly no way to govern?