FOOTNOTE: Â EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: HOW MUCH ARE COUNTY COMMISSION CANDIDATES SPENDING LOCALLY?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: HOW MUCH ARE COUNTY COMMISSION CANDIDATES SPENDING LOCALLY?
Written By Johnnt Kincaid
APRIL 24. 2024
I feel that you might be able to learn something about a political candidate by looking at their campaign finance reports. It not only tells who contributes to a campaign; you can also tell a lot about them by who and where they spend their campaign money.
When candidates buy locally they will build positive relationships with local businesses when they spend the majority of their campaign dollars here.
Since the first of the year, over $200,000 has been given to the Republican candidates for Vanderburgh County Commissioner. Amy Canterbury, the newcomer to politics, started with no campaign funds and managed to raise $153,676 between January 1 and April 16, 2024. Political veteran Cheryl Musgrave started the year with $103,209 and raised $52,758 for the primary. This gave each campaign about $150,000 to use to persuade your vote.
Where did each candidate spend their $150,000? First, they both kept money in reserve; money that they might spend either in a final push for the primary or hang onto for the general election.
Amy Canterbury spent $110,010 during the four months since the first of the year. $42,500 went to Matchstick Media, an Ohio media consulting firm that does creative for political campaigns throughout the country. Another $10,250 was paid for a polling company from Washington DC, and $23,835 went to KAP Print in Texas for direct mail. Canterbury’s total out-of-market spending was $75,585 or 70% of total spending.
County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave spent a total of $56,055. Her campaign spent the overwhelming majority of its dollars locally, instead of using an out-of-market media buyer. Several payments were made to the corporate headquarters of the local media outlets, and the only truly out-of-town expenditure was $500 company for data. The total out-of-town spending by the Musgrave campaign was less than one percent of her campaign budget.
Political officials and candidates need to foster positive relationships with local businesses. There’s no better way to promote local businesses than to do business with them. Spending money locally shows that you are committed to the success of our community.
FOOTNOTE: This article was posted by the City-County Observer without bias or editing.
“IS IT TRUE” AUG 30, 2024
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” provokes honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address rationally and responsibly.
City-County Observer Comment Policy. Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will be tolerated and removed from our site.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated. The use of offensive language, or insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
IS IT TRUE that it looks like the days of a few local political power brokers controlling the outcome of elections like the “PATRONS OF ARGENTINA” did in the 1950s could be coming to a glorious end?
IS IT TRUE we realize that a community can have no greater ambassador of goodwill than one that keeps its citizens informed about the accomplishments, failures, and triumphs of individuals, the business community, church, hospitals and community groups, educational institutions, and elected and appointed officials? …that we are proud to be your homegrown and homeowned community newspaper?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Terry recently announced that the State Board Of Accounts is currently conducting a financial audit/review of the books of the outgoing Winnecke administration? …that any financial “Question Costs” findings that the State Board Auditing team discovers will not be Mayor Terry’s responsibility to address but it will be up to the former Mayor and his City Controller to address?
IS IT TRUE that we have been told by several City taxpayers that Mayor Terry should spend less time cutting ribbons and more time cutting the inflated city budget?
IS IT TRUE that one of our more financially savvy business people would like to give our elected city officials a sound warning concerning the current financial status of the City of Evansville? …that her warning to them is that Evansville is currently over one (1) billion dollars and three (3) hundred million in debt and increasing more each day?
IS IT TRUE that Evansville is also facing many hundreds of millions of dollars of additional bond debt because of numerous unfinished big-ticket capital Water and Sewer projects, making needed repairs and improvements to city parks, and repairing and repaving many of our crumbling city streets?
IS IT TRUE that political officeholders should be aware of Tortious interference, also known as Intentional Interference with contractual relations, in the common law of torts? …that torts occur when one person intentionally damages someone else’s contractual or business relationships with a third party causing economic harm? …when individuals colluding with each other to get a third party to interfere in a way that a business is damaged to enhance the blissful existence of a small number of privileged people could be considered Tortious interference?
IS IT TRUE that several expensive capital projects are currently being built at ROBERT’S PARK? …IS IT TRUE that Evansville is also facing hundreds of millions of dollars of additional bond debt because of numerous unfinished big-ticket capital Water and Sewer projects, making needed repairs and improvements to city parks, and repairing and repaving many of our crumbling city streets?
IS IT TRUE that many months ago members of the Evansville City Council agreed to sell the naming rights of 24 city streets to raise 9 million dollars to pay for renovations costs at the Ford Center? …that we been told that not one naming rights to any of the 24 City Streets were sold? …we wonder where members of the City Council got the 9 million dollars to make needed repairs on the FORD CENTER?
IS IT TRUE we have been told that the members of the Evansville City Council gave 9 million dollars to help the Developer pay to build the underground parking garage at 420 Main, Evansville? …that we wonder how many dilapidated streets could the political hierarchy of Evansville pave with 9 million dollars?
IS IT TRUE that many members of the local GOP are getting fed up with the way that a few members of the local GOP leadership are treating a couple of members in good standing? …that the leaders of the local GOP should realize that the bone-fide members of the local GOP have the Constitutional right to express their views and opinions be they right or wrong? …that the right to express yourself is called “FREEDOM OF SPEECH”?
“IS IT TRUE” JULY 28 2024 outstanding IST
We hope that today IT TRUE will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address rationally and responsibly.
City-County Observer Comment Policy: Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated. The use of offensive language and/or insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
IS IT TRUE that a public revelation made in 2023 that the three entities that have partnered for more than a decade to do the economic development work for the City of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, and parts of the surrounding counties have been merged into a single organization impressed some people as a way to save money and concerned others about the concentration of efforts?…the merged entities consist of the Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana that did traditional chamber activities like mixers, lobbying, and the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) to mentor micro businesses, the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (GAGE) that was formed to foster entrepreneurship in industries that pay a thriving wage, and the Southwest Indiana Coalition for Economic Development that focused on attraction of outside businesses were merged into a new entity called E-REP that stands for Evansville Regional Economic Partnership?…historically government supported the two economic development entities and private businesses supported the Chamber of Commerce?
IS IT TRUE that from the first day of formation, E-REP with the help of special interest groups positioned those in control to build political and financial dynasties?
IS IT TRUE there is much curiosity in the Tri-State about the benefits of merging these entities into one and why the need to do such a thing culminated so rapidly?…it may not have been as fast as it was revealed as an examination of the 990 tax forms for E-REP showing that it was formed three years ago in 2021 inside the Chamber by Tara Barney during her reign as CEO? …right after Ms. Barney departed from E-REP the Executive Board did a “National Search” and selected the former Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke to replace her?
IS IT TRUE in reality E-REP assumed the roles of the Chamber and gobbled up the other two organizations as their leadership moved or were moved into retirement?…the transparency about this merger from a public disclosure perspective is being questioned by many mover and shakers of our community? …that the non-profit organization aggregation site GuideStar gives ratings for transparency gives Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum rankings to all non-profits based on how much of their financial, management, board of directors, and performance data is published on their site?…at this time E-REP has no ranking whatsoever on GuideStar which is below the lowest rating for transparency that GuideStar has?…this simply means that E-REP have shared GuideStar no information of substance period?
IS IT TRUE one of the City-County Observer “Moles” that is adept at cyber-sleuthing techniques was able to learn that E-REP is a 501c6 which is typical for organizations that employ lobbyists like Chambers of Commerce do?… Economic Development entities like GAGE and the Coalition are typically either 501c3 or 501c4 organizations that can accept deductible donations from anywhere?…this begs the question “Can E-REP accept money from the government”?
IS IT true that E-REP has plans for the Evansville riverfront to span from the LST to the Pump Station? …this massive proposed multi-million dollar capital project includes new residential, retail/food & beverage space, and new recreation areas with elevated and street-level walking paths. …that this project may propose to reroute traffic and move some of the existing attractions/structures? …that we expect to learn about this big ticket capital project at a formal announcement on the 21st of this month?
IS IT TRUE when the people fear the Government we have Tyranny and when the government fears the people we have Liberty!
FOOTNOTES
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PROSECUTOR DIANA MOERS ANNOUNCES STRING OF JURY TRIAL WINS AGAINST VIOLENT FELONS AND DRUG DEALERS
PROSECUTOR DIANA MOERS ANNOUNCES STRING OF JURY TRIAL WINS AGAINST VIOLENT FELONS AND DRUG DEALERS
Evansville, IN – Prosecutor Diana Moers announces a string of jury trial wins this summer which have resulted in removing four dangerous persons from the community and taking fentanyl, meth, and pills off of the streets of Vanderburgh County.
Reko Deprea Levels, Jr. was found guilty of armed robbery, criminal confinement, and theft of a firearm.
On July 21, 2023, Reko Levels Jr. was sentenced by Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge Trockman to 10 years executed to the Department of Correction after a jury trial on June 23, 2023, where the jury found Levels guilty of two counts of Armed Robbery, one count of Criminal Confinement, and one count of Theft of a Firearm for robbing a victim at gunpoint and telling the victim he stabbed his dog to death. Reko Levels chose to represent himself in the case and during the trial, the victim bravely testified in front of the Defendant and recounted the events of the incident.
Prosecutor Diana Moers stated: “Violent criminals will be held accountable by my office; this is yet another successful prosecution to remove a dangerous person off our streets and get them out of our community.†Prosecutor Moers commended her Deputies John Bober and Jeremy Kemper as well as EDP Detective Beitler and others for their hard work on this case.
Jury finds Nikolas Jordan guilty of stalking and arson on July 11–12, 2023, the jury found Nikolas Jordan guilty of Stalking, a Level 5 Felony, and Arson, a Level 4 Felony, without victim testimony. After the trial, Jordan admitted a Habitual Offender Enhancement.
Nikolas Jordan found the female victim on Facebook in September of 2022. The two spoke cordially and then exchanged numbers. The next day, the victim began receiving a plethora of text messages eventually totaling over 350 text messages across several days. Many of the messages were extremely threatening towards the victim and her children. Some of the messages mentioned torturing the children, killing them, and burning their houses down. At one point as he stalked the victim, Jordan poured a fuel type liquid on her neighbor’s car and lit it on fire, causing the vehicle to be declared a total loss.
Prosecutor Moers stated: “Law enforcement, including my office, was able to gather solid evidence to convict this Defendant who worked hard to intimidate the victim in this case by threatening her and her children in a string of horrific messages which ended in a fire. The Office of the Prosecutor is charged with prosecuting matters on behalf of the State of Indiana—this sort of activity threatens the peace and dignity of the place we live in and I commend all who worked to send this highly dangerous person behind bars. Let it be known, we will proceed with all of the tools, man-power, and evidence we have to obtain justice.â€
Prosecutor Moers thanks her Deputy Prosecutor John Bober for a successful prosecution, heading a smooth case, and ultimately obtaining a guilty verdict. Prosecutor Moers also extends her gratitude to Investigator Gage Shots, Sgt. Trendon Amuzie, and fire and arson Investigator Joseph Mayer for their diligent efforts and for ensuring a well-investigated case and solid prosecution.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 25, 2023, in front of Judge Robert J. Pigman of the Vanderburgh Superior Court, where Jordan could face up to 38 years served.
Drug dealer Ronald Maurice Lemon was found guilty after a jury trial Detectives found approximately 5 ounces of methamphetamine, 27 grams of fentanyl, 7 clonazepam pills, MDMA, and some additional fentanyl after stopping a car driven by Ronald Lemon. Officers initially recognized Andrew Doalson, who had a felony warrant for his arrest. The vehicle had expired plates and Lemon’s license was suspended.
Lemon and Doalson were traveling westbound on I-64 from the area of Louisville, KY. On July 21, 2023, the jury found Lemon guilty of Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony; Possession of a Narcotic Drug, a Level 6 felony; Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Class A misdemeanor; Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Class A misdemeanor; and Dealing in a Narcotic Drug, a Level 2 felony.
Prosecutor Moers stated: “Detectives and Officers from the Evansville Vanderburgh County Joint Drug Task Force did an excellent job in the apprehension of this Defendant which was born out of their constant collaborative study of known and dangerous drug dealers and felons in the area. I am pleased that we were able to get justice with a guilty verdict at trial and get the drugs transported off of our streets.
Vanderburgh County is better for it.†Moers thanked her Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Miller who previously served as a drug resource prosecutor for the State of Indiana at IPAC, as well as Detectives D. Barnes, Simpson, Budde, and Sgt. Hassler for their excellent police work and the Sheriff’s office or their assistance in the safe apprehension of the Defendant including the notification of drugs by Det. Patterson and K9 Officer Ozzy. Sentencing is scheduled for August 18, 2023, in front of Magistrate Judge Kelli E. Fink of the Vanderburgh Circuit Court.
Timothy S. Leavell was convicted of attempted burglary, intimidation, and criminal mischief on July 26–27, 2023, a jury found Timothy Leavell guilty of Attempted Burglary, Intimidation, and Criminal Mischief after threatening a homeowner with a gun and bashing in their back door with a shovel and threatening to kill them after he was bitten by their dog. The homeowners shot the Defendant in defense of their home.
Prosecutor Diana Moers stated: “The facts of this case were succinct and quick, yet the Defendant’s erratic and dangerous behavior placed the homeowners in danger and resulted in injury to himself. The Defendant’s actions placed the community at large in harm’s way: any time a firearm is deployed in an uncontrolled environment, the situation can turn deadly for anyone in range. I am thankful for the hard work of the Evansville Police Detectives Dillon Powers, Phil Leucke, Officers Andrew Beaver and Narek Aghasaryan, and the multiple motor patrol officers for keeping the area safe during the incident.â€
Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2023, in front of Judge David D. Kiely of the Vanderburgh Circuit Court. The Defendant faces a sentence of 10-30 years.
Prosecutor Moers congratulated her Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Kemper for a successful jury verdict which resulted in Leavell being held accountable for his dangerous behavior.
Todd Rokita and team win court victory
Attorney General  affirming that juveniles accused of murder may be tried as adults
Montez Ellington, who allegedly fired gunshots that killed teenage girl, will be tried in adult criminal court
Attorney General Todd Rokita and his team prevailed this week in an Indiana Court of Appeals case over whether juveniles accused of serious crimes may be tried as adults, arguing that violent offenders must be held accountable.
“In Indiana, we don’t believe in coddling criminal defendants,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Our office handles more than 1,000 criminal appeals cases each year, and we will continue working tirelessly to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Hoosiers deserve to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods.â€
The case decided by the Court of Appeals this week involved defendant, Montez Ellington, now 17, who allegedly fired gunshots into a car at a gas station in 2021 — killing 15-year-old Chloe Carroll.
Attorney General Rokita thanked his team for their excellent work on behalf of Hoosiers — specifically naming Deputy Attorney General Ellen Meilaender and her supervisor, Angela Sanchez, who oversees the Criminal Appeals Division.
“Adult criminal courts have jurisdiction to adjudicate criminal charges filed against juveniles who have been waived out of the juvenile court system,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Thanks in part to our team’s strong efforts, the Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed this important principle.â€
The court’s decision is attached.
A headshot of Attorney General Rokita is available online.
Lt. Gov. Crouch, IHCDA announce $15.7 million in grants and loans for affordable housing
Lt. Gov. Crouch, IHCDA announce $15.7 million in grants and loans for affordable housing
Awards issued to construct and rehabilitate 144 units across Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (July 28, 2023) – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Board of Directors for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) announced nine projects have received awards from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). This funding is used for the construction and/or rehabilitation of affordable rental housing for low and moderate-income residents.
“Affordable housing is vital to a community’s vibrancy,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Through HOME funding, these projects will create and restore hundreds of units, greatly benefitting the Hoosiers who live, work and play in those communities.”
- Sunset Ridge Apartments, developed by Blue River Services, Inc., will receive $1.5 million in HOME awards and will build 10 affordable rental units in Corydon
- Sellersburg Scholar House, developed by Family Scholar House, Inc., will receive $1.5 million in HOME awards and will build 18 affordable rental units in Sellersburg
- McKinley Court, developed by Four Rivers Resource Services, Inc., will receive $776,800 in HOME awards and will build 8 affordable rental units in Columbus
- 317 Arbor Ct, developed by Lacasa of Goshen, Inc., will receive $909,000 in HOME awards and will rehabilitate 7 affordable rental units in Goshen
- Hattle Apartments, developed by Lacasa of Goshen, Inc., will receive $1.5 million in HOME awards and will rehabilitate 12 affordable rental units in Goshen
- Milan Senior Housing Rehab, developed by Milan Housing for the Elderly, Inc., will receive $1.5 million in HOME awards and will rehabilitate 34 affordable rental units in Milan
- Oakland Gardens, developed by New Hope Development Services, Inc., will receive $1.5 million in HOME awards and will build 8 affordable rental units in Oakland City
- White River Landing, developed by New Hope Development Services, Inc., will receive $1,440,000 in HOME awards and will build 6 affordable rental units in Petersburg
- Switzer Square Senior Rental Rehab Project, developed by Switzerland County Housing Inc., will receive $828,601 in HOME awards and will rehabilitate 41 affordable rental units in Vevay
“IHCDA is committed to creating and preserving affordable housing across the state,” said IHCDA Executive Director Jake Sipe. “Affordable housing is a vital asset to Indiana’s infrastructure. We will continue to work with our partners to close the housing gap and ensure housing remains affordable for all Hoosiers.”
Additionally, $1.5 million in HOME Innovation funds were awarded to Lacasa of Goshen, Inc., to create 8 permanent supportive housing units for persons with co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness. Award applicants were required to attend an intensive HOME Project Development Training that focused on rental housing development, navigating federal requirements, design and implementation of permanent housing with supportive services, as well as supplemental trainings on planning, rental assistance resources and subsidy layering requirements.
HOME funding can also be used for capacity building activities for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). CHDOs are IHCDA-certified not-for-profit housing organizations that meet certain HOME regulations and are eligible to receive HOME funds to use as an operating supplement when carrying out a HOME-funded development.
For more information on the HOME program, visit IHCDA’s website.