ITS OFFICIAL: Riecken Mayoral Announcement Speech. January 10, 2015

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    The speech posted below was given by State Representative Gail Riecken to an excited and overflow crowd of close to 400 people at the C W Newson Center today. The total makeup up of the people attending this event should send a strong signal to the Mayor that he is ready to experience the biggest  political battle of his career.  Mrs. Riecken is attempting to become the first female Mayor in Evansville 202 year history.

    Good morning,  my friends. Thank you for coming out on this cold morning to share in my excitement.

    Today I formally announce my candidacy for Mayor of the City of Evansville.

    Let me take a few minutes to share with you why I want to be your mayor.  And then I would like to talk with you about Leadership and what it means to our city and what my Vision is for the future of Evansville.

    As a volunteer, in my work experiences and during the time I’ve spent representing District 77 at the Statehouse, I’ve addressed issues that affect us locally and many that are important statewide.

    With the skills I’ve gained, I will as Mayor, work to improve the quality of life in our great city.

    Whether it is addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our community, our elderly and our children,or whether it is making sure our families are safe and secure in their homes, or whether it is supporting our neighborhood leaders who are fighting crime and vacant and abandoned houses, and trash and debris in the yards and on the streets,  I will work with you to find solutions.  We can do better.

    We must develop an environment where young people feel hope for a bright future here in Evansville,  and where there are jobs and good paying jobs.

    It is no secret that we have not been successful in Indiana nor in Evansville training Hoosiers for the jobs available now or in the future – it shows in the statistics. Just this past week Morton Marcus wrote in the Courier Press:

    In 2014 personal income in the U.S. was up 3.9 percent; in Indiana, up just 3.1%.

    Indiana’s median household income is considerably less than the national average,  and we, in Evansville, are over $3,000 less per household than the state average.

    What this says is that the supposed record setting growth in Indiana reported by the state administration has, in reality, placed Hoosiers 44th out of 50 states in income growth.

    Frankly, too many families in Evansville struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, child care, food, and health care.  We can do better.

    Transportation to and from our work places continues to be a challenge for those of us who don’t own cars.

    Many of the roads we all drive on in Evansville are in bad shape.

    Simply put, we have neglected the basic services and the basic needs of our citizens.

    And again I say, WE CAN do better.

    What about leadership?

    Leadership requires a demonstration of the discipline to choose what is needed over what is wanted – and to do so in a tax structure that we all can afford. But that is not where it stops.  Leadership also requires planning for these needs and implementing these plans within fiscal constraints.  It’s about getting the job done and doing it responsibly.

    The city’s current executive leadership has drifted from one project to another apparently without the benefit of a cohesive plan and while clearly ignoring the city’s fiscal constraints.  It is no wonder that our city’s public credit card is nearly maxed out while major infrastructure projects languish.

    But this doesn’t need to be the direction we take.  I offer new leadership, leadership that understands the concepts of planning, vetting these plans and implementing these plans.

    I support the IU Medical School and the Downtown Hotel,  and will provide the leadership that is needed to make these projects successful.

    Too many failed starts, incomplete and false information given to you and me, only confirms the need for clear and confident leadership.

    I have the Vision to move the city forward and not continue the downward slide into mediocrity.

    ·        Imagine a city that encourages our best and brightest to stay and develop new businesses;

    ·        Imagine a city with a renewed industrial job base; and

    ·        Imagine a city where business and education leaders develop innovative programs that prepare our young people for the jobs of the future.

    ·        Imagine a city where all of our neighborhoods are safe and where we all can once again say: “Evansville is a great place to raise our kids!”  And,

    ·        Imagine Evansville where there is transparency, where we all feel a part of a bigger plan and can all work together in unity and focus on our goals!

    Yes, we can do better!

    This is MY VISION for Evansville and I know it is YOUR vision as well!

    I can’t promise that I know all the answers. But what I can promise is that I will gather together the best ideas and the brightest people to find the answers for us in Evansville. My pledge to you is that I will work to make this vision a reality!

    When elected Mayor of the City of Evansville, I will lead our city to a new era of prosperity in a transparent, inclusive and fiscally sound way.  And, I will do it with your help and the help of all the citizens of Evansville.

    I humbly ask for your support as we begin a new and vibrant chapter in the history of this great city. Our first step begins today. Together we can move forward.

    Because ……We can do better!

    78 COMMENTS

      • Hell don’t place a ballot there personally but many of our contacts do, the answer is not yet, we think there’s a better option out there, but that doesn’t include the present administration either. Have a real primary people,and show those geopolitical locational pocket liners machine, the real peoples cue. Same old stuff different messenger that’s all. Why would a concerned progressive support a downtown two tree high,double footprint fail at the facial convention hotel on the publics dime?
        Or blow the chance of the century to grow the honest active metro revenue base
        with the absolute stupidity of siting a medical school application on an unsafe,
        burnt out, drastically failed old “archaic” downtown Evansville infrastructure for twice the revenue bases money . That’s plain out right insanity. It’ll fail out of the box and then continue to fail throughout the entirety of the next centuries climate induced migrations. For you though, do enjoy the planet in the next few days. No ones load of cronies on the earth can stop climate migration smart people will adapt and change, that’s your only hope. Find some new ideas and for goodness sake make sure they have no geophysical locational driven machined connections before hand.

        Her run appears to us to be just another prescribed load of straight BS, only from a different angle people.

        an·gle

        noun
        r/. 1 the space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet.
        a corner, especially an external projection or an internal recess of a part of a building or other structure.
        “a skylight in the angle of the roof”
        synonyms: corner, intersection, point, apex
        “the angle of the roof”
        slope; a measure of the inclination of two lines or surfaces with respect to each other, equal to the amount that one would have to be turned in order to point in the same direction as the other.
        “sloping at an angle of 33° to the horizontal”
        synonyms: gradient, slant, inclination
        “the wall is sloping at an angle of 33°”
        a position from which something is viewed or along which it travels or acts, often as measured by its inclination from an implicit horizontal or vertical baseline.
        “from this angle, Maggie could not see Naomi’s face”
        r/.2 a way of approaching or considering an issue or problem.
        “discussing the problems from every conceivable angle”
        synonyms: perspective, point of view, viewpoint, standpoint, position, aspect, slant, direction
        “consider the problem from a different angle”
        one part of a larger subject, event, or problem.
        “a black prosecutor who downplayed the racial angle”
        a bias or point of view.
        “he observed the world from an angle that few could understand”
        r/. Astrology each of the four [[[[[[[[ mundane ]]]]]]]]]] houses (the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth of the twelve divisions of the heavens) that extend counterclockwise from the cardinal points of the compass.
        r/.4 angle iron or a similar construction material made of another cheap metal
        verb: angle; 3rd person present: angles; past tense: angled; past participle: angled; gerund or present participle: angling
        r/.1. direct or incline at an angle.
        “Anna angled her camera toward the tree, so as the audience wouldn’t notice it was lifeless.”
        synonyms: tilt, slant, direct, turn…………

        Meah, nothing new yet.

      • That answer is YES. Not because of Gail R., but because the Medical School is a huge momentum builder for downtown development. Always has been. Their are people who will gripe about anything, gripe about details and gripe out of envy. But downtown development momentum is building because of the Medical School

        The idea that it should be in Warrick County is amateurish, foolish and preposterous.

        The Hotel is a symptom of the downtown momentum.

        There will be additional development following 2017-2018.

        • Your investment in that archaic failed infrastructure means nothing those in the line up to pay for it. Hope you have a monster bilge pump, cause that ship won’t float without one.
          W e can assist the bilge, or simply lay down and watch you sink. So just what does the machine prefer? We’ll sport the savage rights to any one who on a global standardization of valuations has the cash to keep that old refluxed sewage turd
          barge afloat. Oh. that sorry ,but would be globally market applied valuation as a standard. Machines, bought “losses.” That’s stagnant at best count, you globally spent dumb asses.

          SAM.

        • Surely you jest. The only thing that will happen in downtown Evansville is an increase in green space. The interest is just not there, nor is the money. The area around the arena and the boat may see some growth but the rest will be dead space. Green River east is the real Evansville and that’s where real growth is happening.

        • Downtown is dead and old Evansville is gone. Why does it need to be saved? If we had not torn down so many of our truly fascinating and historic buildings, or let them decay, and built to politic mecca across Main street, then perhaps we could have the quaint charm of other towns. The downtown momentum has be a slow death for decades. Take it off live support. Is it so bad if it become the haunt of bankers, lawyers, and politicians?

      • No one wants to stifle any enterprise, but staggering amounts of money have been wasted, while there are basic needs neglected. We have overtime for basic services left unpaid (if you work overtime risking YOUR life, would YOU want someone to tell you that’s it’s just going to have to be a freebie, that YOUR SERVICE ISN’T WORTH PAYING FOR when there’s a HOTEL DREAM on the line-would that pay YOUR FAMILY’S bills?) police cars we can’t maintain, parks the kids cant play in, because druggies are having shoot outs, and hypodermics are lying everywhere? We can’t open pools in the summer for kids, we can’t repair the streets, we can’t even afford to salt icy streets, they raised water/sewage rates,property taxes, then GAVE a new site to a car dealership, throwing people out of their homes (to go live where?) to make way for that free dealership. It would be comical, it’s so zany-except it’s not comical. It’s scary-what is next?
        Hotels in the area are not really thrilled with paying a 15% tax to pay for a hotel being GIVEN to someone (I thought a company from Branson, but it changes every week for quite some time now)
        I watched Steve Schaefer tell people who represent MY interests in MY community where I PAY MY TAXES, MY BILLS, WHERE I LIVE (I don’t know who the hell HE thinks he is-but regardless of what he thinks, that $20 million is NOT HIS OR LLOYD Winnecke’s MONEY) that he “couldn’t promise to tell MY REPRESENTATIVES WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO WITH OUR MONEY”? That they had a deal in “the works” that they couldn’t discuss with my representatives? Who does he think he is?
        If you are changing drastically plans you had for MY money, I think I have a right to know. That money shouldn’t have been left on the table for these doofies to play Monopoly with-it is obvious that they couldn’t be trusted with the popcorn money at the church family night.

      • You really are pretty shallow. Lot’s of people will support a new hotel downtown but only if a private developer pays for it. Duh. And the IU medical school is a positive move for Evansville, IN. We need more doctors.

    1. Of course she supports those things. She didn’t say she supports the plans as they now stand, nor did she say she would pursue those goals in the same way the current administration is pursuing them. She said “We can do better.” We can and will as soon as our current nightmare leaves office.

      • Then we will wait for her “better” plan. If she has a “better” plan, then give it to the Dems who run the city council and it can be done before the primaries.

      • Don’t waffle it doesn’t become you, Just stay open for real change that crap won’t bring it.

      • She said the hotel would be in the same place, downtown, so if the medical school is not downtown why would we need a downtown hotel if it is not the same idea? We can’t “do better” by “doing the same” no matter how transparent she is.

        • Don’t you realize that the hotel has to be downtown if it is to compliment the Ford Center? On the other hand, the Med School doesn’t. I frankly don’t know what she has in mind for the Med School or the specifics of a doable hotel. The truth is that the Med School WILL NOT increase need for downtown hotel rooms appreciably. The garbage about the hotel building itself if the Med School goes downtown smells like Bee Slough.

          • Don’t you realize that if the Ford Center is the purpose for building a downtown hotel then it’s the same vision as Winnecke’s? What’s the change in that for me to get giddy about?

            I think the “doable hotel” for downtown has already been done. But could it be that the 20 million was left on the table for Gail instead of Winnecke? I believe we will find her idea of transparency to be the same as Winneckes, thinks no one can see through their schemes.

            Done right and the Med school should entice private investment for a hotel if needed. We need to get over being a convention city and a build it and they will fantacy of a vibrant downtown. That’s a delusion not a vision.

            If Gail supported throwing the med school saddle on another horse besides downtown, then I might feel a little giddiness myself.

          • We had a decent hotel downtown that housed quite a few businesses. The democrats tore the hotel down, sent a dozen businesses elsewhere and promised us that there would be a dozen business people standing in line to build us a new hotel. The democrats need to be made to keep their promises. Where’s our free hotel? How many millions were spent tearing the old one down, how many millions where spent tearing down Roberts? Gail will not stand by her promises anymore than the last democrat mayor. She will go to the CC with a plan for a new hotel with city’s share being 40 Million dollars and get it. We could have given Winnecke the same 40 million and the hotel would be near completion. We will get the hotel as originally planned with democrats getting the kickback. Anyone that stands up for more tax dollars being thrown into that down town sewer system is turning a profit.

      • Oh No ! She supports the downtown location of the school, the hotel and, and, and she is a Real Estate broker. (hope children don’t read this) That is everything this site, LKB and her fellow resident contributors are against.

        • They’re not against it anymore. If Gial rolls out the same plan, and I bet she does, then we are going to hear that it’s a great idea because Gail can succeed where Winnecke failed. I will say she might have a better chance, but at what price? If she is going to do all she said, then where will the money come from? The government can only tax or borrow for revenue. But 400-500 Giddites for Gail believe they heard the Pied Piper.

        • You might as well shut the damned hell up, everybody knows who you are. What is cool is the “but did you know? ” Portion of the story. You want the fill in, or do you prefer we do it?

          • Come on cowboy, pull’em or shut the hell up! We know your balance you’d best chose the first option. We’re standing tall pull’em. Creep.

      • Winnie’s answer to the problem: throw as much debt as possible towards the preceded problem to hell with our children and grandchildren’s ability to pay the debt…Winnie’s approach is the problem we have on the nation level..the difference: we can’t move out of the USA, at least most of us can’t, but we sure in the hell can move out of Evansville….IS THE COFFEE brewing???

    2. What’s different? First woman mayor in 202 years? Is there going to be a more sensible location for the medical school? She is faced with the same budget and sewer issues (not mentioned) and wanting the same Winnecke pipe dreams.

      OK, the day is young and I am sure she will color in some of the lines, but how will one get these dreams, take care of our problems with the current budget, and keep affordable taxes? And I’m sorry, but has she not been a state legislator like forever? What has she done to bring jobs to Indiana? Sleep in Urbana? Are we going to become the shoe store capital?

      Not being worse than Winnecke is not what we need to thrive. ” Imagine” is going to become “imaginary” when faced with reality, but so many have become giddy for Gail that the watchdogs are asleep. We need better choices. Will there be no primary challenges for mayor?

    3. In Evansville if you don’t have a car to go to and from your job, then most likely you are driving a DUI bike to a low wage job.

      • No, that’s just you and your broad brush again. There are people who work at those low wage jobs who can’t afford cars, nor can they afford booze. A real city would have 24/7 bus service so they could get to work safely, though.

        • No, that’s you painting outside of the lines I was drew. Even low wage workers can afford cars and booze if they set their efforts towards it. I see bus stops at TJmax and DUI bikes on Fares Avenue. There might be the rare exception, but 24/7 bus service is an imaginary problem compared to the real issues we face that are keeping us from being a “real city”…whatever that means. If you weren’t so giddy for Gail you would see that all of her ideas cost more money. But then she’s a democrat. It’s easier for you to be critical of a Winnecke spending because he’s a republican.

          • Winnecke’s only problem is that he’s a Republican? I have a unicorn I’d like to sell you

            • No, since Winnecke is a Republican man, LKB is safe to be critical of him. She will not hold a Democrat woman to the same level.

        • Lack of a good transportation system is a primary reason a large portion of this country and specifically Evansville live in poverty. We need a transportation that runs often and on time. We need nice safe comfortable shelters for people to use while waiting for transportation. Lack of good transportation demoralizes good people who are more than willing to work. People would be surprised at how the welfare rolls and crime would decrease.

          • We should have public transportation that runs often and on time with safe shelters. We should also change the oil in the police cars. Transportation is important, but is it a game changer for our city?

          • You stated that beautifully, pov. I’m pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreamin. , For all the years I worked in social services, one of the biggest stumbling blocks to people being able to get and keep a job has been transportation to that job. Not all jobs are 9 – 5, Mon through Fri. In fact, most are not and if you can’t get to work, you can’t keep a job. There are plenty of people who, even with employment, cannot afford a vehicle that is safe, reliable, and insured. Whatever the reason a person is unable to drive, including a DUI, I’m appalled that someone who considers himself to be a true Christian would denigrate them in such a mean-spirited way as the one IE did.

            • People that are getting into the workforce at the entry level, which has nothing to do with age get the worse jobs. One of the toughest jobs in the hospitality industry is closing. Try getting affordable, reliable transportation after midnight. Years ago Purdue’s used to sent a bus to Evansville to pick up workers.

          • Agree with Moveon and EKB why I am not surprised at the sarcastic, callous response from IE.

    4. “addressing the needs of the most vulnerable in our community”

      Laughable!

      Could Gail tell us if that were true, why she left the ARC of Evansville Forum EARLY so that she could deliver a speech to the Tristate Alliance encouraging them to vote?

      Does she want to address the needs, or just use them in her speeches and political maneuvering?

      • Apparently she DID tell you why she left ARC early. She had another speaking engagement. It sounds like you have a problem with the organization she went to speak to.

        • He’s a sore loser. She trounced him in the last election. He wouldn’t know constituent services from one of those bedpans he used to professionally empty.

          He seems to be trying to say it’s laughable to address the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. I don’t agree with him. He’s a Teabagger anyway, can’t really expect much more.

    5. Hell dude, on this site or any other connected with that poor assed locally based political shit that rules. there The spot on the United States clean water balance for he whole damned north American balance is as always from there, with them, Straight bull shit. Frankly Lee’d that’s “about all there is too it.”

      Its time, we are not going to back off you a frigging bit with that.

    6. The “T” was there, so was the localized bull crap. Take that an crawl its what they plan , running is outside their realm.

    7. Nothing slamming Gail, but I really think Evansville and Vanderburgh co and Warrick co should receive the title as the greatest recycling area in the world. We do a hell of a job of just recycling the same worn out political servants into new positions or sometime the same. In the case of the latter, definition of insanity is repeating the same expecting different results. I have no beefs with any politico, I just am seeing the handwriting on the wall as to the future of this area. What happens in 10-15 years from now without some new blood from both parties at ANY local level. In both counties the majority of the current politicos won’t be on this earth due to age and decreased mental capacities. Can you honestly look around either county and say that young man or lady is sharp and an up and comer in either party? I don’t see it. I honestly can’t name one young person in local politics that I can say that about. It’s concerning but hey maybe that person will step out say here is the plan for Evansville future, I am no perfect person, but this is what we need and do it…..

      • This is the capital of recycled useless burned out politicians and their puppet appointees.

    8. Will we have a third choicre? Seems like Evansville will be served leftovers in the next election and I would really like to see more on the menu?

      • I’ve heard that local Libertarian leader, Bart Gadau may run. We’ll know by the end of next month how the race will shape up.

    9. I think I have it figured out -finally,–Evansville’s Elitiest Cartel thrives because of the faithful/fawning rabble that are hooked on Baloney, — there is seemingly no intellectual cure for it in Evansville,
      — and indications are after 40some years, —it’s evolving into a terminal condition for Evansville.

    10. I hope that every Democrat in this city cancels their subscription to that rag they call the Evansville Courier and Press. Tim Ethridge is a pathetic excuse for an editor and only uses this sorry excuse for a paper to give his opinions on every political event that does not favor his pal Winnecke. Riecken for MAYOR.

      • He really twists and turns to try to credit Winnecke for anything he can. It is an impossible task he has had set for him. It’s not pretty. He took a bad paper and made it worse. He isn’t anymore a journalist than he was a sportswriter. In a fairer world he’d have took his third strike call a couple of years ago and been sent packing. Once a paper loses all credibility, like the CP has, it has nothing. Being so transparently in the tank for an inept (being charitable there) administration is really dishonorable.

        • I don’t see near the bias from Ethridge towards Winnie as I see from the CCO coddling Gail. Just take a look at the pic above the CCO keeps using…hardly recognized the old bird yesterday.

          I am not a C&P fan, but I haven’t noticed them using old and airbrushed pictures of political candidates.

          • The CP regularly runs the worst picture they could find of Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley.

            I disagree that the CCO coddles Gail. She is a pretty tough woman and doesn’t need it. I would bet the CCO didn’t ‘airbrush’ or otherwise enhance her picture in any meaningful way, not to say someone else didn’t before they got it. The ‘old bird’ as you call her is a nice looking lady, I’m sure that engenders some level of jealousy from those who have political disagreements with her.

            The CP’s bias in favor of Winnnecke crossed the line long ago into outight fawning.

            • We used the picture that Gail gave us. We use Mayor Winnecke’s official picture when we put him in. While airbrushing or picking out a frame of a video that makes someone look cartoonish does sound like fun, we do not do such things.

    11. You know, in the big cities a common scene used to be a 3-card monte dealer at an old card table set up at a busy corner fleecing out-of-town rubes. Here in Evansville, the Democrat oligarchy plays 1-card monte with the yokels, and they still win. Effortlessly. Every time. If there’s a little family tiff over the allocation of the boodle, the city’s banking establishment will obligingly cough up a liberal Republicrat to carry on with biz as usual until Duh Party can agree on which hack or hackette to put out front. Riecken’s candidacy is the oligarchy’s middle finger flipped directly in the faces of the taxpayers. The status quo has to go? How about “mo’ mo’ mo’ status quo!” as a campaign slogan?

      Of course, Gail is for the downtown hotel. Why is anyone surprised? Those have been the marching orders from Mayor-in-Lurking Weinzippy, the People’s UnDemocratic Republic of the Westside, the unions, and the contractors. Many of same city council people who now feign outrage over spending will eventually be voting to spend $30-$40 million to subsidize the hotel if the representative from Champaign-Urbana is elected. Just wait and see. The Farce Center caper won’t be completed until that big vacant lot King Jonathan and Duh Party created in the downtown has another ugly, money-losing building on top.

      • Everybody knows that , well did you know?

        JoeBiden
        Jan 11, 2015 at 11:10 am

        V, well said. This long running sewer fiasco reminds me of people trying to redecorate the Titanic after it hits the iceberg.

        Reply

        v
        Jan 11, 2015 at 12:44 pm

        “Sewer fiasco”—–> Some recent CCO comments kind’a busts the hell outta the “redecoration ” of the sinking boat, ESS downtown Evansville as well. That little bit of sunshine ought to get the DOJ looking in some hidey holes. Good grief what a mess.

        Liquored Up
        Jan 9, 2015 at 8:39 pm

        My Dear Bubba….

        Ms Cheryl is a very talented individual and would be considered right of the Tea Party, although those folks are good people but this town will NOT elect an individual that far to the right….the only reason why Winnie was elected in the first place was the division in the Democrat Party…so, review the record of Republican Mayors in Evansville…after Lloyd Sr, the financial situation was so bad that Mike Vandeveer furloughed 360 police, firefights and other city employees plus turned off one half of the street lights…then came his son, with nearly 50 million in reserves went old Russ took office but when he was removed, Weinzapfel had to borrow mega funds from the Utility to make ends meet in the General Fund…according to reliable sources, the General Fund is overdraft by nearly 17 million at the end of October and the city stopped paying its billings in order to keep the General Fund from going negative at December 31, 2014…FIVE MORE YEARS OF THIS CRAP AND OUR CITY WILL BE IN DEEP %&($$&,,,,,

        Reply

        Brains Benton
        Jan 9, 2015 at 8:56 pm

        Let me rephrase that just so everyone here knows and understands.

        Your sources say that the city was over drafted by $17M as of October 31st 2014, repeat 2014, and the same sources say that the city has stopped paying a lot of its bills!???

        If true this is a HUGE STORY. This can’t be kept secret for long. Are you sure about all this?

        One would have to agree with brains, but for those being stretched by the mismanagement and back doorsmanship accounting lordy it’ll take more than four or five sand flipping’s to cover that smell.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iG9NQk9mI

        • If that information is correct, Evansville will be in bankruptcy before the election. I believe that each fund is considered overdrawn if it does not have a balance of $20,000. But $17 million is a whole lot more than that. Surely, if the city isn’t paying its bills, some of the vendors will come forward. I doubt the Courier would report on that, though.

    12. Did Gail say anything in her comments or answers to questions about the McCurdy Hotel or Mesker Amphitheater?

      • No. Yesterday was an overview of her candidacy. I understand that she will be going into specific issues with a series of position papers, and I expect those things will be addressed in that way.

    13. We have had a pre-pre-announcement, a pre-announcement, an announcement, AND an anouncement speech. We get the message.

      Gail is for Gail!

      Having said ghat, i will probably vote D for mayor for only the second time in my 70 plus years.

    Comments are closed.