BREAKING NEWS: Shake Up At The Civic Center

22

 

The City County Observer has learned that DMD Director Phillip Hooper is no longer an employee of the City of Evansville and that well known local personality Kelley Coures has been named as the acting replacement for the time being.

No information on the reason for the shake up has been released by the Winnecke Administration that held a news conference earlier today to announce that the 2012 City audit was “clean”.  On examination of the findings of the audit the words “adverse” and “material weakness” appear frequently as does the auditors opinion that the financial accounts of the City of Evansville are not reconciled as Mayor Winnecke has claimed. It is not known if the audit results are related to the departure of Mr. Hooper.

 

This is a developing story.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

22 COMMENTS

    • Looks that way to me! I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phoenix flies in to bash Hooper any minute now, but a few weeks back he was praising Hooper to the heavens.

      • Well I hope he negotiated a good compensation package. I hope the mayor presents his evidence on Hooper to the public and does not shroud these details from us.

        So his replacement, who is noted as a local personality, is actually an opinion columnist and editorial advisory board member at the Evansville Courier Press. Quick google search…

        • Mr. Coures has been rattling around the Civic Center for some thirty years, but I’m really wondering what his qualifications for serving in this post for even one day are.

          • Why, he’s a local personality. Known for his caught on camera spat with Marsha Abel a few years ago and launching one of Cheryl Musgrave’s first candidacies from his front porch. All sterling qualifications to head the DMD.

            Able was he ere he saw Abel.

      • Philip Hooper is a great person and an asset to our community. I am honored to call him a friend and we will always be friends. I think it’s unfortunate for Evansville that he has chosen to pursue other interests because his visions for a successful and vibrant community are what’s needed in Evansville. Good luck with your future endeavors, Phil and best of luck to Kelley, also.

        • Hooper is a good guy. How much notice did this good guy give his employer? If that answer is a couple of hours there is more to this than meets the eye. No one in that kind of position pulls the old “take this job and shove it” routine. If he really made his announcement yesterday as this is being spun it is because someone asked for his resignation. Now why would that happen to such a great asset to the community?

          • According to both parties involved, this has been an ongoing conversation over the last several weeks. This isn’t like your average factory job where you stay as a lame duck for two weeks. In the grown-up world, two weeks notice is offered as a courtesy, but is not always needed. The only time that I retain someone for two weeks after they submit their resignation is if I have an immediate need that I can not handle short-handed.

  2. Oh for crying out loud. Does everything that happens in city government have to be the result of some deep dark conspiracy? Grow up, people!

    Phil Hooper did a great job as director of DMD. I cannot think of another director who was more enthusiastic, involved, promotional, and a fantastic presenter of the programs. He also has a very engaging personality that will be missed by many who know him and acknowledge his abilities.

    And Kelley Coures will do a great job as well, whether he’s a temporary place holder or a permanent fixture. Why don’t you folks give people the benefit of the doubt and a little breathing room to prove themselves, rather than piling on with outlandishly wild speculations and degradation?

    Good luck and good fortune to Philip (you could’ve at least spelled his name correctly) Hooper and his lovely, young family wherever they go and whatever they do.

    • The answer is no. The local government works in the dark in a conspiracy fashion. The only way to make sense of the homestead exemption fraud is to make it a conspiracy. The only way to make sense of all the tax money lost through the McCurdy fiasco is make it a conspiracy. The only way to make sense of earthcare is make it a conspiracy. I still believe that part of the city councils problem with SBR was earthcare. The problems with earthcare was probably obvious to all the council members but rewards have to be honored, by calling out earthcare SBR put a block in front of someone’s payback. I have 3 things to say about the city council members past and present with the exception of SBR, look at your record, look at your record, look at your record. I’m sure there are a couple of honest above board members but they don’t have the courage to stand for anything but the status quo.

      • What does any of that have to do with Philip Hooper’s tenure as director of DMD or his announcement that he is moving forward?

        The editor chose to insinuate a connection between Mr. Hooper’s resignation and the recent audit of city finances. Where’s the proof of a connection? The editor has had access to the taped exit interview for many weeks, and now has access to the final report. Where’s the connection between Hooper’s departure and the audit results?

        Time and time again, the editor choses to stir up conjecture, and the core commenters follow up with wild conspiracy theories. Is that responsible journalism, or old school yellow journalism?

  4. How can Winnecke claim that this was a “CLEAN” audit.

    Of course it is a clean audit because they plugged the BEGINNING balances to make the ending figures reconcile.

    But how does this affect the 1-1-11 to 12-31-11 audit? Would it not throw that audit into the fire?

    Of course it does.

    How are you going to deal with that, Winnecke?

    • From page 17 Note 8 of the audit:

      For the year ended December 31, 2012, certain changes have been made to some of the beginning balances of the financial statement to more appropriately reflect financial activity of the City.
      The following schedule presents a summary of restated beginning balances.

      The net changes in the 2011 balances to get to the starting point the City was looking for adding all of the 2011 adjustments amounts to over $29 Million. It is just like David Garrett said it would be. The City plugged a new starting number to make 2012 balance. 2011 is now a bigger mess than it was before and these suckers are going to get by with it.

      • Weinzapfel’s crap has been swept under the rug permanently and Winnecke is telling us all is peachy. The 2011 audit just went from being to bad to complete to having a $29 Million hole plugged in it with creative accounting.

    • Was thinking same thing. This audit was for the calendar year of 2012. It is my understanding that year 2011 was not done. Am I wrong with that 2011 was the year of the new software, duel bookkeeping became?

      Was not the mayor race in 2011 with the acting mayor began his term in 2012. This audit was on his first year watch. The issue should be on Weiny last year that never cleared that caused the 2012 not to work?

  5. Read all about his accomplishments in Indy at The Courier web site. He did absolutely nothing here. I wonder if he’ll sing now that Winnecke let him go.

  7. The first six words says it all, “the city county observer has learned”. Translation, they just now read the headline and article in the Courier and Depress! Seriously do you think the CCO is going to get anything but secondhand news from anyone going forward in Evansville? Not gonna happen.

Comments are closed.