Weinzapfel for Mayor Campaign sent $194,214 to the State Democratic Party in 2010

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Jonathon Weinzapfel

Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has been portrayed by multiple insiders as “livid” over the State Democratic Party’s decision to bankroll the Davis for Mayor campaign in the last two weeks of the election? By examining the public documents of the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” 2010 Campaign, the City County Observer discovered that the total year to date expenses of $194,214 were paid to the Indiana State Democratic Party? It seems as though the state Democratic Party willingly accepted this money from the Mayors re-election campaign and are now investing it in the campaign of the candidate for Mayor of Evansville who won the Democratic primary, Rick Davis.

It is somewhat ironic that the money being invested in advertising on behalf of Mr. Davis is focused completely on the secret meetings held in Mayor Weinzapfel’s office to remove the Homestead Tax Credit from the people of Vanderburgh County. In a very real way Mayor Weinzapfel paid this one forward by sending $194,214 to the state party coffers last year and this money that was collected to keep a Democrat in the Evansville Mayor’s office is now being spent to do exactly the purpose that it was raised for.

24 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for the contributions Johhny Appleseed. And you thought these funds were all about you, didn’t you?

  2. Too funny. I wonder how all of the Evansville Republican donors feel about their HEFTY campaign contributions to Weinzapfel being used by the State Democratic Party to support Davis.

    Maybe they should have been a little more cautious in their support?

  3. Good to see that the state Democrat Party is not letting the egos of Weinzapfel and Mark Owens take the chance of losing the third larges city in the state to a GOP mayor!

  4. The Mayor refused use any of his huge campaign war chest to help the primary winning Democratic candidate for Mayor. The State Democratic party intervenes and gives about 1/3 of their recent donations from the Mayor to help fund Mr. Davis TV ads about the secret homestead tax grab meeting in the Mayor’s office. Karma meets irony.

    • Joe, most of the $194K from Weinzapfel to the Indiana Democrat Party was to pay staff salaries. All Dan Parker is doing is greasing Davis with $40K and hoping to quadruple his money over the next four years. Rick better be ready to play ball with Parker and the big boys up north because payback is part and parcel to the deal Davis signed to be greased up by Parker.

      • Clovis, $194,000 in staff salaries for who? Don’t know but I thought the City paid for a Staff Chief and a couple of secretaries for every Mayor. I bet an Opus One that Russ Lloyd, Jr. wasn’t sending any money to the State Democratic Party! Thanks.

        • Staff salaries for political staff not municipal office staff silly, man. Call Dan Parker and ask him. You people need to learn the realities of politics before blabbering about it online.

          • Clovis, are you telling us the Mayor paid $194,000 for “political staff” from the State Democratic party to work for the Mayor?? Please explain?

          • Clovis, the article you linked to shows that Mayor Weinzapfel had over $600,000 saved in campaign donations in 2009. He raised another $500,00 in 2010 for his reelection that never happened. Still no explanation on what he spent $194,000 for Democratic party salaries in 2010. Please explain as many will be interested in your inside information.

          • Clovis, Thank you. I just re-read your link and found it:

            “Weinzapfel has hired two Indianapolis-based operatives, political director Adarius Gardner and finance director Linda Harris, and he appears to be on solid financial footing for a statewide run.”

            He paid $194,000 to the State Democratic party to hire 2 Indianapolis-based operatives, and the State Democratic party now funds Mr. Davis attack ads about the secret tax grab meeting in the Mayor’s office.

          • Joe, I posted that link to show you where I think much of the $194K went, not necessarily all of it, but a lot of it.

            As far as the IDP financing of the negative attack ad on behalf of Davis, to me that is just a gamble by Parker. He may view it as an investment in expectation of a return from future fundraising by Davis or some other form of political debt payment.

            The ad itself distorts the facts and paints a negative picture of the one person who seems to have called the meeting to explore ways to work out budget problems for the city and the county. Too bad it backfired.

        • In other words Rick Davis has sealed his fate as part of the state Democrat machine, right Sadiemae? Glad we agree.

  5. All you with Rick Davis think Dan Parker and state democrats are so great for helping your man out. Dan Parker and those democrats up there are just as back door in their dealings too.

    Parker says secret meetings are so bad then why did he Jim Schellinger, Kathy Davis, Woody Myers and John Gregg all meet behind closed doors at party headquarters to name Gregg for Governor? All insiders and no representatives from African-Americans or gay lesbian community. Rick you are in company of insiders and power brokers who don’t care about little people now.

    • Then vote for Pence! And take the crumbs off the floor! Your egos are at least as as big as your…….???

  6. Dear Evansville Republicans,

    Winnecke is not a conservative. He is being supported by the following people:

    Jonathan Weinzapfel
    Connie Robinson
    Mark Owen
    Keith Jarboe
    Curt John
    Missy Mosby
    and many other Dems

    Why do you think that is the case?

    • Have you never heard the expression “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”? That is why we trained Binladen to fight the Russians, armed the Iranians to fight the Iraqi’s and then armed the Iraqi’s to fight the Iranians. Politics has always made for strange bedfellows. Do you really think when their common enemy is vanquished that these Democrats will magically become Republicans?

    • If that is the batch of hacks that line up behind Winnecke his best political move would be to reject their endorsements. He will lose what little republican base that there is if he cozies up to the remnants of Team Weinzapfel. That list is the core of the old boy backroom dealing democratic machine. Hell, even Rick Davis doesn’t want their endorsements.

  7. Hey Joe Biden, isn’t Adarius Gardner down on Main Street in a new job selling tickets for VenuWorks? If that ain’t a patronage payback then there is no such thing as patronage payback. The back room deals from this bunch of jokers just never stops does it.

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