The Rick Stephenson Arrest

 
Must say I was disappointed by the recent arrest of Clark Co. Commissioner Rick Stephenson for DUI. I voted for Rick and have been impressed with his openness, candor, and transparency in his first couple of years in office and his performance as Commissioner , and he let me down. Though disappointed in Rick's bad decision to apparently drink and drive, I applaud his honesty  and candor for owning up to and taking full responsibility for his actions. He stepped forward and publicly admitted without excuses his bad lapse of judgement and promised to accept the legal consequences that are forthcoming..

   I'm not trying to minimize Mr. Stephenson's actions or the seriousness of the charges, but personally I believe in this instance of giving him another chance and hopes he does continue in his position as Clark Co. Commissioner. I know some will say it is hypocritical because I said that in the recent arrests of two other prominent office holders...that they should resign.

   Personally I see this case differently for several reasons. First of all Rick stepped forward publicly answering questions from both friends and critics. He didn't hide behind an attorney and admitted he was in the wrong and accepted full responsibility without excuses, unlike those in the two other recent cases. Another reason, anyone who drinks (myself included) has probably on occasion made the same bad judgement as Mr. Stephenson of driving after drinking and may or may not have been caught.. Not trying to minimize Rick's arrest, DUI is a serious offense and should be punished accordingly but I think also a lot of us realize it could have been us on some occasions and sympathize to some degree. Good people do make mistakes, but good people also accept and own up to their mistakes, don't make excuses and remedy their mistakes by making sure they don't happen again.

 Finally this is the Christmas Season and forgiveness and good will for our fellow man should be forth coming. I forgive Rick, Teresa P. and Danny R. and wish all of them well moving forward and hope they can all learn and be bigger people for their mistakes just as I would want anyone to forgive me for any mistakes I have made in my life...

I hope everyone had a great Christmas Season and Wishing you all a Happy New Year !!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

From the Jeffersonville - Clark Co. Blog (The BatBlog)

From the Chatter Chicks ...their yearly rendition of Rockin around the Christmas Tree ......CLICK HERE

And one more from the Chatter Chicks ...CLICK HERE

Finally Feliz Navidad from GAW News and the BatBlog ...CLICK HERE

Before the 2011 Election....

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

2014 HT Dick Jones Award Poll

The 2014 1st annual HT Dick Jones Award poll is up for outstanding public service in Clark Co,

Be Sure To Vote .... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Real Truth About The Hutt Lawsuit....Inside with Mr. X

 

These are busy times lots of things going on. I haven't gotten around to Mrs.HT's Christmas present shopping, we are getting set for big Christmas extravaganza at the HT compound for kids and grandkids and I wanted to start the poll today it will be up tomorrow for the HT Dick Jones Award.

 I was given some information yesterday that I thought was important enough that it should get immediate attention. A lot of it is just common sense thoughts that many of us have already figured and concluded on the Hutt lawsuit against the City of Jeffersonville Redevelopment on the White Reach hotel and retail project.

  What is important is not so much the content but the person that gave me the information and his thoughts. I practically begged him to let me use his name in the post, but he politely declined, citing friends, relatives involved on both sides of the issue and not wanting to jeopardize any friendships or relationships. In the interview I will refer to him as Mr.X. I will say without question he is one of the most respected members of our community, widely known, successful and as well liked as anyone I know. He has no political agenda but is as well versed in legal. political and business matters in Jeffersonville  (present and past) and as informed and knowledgeable as anyone  I know.

 The Lawsuit
  Contrary to what I believed, Mr. X actually thought Hutt's lawsuit had at least a 50/50 chance of being won by Hutt and Wilder. Stating that while he hasn't seen all the legal documentation or heard the legal arguments he thinks Les Merkley (City attorney) may have made the mistake of not crossing all his T's and dotting all his I's in the proposed purchase of the questioned property. He said Les Merkley is a fine attorney and a honest,good man and any attorney could have made the same mistake. These kind of deals usually aren't held to  much scrutiny especially the appraisals that are cited as required in the lawsuit. He said normally no one cares about the appraisal value other than  the buyer and seller, and if the buyer and the seller are in agreement it's usually a non issue. The circumstances of a private citizen filing suit in these type of matters is practically unheard of and was totally unexpected....

   My interviewee  Mr. X, thought the Redevelopment Boards's action of not renewing the deadline for White-Reach was very telling, he had two scenario's 1.)  Merkeley came to the conclusion that Hutt's lawsuit had a strong legal position and conceded and advised the board so. 2.) White Reach was getting cold feet, they had already been delayed once while City council "diddled around" with the zoning, and with no immediate end in sight they just moved on.

  I asked Mr. X  since the White Reach project was apparently dead would Hutt and Wilder continue on with the lawsuit. He thought they would mainly because this lawsuit was basically a political ploy, whose main and probably sole intent was to make the current administration look bad. The continued  publicity aimed at the Moore administration by going forward with the suit is just a bonus political plum. He continued "It's a farce" to think this is a "class action" suit to save the taxpayers money "it's all political'' with a mayoral election year coming up next year to stop an attractive project by the incumbent mayor could be a good move by the opposition. He went on to say "I wouldn't call it a shrewd or smart move"  because in essence the Hutt lawsuit has hurt the community ... by delaying tax revenue on the property, denying local businesses additional revenue from the added influx of visitors a nice hotel would bring in and slowing the momentum of growth shown recently in the downtown sector. Not to mention the collateral damage this has done to the City going forward on attracting potential businesses and retail establishments and projects.

  Mr. X went on to say that Hutt and Wilder are trying to paint this White Reach project as some kind of underhanded , questionable deal by the redevelopment dept. with a financially shaky( WR) firm where statutes were broken, and regulations not followed, which he stated is simply "not true". This was a legitimate, sound project with a well respected firm (White Reach) who has been in business for over 25 years and have done successful projects in the past in Jeffersonville and So. Indiana. If there were mistakes made they were honest oversights by Mr. Merkley nothing more who is "as honest as the day is long."  there never was any "intentional" move to not follow statutes pertaining to this sale of this property.


   Mr. X thinks the lawsuit could go either way but with the proposed project now apparently dead the ruling would be a moot point. Municipalities are given a wide range of leeway on these type deals in order for growth within communities. If the city would lose the suit it would be no big deal really because the project is dead already, but it would give the city and the redevelopment dept.additional guidelines moving forward for future projects.The alleged required appraisals would be no big hurdle in the future, the only real impact this law suit will have is increased skepticism  by development firms and retail businesses in going forward with the City of Jeffersonville. This lawsuit puts up a roadblock and message for companies to look elsewhere for cooperation.....End Part I

***Time restraints won't allow the finish of this interview...Stay tuned for Part II in the next couple of days...Mr. X has some interesting remarks on White Reach, local politics,  and business and the aftermath of this lawsuit....

***************************Breaking Story**************************
Tomorrow the Jeffersonville-Clark Co. Blog (BatBlog) has a story that will blow the doors off all previous stories on the Hutt lawsuit. An interview and story with a prominent local resident that will blow you away...busy schedule but it should be up tomorrow...check back in and tell your friends, new and inside material....The Truth comes out...(tell all your chatter friends and link it to the BatBlog)
************************************************************************************************

The Hwy. 62 Entry Way Hotel Project is Dead...The Real Story

  The Jeff Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously Tuesday night not to extend the deadline for the White-Reach Development's proposed development of the entry way corridor along Hwy. 62. in Jeffersonville. The project which included a large hotel and several adjoining restaurants and possible retail establishments.

   The resident "Village Idiot" NHBSM is blubbering all over the internet that it's all about White-Reach delaying the project by asking for extensions and the deal fell through, and how the City of Jeffersonville broke the law in selling the property. In typical NHBSM fashion these are all lies.

 The real story is and this comes from a good sources close to the project is that White -Reach rightfully refused to go forward with the project because of a lawsuit filed by the Village Idiot himself represented by his attorney Larry "the Can" Wilder. White-Reach knew that the lawsuit could potentially put added costs and delays into the project costing them money...It would be like me or you buying a car and not knowing what the cost would be until after you signed the purchase agreement. Naturally White -Reach balked at signing the deal until the litigation was decided and all the costs were on the table.

  In essence NHM (Not Honest Mike) and his bullshit lawsuit have stopped any development on that property, because no development company is going to invest into something without knowing what the costs will be and pending litigation hanging over their head.

Lies, Lies and more Lies
Everyone knows about NH's penchant for lying... in this case it's multiple to the point of ridiculousness.
  
Lie No. 1 What the City did was illegal....That's to be determined by a court of law, NH (Not Honest) is entitled to his opinion but it is not fact..NH does not write statutes or determine who abides by such statutes.

Lie No. 2  What the property is worth.... Not Honest claims the property it's worth a ridiculous amount like a million an acre...appraisals are very subjective you can get a 100 different wide varying appraisals from a 100 different appraisers. In the end property is only worth what someone is willing to  pay for it. anyone could have bid on it only White Reach gave a legitimate bid and it was fair market value for the property...probably more than it's worth...

Lie No. 3 This is a class action suit by the citizens of Jeffersonville... Pure bull shit this all about NH and his political agenda...Most people could give a rat's ass what the property is worth or what the city sells it for. People like amenities and this was a nice project that most people were in favor of.

Lie No.4 NH's claim he want's whats best for the city...More BS this is all about NH... he wants to feel important and claims to know what's best but doesn't have the gonads to run for office because he knows he couldn't even win  a dog catchers race. His actions have hurt a lot of people, cost people money, the city tax revenue and jobs.

Lie No.5 He claims this is not political...This is the biggest lie of all and everyone knows it. it's purely political...After kissing politicians asses for years he finally landed a position on the Redevelopment board which lasted about a month until they found out what a liar, two faced blowhard he is. since then his sole goal in life is revenge for his unceremonious firing. He takes his miserableness and vindication out on the good citizens of Jeff and Clark Co....

Best Public Servant in Clark Co.....1st Annual HT - Dick Jones Award

 

The BatBlog in an attempt to put a positive spin on things as we head into the Christmas season and New Year announce the 1st annual Hoosiertaxpayer  Dick Jones Award. To be voted on by the public in a new BatPoll. The Batblog is pretty hard on some of our politicians and office holders (and rightfully so), but we also realize we have some good ones and true public servants. We will give you a list of some of our favorites and if you like send us a name of someone we may have overlooked. We will limit it to current  office holders in the local area (Jeffersonville and Clark Co) and the award will be named after Dick Jones a truly great public servant and nice man who recently retired after many years of local public service....Be Sure To Vote.....

NOMINEES

1. Barbara Hollis (D) - President of the Clark Co. council entering her 5th term has handled her position with grace and class and is well respected by both parties...

2. Brian Lenfert (R) - County Council V.P. has been a valuable member of the council heading into his second term, has had some good ideas concerning county's budget woes...

3. Susan Popp (D) - Nice lady and very capable councilwoman on the County council who appears to have won the Co. clerk's race and will do an excellent job there as well...

4. Kelly Khuri (R) -  She's a tea partier but we won't hold that against her , she's a leading advocate for protecting the taxpayer's tax dollars...

5. Rick Stephenson (R) - County Commissioner who is openly receptive to answering anyone's questions, keeps a Q and A thread on the CCC to accommodate voters which is unheard openness and transparency around these parts.

6. Jack Coffman (R) -  Off to a good start in his 1st term as commissioner. have heard no complaints about him or R. Stephenson...

7. Nathan Samuel (D) - Jeffersonville city councilman has the potential to be a good public servant needs to be his own man more and not listen and vote along with the stooges on the council....

8. Bryan Glover (R) - Breath of fresh air on what is a pretty dense Jeff City council...will be missed as he moves to his job as the third Clark Co, Commissioner...

9. Mike Moore (R) - Jeff Mayor who we started to leave off the list as he has made some dumb
moves in his battles with the City council, but all in all Jeff has progressed nicely during his 1st term and he has some nice projects in the planning. His best move firing the "Village Idiot" NHBSM right off the bat.

10. Dan Moore (D) - Circuit court judge, though Dan will be leaving after losing in the primary he deserves recognition.... he was a tough , no nonsense but fair judge who knows the law and was well respected among attorneys and he will be  missed....

That's our list if we overlooked anyone or you have a potential candidate let us know and we'll take it into consideration...Look for the Poll in the next couple of days....

The 2014 Political Turkey of the Year

 

 Congratulations are in order to NHBSM the winner of the BatBlog's 1st annual "Political Turkey of the Year" award. Though he's not really a politician, never held office (who would vote for him), and nobody really pays much attention to him NH (Not Honest Mike) easily captured our first annual award by nearly a 2 to 1 margin over 2nd place  NH's breakfast buddy Danny (Smooth Talker) Rodden and the "Big Q" Quasar the resident right wing whacko on the CCC finished 3rd. And it is only fitting that like in the real world of politics "Toxic" John Perkins finished dead last like he has done so many times in real life....

  As someone earlier mentioned it's a shame to associate the majestic turkey to this motley band of candidates so next year it will be the "Political Buzzard of the Year" so as not to sully the fine name of the turkey...

Let It Go Republicans...You Can't Win Them All....

The local GOP needs to  "Let it go" and concede defeat to Susan Popp the Dem. County Clerk elect. It was a close election that demanded a recall and the process proved out that Ms. Popp is the winner. No need in threatening continued litigation all the way to the Supreme court like Larry "CanMan" Wilder boasted to the media. The process played out in front of partisan appointees of both parties who handled the re-count and the people have spoken.



 Ms. Popp is probably the more qualified of the two candidates
anyway and will make a fine County Clerk. Kelly Harrod who has lost more elections than even "Toxic" John Perkins needs to ride off into the sunset and collect his Soc. Security. More litigation will just cost taxpayers more money and will prove nothing. If "CanMan" want's to go all the way to the Supreme Court he better find his client a new lawyer. Judge "Uncle Joe " Weber and "Auntie" Vicky Carmichael won't be sitting on the Supreme court...this ain't Jeffersonville and "CanMan" might be out of his league,,,he'd better just plea bargain Harrod  a second place trophy  instead of risking the whole county further embarrassment....

This and That....10 Things

Not a whole lot going on here locally, plus it's been a busy time personally here's a few remarks on a few random thoughts....

1. Glad to see Susan Popp come away with an apparent win in the Clerk's race....she will do well...

2. NHBSM claims on the CCC (Clark County Chatter) he doesn't read the Batblog....Another lie, I am told by one of his breakfast buddies (local politician) he checks it out every day...PS his buddy says everyone has figured out NH for what he is....  a bag of hot wind.

3. Commercialism has taken away from what Christmas really is and meant to be... spending time sharing memories with friends and family and the delight of watching children and grandchildren that still believe in Santa Claus....

4. Found a way to minimize looking for that hard to find gift...Amazon they sell everything and anything and they deliver it to your front door.....

5. Has Obama really been that bad...employment and the stock market are up....gas prices down and I  still have my guns<sarcasm added>.....I'm not sure America is truly ready to accept a black president,   nobody will admit to it, but race has a lot to do with his unpopularity among some....

6. Hopefully the local Dem.s can come up with another candidate for next years mayoral election ... Julius just doesn't do it for me and he has the personality of a slug...

7. Christmas idea...all adults forego exchanging gifts and use the saved money to donate so that every child 12 and under has a magical Christmas morning...

8. Goliath is a busy man but wish he would post more on GAW he has some insightful, interesting opinions on things his only fault is his unconditional loyalty to Democratic party.....I found out that Democrats aren't always the best choices, especially here locally where it has become nothing more than a clique....and the local GOP could be heading in the same direction.... beware power and popularity can be fleeting and short lived...

9. Wish The CCC could return to it's former glory and popularity under Supermike ...he gave everyone enough leeway to make things interesting and fun and didn't hold personal grudges like the gestapo agent in charge does now...

10. Everyone relax and have great Christmas season, in my 60 odd years I've seen too many people that expect too much and are disappointed when their expectations of happy holiday times fail to materialize because of rushing around, trying to do too much, spending too much money....in an attempt to make sure everyone else has a Merry Christmas...Don't rush, make time for yourself to enjoy the important things like children, grandchildren, family and friends....things are never perfect so don't attempt to make them so...If you have a faith rejoice in it as well...

My posting may be irregular during the holidays if anything comes up important I will try and weigh in if possible and remember my advice and have a safe, happy and healthy Holiday season....

The War on Drugs

  I encourage everyone if they get a chance to check out "The House I Live In" on Netflix and Amazon. It explores the drug culture, the"War on Drugs" and after spending billions here in America to combat drug use, usage and the problem is greater than ever. This is a fascinating must see that explains how the War on Drugs itself self perpetuates drug usage and is creating  bigger more costly problems than actually helping reduce the impact of drugs in America. Our laws, legislators and politicians by proclaiming and passing legislation to be tough on drugs are in fact having just the opposite effect and increasing drug usage, crime and the prison populations and costs connected to drug use.

 I'm sure everyone knows of someone or has a family member effected by drugs in one form or another...This a well done, eye opening documentary that if you take the time to watch it will give you a different outlook on the drug problem that ravages our country monetarily and the toll it takes on families...Check it out fascinating stuff....

The Perkins Affair

   First off I have to say I was really disappointed and shocked when it was announced that Teresa Perkins  GCC schoolboard member was arrested last summer. I supported her candidacy and voted for her in the 2011 mayoral race, thinking she could be a refreshing change from the usual candidates and politics in town. Obviously I was wrong about her.

  I was also disappointed in the way she and the other school board members handled the situation after her arrest.  I think it's fair to say that the huge majority of people including those who voted for her felt she should have stepped down from her position on the school board out of respect for the community, the teachers and students of Greater Clark Co schools. Furthermore some member preferably the president of the board or the superintendent of the schools should have publicly asked for her resignation. Nonwithstanding her credentials and background in education, just as important is honesty , integrity and trust, and with her actions Ms. Perkins betrayed those qualities and the people who elected her.

   Equally disturbing in my mind was laying blame to depression as the cause of her actions. Certainly depression is a debilitating disease that effects millions of people but depression doesn't make you break laws and commit crimes it does not effect your decision making process. You are still responsible and should be held accountable for your actions.

  We wish Ms. Perkins well and hope personally she can put this event behind her and move on, but by her refusing to resign she is giving the appearance of entitlement, arrogance and not accepting the full consequences of her actions. The public that elected her would have much more respect for her if she would just quietly step aside and let someone else fill out her term...someone who has the trust and confidence of the people of Clark Co....something Ms. Perkins does not have....

Too Many Dumb Asses.... Why Jeffersonville Will Remain 4th Class

 

The BatBlog has figured out even with the progress made toward revitalizing the downtown area and some possible exciting new projects...Jeff will remain a 4th class actually no class at all city...The reason too many dumb asses like the "Village Idiot" NHBSM and his attorney Larry "the CanMan" Wilder populating the city ... These two dumb asses have essentially stopped the progress of the proposed development at the 10th St. entry way into the City. The frivolous, politically motivated lawsuit filed by the "Villiage Idiot" and "CanMan" has made investors think twice about investing money in Jeffersonville and who can blame them. The deal is basically on hold until something is settled and here's betting the land will stay vacant for a long time thanks to these two dumb asses.

   More dumb asses are the City Council members who voted to do away with the Jeffersonville City Court a fixture for many years....the dumb ass Council members instead of working on a solution to fix the problems associated with a declining case load just made the stupid move of eliminating the court all together...Nobody ever accused this council with being the brightest crayons in the box but this move tops the list of dumb ass decisions...Way to go ...now a city of forty some thousand people has no city court . Small minds plus big ideas equal disaster...

  Finally another Dumb Ass ...GCC school board member Teresa Perkins plead guilty and plea bargained a shop lifting charge in Tennessee. Stupid move Teresa , for a handful of cheap jewelry you made Jeff look like a bunch of dumb asses for electing you and  you threw your name,reputation and integrity right down the sewer forever, you will go down in lore as a cheap thief  and you can proudly stand right beside all the other Dumb Asses in this City that keep us from even reaching mediocrity ...

Back Tomorrow

Out of town....back tomorrow .....