GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Did Team Gahan really eject former mayor James Garner from its campaign kickoff love-in last Saturday?

The Green Mouse received this shocking note from an attendee at Slick Jeffie's campaign kickoff Saturday, which was held at Warren Nash's neglected downtown building on Bank Street, where generations of right-wing Democrats have gathered to plot the division of the patronage spoils, and an occasion for the many assembled municipal employees to gladly sing love songs to their beloved benefactor far into the night.

The note received by the Green Mouse has been edited slightly to protect the Mouse's source.

"At some point I saw (former mayor) James Garner, and I thought good, this means we're past the primary, and the party can get back together again, but then the mayor's son-in-law (Chris Gardner) and police chief (Todd) Bailey went over and started barking orders at Garner. I could only hear some of what they were saying -- they were telling him to leave! I couldn't believe it, chasing an ex-mayor and a lifelong Democrat away from the kickoff. I mean what have we become? Are we Democrats or some sort of gangsters?"

That's a good question.

You'd think Adam Dickey would see the merit in Garner's presence, so maybe the Don Corleone "offer to leave which you can't refuse" routine was Gahan's own feeble idea. He's prone to fits of rage, you know.

Heaven forbid, is Dickey's iron grip on the party apparatus finally fading?

Wait -- not THAT iron grip.

Ew.

Has anyone inspected that building lately?

(instructive links follow)

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 12: Madam I'm Adam, or the way HMB's Dickey brokers power and channels his party's beak wetting.

When it's time for personal status protection, local Democrats rally around the Kool-Aid.

In which Deaf Gahan regales public housing residents with ribald tales of the "superstar" Warren Nash.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 20: Buying and selling a city? Our master list of 59 Gahan wheel-greasers is a pornographic potpourri of pay-to-play.

Either the Mayor OR Jeff Gahan; the local chain newspaper itself isn't sure which.

Hmm. The mayor or Jeff Gahan. But who's the mayor, if not Jeff Gahan? Is there a shadow mayor, a body double -- Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, like a Rice Krispies Treats mayor and also one who refrains from intoxicants apart from Bud Light Mang-O-Rita?

Does Tom May know something we don't?

Inquiring minds ...

Colonial Manor listening? Yesterday Gahan, Dickey and the DemoDisneyDixiecrats displayed with unmistakable clarity just how little integrity they have left in the tank.

A portrait in hemorrhoids?

It was great to hear from "the" Democrat at the Colonial Manor listening session -- the one, single, solitary Democratic political figure willing to speak for attribution.

The lone Democratic political type to so much as dare making comments at last evening's Colonial Manor listening session was at-large council candidate Maury Goldberg, and he's to be applauded for doing so.

To be sure, the event's grassroots organizers have been consistent in minimizing politics during the course of their neighborhood advocacy. This is understandable, and even commendable.

Unfortunately, it's a election year; politics is about distributing power, and this fact lurks in the background whether desired or not. As such, three of the four currently declared mayoral candidates were present at last night's Colonial Manor chat (White, Seabrook and Coffey).

Aspiring mayor for life Jeff Gahan skipped the meeting, having launched his own petulant #MyNA broadside earlier in the afternoon.

Let's focus on Jeff Gahan's breathtakingly brazen string of fake facts and outright lies about Colonial Manor.

Of the four city council persons voting in favor of Gahan’s and Adam Dickey's more-of-the-usual-boilerplate redevelopment fix, only 5th district representative Matt Nash attended a meeting held in his own district. Perhaps exhausted by the necessity of fluffing Dear Leader round-the-clock, councilmen Bob Caesar, Greg Phipps and Pat McLaughlin did not show their faces, and not unexpectedly, Silent Nash said absolutely nothing -- not even so much as an introduction or the re-assurance that he was there to listen and would take listening seriously.

You're entitled to my opinion, so here it is: the listening session was another in a series of horridly disconnected and non-responsive showings by local Democrats, who are too busy smugly power-brokering behind closed doors to even attempt engaging with the community's stakeholders.

But before summarizing, I want to allow chief organizer Kathy Copas her say. I greatly admire what she's trying to do.

Now that we're all safely home and settling in for the night, a million thanks once again from our Colonial Manor Redevelopment Citizens Coalition for a wonderful evening of listening, reflection, connection, and fun. Independents, Democrats, and Republicans all together in one room for an evening, all being courteous and respectful of one another's ideas, words, and presence. Everyone who was there should just feel incredibly proud. And thanks so much to the Facebook Live viewers and watch parties, too, that added to our experience of being connected. If we can manage to regularly use structured listening techniques---coupled with real-time technology---to talk about challenging issues, there's just no end to what we can accomplish. So many people volunteered tonight and helped with everything from door prizes to registration to set up and technology. Without the risk of leaving someone out, thanks again to ALL of you for all you do to make New Albany a better and stronger community. We're just getting started! #colonialmanorrising

I can't say enough positive things about the attitude displayed by Kathy and her associates. They're showing us what grassroots involvement can mean.

And, sadly, local Democrats are responding in the only way they know how, with an equally compelling display of detachment, arrogance and pure spite -- which Gahan's Wednesday afternoon video displayed with sheer, numbing pettiness.

Gahan’s absolute power corrupts, and it corrupts absolutely.

He "plays politics" every minute of every day of his public life, and when someone disagrees with him, they’re accused of ... wait for it ... "playing politics."

Gahan seems to believe that his tenure as mayor and the very practice of politics in New Albany are intertwined, synonymous and inseparable -- that Gahan himself is entitled to a monopoly on political power solely because the press clippings he paid someone else our tax dollars to write depict him in such glowing, infallible terms.

But forget Gahan's giggly, goofy uncle persona. It's his inner bully -- the thug deep down -- that compelled yesterday's video, which was posted for the sole purpose of bullying and humiliating a group of sincere grassroots stakeholders.

Don't forget this image.

AT THIS "PUBLIC" MEETING, GAHAN DIDN'T ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK.

This incessant urge to reassert his primacy is further proof of Gahan's mounting narcissistic imbalance. He has gathered far too much power for one ill-equipped man, and he's not using this power for the community's greater good.

Patronage, propaganda and power trips are not hopeful platforms for progress, are they? Fortunately, we can do something about it: #FireGahan2019

ON THE AVENUES: It's time for a change, and David White understands that change begins with a whole lotta scrubbing.

In which Deaf Gahan asks: “Okay, what’s the ISSUE with Riverview? Do you KNOW people who live over there? I mean, WHY are we talking about Riverview?”

On April 2 a "handful" of Mark Elrod Tower residents (the mayor's words, not ours) witnessed a full-throttle City Hall team in glorious campaign mode. Mayor Gahan, Gauleiter Duggins and BOWhisperer Nash each spoke.

For this final excerpt, comprising roughly the first ten minutes of the "presentation," it's a shame the audio isn't available. I've taken the liberty of underlining those passages in which Gahan's and Duggins' tone of voice changes markedly, from talking to (not "with") an audience of seniors as though they were schoolchildren, to brief snippets of a defensive, almost menacing edge. 

Here is the extended excerpt. I went over it a second time for accuracy and made a few light edits to the passage previously published here. Thanks to the Green Mouse for uncovering this gem.

---

(David Duggins is speaking as the recording begins)

Duggins: “I just learned we’ve got maybe a squirrel issue, which we’ll be working on some squirrel issues here. We’ll get that taken care of, too.”

(nervous laughter)

Duggins: “If there’s anything you need always get with Steve or Sue, and I’m happy to help anytime I can. I’d like introduce my good friend, Mayor Jeff Gahan. Thank you.”

Gahan: (giggling) “That’s a good sign, right? Hey, listen, uh, thanks for taking time out, and thanks, uh, for giving me a minute tonight. I certainly appreciate it, uh, I do want to acknowledge the work that everybody does here at New Albany Housing Authority because it’s really a serious group of people. I know you see Dave, you see some of these folks, they got a smile on their face, and they’re kinda cutting up some times, right? But, but you know, they’re real serious about their job, they’re real serious about making all the properties in the New Albany Housing Authority, you know, top flight. And, uh, top, they want to make sure they’re all well maintained, and, uh, the accommodations are the best that we can offer. And it’s really a challenge nowadays, uh, and I’ll tell you why, because okay in the city of New Albany we have 1,187 units, and for many years you had to go through this period where at the federal government they were kind of turning the screws and they weren’t putting the maintenance money that they needed to maintain the properties down here, so, we knew we needed some maintenance done but it didn’t really get down here like we wanted it to, and that trend is continuing, uh, the latest budget they’re pushing for has a 16% reduction in funds for housing and urban development. So we’re still committed to making this, everything, every unit, the top flight, and we’re going to continue to do that, and I can tell you that’s going to happen, uh, we’re taking every step that we can possibly make to make sure that every unit is as good as it can possibly be. And uh you’ve seen a little bit of changes around here, Dave’s done a great job, and changed some things, but soon you’ll see even more, you’ll see additional, we’re taking steps right now to acquire additional properties throughout the city, to build new ones, we’re taking steps right now to make sure that, uh, each one of the units have been inspected, you’ve probably seen people coming and going, making sure that we have a good idea of what the condition of every one of the properties is. And we’re going to take steps to improve them. David Duggins, again, he worked for the city in re-, in economic redevelopment before he came here, so he knows what it takes to take dollars and put them into service, take dollars and turn them into improvements for everybody. And that’s what we’re going to do, that’s the course we’re on for the next five or six years, you’ll see really, really cool improvements in the housing in New Albany and Jeff. You have a really great place, this happens to be the best facility we have, uh, we have some of them that are in terrible condition, they’re terrible, and, uh, but we’re taking steps and making plans to improve those as well. So I’m excited about it, it’s a really great opportunity for us to show how we can make something that’s very much needed, housing is very, very needed, uh, across the board where, uh, there’s a shortage of housing at all levels, uh, at all income levels we’re short houses, we’re short housing, and, uh, we’re committed to improve the housing stock all over the city and make better opportunities for people to live here, and afford to live here, so, uh, in addition to that you’ll see the mission of the housing authority is expanding, which I think is really cool. Uh, we’ve, we’ve taken steps to improve the health, and we’ll be announcing some facilities that will improve, have opportunities for you folks to go to, to have check-ups and their, your teeth looked at, uh, which I think is very exciting – we haven’t had that, but you’ll see that soon. You’ll also see, if you haven’t already seen, additional police presence on campus, more police, more security, more cameras, all right, so a whole lot of really cool things are going on, and uh, again – again we’ll just be expanding services in general, so I’m excited about it, and uh, I wanted to come in and say hi, so if you’ve got any questions, I’m sure you have questions and I’d like to answer them.”

Resident: “I want to know why you’re buying more property for parking when you’re going to tear down Riverview. The newspaper states that you’re putting in more parking for Riverview residents, but yet you’re moving Riverview residents out and you’re going to tear down the building.”

(Duggins quickly intervenes in a question intended for Gahan)

Duggins: “Well, none of that’s been released, it said in the paper we had the opportunity to buy an eyesore, and one of the proper uses for that is parking for that area. We do have a parking issue in that entire area, when we have anything that goes on at Riverview Tower we have to move folks out, we have to close those two spots out front, so any work, when we have electricians and all that, and when that eyesore became available to be purchased, which the city had targeted that for a long time, we purchased it, and that is why we’re doing it. We have not made formal – we have just finished with the negotiations for the insurance on Riverview Tower and this is Mark Elrod Tower, there’s a difference in the type of age of people that live on this side and the quality of the units of this apartment complex compared to Riverview Tower, so when we purchased that, that is available, be available, there are environmental issues and a big creek that runs through there, we’ll be tearing the building down there and looking for that, but yes, property, property purchased for the expansion of parking.”

Resident: "Okay, but you are going to tear down Riverview?"

(Both Gahan and Duggins can be heard murmuring amid the muddle; Duggins can be heard condescendingly saying “not tearing down buildings.” The questioner, perhaps fearing a Taser "joke," says “Okay, alright, I just want to get clear in my mind.”)

Gahan: “Okay, what’s the issue with Riverview? Do you know people who live over there? I mean, why are we talking about Riverview?”

Resident: "Because they’re all moving into here – no, it’s not I’m concerned that they’re moving in here, but you’re moving those people … the people from Riverview are being moved out."

Duggins: “No, that’s not true. We haven’t moved anyone out. There are eleven, eleven vacancies here now, and the people at Riverview have first opportunity to come here because we are holding vacancies there because we have an electrical issue, so when we have vacancies here and if they qualify by their age, uh, which there is a different age requirement for living here, then they are welcome to move here just like you were welcome to move here, and that’s what we’re doing – there are 11 vacancies as of last – I looked it up – last Wednesday and we’re trying to fill them, and the folks at Riverview have the opportunity to move over here, and they’ll continue to have the opportunity.”

Resident: "Before other residents within in the city?"

Duggins: “Yes because they’re in public housing, public housing.”

Gahan: “Yeah, I don’t think, I don’t think you have to be worried about anything, uh, that’s going to crowd you, if that’s what your concern is, I mean I don’t think you have to worry about that. We have 1,187 units, which is more than anyone in Clark County, any five counties combined, we have more than anyone, and we’re going to keep – that’s the way it’s going to stay, with more opportunities to live here in New Albany than any other place, but what we won’t put up with is sub-standard housing. It’s not, we’re going to make it better, make improvements, and you know I, I feel great about it, and you all should be too – I think you all should be really thrilled about it, because yeah, at the end of the day, you know, with folks out in Seattle, that, there, they can make you know 150,000 dollars a year, 200,000 dollars and they don’t have a place to live, because houses have gotten too expensive for people to live in! And that’s the way it is. And that’s what we’re going to do …

(Resident interjects, "That’s Seattle, that’s not New Albany.")

… here, we’re going to do everything, everything to make this a better place, but you have to be right now, you’re feeling super, because this is the best that the city has right here."

(garbled question: will you build another high rise?)

Gahan: “I don’t know if it’s going to be a high rise, I mean that’s something for the New Albany Housing director, the board to discuss, but I don’t know if it would be a high rise, because it’s kind of difficult, for, you know, seniors to get up and down a tower – but additional housing, additional housing, additional, uh, housing, absolutely, it may not be a tower, but you know, it’s – you know, right, don’t need to tell you, it’s hard to get up and down.

(Resident whispers, "I know")

Gahan: “So anyway, so I know those things, uh, you know we’ve made some changes and when you make changes you make people a little nervous, and I don’t blame ya! I’m the same way, uh, I can just tell you we have some really solid plans that we’re working on now to improve the residents, the residence halls for everyone, and uh, these things don’t happen overnight, everything we do has to be approved at the state level and at the federal level, it’s not like I can just come in here and Dave come in here or the board come in here and make all these changes, these wholesale changes, it doesn’t work that way. It has to be approved all the way up the line and then back, and it includes lots of layers of bureaucracy that we have to deal with, so you know there’ll be no changes overnight, but I have people say, when’s it going to happen? Well, each box has to be checked. But first thing we had to do when Dave came over here was to make sure he understood the condition of each unit. Hell, it’d been years since people had even walked in and knew exactly what was going on in those units. First thing he did was inspect them all. Every one. Every single one. Dave did that. So now we have an idea of what the condition of each unit is, that’s the starting point, and I have to tell ya, it wasn’t really great news. Some were in pretty rough shape – these aren’t, these are super …

(resident heard scoffing)

… but if you ever had the chance to go see some of the others … right? So I want you to feel good about it, I feel good about it, I feel really great about the future of the New Albany Housing Authority, it has some great leadership there, got a great board, got a great leader in Dave, got committed staff, committed maintenance, and it’s a big part of New Albany, and it’s going to stay that way. Okay? So what other questions do you have, what do you have, what else?"

In which Deaf Gahan encourages public housing residents to be "thrilled" about the indoor grass at the sportsplex he built with their money.

On April 2 a "handful" of Mark Elrod Tower residents (the mayor's words, not ours) witnessed a full-throttle City Hall team in glorious campaign mode. Mayor Gahan, Gauleiter Duggins and BOWhisperer Nash each spoke. In this excerpt, Gahan deftly shifts from a question about sidewalks to "cool stuff."

---

Question: Are they putting sidewalks down Grant Line?

Jeff Gahan: “Beechwood all the way down to McDonald Lane. Do you guys think that’s a good idea?”

(some say yes, others no)

“I do, too. We also (audio muddled) down Mt Tabor Road, sidewalks on both sides (audio muddled) like it, but that’s the thing you run into. To me it makes sense to have sidewalks on both sides, but not there. Anyway, so yes, we have five roads plugged up right now, and Warren did that (giggles), and, uh, we’ve got paving on top of it, so there’s a lot of construction in the city, lots of cool stuff going on in downtown New Albany, we have, we are having a resurgence now, a lot of folks are finding interest in New Albany, it lost interest for a while, now they’re kind of coming back. Got some new housing in New Albany, attracting some people, got housing – older housing – redone so it’s attracting as well, so, uh, investing heavily in the parks, yeah, got a lot of folks that are using the parks. If you guys aren’t, you should be, we’ve got a great swimming pool. Love to see you in the pool, love to see you in the parks, uh, we have a sportsplex with a grass surface so you can walk in there year-round, love to see you in there. Make sure you use those facilities, but anyway, we’re thrilled, thrilled that you’re here, thrilled to be here, uh, you got any questions for me?"

---

For obvious reasons and maximum humor, these transcriptions will be kept brief.

In which Deaf Gahan regales public housing residents with ribald tales of the "superstar" Warren Nash.

On April 2 a "handful" of Mark Elrod Tower residents (the mayor's words, not ours) witnessed a full-throttle City Hall team in glorious campaign mode. Mayor Gahan, Gauleiter Duggins and BOWhisperer Nash each spoke.

In this excerpt, Gahan attempts to answer a question about Grant Line Road repairs.

---

Question: "When is the anticipated finishing date on Grant Line, just to get it open without construction, whether there’s pot holes or not?"

Jeff Gahan: “Everything is supposed to be done by September. I’m talking about we have five roads under construction now, Market Street – we just tore that one up – uh, Grant Line Road, Mt. Tabor Road, Old Vincennes, yeah, and so they’re all supposed to be done by September, on top of the paving we’re going to do. So all this stuff is messy, I mean, change is messy, construction is messy, plans are hard, communicating is the toughest thing we do – the hardest thing we do is talk to people about, hey, this is what we’re trying to do, it’s hard to get out to 38,000 people and say hey, this is what we’re trying to do, yeah I know, this is good stuff, it’s not bad stuff, this is all good stuff, but you know, how many people do we have in this room, a handful? To have this one on one with people and to make ‘em feel good about their hometown, and say hey, they’re not all bad guys, we take money and all the resources we can get, we’re packing it into service, stuffing it into service to make sure it’s working for you. Uh, it’s difficult, it’s difficult, but we do this every day now, so that’s what we try to do, communicate like this, uh, I’m a little – I like this format a little bit better than typing things out on social media, but uh, you know it’s real, it’s real stuff, you guys, we’re a community that has a long history of caring about housing, and do all of you know this guy, who this guy is right here? This is former mayor Warren Nash, and he runs our -- Warren Nash is a superstar, he was the mayor when he was in his 30s, and you guys talk about that tower? Guess who was around, said let’s build that tower and give people a place to go? This guy, and he was way ahead of his time. Way ahead of his time. Nobody else was doing that stuff, Warren was. Warren serves every day at the board of works, every Tuesday the board of works, he deals with things just like this. What about this, what about that – what about this pothole, how about that stop sign, how are we going to build this road, why are you paving that road instead of this one. Hey, I got a sewer bill, can you help me with the sewer bill. That’s what Mr. Nash does every single Tuesday."

---

For obvious reasons and maximum humor, these transcriptions will be kept brief. 

BREAKING: Sazerac's new Dear Leader Vintage Kool-Aid Schnapps to be craft-blended in New Albany for dock sales only, so come get your growlers of elixir.

Give 'em credit. Sazerac knows its market.

Last night at city council, the News and Tribune looked the other way as McLaughlin condoned Duggins' TASER hilarity.

My frustrations with local media's coddling, in a nutshell.

New Albany City Council adjusts some parking fines, by Chris Morris (Sweet Home Alabama)

Haven House receives $50,000 appropriation

NEW ALBANY — The New Albany City Council made some amendments to parking violations Monday night. Motorists can expect higher fines and to be towed for parking in an intersection, blocking a fire hydrant or crosswalk, parking on a sidewalk and parking illegally in a handicap space.

It's the usual by-the-numbers council coverage, and that's just lovely -- until someone who was present volunteers to fill in the missing bits.

By the way, Mark Cassidy attended last evening.

"At city council mtg. Pat making excuses for David Duggins. Al and David A. both had strong statements condemning such comments by an official."

Making excuses for Duggins' TASER misbehavior?

Cluelessly normalizing ugliness of this magnitude might be the default reaction of almost any ranking Democrat in town, but in this instance, it's 4th district's Pat "Methodical" McLaughlin, formerly the council president, now as ever joined to Mayor Jeff Gahan's swiveling hip in a surely forlorn hope that (a) Dear Leader might opt for the monastery some sweet day, and (b) McLaughlin then could become the biggest fish in this painfully small pond.

(Interestingly, Gahan didn't fight at all for Bob Caesar's bid to become council president in 2018; Caesar lost, and now his sinecure on the Redevelopment Commission has ended, too. Perhaps this is Gahan's pleasant way of saying "sorry, Bob, but your own mayoral ambitions just ain't happening.") 

I asked Mark to elaborate on the public vetting of Duggins on Monday night.

Al (Knable) brought it up at the beginning of the meeting. He said he'd talked to the Mayor about it, and also talked to Duggins. Knable thought it was totally inappropriate, but the person harmed is the only one who can accept Duggins' apology or not. He didn't think anyone should lose their job over it. David Aebersold wanted to know if Duggins now was on a short leash (paraphrased), suggesting that Duggins can't screw up again and still represent New Albany. Knable said yes. Next Aebersold stated that he's received far more e-mails and calls about this (TASER hilarity) episode than anything else since he's been on the council, and he didn't want to go through any of it again. I believe that if it had been up to Aebersold, he would've fired Duggins. After that is when Pat made his milquetoast defense.

And exactly how spineless was it, Mark?

Pat said "familiarity" probably was the reason Duggins said what he did, and that we all make comments that we shouldn't. 

Mark concludes with a concise thought, one that every DemoDisneyDixiecrat should read, reread and read again.

True, but that doesn't excuse it, especially not coming from an official with control over peoples' lives.

On second thought, it might interest a newspaper's editorial board, too. That is, if the newspaper ever gets around to taking its Fourth Estate obligations seriously.

Cue the inevitable Valentine's Day poll and chocolate pairing.

Here's where a newspaper reporter might start -- because see, there was a discussion at a council meeting about a tawdry lapse by a public official, at which it was divulged that the council's current president has discussed the issue with the mayor, who as yet has had nothing to say about it.

Here's an idea, Chris.

Shouldn't you go talk to the mayor, too?

New Gahania Luxury Stadia: Moore tells it straight, so can this soccer story possibly get any more entertaining?

Yes, stadia is the plural noun.

In which Jeffersonville's Mike Moore says the right thing and cuts directly to the chase, while Jeff Gahan is ... yep, you guessed it, 'cuz he's unavailable for comment.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Time to move on, folks.

LouCity: We're committed to Louisville stadium, by Phillip M. Bailey, Madeleine Winer and Justin Sayers (Courier-Journal; 1:09 p.m. EST January 4, 2017)

Neace said "New Albany is not a frontrunner. We're down to two sites. Both those preferred sites are in Louisville." He said the team listened to New Albany's pitch but that plan is not the team's preference.

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mike Hall, a spokesman for Gahan, said the mayor met with Neace at the end of December and presented three possible locations for a stadium in New Albany. He said talks were still in the preliminary stages and did not know which locations were discussed.

Moore said the team is using talks with Southern Indiana cities as a negotiation tactic to gain leverage over Louisville and that he texted Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer on Aug. 30 about Neace's offer.

“I think it’s a ploy to get Louisville to ante up,” Moore said. “Jeffersonville is not interested in stealing Louisville’s soccer team.”

Previously at NAC:

New Gahania Luxury Stadia: Moore tells it straight, so can this soccer story possibly get any more entertaining?

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY: Louisville City FC's John Neace clarifies, "Construction of a venue in Louisville is our priority."

Green Mouse says: Think NORTH for Gahan's proposed soccer stadium site.

The ultimate in bright shiny objects? Now Jeff Gahan's going to build a pro soccer stadium in New Albany.

And it's only January 4.

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY: Louisville City FC's John Neace clarifies, "Construction of a venue in Louisville is our priority."

Let's go back to yesterday's Insider Louisville piece by Boris Ladwig, because it clears the way for Team Gahan's own clarification-to-come:

Neace said that he expects the stadium and the club’s planned soccer academy to be built in two locations, because of space constraints. That means, for example, the academy could be in downtown Louisville, with a stadium in New Albany, or vice versa. Or either venue could be at the east or west ends of Louisville.

Simple mistake; we meant academy, not stadium. Lower ranking city officials might wish to let their cell phones die tonight.

Meanwhile, here's the next economic "development" chess move. I've heard about the fog of war, but this one's convoluted, isn't it?

A STATEMENT FROM LOUCITY CHAIRMAN JOHN NEACE, by Louisville City FC, 01/04/17, 10:15AM EST

“Louisville City FC’s board continues moving forward with development of a soccer-specific stadium in Louisville. While other markets around the region have expressed interest, construction of a venue in Louisville is our priority. We plan to be part of the city’s growth and feel that a stadium in its urban core is best for our fan base and the club’s continued success.”

Green Mouse says: Think NORTH for Gahan's proposed soccer stadium site.

The ultimate in bright shiny objects? Now Jeff Gahan's going to build a pro soccer stadium in New Albany.

Green Mouse says: Think NORTH for Gahan's proposed soccer stadium site.

To repeat: I'm not drinking absinthe for breakfast, and this isn't April Fool's Day in January. Jeff Gahan's going off the rails with a crazy stadium extravaganza, and we're trying to make sense of the megalomania.

A source has told the Green Mouse that the site proposed by Mayor Gahan to build a pro soccer stadium in New Albany (let it sink in) is in the vicinity of Indiana University Southeast. That's all Green was able to get. Note that land immediately north of campus is owned by Indiana University.

But the art of the deal, and all that -- and if there's enough TIF to pawn, almost anything's possible. Last night:

The ultimate in bright shiny objects? Now Jeff Gahan's going to build a pro soccer stadium in New Albany.

 ... As for stunned New Albanians, who'd imagined the mayor's ballyhooed surprise announcement was going to be citywide paving, a new Asian health spa or Bass Pro Shop gift card giveaways at this summer's Bicentennial Park Concert Series, well, they're left to ponder three questions:

Exactly where do we place a potential 20,000 seat stadium?
Exactly how much in "incentives" will it cost?
Exactly how many box seats will trickle down to BOW?

The Green Mouse's source also suggests that New Albany's bid is a bargaining ploy to move Greg Fischer's philanthropy in a more positive (cough) direction, and that a stadium site in Jeffersonville is a far more likely landing spot should the stadium be built in Southern Indiana.

Meanwhile, we're saddened to reveal that the most ideal stadium location of all has been removed from consideration.

It would fit right there in the middle.

Seems the level of toxicity is such that an EPA Superfund cleanup would be warranted, and Jimmy Hoffa might be there, somewhere -- and who wants to deal with it?

Not even Duggins, that's who.

The ultimate in bright shiny objects? Now Jeff Gahan's going to build a pro soccer stadium in New Albany.

“A soccer stadium would be very exciting, the mayor said ... Neace pegged the cost of the venue between $20 million and $30 million."

I swear to Jeeebus that I'm dead sober, and it isn't even April 1.

Soccer club considering New Albany for stadium, by Boris Ladwig (Insider Louisville)

Louisville City FC is considering building its planned stadium in New Albany, Ind., with government officials there actively courting club leaders for the $20 million to $30 million project.

Chairman John Neace said that the club had narrowed the potential locations for a stadium to two — down from four — and though he wouldn’t talk specifics, New Albany is in the running, IL has learned.

“We desperately need a stadium, or quite honestly, the team will probably have to go elsewhere,” Neace told IL in an interview in the club’s downtown offices.

Without revenue from sponsorships and concessions, the club is unlikely to be able to sustain itself and to keep growing, he said.

New Albany officials said they would welcome the investment of a new stadium and would consider some public support to lure the venue to Indiana ... 

My first thought: Damn, looks like the News and Tribune's been scooped again. Fine work, Boris Ladwig -- but be aware that the Marriott under construction is in Jeffersonville, not New Albany. Maybe we'll get a new San Antonio Inn.

At IL's Facebook page, the reaction from Louisville City FC fans is unrelentingly scathing so far. Ouch.

As for stunned New Albanians, who'd imagined the mayor's ballyhooed surprise announcement was going to be citywide paving, a new Asian health spa or Bass Pro Shop gift card giveaways at this summer's Bicentennial Park Concert Series, well, they're left to ponder three questions:

Exactly where do we place a potential 20,000 seat stadium?
Exactly how much in "incentives" will it cost?
Exactly how many box seats will trickle down to BOW?

It's impossible to judge until we know the answers, and until then, let's just allow the satire to write itself, as with the scene right now at 8:00 p.m., with Team Gahan functionaries armed with flash lights and tape measures, crawling around the perimeter of "the project" on Bono Road.

203 years later, New Albany has a rental property registration ordinance. Expect inspection and enforcement to follow, circa 2219.

Last evening's city council took place against a backdrop of St. Paddy's (NOT PATTY'S) Day carousing and NCAA athlete exploitation bracketeering.

From the standpoint of local journalism, events of equally critical importance were occurring elsewhere, including a self-aggrandizing One Southern Indiana awards ceremony and a reality television show about a jail.

Somewhere, there may have been a cooking class.

Council meeting attendance was down drastically compared with the highly entertaining rental property owner apocalypse last Monday, proving yet again that absent proper marketing, our legislative body simply cannot put butts in seats.

Maybe our council needs a Bobblehead night.

When the final gavel sounded, the meeting room emptied faster than a flagon of Bud Light Lime at a Democratic Party fluff-a-thon, but at least a few items of business were accomplished.

Thornton's can build a shiny new memorial to auto-centrism on State Street, the plans for which were chillingly referred to by Bob Caesar as "nice."

Oh yes, and for the first time in the city's history, rental properties will be registered.

Expect the real struggle to begin now, as the usual suspects seek to retard or eliminate any meaningful enforcement mechanism.