From Abbott and Costello to Gahan and Phipps -- that's the Great Rails to Trails Bait 'n' Switch of 2019.

I'm turning over a new leaf ... on January 1. Festivus lasts until all my grievances are aired.

In 2018, Mayor Jeff Gahan unveiled a wondrous plan for rails-to-trails to extend from just north of the former Pillsbury plant to Bedford, reminding us that when anything seems too good to be true, check your wallet.

ON THE AVENUES: "That's why I voted no," explains Scott Stewart, pausing to duck rocks feebly lobbed by Team Gahan's propaganda pygmies.

The hosannas rained down, the boot-polishers got giddy, and yet no observers in local mainstream media bothered asking the only pertinent question: Wouldn't an idea like this be far better linking the Greenway to IU Southeast? -- and besides, the city of New Albany wouldn't even be responsible for 95% of any such project perched on the outer edge of the city limits, right?

Dear Leader took credit, the sycophants became orgasmic, and apart from this blog, conventional media outlets repeated the press release talking points with nary a moment of doubt.

However, there was ample annoyance from property owners along the rights-of-way outside city limits, as well two or three oblique voices located far away from the Gahan inner circle, who kept pointing out an important fact: A component of the city's deal with Sazerac to move into Pillsbury included the provision that CSX would be re-opening the rail line running through the densely populated center of the city, which only a few years ago was a controversial facet of life downtown.

Or, precluding the only rational use of the railroad's right of way for a rails to trails scheme owing to the elegantly simple reason that it was about to be put back into use, thus averting gazes elsewhere. Neither the mayor nor a single candidate for city council thought this entire situation important enough to clarify or so much as mention during the municipal campaign, prime among them Greg Phipps, who once upon a time was outspokenly opposed to trains disrupting the serenity of his hermetic third district.

Gahan's rails-to-trails public relations stunt -- and that's all it ever was -- will be tied down amid lawsuits from property owners ... and it never had anything to do with New Albany, anyway.

Meanwhile Phipps has become a born-again defender of corporate interests at the expense of -- shall we say it aloud? -- QUALITY OF LIFE in his district.

And, notice yet again that Gahan's automobile supremacist default floats inevitably to the surface; in an ideal instance where non-automotive mobility might have been served by a downtown rails-to-trails, Gahan ends by assuring you that the roadway for your car will be smoother.

Bait and switch, thy name is Gahan, but don't look at me. I didn't re-elect the evasive connivers -- you did.

CSX has begun the process of replacing railroad components throughout New Albany, by John Boyle (No Newspaper Never Mind)

 ... Work to update the tracks and roadway intersections started in recent weeks, with crews popping up in areas throughout the city.

No exact timeline for the repairs has been set, but Mayor Jeff Gahan said the work is in full swing.

“It’s fully under construction," he said. "They want it done as soon as possible. They have removed some ties and done some road repairs."

Early phases of the work have seen crews working to tear up and replace older components of the railroads to ready them for renewed traffic. Such construction has seen the closure of sections of roadways along the East 15th Street tracks, including some that have lasted throughout this week.

Another feature of the final product will be improved intersections with the city's streets. Gahan said the city is looking to make these crossings smoother for vehicles ...

Election 2019: The buying and selling of a city, or our updated master list of 73 Gahan wheel-greasers, a veritable pornographic potpourri of pay-to-play.

On March 22, 2019 we surveyed Jeff Gahan's campaign finance haul for the years 2011-2018.

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.

The ranks have swelled and the dollars mounted. Now, with voting under way and election day just around the corner, here's an update including the first three quarters of fundraising in 2019.

Since finance reports were made available last week, there have been two updates at NAC.

These 30 free-spending special interest donors top Jeff Gahan's 2019 pay-to-play campaign finance windfall of $150,000 (so far).

CFA-4 Follies: OMG, just look at Gahan's huge pile of special interest donor cash flowing to out-of-towners.

We've been plumbing the depths revealed by almost nine full years of the Committee to Elect Gahan's CFA-4 campaign finance reports, and I'm happy to announce that my gag reflex has been tamed by the sheer numbness of repetition -- and gin.

Let's repeat some numbers.

2011: $56,515
2012: $16,575
2013: $30,350
2014: $58,795
2015: $103,532
2016: $51,799
2017: $56,225
2018: $64,250
2019: $147,739 (first three quarters)

Total: $585,780

Yearly average: $65,086 and change.

Gahan began 2019 with $128,733 cash on hand; add $147,472 and the total amount at Dear Leader's disposal in 2019 (so far) comes to $276,472. He has spent $204,967 of this pile.

It boggles the mind. We're a city of 36,000, with a median household income circa $44,000. In 2015, Gahan received 3,527 votes to win re-election. If he gets that many again, he'll have spent $58 for each.

Without further introduction, here's the lowdown on Gahan's donors of $1,000+, with donor companies and their individual tithing components grouped as efficiently as possible.

Bear in mind that a huge number of these selfless mayoral supporters have scored no-bid design and engineering contracts during the past eight years. Others are city employees eager to retain their sinecures. Statistically the tiniest pool of Gahan voters are ordinary folks making small bets. Numerically, they're almost non-existent.

I've probably missed one or two, and remember, this entire list takes into account legal, recorded donations. Fish bowls, fruit baskets and Keeneland handshakes are not included.

(A dash - behind the donation indicates activity in 2019)

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THE REALLY BIG THREE:
JEFF GAHAN'S PLATINUM LEVEL DONORS

Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz, Jorge Lanz, BHL Properties, Ohio Valley Properties
Out of town -- no one finds more creative ways to give than Jorge Lanz
$41,425 -
---
Clark Dietz and CD PAC
Out of town
$41,400 -
---
HWC Engineering via Ed Jolliffe, Terry Baker, CRS Marketing and AB & E Consulting
Out of town
$41,000 -

→ $123,825 -- 21% of Gahan's total take since 2011

$10,000 GOLD LEVEL GAHAN DONORS (14)

Indiana Democratic Party
Out of town
$27,000 - 
---
John Neace (Neace Ventures)
New Albany resident
$22,500 -
---
Beam, Longest and Neff
Out of town
$20,550 -
---
United Consulting (including owners and employees)
Out of town
$18,800 - 
---
GM Development, Greg Martz
Out of Town
$18,500 -
---
Stephen Triplett (AllTerrain Paving) 
New Albany resident and business 
$16,400 -
---
HMB Professional Engineers (Brad Meyer, Christopher Stewart, Mitchell Green, Robert Dowler)
Out of town
$14,150 -
---
Faegre Baker Daniels
Out of town
$13,750 -
---
Denton Floyd Development, DF Property Holdings, Adam Denton
Out of town
M Fine. Reisz City Hall projects
$13,650 -
---
Axis Architecture and Interiors
Out of Town
$13,400 -
---
Cripe Architects via William H. Stinson, Citizens for Excellence in Government PAC
Out of town
$13,200 -
---
Lemor Dowell, New Albany Heating & Cooling
New Albany resident and business
$12,850 -
---
Frost Brown Todd
Out of town
$12,400 -
---
Bennett’s Towing
New Albany business
$11,000 -

→ $228,150 -- 39% of Gahan's total take since 2011

$5,000 - $9,999 SILVER LEVEL GAHAN DONORS (13)

Dennis Wesley Co Inc (includes Chris Coyle/Coyle Chevrolet, a Wesley owner and confederate)
Out of town
$9,245 -
---
Terry Ginkins, TA Ginkins Construction
New Albany resident and business
$9,025 -
---
Edward and Dana Culpepper Cooper, Culpepper Group
Out of town
$8,600
---
Lochmueller Group, Dean Boerste, Patricia Yount
Out of town
$7,750 -
---
Wheeler’s Towing
New Albany business
$7,000
---
American Structurepoint and DPBG Political Action Committee
Out of town
$6,400
---
EchTech/Robert Lee/Bryan Slade
Out of town
$6,050 -
---
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #502
Out of town
$6,000 -
---
Jeff Eastridge (CCE)
New Albany resident and business
$5,500
---
David and Karen Wood
Out of town
$5,500
---
(Paul) Wheatley Group
Out of town
$5,400 -
---
(Stan) Robison Law Office
New Albany resident and business
$5,250
---
Wayne Estopinol
Out of town
$5,000

→ $86,900 -- 15% of Gahan's total take since 2011

$1,000 - $4,999 FEEL SO GOOD 'BOUT THE BOSS LEVEL DONORS (43)

* denotes out of town donors

*Pro4mance Contracting Services $4,700 -
*Barnes & Thornburg $4,050 -
Amy Letke/Integrity HR $4,000 -

*Sanjay Patel/VS Engineering $3,750
*Martin S. Dezelan/Arthur Gallagher Co $3,650 -
*Adam U. Kahn $3,500
*Flaherty & Collins $3,250 -
David Duggins $3,146
Linda Moeller $3,107 -
*Governmental Appraisal Services $3,000
ProMedia $3,000 -

Byrne’s Garage $2,650 -
*Indiana Economic Growth PAC $2,500
Hubert Rockey/Dock Seafood $2,300
*Ice Miller $2,550 -
Edward J. Wilkinson $2,360 -
William Todd Bailey $2,250 -
*Jacob L. Brown (Marian Development) $2,000 -
*Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers & PAC $2,000
*Indiana State Ironworkers Action Committee $2,000
Pam & Pat Kelley (Summit Springs) $2,200 -
Land Design Systems (Josh Williams) 2,000 -

*Bingham Greenebaum Doll $1,900
Sprigler Building/Commercial Development $1,900 -
Laborer’s Intl Union of New Albany $1,900
*TJB Consulting $1,850 -
Patricia Tarpley Harrison $1,810
Steve Bonifer $1,635 -
*GRW Engineers $1,600
*Nick Hancock/Heritage Engineering $1,550 -
*Jonathon “Wienzapple” Weinzapfel $1,400 -
Jerry Meyer (paving, construction) $1,330 -
Brian Gadd $1,300 -
Warren Nash $1,049
123 E. Market Property LLC $1,000 -
*JoAnn Ash $1,000 -
Cheryl Cotner Bailey $1,000
*Indiana Laborers District Council PAC $1,000 -
Terry Middleton's Karate & Kickboxing $1,000 -
*C. Rosio LLC $1,000 -
Specialty Earth Sciences $1,000
*Wessler Engineering $1,000
*Kelly Zullo $1,000

→ $91,987 -- 16% of Gahan's total take since 2011

These 73 donors/shared interest groupings have accounted for 90% (530,862) of Gahan's $585,670 total stash.

Of the 30 donors and donor shared interest groupings tithing $5,000 or more to Gahan since 2011, 22 are from out of town, and only 8 from inside city limits.

Collectively they account for 60% ($349,170) of the campaign finance dollars Gahan has collected in all, and I defy readers to point to a single one who has not benefited "contractually" from the joy of giving. Think of the millions of dollars that bounced to them to take back home, even as Gahan's minions composed yet another press release testifying to the innate genius of the humble veneer peddler.

The conclusion is clear.

We still need YOUR help documenting our ruling elite's #CultureOfCorruption. Tell me about your experiences with the Jeff Gahan Money Machine, and together we can pull back the curtain and reveal the truth behind the propaganda -- and make absolutely no mistake, because that's exactly what Gahanism is, pure propaganda masking pervasive sleaze. Confidentiality is assured. Write me. Thank you.

The series link recap:

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 1: Mysterious CRS Marketing and the inevitable HWC Engineering tie-in.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 2: Of fire stations, amphitheater studies and Axis Architecture and Interiors of Indianapolis.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 3: Eight-year donor Terry Ginkins and a consistency of beak-wetting.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 4: The Estopinol Group and Cripe Architects are just two facets of River Run Waterpark's fertilizing effect.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 5: In 2019, Gahan will pass the half million dollar mark in campaign fundraising since 2011.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 6: GM Development, yet another economic development consultancy from afar.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 7: Jacobi, Toombs & Lanz, or the anatomy of $33,225 "Big Daddy Dollars" since 2011.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 8: Our towing and recovery companies offer their tithes to Dear Leader.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 9: These west end properties and their ultimate redevelopment surely comprise a rich, albeit tangled, source of campaign finance extractions for our Genius of the Flood Plain.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 10: Oh Cripe! Or, the path from Al "Indy" Oak's company PAC leads to Silver Street Park and Breakwater, and probably others.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 11: Lawyers from afar, expressing gratitude to Jeff Gahan for their billable hours -- and the curious case of Stan Robison.

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.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 13: United Consulting Engineers rocks Deaf Gahan like a hurricane.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 14: Kentucky-based GRW Engineers and the subtle art of the $200 out-of-state handshake.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 15: Beam, Longest and Neff -- they're why Jeff Gahan is HERE and awash in cash, 16,500 times over.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 16: Last week's minutes from the Board of Public Works and Safety reveal big donors daintily lapping their gravy.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 17: Denton-Floyd feels M(ighty) Fine -- and the resulting Reisz Krispies Treats never tasted better to Mayor Gahan.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 18: Clark Dietz, CD PAC top Gahan's "Quality of Distant Corporate Donors" chart.

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 19: Department heads, insurance peddlers, duffers and a few other odds and ends from Gahan's long and winding money trail.

These 30 free-spending special interest donors top Jeff Gahan's 2019 pay-to-play campaign finance windfall of $150,000 (so far).

So far in 2019, aspiring mayor-for-life Jeff Gahan has raised close to $150,000, combined it with cash on hand in excess of $100,000, and spent more than $200,000 of the total -- and as he's fond of reminding us, he's not finished yet.

CFA-4 Follies: OMG, just look at Gahan's huge pile of special interest donor cash flowing to out-of-towners.

All this so Gahan can continue his enlightened, selfless administration of a city of 36,000, one with negligible population growth, and with increases in the poverty rate and concentrated poverty rate; few new jobs offering anywhere close to a living wage; but more than 100 new city employees, lots of bread and circuses, and a huge increase in public indebtedness "engineered" by Gahan to convince those few who are doing well that he is a benevolent dictator.

After all, their grandchildren can figure out how to pay the deferred bills.

Gahanism is a bizarre delusion abetted by the unchecked consumption of Kool Aid and Rice Krispies Treats, but the following numbers are purely factual.

They're cumulative Gahan campaign finance haul totals for 2019, to be appended to the numbers quoted in this link (valid through 2018). I'll release an updated list later in the week.

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.

Yes, there are the occasional small donation going toward the perpetuation of Jeff Gahan's personality cult, but not many come from disinterested parties (translation: people who don't work for the city and owe their positions to Gahan). They're so numerically rare as to be non-existent.

I hate to be the one to burst pie-in-the-sky bubbles, but the following Top 30 donors are not writing checks to Dear Leader because they think the mayor is handsome or they trust his good nature to improve the lot of humanity. They're doing it because there'll be something coming back to them in return -- and boy, does it ever.

Full stop.

If you're comfortable with this, so be it, but for all our sake, can you stop being hypocritical about it?

* indicates more than $10,000 in donations since 2011
+ is a first-time donor

$1,400 
Sprigler Development Co. LLC (local developers; currently building the townhouses on Vincennes)

$1,650
Axis Architecture & Interiors (no-bid contracts for engineering and design) *

---

$2,000 
Jacob L. Brown (Marian Development Group, apparently working with Chad Sprigler on the Vincennes Street townhouses) +

$2,000 
Mitchell Green (HMB Professional Engineers; Adam "Tricky" Dickey's no-bid employer) +

$2,000
Infinity Homes & Development (suburban McMansion builder; its presence here is one of few mysteries) +

$2,000 
James Kemp (Kemp Law Office/Kemp Title/affiliated with Lancaster Lofts)

$2,000 
Robert E. Lee (EcoTech, the city's sanitation contractor; total includes $1,500 from EcoTech)

$2,000
Patricia Yount (of Lochmueller Group, wastewater consultants) +

$2,400
Frost Brown PAC (no-bid contract-holding legal firm) *

$2,500
Amy Letke (Integrity HR; no-bid city contractor)

---

$3,000
Form G Companies ("land development" company from Jeffersonville) +

$3,000
GM Development Co LLC (Indianapolis-based "consultant") *

$3,000
ProMedia (de facto city propaganda ministry and no-bid contractor) +

$3,000
Colin Receveur (Mt. Tabor Road commercial property owner; this link should explain it) +

$3,000
Christopher Stewart (from no-bid HMB Professional Engineers; Adam "Tricky" Dickey's employer)

$3,000
Dennis Wesley Co. (apparently part of property holding companies connected to Mike Coyle; the total includes $1,000 from Coyle Chevrolet)

$3,150
William E. Hall (United Consulting; no-bid consulting engineers)*

$3,650
DF Development (Denton Floyd; M. Fine/Mansions on Main, and more recently the Reisz Mahal "extreme special contractor treatment" city hall project)

$3,650
Lemor Dowell (Democratic Party financier and grandee, includes $650 from his company New Albany Heating & Air Conditioning) *

---

$4,000 
Beam Longest & Neff LLC ("consulting engineers and land surveyors" and recurring recipients of no-bid contracts) *

$4,000 
Bennett's Towing and Recovery (extended information here; now we know why the tow trucks are allowed to drive so recklessly) *

---

$5,000 
Fagre Baker Daniels LLP (no-bid legal firm) *

$5,000 
John Neace (former insurance mogul, now building a Southern Indiana wheeling and dealing empire via Neace Ventures) *

$5,000 
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 502 (a rare, huge union tithe, and the first from Local 502 since 2013)

$5,500
Terry Baker (HWC Engineering -- see Jolliffe -- and CRS Marketing) *

$5,500
Ed Jolliffe (HWC Engineering, a "full service consulting engineering firm" and frequent no-bid contract recipient) *

$5,650 
Stephen Triplett (total includes a $650 donation from AllTerrain Paving; this is to be regarded as a Neace investment) *

$7,500
Ohio Valley Properties of Kentuckiana (it's a Jorge Lanz company, and why not? Lanz is one of Gahan's best and most enduring big-money friends) +

$9,000 
Clark Dietz (CD) PAC (no-bid engineering contractors; with a narrow lead over Jacobi Toombs & Lanz and HWC Engineering, they're Gahan's biggest all-time donor)

$27,000
Indiana Democratic Party (its first ever reported donation to Gahan in two massive installments, both coming in October) * +

In 2019, these 30 contributors have accounted for $131,550 out of the approximately $147,000 raised by Slick Jeffie.

Looking at these 30 donors with an liberal view of residency, perhaps 7 or 8 of them (but no more) reside or do primary business in New Albany.

CFA-4 Follies: OMG, just look at Gahan's huge pile of special interest donor cash flowing to out-of-towners.

"Don't forget that Gahan is legally entitled to convert those campaign funds into personal funds. All he must do is pay the income taxes on them. He can make charitable donations, political donations, or buy groceries with that money. In other words, the excess monies are bribes. That's not his fault. It's the way campaign finance works in Indiana."

So far in 2019, Jeff Gahan has raised $147,000 (on top of roughly $128,000 cash on hand) and spent $204,800 to remain mayor.

$140,000 of these expenditures has gone to companies and individuals outside New Albany's city limits.

That's 68%.

Gleaned from the expenditures side of the October 18 CFA-4 filing -- remember, Cherished Leader isn't done yet; this accounts for only the first three quarters -- here are a few highlights, restricted to expenditures of $2,000 or more, year-to-date.

* To establish context, I've appended a few statistics from the US Census Bureau.

In NA's history, no candidate for mayor has raised this much money (I'll be chipping away at donor numbers during the coming days), and no one has spent this much money. Gahan says he's moving the city forward, but the numbers don't lie even if he's prone to doing so.

Jeff Gahan is moving himself forward by means of the most pervasive pay-to-play political patronage system ever seen in this city during modern times. It is one built to benefit donors from far and wide, political cronies and his own family. Gahan's vision? It's New Albany as a Banana Republic -- with Gahan himself remaining Top Banana.

Now for the numbers, in ascending amounts -- and boy, do they ascend.

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$2,195.38 La Catrina for the Sherman Minton Dinner "after party."

$2,950 to Susie Gahan (wife of the mayor) for "operating expenses"; these are recurring expenditures and literally thousands of dollars have been itemized this way during the past eight years.

$3,500 Ryan Media LLC for radio.

$3,744.52 to Warren Nash for rent. The former failed mayor and exalted Democratic Party grandee is charging Gahan only $600 monthly for use of his dilapidated building on Bank Street, presumably including utilities (which his previous Floyd County Democratic Party tenant was seldom able to keep up to date).

$4,480 to Meyer Consulting LLC for advertising (there are several businesses with this name and it isn't clear which this is).

$4,482.80 to the Floyd County Democratic Party for ... basic life support? Interestingly, the only other Democratic candidate whose name appears on the expenditures ledger of the 2nd and 3rd quarter CFA-4 is none other than Matt Nash ($250 from the Genius of the Floodplain), who is Warren Nash's son. Perhaps the NAHA job wasn't enough.

$4,810.98 to Grace by Design for signs, stickers, shirts, bags and dog bandannas. Grace by Design is located in Louisville, and the owner appears to be Andrew Delahanty, who might even be a genuine "progressive," which is surprising given the way Gahan works assiduously to avoid being viewed as one, probably because he isn't.

Grace by Design's Facebook page hasn't been active in a while, but circa 2012 the company donated signs to the Occupy movement in Louisville.

Very interesting. Maybe Delahanty's credentials are why Team Gahan didn't Buy Local.

$5,878.97 to Linda Moeller (city controller) for label, postage, printing and magnet reimbursement.

$5.918.13 to Christopher Gardner for printing, postage, invitations reimbursement and "operating expenses" (also a city employee and son-in-law of the mayor). It's fascinating how "operating expenses" appear nowhere else except  itemized by family members.

$6,000 to Kristen Self for "fundraising." Self lives in the Indianapolis area and was the finance director for the Liz Watson congressional campaign, billing herself as a "campaign consultant."

$6,825 to ProMedia for videos and billboards. During 2019 ProMedia also has donated $3,000 to Gahan4Life for "in-kind" professional services. That's a lot of money; this is campaign-related, so wouldn't you love to see the contract for no-bid "professional services" between the city of New Albany and ProMedia?

$8,678.52 to Valley View Golf Club for ... new balls? There is no explanation for this expenditure.

Now for the heaviest hitters.

$15,000 to 76 Words (Washington DC): "We craft campaign strategy -- and turn that strategy into television, radio and online communications to elect Democrats and support progressive causes."

$40,000 to Media Fortitude Partners (Jersey City NJ) for this: "Media Fortitude Partners — a revolutionary media buying agency — will combine traditional and evolving digital platforms to efficiently and effectively win political campaigns from local to national levels. MFP uses the next generation of media buying solutions and targeting technology to achieve each of our clients’ goals, particularly in the political realm."

$57,746.05 to Terris Barnes & Walters (San Francisco, California): "Founded in 1988, Terris, Barnes & Walters is a full-service campaign firm, specializing in general consulting and direct mail. Our mail philosophy is simple: we believe any campaign has a maximum of five seconds from mailbox to recycling to make a voter decide to open your mail and keep reading — and you’re competing for readers’ attention not just with other political media, but commercial appeals as well. Since 1988, we have created high-impact mail that grabs and holds voters’ attention — and has helped win over 350 successful campaigns nationwide."

Allow me to observe that Jeff Gahan is not publicly listed as a client at TB&W. Is he shy, or does this imply that while $57,000 is substantially more than the median household income in Nawbany, it's chump change for a major national slush spewer in the Bay Area.

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* A few statistics from the US Census Bureau.

Population estimates, July 1, 2018, (V2018) ... 36,604
Population estimates base, April 1, 2010, (V2018) ... 36,349
Population, percent change - April 1, 2010 (estimates base) to July 1, 2018, (V2018) ... 0.7%
Population, Census, April 1, 2010 ... 36,372
Median gross rent, 2013-2017 ... $753
Households, 2013-2017 ... 15,232
Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2013-2017 ...  20.6%
Median household income (in 2017 dollars), 2013-2017 ... $43,914
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2017 dollars), 2013-2017 ... $25,266
Persons in poverty, percent  ... 18.3%

Pay-to-play special interests are POURING MONEY into Jeff Gahan's coffers to the tune of almost $150,000 in the past ten months.

At The Aggregate News, Nick Vaughn has initial coverage of today's candidate financial report filings.

On Friday, October 18th at noon, candidates across the State of Indiana running for municipal office were required to submit their "Pre-General" financial reports which disclose the amount of money they spent and raised since May of 2019.

In an effort to make information more accessible, The Aggregate News has received financial reports for all of New Albany's candidates. We have posted them on our Local Elections page. In the coming days, we will be analyzing the reports and will publish a story with our analysis. In the meantime, we encourage everyone to look through the reports.

As expected, Payhan's special interest donors dug deep in an effort to keep the gravy train rolling for another four years.

Incumbent Democratic Mayor Jeff Gahan raised the most money in the reporting period and possessed $276,472.87 before spending nearly $204,000 in the same time period. He currently has around $71,000 cash-on-hand.

That's the overview. It's going to take a while to digest 24 pages line by line, but suffice to say that Gahan's best out-of-town, pay-to-play friends have been extremely generous.

All the reports can be found here.

Here's a look back.

Gahan's first quarter CFA-4 has been filed, and it's another massive, quivering edifice of pay-to-play cash.

Dicky, meet Jeffrey: "I Am Not A Crook: How A Phrase Got A Life Of Its Own."

Funny dude, that Richard Nixon. From 2013, this explanation.

'I Am Not A Crook': How A Phrase Got A Life Of Its Own (NPR)

Forty years ago Sunday, then-President Richard Nixon first uttered the now infamous phrase, "I am not a crook." Nixon made the declaration during a press conference in Orlando, Fla., amid charges related to the Watergate break-in and subsequent scandal. Host Arun Rath explores the five little words that brought down the presidency.

Our diamond-encrusted mayor giggles with giddy delight while accepting donations from each entity connected with the Lancaster Lofts project.

I seldom attend Board of Zoning Appeals meetings, but received a report from a friend who was there on Tuesday evening.

Up for a zoning variance was Progressive Land Development's "microloft project" at the former site of Tommy Lancaster's and Market Boy (northwest corner of Vincennes and Market).

55 one bedroom units ranging from 292sqf to 644sqf, and a whopping single retail unit that is 1300 sqf. Micro units to rent for planned $525 and the large units $825. Observe that 12x23 is smaller than a pull-behind camper.

Dude: that's almost as tiny as David Duggins' world view ... but I digress.

However this variance for the benefit of Progressive Land Development was not sought by the company itself, whose principal is a documented Gahan re-enthronement campaign donor.

Rather, Progressive's docket was handled by redevelopment director Josh Staten on behalf of Anchor City. Seems the municipality still owns the properties it purchased from the likes of Vinod Gupta and environmentally remediated.

Apparently someone asked Staten to enumerate the city's previous accumulated subsidies and investments in the project, but he replied that he didn't have those numbers. Obviously since the properties have yet to be sold to Progressive, we also don't know the sale price, either.

It also was revealed ...

 ... that HWC is the engineering firm of record and AXIS the architects. Both these firms are from Indianapolis, and yes Virginia, they've been pouring money into Gahan's pockets.

To conclude: The city's redevelopment department has picked a winner, and is running interference; the redevelopment director cannot cite relevant details at a variance hearing; and Gahan campaign donors are involved every step of the way, with ripened plums of the usual no-bid contracts awaiting them.

Nothing about this strikes me as transparent, and if I were to ask Democratic party functionaries to explain, the response is near certain: Yes, it's slimy but it's also standard operating procedure, and no one cares about the details as long as we keep moooooving forward; besides, the Republicans are worse.

This, then, is the extent of our degradation.

#FireGahan2019

Nice building in Providence RI. What's it have to do with Market & Vincennes?

Grassroots redevelopers buy "the worst house on the worst block." How's a self-respecting mayor to wet his beak on THAT?

Progressive Land Development proposes to reinvent the wheel at Lancaster Lofts as Deaf Gahan says wait, is that check in the mail yet?

Lancaster-themed "Micro Lofts" soon will inhabit Duggins' anchor wasteland at the corner of Market and Vincennes.

Gahan's soulless big money machine won, but that's only temporary. The resistance wil continue.

There are no exact guidelines. There are probably no guidelines at all. The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world.
-- Václav Havel

Yes, I'm disappointed that David White didn't come out on top against Deaf Gahan. So be it. Gahan won, White lost. Time to catch up on life, take a deep breath, drink a few beers and then resume throwing punches.

CASH SLUSH NEWS FLASH: Pay-to-play special interests from afar have endorsed Mayor Gahan.

Just follow the money.

But I'm voting for David White, because shouldn't people come first? Shouldn't our own people come before out-of-towners who suck money from New Albany and redeposit a portion of it in Jeff Gahan's political slush fund?

Is it any surprise that not a single Democrat has so much as tried to explain why Gahan needs this much money?

As the half-million dollar mark draws near, Jeff Gahan undoubtedly has too much money, power and control. It's time to decentralize and #FireGahan2019

---

Democratic mayoral candidate David White understands that change begins with a whole lotta scrubbing, and NA Confidential advocates just such a deep civic cleansing. 

After eight years on the job, Mayor Jeff Gahan's list of stunning "achievements" is long, indeed: tax increases, budgetary hide 'n' seek, self-deification, daily hypocrisy, public housing takeover, non-transparency, pay-to-play for no-bid contracts, bullying city residents and bullying city employees. Eight years is enough. It's time to drain Gahan's swamp, flush his ruling clique and take this city back from Gahan's Indy-based special interest donors. 

NA Confidential supports David White for Mayor in the Democratic Party primary, with voting now through May 7. 

Team Gahan misses the rails-to-trails cut: "Gov. Holcomb announces nearly $25 million Next Level Trails grant awards."

State of Indiana.

The next round of grants won't be awarded until next year.

I wonder what Mayor White will do?

New Albany’s suburban-minded, self-congratulatory ruling caste is moving with characteristic pre-election haste to make the city safe for all the people just like them.

Wile E Gahan(Genius) is shining yet another spotlight on the shoddy chipped veneer of his own ego, joining with our culturally illiterate elites to merrily filch someone else’s idea about recreational rails-to-trails, surreptitiously scratching off the serial numbers, and heading down to the Quality of Life Pawn Shop for the cash to pay approximately 3% of a long-term project located almost entirely outside city limits.

Bait, meet switch. Neither a pathway to Bedford nor a series of triumphant press releases will help New Albany residents find alternative routes to work, obtain affordable housing, or keep their porches safe from petty thievery.

But look at us!

We rock!

Huzzahs all around!

Operators are standing by to take your campaign donation, so call BR549 today!

Long live the Bling!

Of course, we're nodding wearily. It’s just another gold-painted brick in the putrid swamp of Mayor Gahan’s burgeoning cult of personality, this all-seeing, all-knowing Great Father of the New Albanians ...

Is our TIF One Plati-numb Card valid in Bedford?

Gov. Holcomb announces nearly $25 million Next Level Trails grant awards

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Cameron Clark today announced 17 communities and non-profit organizations will receive $24.9 million for 42 miles of new trail development as a part of the initial round of the Next Level Trails program.

“These 17 projects are a tremendous investment in quality of life for Hoosiers as trails create important connections within and between communities across our state,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Our growing network of trails is more than a recreational and transportation amenity – it’s an important tool for economic development by helping Indiana attract and retain the best workforce in the country.”

Gov. Holcomb made the announcement at Speedway Indoor Karting, next to the B&O Trail, with Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, Town of Speedway manager Jacob Blasdel and other leaders. The Speedway Trail Association will receive a grant of nearly $4.9 million to acquire and develop 2.6 miles of new trail. The new trail will connect residential and commercial districts in Speedway and Indianapolis’ west side by extending the existing trail 1.7 miles east to Michigan Street and 0.9 miles west toward Girls School Road.

Next Level Trails is the largest infusion of trails funding in state history. The $90 million grant program is divided into two components: a $70 million fund for regional projects and a $20 million fund for local projects. A total of $25 million was available for the first round, including $20 million for regional projects and $5 million for local projects.

The grants awarded in the first round include 10 regional projects and seven local projects from across the state ...

... DNR received applications for 82 projects located in 42 counties, requesting a total of nearly $144 million in funding for more than 240 proposed miles of hiking, biking and riding trails. DNR reviewed the applications for eligibility, and a multi-agency committee evaluated the proposals based on theNext Level Trails program objectives. 

Previously:

ON THE AVENUES: "That's why I voted no," explains Scott Stewart, pausing to duck rocks feebly lobbed by Team Gahan's propaganda pygmies.

Rails, trails, holy grails: "That's why we're here," babbles Gahan about yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to economically develop others at his own city's expense.

From railbanking to mountebanks, or compensation for landowners in rails-to-trails projects.

Bait and switch: Empathy on empty as Jeff Gahan asks you to think about an embryonic rails-to-trails fantasy rather than the resident killed by a driver while riding his bicycle downtown.

Buttigieg, housing and homelessness? This Twitter thread by Luke Savage is a must-read.

Luke Savage writes for Jacobin.

"This week I did some research on Mayor Pete Buttigieg's administration and South Bend. There's a lot more work I need to do on his policies overall, but specifically I looked into his approaches to housing and homelessness - both of which I think both deserve sharp criticism."

Read the whole thread here. I was struck by this tweet.

Hmm, where have I heard the name of Barnes & Thornburg? Was it in a Marx Brothers movie?