ON THE AVENUES: A week that was wooden like Pinocchio and dry as an unused water park or an unfilled glass.

This is what happens when you realize (a) the draft of your weekly column isn't writing itself, and (b) the Green Mouse already has 900 words for the weekly Nawbany news wrap.

Besides, I've mostly stuck to my pledge to refrain from telling the truth about local affairs, a task made easier by the pandemic-borne restrictions and the general weirdness following in their wake. It's time to loosen up a little, a la Holcomb.

Consequently, this week ON THE AVENUES and GREEN MOUSE presents NAWBANY WEEK IN REVIEW have merged.

And what a wild damn week this proved to be.

Friday afternoon Governor Eric Holcomb chose the international May Day celebration to announce a five-stage plan to reopen Indiana almost entirely by July 4 -- probably a coincidence, that national holiday of a date. There are so many moving parts to it that the Green Mouse prefers to return at a later date and explain ... once the drugs have worn off.

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On Thursday, as ever wishing to appear like he's socking it to those nasty Republicans, Mayor Jeff Gahan released one of his patented, socially distant videos -- because when you're agoraphobic, your whole life has been about keeping others as far away as possible.

Except that in this video, Gahan failed utterly to find his footing.

The upbeat ebullience and jingoism no longer comes naturally. He can still come out with the same words, but he can no longer even bring himself to believe them. For the first time in his life, there are signs of self-doubt. When he looks in the mirror, he now sees his reflection beginning to fragment. His persona that has been carefully constructed over 55 years to protect himself from the pain of being himself is falling apart. Yet still he can’t quite access the humility that might go some way to healing himself.

Okay, so the preceding passage was lifted word for word from The Guardian, speaking not of Gahan, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, the parallels are both instructive and striking.

With nothing whatever to do for six weeks since pandemic curve-flattening measures were imposed -- just about all of the responses have come from GOP-controlled county, state and federal governments -- the congenitally bunker-bound mayor seemed wooden, listless and uninspiring.

The font on his cheat sheet may have been too small. He also seemed distracted and sad, as if in mourning.

What about the odd ball cap -- can you make it out?

Yep, it's a municipal parks and recreation logo, right there on Gahan's pate covering, but why this of all things?

In the current time, shouldn't it be an ambulance driver's emblem, or a first responder's or hospital nurse's?

Ever since 9-11, when every politician started popping up dressed like firemen and cops, symbolism like this is carefully scripted -- and we already know that Gahan can't so much as take out the trash without post-it notes.

The answer, of course, is that the mayor surely is mourning. 

At a time when numerous townspeople are suffering, jobs have been lost, social inequalities exposed and the groundwork laid for pervasive revolution, the primary reason for Gahan's video Thursday was to inform his adoring public (cue the somber violins) that there cannot possibly be a season this summer for the River Run Family Water Park, our glorious aquatic center.

Fabric is torn and teeth ground together. The coronavirus dunnit, ya know.

Goat herders in Kosovo understand that the parks and recreation department is Gahan's baby, with a budget that went in a very few years from zero to somewhere around $3 million. Right now, with these park units mostly closed and the majority of functions suspended by the pandemic, the mayor's baby is under siege.

Not a word in six weeks about the homeless, the hungry or the vulnerable. But there's a video lamenting the enforced absence of a three-month water sports calendar at a catastrophically expensive facility built to cater to the better-off among us.

Bizarrely, seeing as River Run has hemorrhaged tax dollars since inception, even in the best of climate-altered Ohio Valley heat waves, keeping it closed and eliminating operating expenses might actually save the city money in 2020, even if we continue making the bond payments (assuming the city has the spare change lying around to do so).

We shouldn't assume that. At last Gahan faces a crisis, and if he somehow bluffs his way through the pandemic, there's the Sherman Minton idiocy coming next year.

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I thought occurrred to me, and I did a Google search: When was the last news item in which "HWC Engineering" and "New Albany Indiana" both appeared?

You'll really love this: it was in the Seymour Tribune in December, 2019.

After 12 years as mayor of Seymour, Craig Luedeman will embark on a new career in 2020.

Luedeman, 43, has been hired by HWC Engineering in Indianapolis. He will serve as a community business development manager for the firm beginning Jan. 6.

HWC is a full-service planning and infrastructure design firm with offices in Terre Haute, New Albany, Lafayette and Muncie. Although he will be based out of the Indianapolis office, he’ll be working remotely from his home, too, and will have to travel a lot, he said.

“Basically, I’ll be going to cities and counties and communities and trying to help them with getting grants and any kind of business development HWC does as far as transportation, bridges, wastewater, stormwater, all those areas and design services,” he said.

He will meet with mayors and other leaders across the state to discuss projects they may have and how HWC can assist with getting those projects accomplished.

Wondering what Slick Jeffie would be doing now if David White or Mark Seabrook had beaten him in 2019? Look homeward, Seymour, and remember this graphic from last year's mayoral campaign.

So, are Gahan's well-heeled revolving corporate donors (including but not limited to HWC) now lining up to contribute to local relief efforts in a time of 20% unemployment?

Is Mayor Gahan reminding them about the optics?

You know, "hey, um, guys -- well, thinking back to all that pay-to-play money you gave me, then I gave tons more of it back to you, um, uh, couldn't you maybe, like, send a little of it this way, you know, to taxpayers in their time of need?"

A city shakes with laughter. The mere thought prompts hilarity. Which comes first, being unable to imagine Gahan ever once thinking to ask them, or those well-dressed campaign donors conveniently failing to conceive of the idea on their own?

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But wait -- there's much more.

For instance, it appears that Extol Magazine now owns a stake in the New Albany Housing Authority. Hard to miss a privatization of such size; has Ben Carson already cashed the check?

I blame it all on COVID.

It's the NAHA monthly newsletter at the Joomag website, boasting a new cult of overpaid administrative personality in the offing, and I'm sure the official explanation will include trite Business First-speak about strategic partnerships in communications, synergy, and charitable backpack blessings.

Still, this would constitute a relationship, and ever since January 1, lifelong Republican Jason Applegate is destined to find these LinkedIn affairs troublesome owing to a nagging topic called "ethics."

Presumably he still owns Extol, and may or may not continue to serve as the magazine's chief ad sales person during the first year of his term as Democratic councilman-at-large.

As such, any connection whatever between the business affairs of a public agency like NAHA, with its yahoo poobah and sycophantic board both appointed by the mayor, and an outside entity owned by an elected official like Applegate is deserving of scrutiny.

Donald Trump may be president, and Gahan persist as mayor-for-life, but conflicts of interest have not magically disappeared from the planet. The newspaper in its pathetic death throes won't help us, pandemic or otherwise. Rather, ordinary citizens must keep their eyes fixed on the clique's gyrations, and demand answers to their pertinent questions.

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There's yet another news item: our new three-story tall anchor symbol on the south side of the parking garage. It's horrendous, but there is consolation in the absence of Dear Leader's gleaming mug.

Oft times in the past I've joked about the way Team Gahan's fondness for anchors has resulted in ubiquitous imagery alarmingly similar to the vainglorious shambles of Mussolini's Italy, spreading like a virus throughout the city.

For those just tuning in, all these anchors weren't ever submitted for approval to the city council -- and we already have had a city symbol on the books. But David "Bag Man" Duggins, previously referenced above as the newly buttoned-down overlord of NAHA, thought anchors looked cute.

Hamster wheels spun, a "marketing device" was born, and now we're drowning in the inanity of its ceaseless citywide repetition. The governing clique routinely scoffs at me for mentioning Mussolini's name, and yet the plain fact that few of them have bothered reading books implies an unfamiliarity with the way totalitarian systems use symbols. It's precisely the same, as with Gahan's parks department cap.

However, at this late date it has become evident that I may have been wrong slightly mistaken all along. It was pointed out to me recently that anchors can symbolize conditions quite apart from being deployed at water's bottom to prevent forward progress.

Life, stability, a connection: over time, it was only natural that the anchor became a symbol of love. This object is often depicted as a symbol of fidelity: the anchor gets firmly planted into the bottom of the ocean floor and provides the ship with the stability it needs. This is the same stability that two people who are in love with each other rediscover day after day.

Many couples get matching anchor tattoos to symbolise their eternal love. Or they wear jewelry embellished with this meaningful nautical symbol.

Turns out that Duggins is a devotee of the Hallmark Channel.

Anchor soft as an easy chair
Anchor fresh as the morning air
One anchor that is shared by two
I have found with you

Who'd have guessed?

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Recent columns:

April 23: ON THE AVENUES: Hemingway in a time of mercifully silent thunder.

April 16: ON THE AVENUES: Bunker mentalities, bunker abnormalities; bunker dreams, bunker screams.

April 9: ON THE AVENUES: #VoteEwwNoMatterWho, or when being realistic means being radical.

April 2: ON THE AVENUES: Pandemic, pornographic, pecksniffian. Just three random words until the booze kicks in.

Donald Trump and Jeff Gahan have the same self-serving explanation for not obeying the law.

Both of them, Donald and Jeffie, blame their own illegality on their political enemies. Their sycophants chortle, and the only clear winner is two-party hypocrisy.

As we contemplate the extent of City Hall's newfound (purported) compliance with a law about information requests, a law that makes no mention of the questioner's party affiliation or history as candidate, don't kid yourself. Team Gahan has treated these requests like toilet paper before, refusing full 100% disclosure, and they'll continue doing so.

There is considerable irony in the fact that the News and Tribune itself could clear up some of these questions about taxpayer dollars and advertising revenue.

And it won't. Why is it no one, including the alleged newspaper of record, seems to want to tell the truth about the money?

New Albany officials provide records after missing deadlines, by John Boyle (Hanson's Non-Disclosure Journal)

NEW ALBANY — One of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the City of New Albany has stated that city officials have complied with a records request.

The legal battle began Nov. 1, when Floyd County residents Irvin Stumler, Stephen Roberts and Heather Rae Peters sued the city for failing to respond to public records requests that were submitted in August. The trio sought documents related to River Run Family Water Park, Denton Floyd Real Estate Group, ProMedia Group and advertising in the News and Tribune.

Up until Monday, the city had missed multiple deadlines to provide the information requested. Now, Stumler said he has learned that city officials have made a delivery to the office of his attorney.

“I heard that sometime yesterday afternoon, the city brought some records and a check to my attorney’s office," he said. "I haven’t seen it. I don’t know what all’s in there. My attorney’s out of town.”

The presence of the check is likely the product of a default judgment issued by special judge Vicki Carmichael on Dec. 18. Her order mandated that the city produce the documents no later than 10 days after the judgment — with a fine of $50 for each subsequent day. Payment of $1,642.50 for plaintiffs' attorney fees, $162.10 for filing feels and $300 to the plaintiffs by the city was also required.

New Albany officials maintained the administration's position that the request was politically motivated in a statement to the News and Tribune.

"At this time, we have supplied documents per the request," city spokesman Mike Hall said in an emailed statement. "As mentioned before, Mr. Stumler is a former mayoral candidate and critic of this administration who has unsuccessfully sought local elected office numerous times" ...

Local Democrats angrily rally against openness and transparency as "The City of New Albany Defies Court Order on Records’ Requests."

Local Democrats angrily rally against openness and transparency as "The City of New Albany Defies Court Order on Records’ Requests."

At this point just about any fair-minded citizen can't avoid the only real question.

Gahan's public records scandal: WDRB's Marcus Green breaks it down as the News and Tribune flails ineffectually.

Exactly what is Gahan hiding?

Go to The Aggregate for the scoop.

The City of New Albany Defies Court Order on Records’ Requests, by Nick Vaughn (The Aggregate)

 ... The default judgement, issued on December 18th, ordered the city to provide the plaintiffs with the documents they requested back in August within 10 days and the payment of over $2,000 in legal fees.

On December 30th, The Aggregate News staff checked in with one of the plaintiffs, Irv Stumler, regarding whether the city had provided the documents and court fees by the December 28th deadline.

In a text message, Mr. Stumler stated that "No, we have not heard from anyone at the city" ...

Gahan's public records scandal: WDRB's Marcus Green breaks it down as the News and Tribune flails ineffectually.

On Christmas Eve, Marcus Green of WDRB broke down Jeff Gahan's public records scandal; the screenshots and transcriptions follow. Green concludes with three questions:

1. Why didn't (city hall) respond to the citizens' request before (the judge's ruling)?
2. Does it believe it doesn't have to respond to requests it deems politically motivated?
3. Why didn't it respond to the access counselor?

To which I can add only one additional query:

Where the hell was the News and Tribune for all those weeks prior to the judge's ruling?

The Aggregate reports: "The City of New Albany was ordered to pay over $2,000 after it failed to fulfill a public records request."

Green makes it so simple that even a Democratic precinct committee-person can understand it.

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Marcus Green @MarcusGreenWDRB

This is an interesting public records case from New Albany.

A judge rules that @NewAlbanyIN must release records sought by citizens: https://bit.ly/39b6yoc

Ok. Let's break this down.

Judge rules New Albany must release requested public records

NEW ALBANY — Just under two months after a lawsuit was filed against the City of New Albany for failing to respond to public records requests made by three residents ...

The city's attorney, Shane Gibson, told the @newsandtribune this:

“The city was sued by former political opponents and non-city residents' days before the November mayoral election to try and influence the outcome," Gibson said in an emailed statement. "We are pleased those efforts failed. While these actions were politically motivated, the City of New Albany intends to comply with any court order regarding the matter.”

First, the citizens filed the lawsuit only after @NewAlbanyIN ignored their records request, which was made in August, per @newsandtribune. They then asked for Indiana's public access counselor for an opinion.

The counselor, the state office that addresses public records disputes, says @NewAlbanyIN's city attorney, city controller and parks director refused to respond to its questions.

The state then found New Albany violated the law: https://in.gov/pac/advisory/files/19-FC-105.pdf

Then the citizens sued.

The city attorney now says @NewAlbanyIN will comply with the court order.

Questions: Why didn't it respond to the citizens' request before? Does it believe it doesn't have to respond to requests it deems politically motivated? Why didn't it respond to the access counselor?

The Aggregate reports: "The City of New Albany was ordered to pay over $2,000 after it failed to fulfill a public records request."

Did the News and Tribune just get scooped ... again?

The story goes back months -- well, years, actually. Now The Aggregate is reporting that a judge has ruled in favor of plaintiffs who seek nothing more than Mayor Jeff Gahan's compliance with Indiana public records laws.

First, the background.

• Gahan begins search for a disposable scapegoat as Indiana's Public Access Counselor finds the mayor in violation of the state's public records law.
• Team Gahan's failure to fulfill open records requests? That's Gahan's political conspiracy against transparency, and it's HIS problem, not anyone else's.
• Reader writes about River Run: "I was under the impression public records HAD to be made public."
• River Run Family Water Park: Why won't the city of New Albany comply with the law and grant Randy Smith's public records request to view the financials?

Then the most recent news. The city's caterwauling should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the Gahan administration's congenital paranoia.

You're advised to click straight through and read the entire piece, highlighted here.

New Albany Sued for Failure To Produce Public Records, by Jake Sipes-Salter(The Aggregate)

Last Wednesday, the City of New Albany was ordered to pay over $2,000 after it failed to fulfill a public records request.

On November 1st, a trio of Floyd County residents filed a civil lawsuit against the city of New Albany for failing to provide access to public records in violation of the Access to Public Records Act. In a public statement, the plaintiffs claim that, “at its core, it is all about the ideal of open and transparent government.”

snip

The plaintiffs, Floyd County residents Irvin Stumler, Steve Roberts, and Heather Archibald-Peters, claim their rights to access public records were violated when the city of New Albany did not respond to their records requests. Their inquiries, hand-delivered by the plaintiffs to the city on August 28, ranged from legal fees concerning the city of New Albany to revenue data of the River Run Water Park.

snip

On December 10th, Judge Hancock recused himself from the case and the case was given to a special judge. Taking over for Judge Hancock was Judge Vicki Carmichael who presides over Clark County’s 4th Circuit Court.

Shortly afterward on December 18, the waiting game came to an end and the court granted default judgement in the case, meaning that the Court found against the City of New Albany for their failure to adequately respond, despite being granted an extension. As a result, the defendants have been ordered produce the records within 10 days (by December 28th), and are ordered to pay the plaintiffs’ fees in the amount of $162.10 each as well as their attorney fees amounting to $1,642.50.

Even after the city’s extension was granted by the court, they still did not respond to the summons ...

Gahan begins search for a disposable scapegoat as Indiana's Public Access Counselor finds the mayor in violation of the state's public records law.

Thanks to WDRB's Marcus Green for tagging me at Twitter. Here's the link to Public Access Counselor Luke H. Britt's advisory opinion.

"This case involves a dispute over a municipality’s lack of responses to multiple public records requests."

Here's the conclusion.

In the instance of Randy Smith's ignored request, these three posts are relevant background.

River Run Family Water Park: Why won't the city of New Albany comply with the law and grant Randy Smith's public records request to view the financials?

Reader writes about River Run: "I was under the impression public records HAD to be made public."

Team Gahan's failure to fulfill open records requests? That's Gahan's political conspiracy against transparency, and it's HIS problem, not anyone else's.

Britt informed Smith that his complaint was taken into consideration in formulating the advisory opinion.

I didn't realize the story had made it to the Associated Press. WDRB has it, dated November 4.

Indiana city faces records lawsuit after counselor's opinion

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) — Three southern Indiana residents are suing the city of New Albany for allegedly failing to fulfill their public records requests.

The Floyd County lawsuit comes after Indiana's Public Access Counselor, Luke Britt, found that New Albany had violated Indiana's public records law.

The three plaintiffs say they requested public records in August, including electronic correspondence related to River Run Family Water Park. They sought Britt's opinion after officials in the Ohio River city failed to acknowledge their records requests.

The News and Tribune reports the trio say their suit was filed in response to "a consistent pattern of failing to acknowledge, let alone respond, to a citizen's inquiry into the affairs of local government."

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan says city officials "greatly look forward" to their day in court.

———

Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind. 

Team Gahan's failure to fulfill open records requests? That's Gahan's political conspiracy against transparency, and it's HIS problem, not anyone else's.

It's like this.

These information requests are about money. The money comes from taxes, not an elected official's alchemy lab.

Taxpayers in the broadest sense have a perfect right to ask how their money is being spent. If there is day-to-day institutional transparency and the expenditures are available for open perusal and discussion, it's all good, but when these conditions are absent, these citizens also have the right to pursue a resolution according to state-established procedures, and this is what some of those who have been deprived of answers have found it necessary to do.

Why? Because Team Gahan has not complied with procedure, because this non-compliance is illegal, and because the buck stops with Jeff Gahan.

Gahan would have you believe that the Indiana public access counselor's findings on behalf of complainants is a political conspiracy against him, but his self-serving paranoia isn't relevant, because the issue of timing cuts both ways.

Just remember this: these requests date back months. At any point over a period of months, Gahan's underlings might have cooperated in the spirit of doing the bare minimum required of their job descriptions -- not to mention honoring the stipulations of Indiana state law.

However, as we've observed so many times before, Gahan's political imperatives always intrude -- the habitual secrecy, the lust for control, and the bizarre certainty that anyone who differs with his power games is a threat to be checked stymied rather than the person who pays his inflated effing salary.

In a final instance of raging hypocrisy, Gahan informs the typically somnolent News and Tribune in effect that he believes someone living outside city limits forfeits the right to ask questions of him.

And yet, how many hundred thousand dollars has he been given by special interests with mailing addresses ... that's right, outside city limits?

Suit filed against City of New Albany over public records

NEW ALBANY — Three Floyd County residents have filed a civil lawsuit against the City of New Albany, for failing to fulfill open records requests.

The lawsuit was filed by Irvin Stumler, Stephen Roberts and Heather Peters in Floyd County Superior Court No. 2. The suit comes following the opinion of Public Access Counselor Luke Britt that the city violated the Access to Public Records law.

The trio filed the suit Friday. The requests for information covered a variety of topics, including legal fees incurred or paid by the City of New Albany, electronic correspondence and revenue and expenses of the River Run Family Water Park.

“What is at play here goes far beyond individuals request for information. At its core, it is all about the ideal of open and transparent government,” states a news release from the three. “What brings us here today is a consistent pattern of failing to acknowledge, let alone respond, to a citizen’s inquiry into the affairs of local government” ...

Reader writes about River Run: "I was under the impression public records HAD to be made public."

Yesterday we examined yet another instance of City Hall foot-dragging over public records requests.

River Run Family Water Park: Why won't the city of New Albany comply with the law and grant Randy Smith's public records request to view the financials?

Once again the city's corporate attorney Shane Gibson oversees Team Gahan's activities in a manner indistinguishable from William Barr's, but let's move ahead to a comment by regular blog reader RW:

"I was under the impression public records had to be made public. Any newspaper can request these be given for we the people. Am I incorrect?"

You are correct in theory, but if governmental entities don't comply, there isn't a pathway to compel them short of a lawsuit. Hence the traditional "Fourth estate" role of the newspaper in making issues like this public, a task which our biased Jefferonsvile-centric News and Tribune typically refuses to exercise;  reporters show interest, but management likes Jeff Gahan's advertising income a bit too much.

And yes, there is the Indiana Public Access Counselor, who can make rulings pro or con, but enforcement mechanisms are lacking. Gahan's sycophantic city hall is a persistent violator, but again, short of hiring a lawyer and seeking a judge, little can be done to bring them to the table.

Obviously this needs to change. In Gahan's case, the handiest expedient is underway as we speak: Election 2019, and an opportunity to drain the swamp.

River Run Family Water Park: Why won't the city of New Albany comply with the law and grant Randy Smith's public records request to view the financials?

Campaign finance implications, too.

Today we have two related topics.

Second, there's a question and answer session with a citizen who is being stonewalled by the city with respect to a public records request.

But first, some background on the subject of the request: River Run Family Water Park. In 2013, NAC's Jeff Gillenwater did what the newspaper refuses to do, then as now -- namely, research:

Water on the brains: Much less for far more will keep us swimming in it.

Unlike some voluntarily voiceless council members, I bothered with a smidgen of research into how comparable cities have handled comparable situations.

Six years later, with River Run in its fourth season of non-transparent operation, we spotted an example of selective municipal reasoning:

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Why does City Hall demand financials from the county parks department when it eternally refuses to divulge its own River Run Gahan Water Dome numbers?

To the Green Mouse's knowledge, the city has steadfastly resisted releasing the financials of the water slide for four years, almost surely because they're not pretty, or contain buried land mines; for instance, how is the aquatic acreage connected with the new fire station's monthly disbursements?

Now for the facts of the city's public records request refusal, as revealed in the following interview conducted by NA Confidential with Randy Smith, New Albany resident, taxpayer and owner of Destinations Booksellers.

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NA Confidential: Randy, when did you submit a records request? To whom was it directed?

Randy Smith: I hand-delivered the request (dated August 6) on August 7, 2019 to Linda Moeller, controller for the city of New Albany. I did not request copies of these records at that time – only access to them to inspect and record the information for further use.

NAC: Why did you make this records request?

RS: My purpose is to analyze the financials of River Run Family Waterpark (RR) and to share my findings with the public.

NAC: What did you request of the city toward your aim of analyzing River Run’s financials?

RS: I requested access to the following records dating from the June 2015 to the end of July 2019:

REVENUES
1. Monthly revenue from admissions to RR.
2. Monthly revenue from concessions sold at RR.
3. Any other revenues from any source resulting from the use of RR each month.
4. Monthly reports to the Indiana Department of Revenue for sales taxes collected, reported, and remitted with respect to the operation of RR.

EXPENSES
1. Monthly expenditures/claims for utilities, including water, sewer, electric, gas, telephone, internet, or any other like expenditures related to RR and/or metered billing for each month for each category.
2. Monthly wages, salaries, and benefits for each person paid for work at RR, including professional, full-time, part-time, temporary, employee, paid contractor, or person paid, regardless of how that person’s position is designated.
3. Reports of allocations of payroll and benefits for administrative personnel whose duties include supervision or operation of RR for each month.
4. Reports of allocations of payroll and benefits for personnel from other city departments whose time has been spent in the operation or maintenance of RR, including public safety officials.
5. Expenses for maintenance conducted by contractors not employed by the city.
6. Expenses for consumables (other than utilities) necessary to the operation of RR.
7. Expenses for food and non-food items necessary to conduct concessions operations at RR.
8. Vehicle and equipment expenses that can reasonably be allocated proportionally to the operation and maintenance of RR.

NAC: Under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, citizens are entitled to a response within 24 hours of receiving such a request. Were you contacted within 24 hours as stipulated?

RS: Yes, Moeller’s initial acknowledgement to my note came on August 7th when I handed it to her. She observed that the city has its own form, only slightly different from the official state form. She said my form complied.

On the 8th I followed up by e-mail, indicating that while it might take time to pull together all the information I’d requested, I am especially interested in the sales tax returns to the Department of Revenue, which would take almost no time to produce; I could even come down to the City County Building immediately and inspect them.

At this point (August 9) she replied.

Randy,

I was out of the office yesterday and was getting ready to respond to your public records request dated August 6, 2019. Within 10 days you will be provided with the materials requested or a status update.

Linda Moeller

NAC: To be clear, on August 9 you were told that within 10 days the request would be honored, or a “status update” given. Have you heard from Moeller since then?

RS: No, I have not.

NAC: That’s approximately 72 days late, isn’t it?

RS: Yes, it is. It’s important to understand that the stipulated 10-day wait is purely arbitrary. With respect to sales tax records, while it might take me a few minutes, my own business can provide copies of every single sales tax return for the past 15 years. The major limitation on that is the time it takes to change from page to page of my returns history.

I also can't understand the use of the term "available." Why would not these records be "available" almost immediately? Certainly the 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 FY records are immediately available, right? Obviously the June and July 2019 numbers wouldn’t have been compiled, but why wouldn’t these numbers for previous years be right at hand?

NAC: Is there any mechanism for redress in cases like this?

RS: In view of the city’s non-responsiveness, I have sought the assistance of the state’s Public Access Counselor.

NAC: As of this writing, you’re not the only citizen to have requested the River Run financials and been refused. The city council evidently has seen only limited numbers for the past four years. What’s the principle at stake here?

RS: I think we all have the right to know how much it’s costing us to operate this facility. State law says we have that right. In other states, laws like the APRA are called “Sunshine” laws, in the belief that sunshine, or transparency, is a guard against misfeasance and malfeasance. And a suspicion of corruption is not a requirement. How a city spends its money is a legitimate public question.

Since I’ve received no formal response from the Gahan administration, I literally can’t say why these records remain secret. I am left only to surmise.

NAC: Do you think River Run is losing money?

RS: That’s actually beside the point. The city’s water recreation facility probably loses money — a lot of money. That’s OK. Elected officials can choose to lose money to provide a wading pool, splash pads, waterslides, and a “lazy river.” Those of us who thought the “pool” was a poor use of borrowed money can but criticize it now.

But, we are entitled to see the numbers.

It would be nice if the newspaper paid close enough attention to get details correct, like how long we've been waiting for River Run financials.

"Council members also asked Gibson to provide a breakdown of 2018 revenue and costs associated with the River Run Family Water Park."

If memory serves, the first such request for River Run financials came in 2016, one year after the water park opened just in the nick of time to serve as campaign prop for the mayor in 2015.

Team Gahan refused to divulge these numbers then, and has continued to do so ever since.

Surely the reporter Morris knows this by now; just as surely his superiors at the News and Evangelbune are aware that Jeff Gahan's penchant for secrecy means that his minions routinely ignore information requests or purposefully distort answers on the rare occasions that they take such requests seriously.

But Morris is obsessed by sports, and Susan Duncan my Facebook memes, and Bill Hanson with turning over the editorial page to Tom May.

And, consequently, none of them give a damn.

New Albany City Council begins budget process (Morris; Tome May's Bluespaper)

City employees expected to get 2 percent raise

NEW ALBANY — The New Albany City Council held a 2020 budget workshop Monday to get preliminary revenue numbers and budgets from various city departments. Another workshop, which will deal with police, fire and parks department budgets, will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 15 before the next council meeting.

The 2020 general fund revenue is expected to be around $28 million, according to city attorney Shane Gibson. He told council members he will have riverboat and Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) revenue projections at the Aug. 15 work session.

Gibson went through several city department budgets with the council members which included: mayor, city controller, city clerk, city attorney, flood control, building, motor vehicle/local roads and streets and weights and measures during the workshop ...

How much does the mayoral fixer Gibson earn yearly, anyway? They won't ever tell us that, either.

Jeff Gahan's slick newspaper ad claims the city profits from River Run waterpark. If so, why won't he show us the financials so we can see for ourselves?

There Gahan goes again, taking credit for restaurants and stores. Is he planning Grand Closing ribbon-cuttings ...

 ... for the ones that don't make it? If Gahan birthed them, shouldn't he bury them, too?

Or is this too much to ask of Wile E. Gahan, Genius?

I've no idea how many taxpayer dollars are required to purchase ads like this in the increasingly irrelevant News and Tribune, although as we've pointed out in the past, they're a fantastic investment for Gahan, who uses YOUR money to buy HIS de facto campaign ads, all the while making boasts he has no intention of proving.

They're also not unlike a form of protection money, in the sense that the newspaper typically treats follow-up questions as a strain of Ebola, refraining from the sort of invasive journalism that might result in an embarrassing question like this:

Mr. Gahan, can you PROVE the assertions in this ad? After all, we make sure Roger's claims in a letter to the editor are utterly factual before printing it -- and shouldn't the same rules apply to everyone, even the mayor?

HA HA HA. Can you even imagine it? Gahan would respond by threatening to pull the taxpayer-financed ads -- and that would be the end of it.

Here's the text of the ad. Note that during the River Run waterpark's four previous years of operation, financials have yet to be released in spite of numerous requests to view them. These would address profit-and-loss realities. Wouldn't YOU like to know how much money the fire department transfers monthly to the parks department as "rent" for its station on Daisy Lane, such to (maybe) balance the books?

THE CITY OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA

We replaced problems and potholes with pipes, paving, parks and pools.

Like any city, New Albany has had its share of issues. Unlike most cities, New Albany is focused on fixing them. That's why we pour resources into things you may not see. Like reducing the number of sewers that flood when it rains from 90 to zero. Fixing potholes. Updating and enhancing parks. And creating a popular public waterpark that provides family fun and a profit for the city. All this, plus new restaurants, stores and more that add up to a great quality of life. New Albany...it's where you should be!
cityofnewalbany.com

THE CITY OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA

New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan

But here's the funny part. On-line, the photo and text are followed by this:

Check availability with the advertiser as the information and offers in this ad may be time-sensitive.

And where might we conduct this check?

Nothing, not even Mike Hall.

Crickets chirp, pins drop. Somewhere a dog barks ... and Gahan tells lies.

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

Previously: 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.

Some people go to the zoo, but during the coming weeks we'll be plucking highlights from eight years of the Committee to Elect Gahan's CFA-4 campaign finance reports. Strap in, folks -- and don't forget those air(head) sickness bags.

This article from The Times of Northwest Indiana can be regarded as a primer on how no-bid consultation contracts work, whether at the county, city or streetside pup tent level. Interestingly, the writer Dolan is a New Albany native.

Lake County Spending | A Times Investigation: Lake County spends at least $16.9 million on consultants over 10 years, by Bill Dolan and Marc Chase (September 28, 2010)

To some, advice from a parent or other trusted elder can be golden. In Lake County government, advice is literally gold -- millions of dollars' worth.

Officials bought at least $16.9 million in expertise from consultants, engineers, lawyers and other specialists during the past decade, a Times computer-assisted review of Lake County government spending records shows.

Critics of county government spending often look to the money paid to consultants as an area where spending cuts could be made. But officials throughout the county say they often could not make informed decisions or take action without the guidance of paid experts.

Taxpayer dollars migrate to consultants, and some of these dollars pass back to politicians who've served as enablers. Just imagine what the News and Tribune might be doing if Bill and Susan gave a damn about their journalistic mandate.

Of the three oft-paid consultants leading off the Times article, two of them (American Structurepoint and United Consulting Engineers) are of relevance to Jeff Gahan's Money Machine. The third, MS Consultants, is not -- but there's always time to hop aboard the gravy train, right?

Locally American Structurepoint provided design services on the $8 million "state of the art" River Run Water Park. I inadvertently omitted American Structurepoint from the previous installment about the Waterpark and will correct the mistake shortly.

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

(18 March update) But wait: It seems that American Structurepoint shares an Indianapolis address with a PAC called DPBG PAC ($3,750 in three installments).

REVISED

American Structurepoint   250
Gregory L Henneke              1,900 (2 donor years)
Kenton M Moore                  500
DPBG Political Action Committee 3,750
Total: $6,400

United Consulting points to the company's most glowing New Albany project: New Albany Raw Wastewater Lift Station and Truck Dump Station, a $1.6 million project.

United Consulting Engineers 1,500

William E. Hall 8,750 (4 donor years)

Brian Keith Bryant 3,750 (3 donor years)

Jennifer Grawcock 150

Christopher Pope 1,500

Total: $15,650

This sum might be good for a place in the All-Time Jeff Gahan Money Machine Career Donor List. Obviously United Consulting is very good at what it does, although I'm in no position to judge how effectively the company executes its projects.

#FireGahan2019

Rebuttals are welcome and will be published unaltered -- so don't forget spellcheck. If you have supplementary information to offer about any of this, please let us know and we'll update the page. The preceding was gleaned entirely from public records, with the addresses of "individuals" removed.

Next: 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 4: The Estopinol Group and Cripe Architects are just two facets of River Run Waterpark's fertilizing effect.

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

Some people watch ballgames for fun, but during the coming weeks we'll be plucking highlights from eight years of the Committee to Elect Gahan's CFA-4 campaign finance reports. Strap in, folks -- and don't forget those air(head) sickness bags.

As a preface to what follows, it's a long and winding road when it comes to navigating Jeff Gahan's big money. Dozens of companies are connected to Gahan's ruinously expensive capital projects, and connecting all the dots between so many out-of-town attorneys, consultants and vendors eager to pay respects to Dear Leader with a few hundred dollars of spare pocket change from their natty three-piece-suits would be a fool's errand.

Rather, I'm merely offering a tantalizing taste of the golden dust swirling around Gahan's money machine, enough for us to #FollowThatSlush.

For instance, here's a small and seemingly insignificant donation: a one-time only, never-to-be-repeated $100 tithe to the benevolence of our Dear Leader.

This C-note came in during the 4th quarter of 2015. River Run (New Albany Family Waterpark) had opened in July. The donor's connection is circled.

Krempp Construction of Jasper was River Run's general contractor, and a rarity in the annals of Jeff Gahan's all-encompassing campaign finance Shop-Vac Mechanism because there is no record of donations coming to Hizzoner from Krempp. However, I suspect the list of sub-contractors might yield a more interesting result, and that's coming soon.

River Run exists today owing to the windfall Tax Increment Financing-propelled city parks build-out that so grandly summarizes the Gahan style of governance on the down low, recalling that no one can recall parks being raised as a campaign issue in 2011 -- not even once.

In October of 2012 the city of New Albany abruptly seceded from the combined New Albany-Floyd County Parks Department, paving the way for new parks planning (2013), contracts to be awarded (2014) and construction completed in 2015 -- providentially and by sheer coincidence just in time for the municipal election season in 2015, and loads of sunburned selfies by the water slide.

The $19.6 million bond floated by the city footed the construction of the aquatic center, Silver Street Park and upgrades to Binford Park. In April 2014, the redevelopment commission accepted Krempp Construction’s base bid of $6.89 million to construct the aquatic center.

It's worth recalling that in 2011 the city's share of the parks budget was $517,914. By 2016 this figure had ballooned to at least $2.08 million.

Bearing in mind that pre-construction matters like engineering, design, legal representation and various other consultancies are not determined by bidding -- they're at the discretion of appointed boards stuffed with lackeys and partisans, among them redevelopment, board of works, sewer board and stormwater -- here's a reminder that thankfully at least a few principled objections were raised.

Design costs for big New Albany projects draw criticism, by Daniel Suddeath

Some city officials aren’t pleased with how much money Cripe Architects will be paid to design the multiuse center at Hoosier Panel and the makeover of Binford Park.

The New Albany Redevelopment Commission approved on Tuesday paying the Indianapolis company up to $35,000 to design a refurbished shelter house, which will double as a concessions stand, at Binford Park.

That amount is in addition to the $122,000 the company will receive for engineering the rest of the Binford Park project and another $277,000 to design the multiuse recreational facility at the former Hoosier Panel property.

“That’s just too much money,” said New Albany City Councilman Dan Coffey, who is also a member of the redevelopment commission.

He abstained from voting on the additional $35,000 contract which was approved by the redevelopment commission 3-1. Councilman and redevelopment member John Gonder voted against the proposal.

Gonder questioned why Mayor Jeff Gahan’s administration chose to accept Cripe for Binford Park and the Hoosier Panel project and The Estopinal Group to design the outdoor aquatic center without getting other proposals for comparison.

All three quality-of-life projects are being footed by a $19.6 million bond.

The rough estimate for the cost of the multiuse center is $5 million, and up to $9 million for the aquatic center.

Gonder said he’s discussed the aquatic center project with an engineer who said he “can easily shave a pretty significant chunk off that pool price.”

But the city, with the approval of the redevelopment commission, has already entered into a contract with The Estopinal Group and Cripe for design.

The late Wayne Estopinol, founder of TEG (The Estopinol Group), dropped cash into Gahan's in-box in 2013 and 2014 with $5,000 divided between two donations.

For the longest time I couldn't trace an Indianapolis donor named William H. Stinson, who made five donations to Gahan from 2011-2015, totaling $2,700. Stinson remains nearly invisible on-line, but his title at Cripe says it all: Director of New Business Development.

Team Gahan doesn't do irony, so give credit to Mayor Gahan's daughter, bookkeeper for the campaign finance enterprise, for being impeccably and probably inadvertently honest about Stinson in 2011.

She identified him as a "political engineer."

Political engineer?

In other words, her veneer-schlepping dad's most favored type.

---

Belated postscript: American Structurepoint's role in the River Run buildout and the company's campaign donations) were inadvertently omitted in Part 4. Read about them here: The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 13: United Consulting Engineers rocks Deaf Gahan like a hurricane.

Rebuttals are welcome and will be published unaltered -- so don't forget spellcheck. If you have supplementary information to offer about any of this, please let us know and we'll update the page. The preceding was gleaned entirely from public records, with the addresses of "individuals" removed.

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

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Why does City Hall demand financials from the county parks department when it eternally refuses to divulge its own River Run Gahan Water Dome numbers?

Hypocrisy much?

The Green Mouse reports that City Hall's "corporate" attorney Tom Hagen ...

 ... wait, make that Shane Gibson -- has filed a “Freedom of Information Act” request with the Floyd County Park Department asking for an accounting of all monies spent for Kevin Hammersmith Park.

Actually, hypocrisy may be too mild a word.

For those readers with impossibly long memories, the River Run Family Water Park (colloquially known as the Gahan Dome) opened on June 26, 2015 -- just in time to serve as a centerpiece of the mayoral re-election effort. Daniel Suddeath covered the debut for the local chain newspaper.

Water slides, splash pads and a lazy river await inside the park, which was completed as part of Mayor Jeff Gahan’s $19.6 million quality-of-life improvement plan ...

 ... The $19.6 million bond floated by the city footed the construction of the aquatic center, Silver Street Park and upgrades to Binford Park. In April 2014, the redevelopment commission accepted Krempp Construction’s base bid of $6.89 million to construct the aquatic center.

The commission approved an alternate provision for the construction in a build-out of the concessions area, which was expected to be added by officials. The project saw just one more change order, which brought total construction to about $7.5 million.

Mamas, don't let your grandchildren grow up to be saddled with Jeff Gahan's debts.

From this day forward, we've been eager to see the financials of the aquatic center, which after all is open for business only 2-3 months a year and has been noteworthy for providing gainful summertime employment for some members of the mayor's immediate family.

To the Green Mouse's knowledge, the city has steadfastly resisted releasing the financials of the water slide for four years, almost surely because they're not pretty, or contain buried land mines; for instance, how is the aquatic acreage connected with the new fire station's monthly disbursements?

Following is the closest thing we've seen to a spread sheet in four years. It's the parks director Alicia Meredith's comments to the Board of Works on December 26, 2018.

Warren grills her good and hard, just like Sam Waterston on that television show.

The Green Mouse ruminates.

Now the question is, did this come up because City Hall thinks they didn’t get enough hospital money? Interestingly enough, the paperwork for the FOIA request was filed by Hagen Gibson the day after Mark Seabrook held his fundraiser/mayoral announcement at Covered Bridge -- and one thing Seabrook mentioned at the fundraiser was his hope of putting the parks system back together.

NA Confidential says: Let's compromise!

Howzabout every governmental entity shows us the financials pertaining to projects like Hammersmith Park and River Run Family Gahan Dome, without making their release tantamount to raiding the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh?

Isn't 100% transparency the best for everyone ... even outside the immediate family?

River Run Family Waterpark can't slow down.

Technically, it's acceptable to swing on a 3 and 0 count if the pitcher grooves a fastball with no mustard.

Jeff "Look at Me" Gahan's aquatic cult of personality: He brings us health, all by himself.

Taxpayers are footing the bill for full-page magazine ads like this one, and yet since the River Run Family Water Park's inception, detailed financial records about its annual summertime operation have remained a complete mystery because Jeff Gahan, whose photo dominates the layout, refuses to release them.

Before the city spends at least $8.5 million on a new city hall, shouldn't we know about the financial performance of Gahan's numerous other big ticket, bright and shiny projects? After all, initial expenditures are the proverbial tip of the iceberg. What are the ancillary costs for things like maintenance?

Where are the artful subsidies coming from?

And: the biggest question of all: Why are we spending money for ads like this, which serve primarily to glorify a solitary, grubby mayor?