Windstream second-guessing sweeps NA: Which language is who speaking, when, and why?

If it was my job to prepare a lesson plan encompassing the following news item, it would include a few simple questions.

Coffey: Windstream move caught New Albany City Council by surprise; Messer cites lack of communication from administration; Gahan said proposal had council support (Suddeath; N&T)

1. Exactly what is meant by "growth" in the context used by Windsteam's Dan Bates?: "The administration here has done an awesome job of trying to bring growth to New Albany, and I think this would have been a great way to do that."

2. Is it the meat or the motion?: "According to (Dan) Coffey and Councilman Steve Price, Windstream tendered its product patents for collateral instead of real property or cash. 'This was a risky loan,' Coffey said."

3. When City Hall says, "No comprehension," and Coffey says, "No information," and Jack Messer says, "No communication," should the entire city of New Albany join the refrain from the Stones, circa Beggar's Banquet:

Take me to the station
and put me on a train
I've got no expectations
To pass through here again

4. Exactly what is meant by "entrepreneurial" in the context used by Mayor Doug England?: "In a news release, England did not directly fault the council for Windstream but said 'I do hope the city learns that we must become more entrepreneurial in our economic development decision-making.'"

5. Exactly what is meant by "economic development decision-making" in the context of the preceding passage? Whose definition? Who decides? Is there more than one way to look at such questions?

6. Given the scope of the request, the fact that it was City Hall and not the council asking for more time to be duly diligent, the resident whoredom of businesses seeking "economic development" favors from "entrepreneurial" cities, and the benumbing difficulties in separating fact from fiction in an election year, doesn't council president Jeff Gahan's statement constitute the final word on Windstream:

“I felt like it was moving as fast as it could have given the amount of money they were asking for from the council.”

That's enough for now. Let me know if you find any nuggets.

Newspaper editorialists detect "political component" in Windstream's skedaddle. Unfortunately, it's the wrong one.

I've been as strident a critic of the current council as anyone.

And, yes, the Windstream Technologies notion of green wind turbines might well be the next great idea. In theory, I like it.

Just the same, under the current rules of the game, the proposal that our city play bank to a private company without money or credit of its own came with many more risks than most such interventions, to such an obvious extent that the administration itself was tapping the brakes to take a closer look. It was fitting and proper for both branches of government to dig deeper. I'm glad they did.

Obviously, Windstream was in a hurry and skedaddled, primarily because in some fashion as yet unknown, North Vernon offered it a quicker and better deal. Seems the enraptured suitor was playing the field, widely, and accordingly, there's a good chance that posterity will judge New Albany's caution as justified under the circumstances.

Why marry the first one who comes along, anyway?

OSIN disagrees, yet again advising injudicious risk-taking in economic development. The newpaper's editorial board has traveled down this path before with reference to the River View development: "In order to grow and attract businesses, governments sometimes have to take a leap of faith, and provide incentives."

I don't entirely disagree, other than to say that if we're serious about breaking banks, let's do it right.

If the economy is bad enough to justify governmental intervention in River View and Windstream, perhaps a detailed examination of the structural iniquities of American capitalism is merited, and the degree of governmental involvement heightened somewhat beyond the smaller comparative potatoes of foundational parking garages and $3.7 million high-risk loans to Californians.

EDITORIAL: No winds of change a shame

NEW ALBANY — On the same day Windstream Technologies decided to take its $3.7 million expansion investment elsewhere, the New Albany Redevelopment Commission elected to spend $35,000 to save a historic house at 703 E. Eighth St. that’s partially collapsed.

These two issues are very different, but ironically New Albany leaders were looking to resurrect the past on the same day it appeared they shunned a potential key component of the city’s future — jobs.

Oddly, legislative flatulence was omitted from the discussion.

News and Tribune coverage: New Albany could back $3.7 million loan for Windstream; Wind energy firm seeks to expand to Colonial Manor, add 105 jobs, by Daniel Suddeath.

As the posse draws near, Councilman Cappuccino spins the wind turbines.

I'll bet you didn't know that deputy mayor Carl Malysz's favorite movie is "Plan 9 from Outer Space." To learn more about WindStream Technologies, go here.


With Dan Coffey and Steve Price mastered, baited and headed to the political gallows, and while as many as seven council hopefuls watched in amazement, the wind turbine stole the show.


Fire chief Juliot reminded Coffey that some city employees actually work for a living.

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Meanwhile, the River View resolution was tabled until next meeting, and Develop New Albany's Greg Sekula confessed publicly that the city's official Main Street organization, which cited the taboo of non-profit politics as reason to avoid a conceptual stance on the harmfulness of bridge tolls, finds it far easier to conceptually support a politically charged, for-profit private development -- which is why Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" has been chosen as the official theme song of last night's meeting. Take it away, Daniel:

No vote taken on $42M development in New Albany; Councilman Zurschmiede asks for resolution to be tabled until April 21, by Daniel Suddeath (OSIN)

Everyone knows it's windy.

It's obvious that renewable energy sources will play a substantial role in the future of our planet. We simply have no choice.

What's not so obvious, but expertly highlighted in Carbon Nation, an upcoming film from local director/producer Peter Byck recently previewed in its entirety at the Carnegie Center, is that many other countries are actively preparing for the inevitable, ramping up the production of devices - often most fully developed by U.S. scientists and engineers - that will mercifully and necessarily bring our reliance on fossil fuels to an end.

Economic opportunities abound but we thus far seem collectively content to leave the money making to others while we senselessly lollygag, allowing ourselves to become beholden to foreign producers again.

Luckily, not everyone has put their reasoning ability to bed. A press release, alternately credited by various media sources to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and One Southern Indiana, recently let us know that Windstream Technologies, Inc., a company focused on the development of small, energy capturing wind turbines for urban markets, will be moving its research and production headquarters from California to the Purdue Technology Center and Research Park in New Albany. 260 jobs are forecast by 2012.

The creative economy is coming ever faster, led by the small, independently owned businesses that account for over half the jobs in this country and the cities and towns that actively create the physical and intellectual environments in which they want to live and work. The global question is how to better mark the path and to whom to hand the orange spray paint can. Be sure to ask it each time you read a report of local government.