November 21, 2009
Peter SchnitzlerAn aide to Mayor Greg Ballard says he hopes a private operator can find “operating and maintenance savings in the millions."
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November 9, 2009
Scott OlsonThe Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board likely will accept a state loan providing $27 million over three years to help
shore up its fragile financial situation.
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November 9, 2009
Scott OlsonApproaching the end of 2009, Indianapolis' cash-strapped Capital Improvement Board is on much more solid financial footing.
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November 7, 2009
IBJ StaffA new task force formed this month is charged with recommending solutions to the financial problems of the Indianapolis
Capital Improvement Board and its related convention and tourism issues.
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October 21, 2009
Peter SchnitzlerMayoral Chief of Staff Paul Okeson said the city isn't sure it makes sense to privatize operations now handled by
the Capital Improvement Board, “but we’re obligated on behalf of the taxpayer to find out.”
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October 13, 2009
Scott OlsonThe Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board's dire financial situation might be improving enough that it may forego the
first installment of a $27 million state loan.
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September 19, 2009
Anthony SchoettleA little more than six months before the 2010 NCAA men’s Final Four is set to tip off at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NCAA
has not yet finalized a rental deal for the facility. While officials for the NCAA and Local Organizing Committee,
the group charged with operating the event in Indianapolis, downplay any problems, sports business experts say it is unusual
not to have an agreement pinned down in the months leading up to the event.
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September 14, 2009
Scott OlsonThe financial condition of the city’s Capital Improvement Board, though improving, is still dire enough that employees
of the Indiana Convention Center could be subjected to more unpaid furloughs or layoffs.
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September 12, 2009
IBJ StaffThe idea of the not-for-profit Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association taking out a loan was not warmly received by
city officials. And financial institutions were less than thrilled with the idea given the ICVA’s diminishing revenue
and increasing costs.
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August 29, 2009
Anthony SchoettleThree music events with direct visitor spending estimated at $28 million that were hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium offer proof,
city officials said, that the expense of the retractable roof and other features of the $720 million facility are paying off.
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August 24, 2009
Anthony SchoettleThe Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association is so desperate for more marketing funding, the organization charged
with promoting the city as a convention and tourism destination is considering taking out a loan. While that
would be the last resort, ICVA CEO Don Welsh said it is one he will have to consider if the money can’t be raised through
local taxes.
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August 17, 2009
The City-County Council wisely averted disaster for the Capital Improvement Board Aug. 10 by voting to raise the city’s
hotel tax from 9 percent to 10 percent, but the razor-thin vote was another disappointing case of elected officials making
decisions based on partisanship rather than good judgment.
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July 6, 2009
IBJ StaffThe legislative session that concluded June 30 with passage of a two-year budget left a bad taste in our mouths. For starters,
legislators lacked the courage to tackle local government reformeven though cash-strapped units of government
desperately need the millions of dollars in savings they would generate. In short, they put political cronyism ahead of the
interests of the state.
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June 22, 2009
Cory SchoutenThe Capital Improvement Board could be forced to give up one of its most profitable assets so the city can pull off a $65-million
public-private downtown development deal. The city has agreed to help a developer revitalize the vacant former Bank One operations
center in part by acquiring an adjacent
parking garage for $18.5 million.
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June 15, 2009
Cory SchoutenA $65 million public-private plan for the redevelopment of a vacant downtown office building is raising eyebrows for its unusual
approach and potential risk to taxpayers. The plan calls for a private developer to acquire the former Bank One operations
center, surface parking lots and an adjacent
parking garage from a private owner for $18.5 million, then sell the 1,680-space garage to the city for $18.5 million.
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June 1, 2009
Kathleen McLaughlinThe Arts Council of Indianapolis faces the unenviable task of divvying up less than $1 million in city grants for the arts,
compared with $2.15 million that was awarded last year.
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May 25, 2009
Cory SchoutenA panel of five veterans of real estate and construction provided industry insights at IBJ's Power Breakfast May
1 at the Westin Indianapolis.
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May 25, 2009
I am truly disgusted after reading the latest in the perennial saga of the CIB.
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May 18, 2009
If a city really wants to attract people to its city (to live and visit), it has to become a better city, but to become a
better city it has to know what it is and what it wants to be and what it can be.
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May 18, 2009
Cory SchoutenBarney Levengood, executive director of the financially-struggling Capital Improvement Board, is one of the state's highest-paid
public employees, and some wonder if his pay should be cut.
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May 18, 2009
Indianapolis still looks like a city with momentum, despite the dismal economy. But appearances can be deceiving.
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May 18, 2009
Well-intentioned or not, competent or not, the so-called "leaders" [sports columnist Bill Benner] referenced in your [May
4] column failed miserably in representing the best interests of taxpayers and instead presided over an unconscionable transfer
of wealth from "We the people" to a small number of professional sports owners and players.
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May 11, 2009
Brian WilliamsA reasonable and workable solution to the financial challenges confronting Marion County its Capital Improvement Board should
include the following:
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May 11, 2009
Brian WilliamsA vibrant Indianapolis powers a dynamic Indiana and the governor, the mayor and the members of the General Assembly should
all recognize that.
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May 4, 2009
Bill BennerNo matter how the Capital Improvement Board funding mess plays out, we're left with resentment coming from all directions
and an unprecedented splintering of the long-standing bipartisan cooperation that helped propel our city forward.
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liek the rest of America
These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.
It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.
No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.
whoa!