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Saturday, June 30, 2018
Anchor-approved arborist: Perhaps David Barksdale's Tree Bored can use this exciting new toy to "beautify" Market Street.
"Damn," said former redevelopment kingpin David Duggins. "If only we'd used one of these for the Greenway, Summit Springs, Main Street, Judge Cody's place, Thomas Street, Bicentennial Park ... say, do ya think it might work on those crappy buildings at my public housing estate?"
Smoking gun? City Hall finally releases the "Reimbursement Agreement" with Denton Floyd. A "do over" for Reisz is possible, isn't it?
Sorry, folks -- photo files are my only option on short notice. Excuse any sloppiness; I want to get this out.
Thanks to the Green Mouse for obtaining it.
The Reimbursement Agreement is dated August 11, 2017 -- three days after the Redevelopment Commission meeting on August 8 (read the resolution here).
As noted previously, Denton Floyd purchased the property on September 14, 2017, using the money approved in the Reimbursement Agreement on August 11.
In itself, this chronology is sufficient to expose the shadiness of Team Gahan's backroom deal; it also proves the Request for Proposal (RFP) six months later was always intended as a perfunctory sham.
To these eyes, what the city was doing last year with Denton Floyd was circumventing allegations of a backroom deal by contracting for "pre-development products" with its intended public-private partner. As such, it is stated that Denton Floyd is the presumptive partner, although of course city council approval is the final hurdle.
As such -- and I'm not a lawyer -- the agreement reads as though in the interim, Denton Floyd is to receive a sum of money to carry out certain tasks, and if council approval isn't forthcoming, ownership and improvements pass back to the city.
In short: contrary to corporate attorney Shane Gibson's assertions on the 21st, a Reisz Elephant do-over is still very much possible. Gibson said demolition would be the only alternative, but if council were to reject the backroom deal and the Reisz pass back to the city, it would still be possible for Scott Blair's market-oriented alternative suggestion to come to fruition.
Heaven forbid, it might even allow for a fair and informative RFP -- and Denton Floyd could even participate alongside other area contractors, with everyone entering through the FRONT door.
It isn't clear what Denton Floyd might do with the leftover silver platter bearing David Duggins' fingerprints, but surely area pawn shops could help.
Currently there are four "no" votes: Coffey, Blair, Aebersold and Knable. If they were to commit in good faith to saving Reisz if the present deal is rejected ... what does David Barksdale do -- apart from a good, long, post-Gahan-bed-sharing shower?
As a bonus, here is the financial analysis of the Reisz payment plan.
Following up: the Redevelopment Commission's resolution RC-06-17 is released, but not documents pertaining to the terms of the $750K handout to Denton Floyd.
As you'll see below, the Redevelopment Commission's Josh Staten complied promptly (two days) with my request to view the text of RC-06-17, the commission's resolution to spend public funds on the renovation of the Reisz Elephant, as well as two other buildings. I appreciate Staten doing this.
However, we've yet to see documents pertaining to conditions, agreements and contingencies approved by the city and Denton Floyd as a prelude to the handover of the check.
Reisz Elephant: Lawyer Gibson hails redevelopment's back-room RFP fix as an excellent way to do business with just one company.
Jeff Gahan handed Denton Floyd $750,000 to kick-start the Reisz project. Where are the documents detailing this transaction?
To reiterate, throughout city council's discussion of the Reisz project, from May 2018 to the present, including the 35 questions for Gibson to answer (or artfully evade) on June 21, the actual text of the resolution and the content of accompanying legal documents have not been seen … by anyone, on council or off, although presumably the council's two redevelopment representatives at the time, David Barksdale and Bob Caesar (the latter since replaced) viewed the terms.
These details are rather important, aren't they?
Would any self-respecting attorney merely hand a $750,000 check to a contractor without specific language about the terms of the transaction taking place? There'd be signatures, right? And wouldn't there be detailed explanations of contingencies, the simplest being things like insurance coverage and time frames?
Or are we to believe that former (seriously?) redevelopment chieftain David Duggins brought a briefcase filled with C-notes to the limousine for Denton Floyd's public-officials-only Keeneland junket (with paid models) last September?
Isn't it impossible to believe that the Redevelopment Commission resolution and/or legal agreements between the city and Denton Floyd explaining the $750,000 payment AREN'T accompanied by somewhat more than a post-it note reading "if Reisz doesn't happen, just keep the money and tear down that motherfucka"?
Absentee imperial mayor? City council should delay the Reisz Elephant vote until Deaf Gahan deigns to appear and answer questions. Isn't that why he's here?
Consider it foreshadowing (August 10, 2017):
Reisz Vote Buy Bonanza: "The News and Tribune asked to interview Mayor Jeff Gahan and was instead referred to statements in a news release."
Monday's council vote on the Municipal Government Self-Stimulation Act of 2018, aka Uncage the Reisz Elephant, will no doubt place take place with either Mike Hall or new hire Josh Staten on hand to "communicate" from the mayor.
It will be the latest in a long series of absolutely critical, time-sensitive-or-the-deluge council ballots at which Jeff Gahan has remained sequestered in the command bunker with the campaign finance abacus, a case of Bud Light Tangerine and the Netflix play list.
Of course, there's good reason why the forever agoraphobic Gahan's team of bootlicking sycophants must keep him safely secured against questions, and it's because the moment any public interaction strays from the script (read: eludes the control of handlers), the mayor's inability to improvise, or to connect with genuine human beings (as opposed to inanimate objects) is blatantly exposed.
When this happens, the harder Gahan tries, the worse it gets -- and the angrier he becomes.
In this now legendary video from city hall's rigged January meeting about the "Mayor Jeff M. Gahan Presents the Mt. Tabor Campaign Finance and Roadway Expansion Project," the mayor's petulance escalates with each of his dully repetitive refrains of "that's why we're here," until he's aggressively demanding to know why citizens aren't listening to him, even as he insists that this Potemkin facade of a meeting was staged to prove he's listening to them.
It's required viewing for every voter in 2019, and would be a comedy classic if not for the gravity of Gahan's serial ineptitude.
Will we catch a glimpse of the Great White Hope amid Monday's final vote on the Reisz Elephant? In my view, council should delay the vote until Gahan materializes to answer questions.
Meanwhile, last evening's guest column is worth a hard look.
Councilman David Barksdale's role in the Reisz Affair deserves closer scrutiny -- and his fellow historic preservationists should be the ones most worried. They've tied themselves to one mayor and his squalid motives, and thrown all their eggs into one basket.
Reisz's ripple effects will be much less in terms of economic development than proponents claim, and far more extensive as they pertain to compromising historic preservationists' credibility.
GUEST COLUMN: David Barksdale must recuse himself from the Reisz city hall vote.
As for the municipal corporate attorney's scowling and defensive (35 Questions) performance before council on June 21st -- these being the questions Gahan should be answering -- let's turn it over to the newspaper.
NEW ALBANY: Debate rages on over Reisz building, by Chris Morris (A Tom May Joint)
NEW ALBANY — For more than one hour New Albany City Attorney Shane Gibson stood before the city council Thursday night and answered 35 questions submitted to him about the proposed move of city hall to the vacant Reisz Furniture building. Many of the questions had been asked before, and many focused on the yearly payment and the added space the city would be acquiring.
Thursday was just a preview of what's to come.
The council plans to take a final vote on whether to move city offices to the Reisz building, which would be developed by Denton Floyd Real Estate Group, on July 2. Gibson will be back to answer more questions then prior to the vote, and provide additional input. The ordinance to use Economic Development Income Tax money for the project passed its first two readings last month by a 5-4 vote.
Friday, June 29, 2018
GUEST COLUMN: David Barksdale must recuse himself from the Reisz city hall vote.
I wrote these words in 2015.
During the time I've been paying attention to the local scene, there simply has not been any point of comparison with the atmosphere today in terms of retribution, intimidation and implied vengeance.
For those in support of the opposition, the consistent message is there'll be hell to pay if the incumbent loses his bid for re-election.
My calls for UN election monitors and assistance from the Jimmy Carter Center are only partly in jest, because the situation is getting increasingly tense as voting draws near.
It's three years later, and my efforts to enlist just one or two local contractors to comment on the process by which Denton Floyd was handed the Reisz city hall project, with an unprecedented accompanying cash gift of 750,000, have met with eerily similar replies: "Roger, how can we still do business in this city if we talk openly about this?"
Trust me, folks. Had Team Gahan solicited open bids with the promise of three-quarters of a million up front, with the building's purchase price already pre-determined, and the promise that future EDIT money would preclude the possibility of failure ... let's just say that numerous contractors would have been competing for the project.
But the fix was in, and as I write, redevelopment continues to withhold the documents detailing the terms of the $750,000 check's handover to Denton Floyd -- unless, of course, there are no documents.
Pro tip: that's even worse.
I can verify the identity of the writer of this guest column, who also fears retaliation. Many community pillars don't want to hear it, and it's time their snooze ceased. It is a well-founded fear, and an oft-repeated reality. The only surprise at this point is that members of Gahan's inner circle haven't started wearing identical leather jackets.
Some of you know me well. Some of you barely know who I am. I no longer attend your meetings as frequently as I once did. Why? Because I sincerely believe that you as a body and you as individual councilmen have no interest whatsoever in hearing from your constituents, whether they are knowledgeable resources you could use or deluded lunatics. You ignore anyone who does not pay to or get paid by you.
This "deal" with Denton Floyd for a luxurious new city hall on Main Street is not only unwise but obviously criminal, pitifully evil, and abjectly corrupt. I hope you all have lawyers on retainer, because when the lawsuits begin, you will all be called as witnesses, if not as parties, and you will need the effective assistance of counsel.
But let's forget for a moment the criminality. This is just foolish. This city's resources are incredibly limited, with almost no revenues that you can deploy on a discretionary basis. To commit $10 million to a new, luxurious city hall that is by no measure a necessity is an abdication of your fiduciary duties.
You are poised to approve an enormous commitment of city funds, knowing full well that huge chunks of that will wind up in the pockets of craven bureaucrats that also have fiduciary duties to the citizens of New Albany. Further, I can find no evidence that the developer in question is committing even a single dime, risking even a penny. I can't think of any developer – or investor of any sort – who would reject this deal. That reinforces my conviction that this is a deal riddled with corruption.
Your vote on Monday night will be your legacy. A "yea" vote will become a political Mark of Cain that will haunt you for the rest of your days. For the Democrats slavering to heed the orders of their master, it will be the vote that eliminates your party from participation in local government for at least a generation.
But I'm here to address the lone Republican who favors this boondoggle. At least I think he's a Republican. He might be the only person in that party who supports it. Perhaps he's switching parties?
I am greatly in favor of historic preservation of significant buildings. I think I've demonstrated that adequately through advocacy and at least modest financial support. But there is one person in this city who is most closely identified with that cause – David Barksdale – or as the local newspaper calls him, "Dave."
David, Dave, Davie … you must recuse yourself from this vote.
I seriously doubt that you have a financial stake in the outcome of this vote. I will grant you that much respect. But you have a massive conflict of interest. I vigorously disagree with your stance on this, but your reputation, also, is at stake. If you are known for anything, it is your commitment to the historic preservation of buildings. Monday's vote is your payoff.
For you to take this bribe, for you to abdicate your fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers in exchange for this pitiful – in fact, arguable – "preservation" bauble is an egregious blunder. The others planning to vote yes will pay a political price. You, David, will surrender your integrity.
Step out of your seat. Come to this podium and advocate for this diversion of public funds. I would disagree with you, but I might still respect you. But you must not cast a vote in favor. You do not have the objectivity necessary to ethically cast a vote. Recuse yourself. Abstain.
The Reisz building can still be put to adaptive re-use. Do not pretend that this is the only, or even the best proposal. Your colleagues have offered intriguing alternatives that meet the same objectives at far less cost. Let us, as a city, debate these. If the Reisz building is endangered, condemn it and seek a more rational program to restore it in place.
But do not sacrifice your reputation by pretending that you are looking at this objectively. You can't. Media accounts report that if this were a vote on $15 million or $20 million in financial commitment, you still would vote yes. That alone is evidence that you cannot separate your devotion to historic preservation from your duties as a councilman.
Save your reputation. Step aside for this vote. Your constituents will have no problem if you move to table this notion and spend the next six months trying to sway David Aebersold or Scott Blair or Dan Coffey or Al Knable to support your views.
But you cannot be the deciding vote on a 5-4 vote on this proposal.
Chris Morris on distracted driving: "Pedestrians have the right-of-way, and don't block crosswalks with your vehicles."
|True story.
Those of us not cocooned in our cars understand quite well what it is.
Bullying, or the routine aggression that characterizes bad driving behavior.
We've all been there. You're crossing the street, thinking you have a clear path, when the driver waiting at the light starts lurching into the crosswalk, itching for the green signal. Before you know it, you and everyone else crossing has to squeeze around this bully.
Inspired by a recent Jonathan McLeod post (headline: "Stop fucking driving your car at people"), I set out to catalogue a few of the most obnoxious behaviors people routinely engage in behind the wheel of a car.
Intersection bullying — when motorists occupy a chunk of crosswalk real estate that belongs to pedestrians with the right of way — is just one example of the many nasty, antisocial, and downright dangerous things drivers do when they're interacting with people outside their car.
There's a ton of bad driving behavior that should be socially unacceptable, but for some reason, granted the anonymity of a car, people engage in it anyway. This routine aggression needs to be called out for what it is — bullying.
Chris Morris nails this one.
MORRIS: Dealing with distracted drivers (Raycom Meets Tom May)
One of the reasons given for New Albany's street conversion last year was to slow traffic, making it safer to not only drive in the city, but to walk, jog and ride a bike without the fear of being hit by a speeding car.
But city government can't legislate distracted driving or those motorists who ignore traffic signals and crosswalks. Unless the police see it, not much can be done. So, a year later, are the streets safer?
Let's say things have improved.
As a regular walker and jogger I see people every day ignore basic principles of driving on a downtown street. The main ones being pedestrians have the right-of-way, and don't block crosswalks with your vehicles.
Here is what I see regularly at crosswalks: A motorist will pull up to the stop, ignore both me and the crosswalk, and wait for an opening before pulling out into traffic. Even though I was there first, and already had a step in the crosswalk, they just go on as if I were invisible. This one drives me crazy. Crosswalks are there for a reason, to allow walkers a safe path to cross a street.
This happens regularly in the morning as I cross Eighth Street. I usually have to jog behind or between cars because the crosswalk is covered up by a vehicle. It's like I am invisible as they prepare to pull out onto Spring Street ...
What is CASA?
First, break down the acronym: CASA means Court Appointed Special Advocates.
My command of mathematics is forever shaky, but CASA of Floyd & Washington County was founded on January 10, 1978, meaning the organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The video provides a good introduction, and there's more information at CASA's Facebook page.
CASA Program
Every year, over 700,000 children in the U.S. experience abuse and neglect. Court Appointed Special Advocates in Floyd and Washington Counties are the spokespersons in court for these children. Volunteers undergo 30 intensive hours of training, are sworn in by a judge and make a year-long commitment to build a relationship with a child to help them find stability and hope for the future.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Got conscience? In terms of Gahan, Barksdale and the Reisz Elephant, the wants of the few outweigh the needs of the many.
I was going to hold this until morning ... nah. I try to write well, and spend a lot of time on it, but tonight let's charge into it. Straight through, correct whatever mistakes I see with bleary eyes, and keep moving.
No one doubts that the current 3rd-floor City Hall struggles mightily with cramped and ancient office space in the decades-old city county building.
But have you ever heard a Gahan appointee admit error, even once?
To listen to Team Gahan relentlessly extol its own virtues, these past six and a half years have been a golden era of immaculate perfection.
As such, how can it be said that work space deficiencies have prevented Wile E. Gahan from effortlessly leaping from victory to victory?
We know better, of course, and it's just one of numerous circular arguments being deployed by the sycophants on behalf of a project of unfettered self-aggrandizement so brazen that there's really no parallel in the city's previous history.
With hard times all around, Jeff Gahan and David Barksdale are getting THEIRS, and they'e intent on getting it right now.
Maybe this is why the $10,000,000 Reisz luxury city hall plan is Peak Gahanism.
At a time when greater numbers of the city's residents than ever before are in need of assistance, Gahan's answer is to spend millions on himself. It's about the wants of the few versus the needs of the many, and displays hubris of such a high caliber that Donald Trump seems a meek and modest librarian by comparison.
Yet four Democrats and one Republican oblivious to daily life in this city somehow believe the best way to spend $10,000,000 million is on government's needs -- and meanwhile, Gahan continues to crow and strut about his masterpiece plan to displace public housing residents. He hasn't had the basic cojones to move forward with rental property inspections, and yet somehow, magically, voucher-ready apartments will soon be fruitfully multiplying.
Gahan ignores the consternation he's caused by annexing public housing. He can't bring himself to concede the existence of an affordable housing problem, or a homelessness problem, or a drug problem. In fact, he recoils from the very mention of human existence on his watch.
But a new city hall in a historically marginal warehouse? We definitely need to spend $10,000,000 on THAT.
As a longtime historic preservationist, Barksdale's probably incapable of a rational vote on this issue -- if he were being honest, he shouldn't vote at all -- but it's the four Democrats who amaze.
They pretend to adhere to a party platform that emphasizes fealty and commitment to the working man, but they see no contradictions in public housing demolitions accompanied by luxury government office boondoggles.
Not one of them grasps how the Reisz Elephant appears to the man and woman in the street, or can fathom that political behavior like theirs is what has put local Democrats in a position of sheer desperation with regard to holding power.
How is it that Democrats rationalize $10,000,000 for plush new offices when their constituents are suffering? Maybe grabbing as much as possible before the tsunami sweeps them into the gutter?
It defies logic. Unfortunately, it doesn't defy political patronage and blind loyalty to the Godfather -- and the money pours into Gahan's campaign coffers.
Readers, do me a small favor and remember this next year come election time. We'll have one, maybe two chances to restore values and integrity to city government. We simply cannot abide four more years of Democratic misrule -- and no, I don't prefer Republican.
Nine principled female independents on city council, maybe?
ON THE AVENUES: Said the spider to the fly -- will you please take a slice of Reisz?
ON THE AVENUES: Said the spider to the fly -- will you please take a slice of Reisz?
A weekly column by Roger A. Baylor.
"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can never come down again."
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"
"Let's spend millions to make government more luxurious."
Said not one taxpayer, in New Albany ... ever.
That's why the officially sanctioned City Hall plot line for the Reisz Elephant has focused on the prerequisites of historic preservation.
The obvious problem with this approach is that Jeff Gahan's fervent and impassioned public commitment to historic preservation resembles a tattered Halloween costume, to be pulled from the bag of tricks only once each year when the mayor's internal campaign finance abacus indicates there may be something in "preservation" for him.
Namely, preserving and expanding his paranoia, and his power.
Haughey's Place was just as historic as Reisz, and Gahan swept the former tavern away in spite of a solid plan to "save" it. Two new gingerbread houses, holding precisely the same number of occupants as a potentially refurbished Haughey's, apparently were deemed brighter, shinier objects, at least in the mayor's inner world of glitz over substance.
So it is that Gahan proposes a $10,000,000 expenditure over 15 years for the renovation of the Reisz Furniture Store into a new luxury location for city hall.
Knowing that plusher government sells about as well as warm Bud Light, Team Gahan's selling point for the Reisz conversion continues to be those very merits of "historic preservation" he's ignored so consistently in the past.
Let's face it. Socially and culturally, Gahan and his sycophants are no better versed than the ordinary Communist Party hacks of old, shipped falling-down shit-faced from Outer Siberia to Moscow to be strapped to the mausoleum siding, lest they fall over it, and to view the May Day parade alongside Comrade Brezhnev.
When they so much as hear the word "art," they reach for their anchors.
However, when it comes to manipulating an intricately designed system of pure political patronage; Gahan is a veritable LeBron James, the reigning master of top-down, down-low, triple-doubled-up lubrication by means of old-school hard cash.
First and foremost, the Reisz Elephant serves a dual purpose for Gahan. It provides an escape route from shared space at the City-County Building, furthering the mayor's overarching goal of building a wall between city and county government -- and making Mark Seabrook pay for it.
From the moment of Gahan's accession to itty-bitty-pond power, he has maneuvered to forestall any conceivable manifestation of uni-gov, great or small, because the Democratic Party's last remaining power base is municipal, and for the political patronage dollars to keep flowing, the fortress must be protected at any cost.
It isn't exactly a coincidence that Republican at-large councilman David Barksdale feels historic preservation is so important that the Reisz building must be saved … at any cost.
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, "Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome — will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"
Faced with the need to procure a fifth council vote for the Reisz extravagance, Gahan knew that Barksdale's legendary tunnel vision not only facilitates the mayor's anti-county disruption tactics, but adds the indescribably sweet element of an otherwise detested Republican voting against his own party's interests.
Unfortunately, Barksdale's propensity for micromanaging tree seedling varieties (shade is secondary to the visibility of buildings from the vantage point of passing cars) and parsing IKEA furniture choices for streetside beautification projects better suited to suburban outlet malls (recently a downtown business owner was overheard to say, "If Barksdale doesn't leave me alone, I'm going to board up my windows out of spite) suggests that he's missing a bigger picture.
And the wider aims of historic preservation might well suffer for it.
Last August, it was evident that Gahan had artfully enticed the local historic preservation contingent by dangling the renovation of the former Baity Funeral Home on State Street, with a relatively inexpensive municipal tithe of $50,000 to leverage the fire-damaged building into headquarters for Indiana Landmarks (currently situated in Jeffersonville).
Of course, a finger in Jeffersonville Mike Moore's eye always is a nice bonus.
With preservationists properly baited, the hook was easily set. There's nothing controversial about the Baity renovation, while every last detail of the Reisz transaction is a journey into the ethics-free morass of self-interested Gahanism, thus the necessity of snaring Barksdale, presently leading a brigade of well-intentioned historic preservationists into a proxy war to defend Gahan's political imperatives.
Because: these imperatives are all the Reisz Elephant has. Take away the politics, and Keeneland's just another race track.
"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," he said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
As an example, there is a potentially strong case for Reisz's redemption according to historic preservation in a context of economic development. Team Gahan is aware of the subject heading, if not the entire essay, and has espoused it in connection with Reisz.
But the particulars of Gahan's Reisz methodology largely negate the case for "ripple effect" economic development. The Reisz Elephant itself is a stodgy, embellishment-free warehouse. Passing traffic on the interstate won't be diverting to view government offices in a warehouse.
And, as a government building, Reisz will be removed from the tax rolls. Precisely the same number of employees will be shifted three blocks, which is a wash economically, although they'll pick up a few Fitbit steps by walking an extra block back for lunch at the Hitching Post.
In short, Barksdale's current political coordinates – and by extension, historic preservation's hard-earned credibility – can be viewed as resting dead center at the bottom of Gahan's squalid political sewer.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple — there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings he hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of his brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue —
Thinking only of her crested head — poor foolish thing!
At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held him fast.
He dragged him up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour — but he ne'er came out again!
The Reisz at any cost? Barksdale and his cohorts might first have considered the price of co-option. Our elders were astute when they observed that when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.
As it stands, the Godfather's unctuous corporate counsel Shane Gibson has defined the ruling clique's terms: either Don Gahan's way or the landfill. It's a threat aimed squarely at Barksdale and the co-opted historic preservationists, who now must play the roles scripted for them, or else.
Hear me now: This is a bluff, and it's utter bullshit.
At Wednesday's public meeting, 6th district independent councilman Scott Blair repeated that it isn't too late to make sense of the muddle. There are alternatives and options.
In Blair's view, the most rational course forward for the city of New Albany, having already invested in $750,000 to Denton Floyd by handing the real estate company a check contrived by a secret protocol known only to the upper echelons, is to invest in the Reisz building's stabilization and remarketing.
Then, the city's "skin in the same" would be an investment of roughly $1,250,000 in a building that most of us would like to save, a level playing field, and subsequently, the platform for truly fair bidding process. After all, lots of contractors would have been "interested" in submitting Reisz proposals had they been offered the sweetheart deal proffered to Denton Floyd.
The pause also gives downtown stakeholders a chance to participate in the conceptualization, rather than restricting it to Gahan and two of his closest cronies. Isn't the "free" market supposed to be about a multiplicity of ideas, not just one preferred option?
As Blair points out, the city already owns property on the southwest corner of Main and Pearl, where a parking garage once stood. A made-to-spec city hall could be built there for far less than the anticipated Reisz payments, and with Reisz renovated by the private sector, it would remain on the tax rolls and actually fulfill the economic development arguments at the heart of judicious historic preservation.
The only reason why Blair's sensible proposals are being stonewalled is the intransigence of Gahan … and Barksdale.
Their fix is in, their timetables are set, and the tragedy of this whole story is that Barksdale, who means well, doesn't understand the extent to which he's being used by an egocentric and inveterate manipulator.
Consequently, historic preservationists might get their chosen building, but by hitching the wagon to Gahan's unrestrained cult of personality, they risk being cast into the wilderness barring a solitary outcome of next year's election: namely, the mayor's re-election.
That's too bad.
It's not too late to fix the fix, but first, one of five council members currently dedicated to Dear Leader's enrichment must put his foot on the brake.
By all rights it should be Barksdale, shouldn't it?
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
Mary Howitt wrote the The Spider and the Fly. This search takes you to articles at NA Confidential about the proposed Reisz project. The final vote is Monday. You're advised to contact your councilman (there are no women) and make your viewpoint known.
Recent columns:
June 21: ON THE AVENUES: Government Lives Matter, so it's $10,000,000 for Gahan's luxury city hall clique enhancement. Happy dumpster diving, peasants!
June 12: ON THE AVENUES: Histrionic preservation? $8.5 million to gift Jeff Gahan with a luxury city hall "want" is simply obscene in a time of societal need.
June 7: ON THE AVENUES: Taco Bell has as much to do with "local business" as Jeff Gahan does with "quality urban design principles."
There was no column on May 31.
Posted by The New Albanian at 6/28/2018 10:56:00 AM No comments:
Labels: Chronicles of New Gahania, city hall, David Barksdale, historic preservation, Jeff Gahan, new albany politics, Reisz Furniture building, The Spider and the Fly
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Earlier tonight: "Concerns over Reisz building expressed during meeting."
For the first time in ages, I walked out of the house tonight without my phone, and rather than turning back, decided to let it ride.
My head count at CM Coffey's library gathering was 40 at the peak, and this strikes me as a solid attendance.
Honestly, if you've been reading NA Confidential, chances are you've already heard what was discussed this evening. Following are a couple extracts from Chris Morris's newspaper coverage.
Concerns over Reisz building expressed during meeting
The New Albany City Council will take a final vote on the ordinance to purchase the building at its 7 p.m. meeting Monday in the Assembly Room on the third floor of the City County Building.
In its first two readings, Dave Barksdale, Greg Phipps, Matt Nash, Bob Caesar and Pat McLaughlin voted in favor of the proposal while Coffey, Scott Blair, David Aebersold and Al Knable voted against it.
My 3rd district councilman Greg Phipps came to tonight's meeting and sat through most of it. That's worthy of commendation.
... The rallying cry from three of the four city councilmen against the project who were in attendance was for residents to call their district or at-large councilmen and express their concern, and to attend Monday's meeting. Knable was unable to attend Wednesday's meeting, but his wife Jessica did read a statement from him against the plan.
"We ask for people to fill that room," Aebersold said.
Mark Cassidy, a regular attendee at council meetings, also said if "a bunch of people show up, they will pay attention."
Will they?
Thursday is weekly column day. I've been writing it for a while, but since the Reisz Elephant has coincided with the frenetic period of pre-opening activities at Pints & Union, times has become an issue.
It may be Friday, but there'll be a column.
TONIGHT'S MEETING REMINDER: "Town hall to discuss possible Reisz purchase."
Don't forget tonight's meeting about the Reisz Elephant.
Stop the Reisz Elephant: There'll be a public meeting on Wednesday, June 27, downstairs at the library, at 6:00 p.m.
The newspaper recaps the story and previews the meeting.
Town hall to discuss possible Reisz purchase, by Chris Morris (Tom May Press)
NEW ALBANY — Dan Coffey said a lot of people are upset about the proposed purchase of the old Reisz furniture building for the new city hall, and he hopes many of them come to his town hall meeting tonight to share their feelings.
The meeting, at 6 p.m. at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, is intended to "get the facts out," about the cost of the building, according to Coffey. He said there are questions that have not been answered by the city's administration.
"The bottom line is they have not been forthcoming with the answers," Coffey, first district city councilman, said. "The process has been flawed and the real information has not been given to the public."
Readers, I've been doing my best to cover this issue, and the simplest way to look at it is that historic preservation is the very last consideration. It's actually a red herring. The Reisz Elephant is about Jeff Gahan's power and his political aims, as lubricated by lots and lots of money.
Look past the stated aims, and see the corrupt underbelly of the current occupant.
Reisz Elephant: Lawyer Gibson hails redevelopment's back-room RFP fix as an excellent way to do business with just one company.
Jeff Gahan handed Denton Floyd $750,000 to kick-start the Reisz project. Where are the documents detailing this transaction?
2-for-1? Scott Blair describes a better way to save the Reisz building AND get a new city hall.
Donald Trump would greatly appreciate the disruptiveness of Jeff Gahan's signature Reisz Elephant.
Jeff Gahan's attacks on county government stand an excellent chance of hurting the business climate in New Albany.
ON THE AVENUES: Government Lives Matter, so it's $10,000,000 for Gahan's luxury city hall clique enhancement. Happy dumpster diving, peasants!
GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Latest Reisz City Hall cost estimate reaches $9,250,000 -- and the tote board keeps spinning.
Truth is stranger than fact: Back in 2012, the Reisz building was to become a senior living complex. Bob Caesar kneecapped it -- and Deaf Gahan DISAGREED with Cee-Saw.
ON THE AVENUES: Histrionic preservation? $8.5 million to gift Jeff Gahan with a new city hall "want" is inexcusable and simply obscene in a time of societal need.
Posted by The New Albanian at 6/27/2018 07:40:00 AM No comments:
Labels: city council meetings 2018, city hall, Dan Coffey, David Barksdale, public meetings, Redevelopment Commission, Reisz Furniture building, Shane Gibson, transparency
Looking for bipartisan consensus? Unfortunately, endless wars fill the bill.
Follow the money.
Follow the money.
Follow the money.
Rinse and repeat.
How to Challenge the Elite Consensus for Endless War, by Andrew J. Bacevich (The Nation)
There's only one way: We have to harness the energy of millions of fed-up voters.
... the contours of basic policy evade critical examination, and American wars continue as if on autopilot.
The circumstances permitting this mindless undertaking to persist are so well-known that they hardly bear repeating. They include a brain-dead policy elite; a military system that insulates the vast majority of Americans from sacrifice; a cynical decision to saddle future generations with the responsibility to pay for today's wars while the present generation enjoys tax cuts; congressional abdication of its constitutionally assigned war powers, compounded by more than a few members of the House and Senate being deeply in hock to the military-industrial complex; the hiring of what Tom Engelhardt has dubbed "warrior corporations"—profit-minded contractors, proxies, and mercenaries—effectively hiding the magnitude of war from American view; the absorption of available political energy by eminently worthy causes—the anti-Trump resistance and #MeToo offer examples—that inadvertently consign war to the margins; and finally, divisions within the feeble anti-war camp, one wing leaning left, the other leaning right, with neither willing to make common cause on matters where their views coincide.
Of course, underlying these is the enduring conceit, regularly celebrated in Washington, that Providence summons the United States to exercise global leadership now and forever, with that leadership expressed primarily through threatened or real military action. All of these together create a layered and interlocking defense that insulates the militarized status quo from challenge.
Even so, the profound American disregard for actual policy outcomes remains something of a puzzle. After all, at some level we see ourselves as a pragmatic people, preferring what works to what doesn't. Yet as far as our wars are concerned, the gap between declared intentions and the results achieved continues to grow from one year to the next, while political elites, for the most part, pretend not to notice. Let Afghanistan, a conflict now promising to extend into eternity, serve as the prosecution's exhibit number one.
Here, I submit, part of the problem lies with Trump himself, widely viewed by members of the intelligentsia as a noxious charlatan. For this very reason, when the president, however inadvertently, utters a self-evident truth—that our post-9/11 wars cost a lot and aren't working—his endorsement of that truth drains it of significance. It's akin to an involuntary reflex: If Trump says our wars have achieved nothing, then surely they must have done some good, right?
Yet, however ironically, Trump's own ascent to the presidency might itself offer a clue about how to extricate ourselves from these "forever wars."
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Reisz Elephant: Lawyer Gibson hails redevelopment's back-room RFP fix as an excellent way to do business with just one company.
On March 27, 2018 the Redevelopment Commission approved a resolution to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the city's City Hall Project.
Ten (actually nine) whole days were given for interested developers to submit proposals for a project already negotiated with Denton Floyd, and announced publicly seven months prior to the RFP.
Jeff Gahan handed Denton Floyd $750,000 to kick-start the Reisz project. Where are the documents detailing this transaction?
"The developer shall have title to the proposed parcel or show demonstrated ability to obtain title to the proposed parcel."
In Denton Floyd's case, the very same Redevelopment Commission issuing this purportedly fair and open RFP already had given its developer of choice the money to buy the property.
At last Thursday's city council meeting, municipal corporeal attorney Shane Gibson lauded the fixed back-alley RFP process as an excellent way to to save money by excluding the free market of ideas.
Are you finding the current occupant's arrogance a bit too much?
Let your council representative know and don't forget the meeting on Wednesday evening at the library.
Stop the Reisz Elephant: There'll be a public meeting on Wednesday, June 27, downstairs at the library, at 6:00 p.m.
In accordance with IC 5-23-5, the New Albany Redevelopment Commission ("Commission"), on behalf of the City of New Albany, Indiana ("City"), is seeking proposals from qualified developers for the development and construction of a new City Hall ("Project") on property located within the City. The developer shall have title to the proposed parcel or show demonstrated ability to obtain title to the proposed parcel. The Commission anticipates entering into a public-private agreement for the Developer to provide site work, labor and material, as well as financing (as required), to construct the Project with the general characteristics described below:
• Minimum 20,000 SF
• Downtown location
• Redevelopment is preferred vs. new construction
• Other characteristics and specifications as may be identified and included in future design documents and agreements
The City would assume ownership of the site and improvements after a certain period of time to be proposed by offeror.
The scope of the project is to be determined in a scoping period. Respondent should be willing and prepared to engage in a scoping period with the Commission without any contractual obligation. During this scoping period, the Commission will require information from the selected developer sufficient to finalize the financing terms, design, scope, and costs of the proposed improvements once determined.
Information to be Included in Proposals
Proposals should include a written description of the Developer's experience designing, financing, constructing, operating, transferring, and developing projects, as follows:
• General Information
- Developer's general information including company name, principal office location, point of contact, and contact information
- Company overview, organization information, and organization chart
• Development Experience
- Experience working with local economic development organizations or local government units in Indiana
- Demonstrated experience developing projects of similar scope and scale
• Financial Capacity
- General financial and credit information
- Information indicating financial ability of the developer to complete the project
- Credit reference
• Project Approach
- Outline of duties and responsibilities of all parties related to the development project from the scoping period until project completion (including the operating period and transfer of property to the City). This should include a project timeline.
The Commission does not require you to submit a certified check or other evidence of financial responsibility with your proposal other than requested above.
Anticipated Selection Process
The Commission will review all proposals and may enter into discussions with offerors to clarify and assure a full understanding of proposals. All offerors will be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of proposals. The Commission or its agent will make a recommendation for award of an agreement based upon compliance with the above-requested information, or shall terminate the request for proposal process.
Of all evaluation criteria listed in this Request for Proposals, the offeror's focus on redevelopment, general project approach and financial capacity will be given the most weight by the Commission. The price offered in a proposal will be considered, but is not the primary determining factor. The Commission reserves the right to modify or cancel this project at any time before a developer enters into a formal agreement with the Commission, including at any point during the scoping period.
Proposals are due by 12:00 p.m. on April 6, 2018, and six (6) copies of such proposal (plus one (1) unbound copy) should be hand delivered to (and questions should be directed to):
Josh Staten, Redevelopment Director
City of New Albany, Indiana
Phone: 812-948-5333
E Mail: email@example.com
0128278.0635348 4822-7229-8591v3
Posted by The New Albanian at 6/26/2018 06:33:00 PM No comments:
Labels: #GahanValues, city hall, Denton Floyd Real Estate Group, fix is in, insider information, Redevelopment Commission, Reisz Furniture building, request for proposal (RFP)
BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Anchor Porter is delicious. Just don't expect a firm answer as to how it differs from Stout.
Last week I bought a six-pack of Anchor Porter in bottles -- for research purposes only, mind you.
It's been a while, and I regret this.
Anchor Porter is black and rich, firmly hopped (circa 40 IBUs) with plenty of malty underpinnings. I'm getting chocolate, espresso, toffee and a hint of licorice in my mouth, and I'm struck by a vestige of similarity with some Baltic-style Porters I've had in the past -- albeit at a gentler ABV.
Of course, your own experiences may vary. Try as we might to quantify flavors, we all taste life (and beer) slightly differently.
These days, Anchor Porter falls into a category of classification not unlike rock and roll bands of a certain generation. It's a heritage craft beer, or maybe a legacy craft beer. In the context of the American beer revival, any beer first brewed in 1972 -- when there were maybe 100 operational breweries in the United States -- might as well have originated in 1492.
At Pints&union, it is my aim to showcase excellent beers like Anchor Porter, which now find themselves crowed off shelves and taps by the tsunami of 6,000+ breweries seeking an outlet.
I'm going to try keeping Anchor Porter on tap all of the time, because if you like Porter (or, for that matter, the closely related Stouts), then you're going to like this one. I suspect that supply might prove to be more of a challenge than depletion.
As for the differences between Porter and Stout, it's one of the hardest beer questions to answer. Bob Brewer writes:
I'm reminded of the time some years ago when I discussed this very same topic with the late Michael Jackson. The beer guy Michael Jackson, that is. We were well into a lengthy sampling of rare single malts when the conversation came around to the stout / porter issue. I asked for a simple clarification of the stylistic difference because I considered it to be one of the more confused and ill-defined. Michael's reply was that it was actually the MOST confused and ill-defined. He furthermore stated that even the best-researched and well-intended writings on the subject were "as unambiguous as a horoscope." I took the master at his word and we ordered another round.
Ron Pattison's definition is far more detailed. He debunks the myths and discusses the practice of parti-gyling ("getting every last bit of goodness from the malt").
"What's the difference between a porter and a stout?"
Roasted barley. That's the usual explanation of what separates porter and stout. Unfortunately that story is total bollocks. The true tale is more complicated, more confusing and much more fun.
Let's go back to their childhood. Eighteenth-century London with its elegant squares, gin and the birth of industrial-scale brewing. Something that could only have happened in London. Pre-powered transport moving large quantities of beer overland was impractical and expensive. London was the only city in the world with the critical mass of beer drinkers to power an industrial brewing reactor.
The story of porter—the first style to span the world—is one of technology, innovation and taxation. And war ...
Does this make it any easier?
To me, Pints&union offers a chance to start over. We'll join together to drink Porters and Stouts, and then reach our own conclusions. The pub remains a couple of weeks away from opening, but until then, here's a pleasant, short video from Anchor about the brewery's Porter.
It makes me thirsty. As Jackson always said, the search for the perfect pint should last a lifetime.
Jeff Gahan handed Denton Floyd $750,000 to kick-start the Reisz project. Where are the documents detailing this transaction?
At last Thursday's city council meeting, municipal corporate attorney Shane Gibson finally stated publicly what we'd assumed all along about the variety of options to "save" the Reisz Furniture Store.
According to Gibson, there are only two options. It's Jeff Gahan's way, or the landfill.
Gahan's $10,000,000 project to renovate the horribly "neglected, dilapidated and blighted" building and create a luxury city hall commensurate with the mayor's grandiose self-image is intended as an either/or proposition.
Gibson told councilmen that if the city's back-alley deal with Denton Floyd falls through, there are no other choices aside from demolition. Either the city spends a minimum of $10,000,000, or there'll be a hole in the ground.
Anyone listening to Gibson should have asked a simple question.
How so?
Last August, the Redevelopment Commission approved a payment of $750,000 to Denton Floyd, from which roughly $400,000 was intended from the very start to be used by the contractor to buy the building from Schmitt Furniture.
According the Elevate website, this purchase occurred in September, a month after the meeting, which strongly implies the real estate transaction was complete save for the cash.
Returning to Gibson's ultimatum, how can the city demolish a building owned by someone else, in this case a firm with which Gahan and cohorts are closerthanthis? Certainly there are ways, but the larger point is the disposition of the money we've already spent.
The city might well condemn the building and demolish it – and if so, the city's out $750,000.
Or, Denton Floyd might ask to demolish it, and city still is out $750,000, but Denton Floyd used the city's money, anyway, leaving it free to return to being behind schedule and over budget on the M Fine seniors housing conversion just up Main Street.
As an aside, Denton Floyd undertakes few large-scale projects without voluminous government assurances, whether here or in Jeffersonville. But that's for another time.
Back to Gibson's question time before council, which by all rights should have been Gibson's and Gahan's joint appearance. The corporate attorney blithely assured onlookers that if the mayor isn't handed his palace forthwith, the building's a goner.
Where does it say all this?
The Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously last August in favor of resolution (RC-06-17), enabling the $750,000 windfall payment to Denton Floyd, as well as smaller payments toward the Louis Hartman House on State Street (future home of Indiana Landmarks; no self-interest THERE) and the Knights of Columbus.
Commission stalwart and Democratic Party chairman Adam Dickey's minutes detail the discussion.
The meeting minutes make no mention of the dollar amounts involved, but then-reporter Elizabeth Beilman of the News and Tribune included them in her coverage of the meeting.
The overarching point is that while details aren't always discussed aloud, they're included in the text of the resolution, accompanying legal documents, or both.
You know, like a contract.
And: Throughout city council's discussion of the Reisz project, from May 2018 to the present, including the 35 or 36 questions for Gibson to answer or artfully evade last Thursday, the actual text of the resolution and the content of accompanying legal documents have not been seen … by anyone, on council or off, although presumably the council's two redevelopment representative at the time, David Barksdale and Bob Caesar (the latter since replaced) viewed the terms.
These details are kinda important, aren't they?
Would any self-respecting attorney merely hand a $750,000 check to a contractor without specific language about the terms of the transaction taking place? There'd be signatures, right?
And wouldn't there be detailed explanations of contingencies, the simplest being things like insurance coverage and time frames?
Or are we to believe that former (seriously?) redevelopment chieftain David Duggins brought a briefcase filled with C-notes to the limousine for Denton Floyd's public-officials-only Keeneland junket (with paid models) last September?
Isn't it impossible to believe that the Redevelopment Commission resolution and/or legal agreements between the city and Denton Floyd explaining the $750,000 payment AREN'T accompanied by more than a post-it note reading "if it doesn't happen, just keep the money and tear down that motherfucka"?
Furthermore, if the resolution and/or legal documents discuss other possibilities and contingencies beyond demolition for the Reisz, then the entire truth wasn't being told last Thursday night ... and if Barksdale and Caesar knew otherwise as they sat listening, doesn't their silence speaks volumes?
Until this information is made public, how can city council proceed with a vote next Monday?
Here's the text of my e-mail this morning to Barksdale and redevelopment director Josh Staten. Don't forget Wednesday's meeting at the library:
Stop the Reisz Elephant: There'll be a public meeting on Wednesday, June 27, downstairs at the library, at 6:00 p.m.
Good morning,
The topic is RC-06-17, the Redevelopment Commission's ordinance of 08/08/2017, described in the meeting's minutes as being titled "Resolution Promoting Historic Preservation, Economic Development, and Blight Removal.
The meeting minutes for 08/08/2017, which are available on-line, include a detailed discussion of this resolution, but the minutes neither make mention of funding amounts, nor include the text of the resolution itself.
However, in Elizabeth Beilman's coverage of the meeting for the News and Tribune, she quotes a figure of "$826,000 in total funding commitments for the Reisz Furniture building, the Louis Hartman House on State Street and the Knights of Columbus," of which $750,000 for the Reisz project is specified.
Consequently, in terms of public information, we know the nature of the discussion about the resolution. We also know the dollar amounts, courtesy of the newspaper reporter. But we have not seen the text of resolution RC-06-17, and for this reason I'm writing to you today to request a copy of the resolution.
I'm happy to visit the office to pick this up, or you can e-mail it to this address. I trust this will be promptly rendered.
Thank you
2-for-1? Scott Blair describes a better way to save the Reisz building AND get a new city hall.
Donald Trump would greatly appreciate the disruptiveness of Jeff Gahan's signature Reisz Elephant.
Jeff Gahan's attacks on county government stand an excellent chance of hurting the business climate in New Albany.
ON THE AVENUES: Government Lives Matter, so it's $10,000,000 for Gahan's luxury city hall clique enhancement. Happy dumpster diving, peasants!
GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Latest Reisz City Hall cost estimate reaches $9,250,000 -- and the tote board keeps spinning.
Truth is stranger than fact: Back in 2012, the Reisz building was to become a senior living complex. Bob Caesar kneecapped it -- and Deaf Gahan DISAGREED with Cee-Saw.
ON THE AVENUES: Histrionic preservation? $8.5 million to gift Jeff Gahan with a new city hall "want" is inexcusable and simply obscene in a time of societal need.
Posted by The New Albanian at 6/26/2018 09:16:00 AM No comments:
Labels: Bob Caesar, city council meetings 2018, city hall, David Barksdale, demolitions, RC-06-17, Redevelopment Commission, Reisz Furniture building, Shane Gibson, transparency
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text: Have u tried replacing said dead battery would start there On Jul 30, 2016 12:51 PM, "Pontus Pihlgren" <pontus at update.uu.se> wrote: > Hi > > I'm trying to revive and old unix machine. A Concurrent Computer > Corporation series 8000. This seems to be a later version of Masscomp > MC5600/MC5700 which has a manual in bitsavers. The system runs RTU > (which I assumes means Real Time Unix). > > My machine is in great condition and both SCSI disks (Seagate ST516) > seems to work fine and I've made images. But the machine panics at boot: > > --- > panic: Unauthorized use of RTU > For further assistance, contact Concurrent's > Customer Service Technical Support Group > --- > > The NVRAM battery is long dead and upon entering the console I get a > complaint regarding the TOD clock, but I see no way of setting it. > > I can boot into a "stand alone mode" but not single user. In the SAM I > can poke arround the filesystem and use "date" to set a date, but the > clock appears not to be running. > > Does anyone have experience with this type of machine, either CCC or > masscomp and can offer assistance? > > It's a dual MIPS machine with 16MB of memory. > > /P >

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Pain points are often grouped into several broader categories:
In this post, we'll be look at customer pain points and how they can be used to sell more – specifically, what pain points are and how you can position your company and products as the potential solution.
We'll go through the four main types of pain points and why you should align your salesforce with online information, and you'll get some tips on how to make your offerings valuable to your prospects.
A pain point is a specific problem that prospective customers of your business are experiencing. In other words, you can think of pain points as problems, plain and simple.
Like any problem, customer pain points are as diverse and varied as your prospective customers themselves. However, not all prospects will be aware of the pain point they're actually experiencing, which can make it difficult to address. You have to help your prospects realize they have a problem before you are trying to solve it - with your product or service as the solution.
Pain points are often grouped into several broader categories:
Viewing customer pain points in these categories allows you to start thinking about how to position your company or product as a solution to your prospects' problems. For example, if your prospects' pain points are primarily financial, you could highlight the features of your product within the context of a lower monthly cost, or emphasize the increased ROI your satisfied customers experience after buying your products.
However, while this method of categorization is a good start, it's not as simple as identifying price as a pain point before pointing out that your product or service is cheaper than the competition. Many prospective customers' problems are complex, and may combine issues from several of the categories above. That's why you need to view your customers' pain points individually, and present your company as a solution to not just one particularly problematic pain point, but as a trusted partner that can help solve a variety of problems.
Now that we know what pain points are, we need to figure out how to actually identify them.
Your sales reps work on the frontlines of the battle, which makes them an invaluable source of feedback on your prospects' pain points.
However, as valuable as your sales team's feedback can be, it's important to distinguish your sales reps' pain points from your prospects' pain points; your sales reps' problems may be very real, but you're not building a product or providing a service to make your sales reps' lives easier (at least, not in the context of this article).
It's crucial to separate operational challenges from genuine customer pain points. For example, let's say your reps are experiencing a slow quarter, and sales goals have been missed for two consecutive months. Here's where things can get complicated. Facing the prospect of missing another sales target, your reps might be tempted to bemoan a lack of qualified leads or the quality of the leads assigned to them. While this may be a legitimate complaint, it's got nothing at all to do with your customers' pain, so you have to filter out the noise to get to the actual problem.
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Regardless of what's causing the pain, you now have a pain point you can use in your in your customer dialogue.Let's take a look at the pain points, and see how to use them when talking to customers:
It's important to remember that you can't "prove" you can ease your prospects' pain, and what works for one customer may not work for another. That's what makes customer reviews so crucial when using customer pain points in your marketing and sales pitches.
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Online landing pages are crucial to the success of many sales campaigns. Even though most sales work are done in field, it is very important to let the prospects find supporting information online. We need to realize that almost everyone is using online resources when trying to solve problems and buy solutions. Statistics show that a whopping 93% of B2B buying processes start with an online search (Pinpoint Market Research and Anderson Jones PR).
Aligning your online product information with your salesforce's product pitches is obvious, but your landing pages can also reinforce why your product or service can ease your prospects' pain.
Let's take a look at how this works. Below is a (fake) landing page for an industrial consultant's offering, a machine strategy analyzis:
This landing page is a good way of addressing customer pain points. The headline is very effective ("How to Make Machine Setup Decisions Faster") but the strapline below it is even better. Not only is it benefit-driven, it also addresses two specific pain points, using time more effectively – which could be either a Productivity or Processes pain point. – and establishing ones' self as the strategy go-to expert in your company.
These benefits are further emphasized further down the landing page, in the bulleted list of what readers will learn from the downloadable guide.
This landing page might not be perfect, but it's a nice example of how to leverage customer pain points that supports what your product or service could do for your customer.
To learn more about landing pages and online lead generation, check out our Practical Online Crash Course:
More details on pain points for online marketing: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/02/28/pain-points


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Jan 17, 2019
The Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) is hosting a community meeting on January 30, to discuss a proposed groundwater sustainability fee to provide short-term funding for the new agency. Attendees will also learn about a proposed well registration program. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Wednesday, January 30, Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave, Santa Rosa.
The GSA was created to sustain the quality and quantity of groundwater in the Santa Rosa Plain (generally, the valley floor stretching from Cotati to Windsor and from the foot of Sonoma Mountain to Sebastopol). This state-mandated agency is nearing completion of a year-long study to finds ways to finance day-to-day operations and groundwater planning. A groundwater sustainability fee – based on estimated groundwater use – is being considered.
"The GSA Board has worked for more than a year to develop an equitable, low-impact solution that will allow us to fund this state-mandated agency," said Santa Rosa Plain GSA board chair Lynda Hopkins. "The meeting is an opportunity for community members to learn about the proposed fee, and to share their thoughts."
"The GSA Board and Advisory Committee have discussed fee options in 12 public meetings, we held a community workshop to solicit creative ideas, and we've provided monthly updates to our large email list," said Santa Rosa Plain GSA vice-chairman Tom Schwedhelm. "We hope people can attend the January 30 meeting to learn more details."
The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was passed into California law in fall 2014. The Act requires that State-designated medium and high priority basins form a GSA and develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). Santa Rosa Plain (essentially, the valley floor, extending from Cotati to Windsor) is a medium priority basin. In compliance with SGMA, the Santa Rosa Plain GSA was created in June, 2017.
GSA member agencies contributed funds to pay for the first two years of GSA operating costs. In fall of 2017, the GSA sought a consultant to conduct a rate and fee study to develop options for funding the agency for the next three years, until the GSP is completed (in 2022). Raftelis (a financial consulting firm) began the study in December 2017. In spring 2018, the GSA was awarded a $1 million Proposition 1 grant from the California Department of Water Resources for developing the GSP. The grant funds significantly offset GSA costs. Funding is needed to cover the remaining operating costs of approximately $337,000 annually.
Strict constitutional requirements on fees and taxes have narrowed the funding options to fees that would likely be based on actual or estimated groundwater use. Potential fee payors could include groundwater users such as cities, water districts, farmers, businesses and residents with wells. It is estimated that about a third of all groundwater used in Santa Rosa Plain is used by agriculture; about a third percent by cities and towns; about a quarter by rural residents; with the remainder split amongst other users including mutual water companies, schools, golf courses and other commercial users.
Proposed fee amounts could range from $1- $3 annually for a well owner with a small irrigation well(but whose main water supply is from a city) to between $16-$26 per acre-foot for larger pumpers, like cities, towns, mutual water companies, agriculture and golf courses. (An acre-foot of water is equivalent to 325,851 gallons.) Rural residents, who rely solely on a well for water, could pay between $8-$13 annually.
If the GSA does not impose fees, and as a result, cannot complete and implement the GSP, the state could intervene and impose fees that would range from $100 annually for residential well owners to $300 (base fee) plus $40 per acre-foot of groundwater use for agriculture, cities, mutual water systems, golf courses and commercial users.
For more information about the Santa Rosa Plain GSA, go to www.santarosaplaingroundwater.org.
Jan 23, 2019"Facebook Comments: Dorothy StoneInouye - There are plenty of commercial wells they can use for study. Private should be left alone and there should be no fee from anyone. The state has a budget surplus - take it from that. Fight this. Any monitoring should be leased and with permission and contract and equipment removed at the conclusion of the study. The State should be leasing private wells for this "study" and removing equipment afterward. At the very least removing equipment and charging no fee or tax. They also should not be taxing well owners at all to fund a new agency. There's a big difference between "agency" and "study." If it was just a simple matter of this needed groundwater study, it would not be a big deal but with this plan it now is. There is a great deal of power and money in who controls water. Californians should say yes to the studies and no to taxation and permanent use of their private wells. If there was not this effort to use private wells - which have been paid for and maintained privately, the state would have to be drilling their own study wells, as has been done in the past. Or leasing the private wells, as has also been done in the past. This plan uses private property with no compensation but a tax on top of it. Also, past meetings of those in favor quite freely paint well owners as wasteful and selfish! I couldn't understand this negative and untrue propaganda until the whole plan was revealed. Now it makes sense. Pit non-well people against homeowners with wells it appears. Everyone I know who lives on a well is quite careful about water use - if a well runs dry or fills slow due to overuse it is our pockets the cost comes out of. That's why the strong feelings against this. Good to study groundwater. Long overdue to study groundwater. Bad planning on how to go about it. I hope well owners and others understand it's the way they intend to go about this that is so unsettling. Having a well is not just a hole in the ground. One has the county fees and taxes; and the upkeep and testing to be sure the water is safe and even making sure there is no danger being made to the water quality. The homeowner takes these expenses themselves. There is no county or city well service to call to repair or restore water. The pumping and storage tank, filtration etc all privately paid. "- Vesta Copestakes
Jan 23, 2019"Here's a selection of Facebook Comments: Cassie Thomson - Then monitor the water by voluntary participation. I've had my well monitored for free for many years by Land Smart for free monitoring any impact by the Casino
- Randi Francis - I hope to go and be educated on this. I don't want to pay for my own well water, it cost me a bundle to put a new well in, plus sewer fees are huge. However, I'm concerned about the aquifer and groundwater quality and we should all be, and make sure there's a sustainable future for our well water. Let's have an open mind and show up.
- Patricia Dines - I'm not usually against government initiatives per se. And I understand the theory, but already I don't feel like it's structured for those community goals. They're not starting with big users - ag is off the table, last I heard. They're going after homeowners and adding to our bills. Once that starts, we're just a revenue stream. I don't feel like that's the path that's needed to understand our groundwater. That's about controlling the usage of small users. They didn't put in my well, or help me fix the water. They want me to pay to use my own well. I bet they're going to require a meter too. At my expense, very likely. While the big straws going much deeper than our wells and using way more than we use to just watch from the gallery. Plus I've been disappointed recently by our SCounty bureaucracies - doing steps of a checklist and not hearing when they're totally missing their supposed goals -- while we pay the price. They don't have my confidence in general, and in what I've seen of this so far.
- Michael Siminitus - We need to all plan to protect this precious resource. Hopefully, residential well owners will show up and participate instead of just complaining on Facebook!
- Dionne Mitchell-Maniaci - Private should be left alone, considering the amount of commercial there is and the companies that are not from here and not paying anything for water and making money hand over fist while taking from private wells. Commercial needs to pay they make a hefty profit, while private use it to live.
- David Gray - In 2014 the State of California finally recognized the risks of overdrawing the aquifer after massive land subsidence and private wells going dry in the Central Valley. Aquifers are not infinite and do not rebound after collapsing. https://water.ca.gov/.../Grou.../SGMA-Groundwater-Management
- Bridgett Petersen - For more info check out SGMA. It was passed back in 2014.
- Adam De La Montanya - You want to pay us and maintain our wells then we can talk about a fee otherwise you are just carpet walkers trying to look like you are doing something.
- Edwin Ruddick - I would happily pay $8-13 per year for someone to monitor the aquifer. Especially when you consider the alternative of having the state impose much higher fees...... Thank you for the heads up, so I have an opportunity to learn more about this!
Nick Bettencourt - Registration: when the government steals your rights and sells them back to you as a privilege.
- Eric Fleming - Don't we already pay a "fee" to let Nestle pump millions of gallons of groundwater, and give the company a tax break? Then they charge $2 for a bottle of water that comes out of the tap? This Tax is stupid, and will be passed by uniformed voters, politicians, and corrupt unions. This is a tax to pay for unfunded, promised pensions that the state cannot pay. Same as the gas tax. California has maybe 5 years. Total bankruptcy."- Vesta Copestakes
Mar 29, 2019"The fee structure is crafted to be unfair, with the wine industry paying significantly less than their fair share, and rural residential well users significantly more. The claim rural homes use 0.5 a-f is nonsense; it equates to an average of 460 gallons per day. All winter we do no outdoor irrigation at all. De-minimus users should be exempt from a fee. We use but a tiny fraction of the rainwater that soaks into our land anyway. We do not adversely impact the aquifer/groundwater and we will NOT be provided any benefit by this new greedy government bureaucracy. It is the municipal and commercial groundwater use that is the issue, deep industrial scale wells, that need to be monitored as to what effect they are having on the groundwater levels and how they may be impacting nearby shallow wells. - Mike Hilber"- Mike Hilber
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Authorities have identified Donald Fitch, 58, of Vacaville, as the motorcyclist who was killed in a collision involving a suspected drunken driver on eastbound Interstate Highway 80 in Richmond early Saturday.
The collision occurred about 1:40 a.m. near Cutting Boulevard.
Before the crash, California Highway Patrol officers spotted a Toyota Highlander speeding at about 100 mph on the highway.
As the officers attempted to catch up with the SUV, they saw the vehicle hit Fitch's motorcycle, according to CHP.
The SUV's driver, identified as 31-year-old Suisun City resident Kevin Paredes-Orozco, allegedly did not stop following the crash. Officers pulled him over and determined he was under the influence of alcohol and arrested him.


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September is my favorite month. The weather is finest at this time of year, and I'm not just saying that because my birthday is in September and because my mother always says that the day I was born was one of the most beautiful days ever. September just has an abundance of those comfortably cool but still sunny days.
This September is no exception. My mood is consequently excellent. There's only one thing dragging me down—the lack of posts on this blog. I like to write blog posts, but more importantly, I love having written them. It bothers me to see the last three months of archives a virtual wasteland, and I'm particularly sorry for September. With all the things going on in my life right now, September should be chockful. We are soon to be married and we are in the process of purchasing our first home, two major events that deserve to be recorded in detail.
So I'm sorry for September so far, but in the days that remain I will try to do better.


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Tag: west virginia
A Sense of Place
I loved this red truck and the sign this young boy is holding. Weirton Steel Corp. The life blood of my childhood hometown. The reason my father moved to West Virginia after being recruited by the mill from Penn State's engineering school. The reason why both of my great grandparents immigrated from Italy to Weirton … to live the American dream and make a better life for those who would come after them. I have a reverence, a sincere reverence for the town. I am thinking about it alot lately because the parents of my son's best friend at school, I just find out two days ago, are also from Weirton. A little older than I, they both graduated from Weir High, my alma mater. We had the family over tonight for apple pie and coffee. Instant repore, as I expected.
Red White Steel Mill Tower at Dusk-Weirton West Virginia
So today I had a business meeting at a restaurant called DeeJay's in my hometown in Weirton, WV, which was cool. I had been gone for so long but now am back. Everytime I drive through the main street towards my childhood home, I am preoccupied with photographing different parts of what once was a vibrant steel mill town. I stopped to take this shot one evening at dusk. my kids in the back seat. The barbed wire is out of focus and the tower is in focus and I am not so crazy about the effect of that; but nevertheless, I still like the shot.


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Videos from around the community
Campaign 2020 CDC Challenge Relay
Civic Development Corporation Campaign 2020: Shared Vision-A Community Blueprint
Junior Achievement Final (JA Ashtabula County)
JA Entrepreneur Challenge
Winning GV Census 2020 Video
A-Tech Multimedia students created videos to promote awareness for the upcoming Census. Katie Potsko and Danielle Neely were the winners in the Ashtabula County 2020 Census Video contest. They are students in the A-Tech Multimedia program at Grand Valley. They win a limousine ride and free lunch courtesy of Ducro Funeral Services. See all the video entries from A-Tech Multimedia students at Jefferson, Edgewood, Lakeside and Grand Valley at this link: All Videos
Feed The Hope 2019
The Ohio Air National Guard's 164th Airlift Squadron based in Mansfield recently provided a lift to active duty Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne. Watch the new Buckeye Guard newscast to see how the Ohio Airmen supported the paratroopers to practice infantry drop and heavy equipment drop skills. Also in this episode:
•The tanks roll out as the Ohio Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 145th Armored Regiment conducts combined arms training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
•The 200th RED HORSE Squadron helps construct Mississippi's first fully accessible year-round camp facility.
•Ohio Army National Guard units participate in joint training with State Partnership Program partners in Serbia and Hungary.
•Water rescue skills are put to the test when Airmen with the 178th Civil Engineering Squadron are put in a real-world situation on a swift moving river.
Painesville Police rescue driver and passenger from pond drowning (Police Dash Cam)
Painesville Police rescue driver and passenger from pond drowning (Dive Team)
Ohio Department of Transportation Earthquake
JA Dairy Queen Innovation Challenge
Compassion Fatigue Series Chapter 1
Compassion Fatigue Series Chapter 2
Compassion Fatigue Series Chapter 3
Compassion Fatigue Series Chapter 4
Lakeshore Primary JA in a Day
Ashtabula County Technical & Career Campus invites alumni
What are you looking forward to this year at Atech?
Bridge Street named top downtown
Welcome to Ashtabula County
Ashtabula County from the air
Trump Rally Highlights Geneva Ohio 2016
Jefferson Police body cam of arrest of Edward Dirrigl with Sgt. Truckey (Explict Language) full
Ashtabula County Fair 2016 Crowning


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I think most people reading this blogpost know that I am a hypnotherapist, so why hypnotherapy? Simply because it is one of the most powerful tools you can use to improve your life, your health and your mental health.
I specialise in working with people who want to change habits or to overcome confidence issues, procrastination, anxiety and my biggest love is working with people who suffer from major stress like PTSD.
90% of your mind is unconscious and it controls everything… all your habits, your beliefs, your fears and your health. It is the boss and others mostly programmed it as we grew up.
Your parents started programming your beliefs even before you were born and your family, your friends, your teachers, neighbours, sports coaches and many others have been adding to this ever since.
Hypnosis is simply a relaxed state when you are able to let your busy conscious mind to drift so that you can change things in your unconscious mind. You have been hypotised many times all your life. This is what TV commercials, politicians, and movies do all the time when you are vegged out in front of the TV.
I remember an occasion when I was called to the phone leaving my youngest grandson watching TV. While I was out of the room he changed the channel to one screening Dennis the Menace. After 10 minutes of that program he became Dante the Menace! Be careful what you let your kids watch and play. The favourite kids game at present is Fortnight and is MUCH to violent for me so what it does to kids I shudder to think. No wonder there is so much violence on our streets these days.
The result of all these inputs through your life is where each of you is right now. It can be hard to change.
A simple self-hypnotic habit is to listen to your own thoughts. Do you put yourself down and bully yourself? Do you ever say I "can't" do that, "I am going to fail", " I am so stupid" etc. etc. etc? If this is happening you should catch and change it each time. "I am not stupid… just a bit inattentive and I can fix that". The same is true for all the others. Change those thoughts and make them positive.
Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help you make positive changes that you find difficult to make consciously. You let me know, briefly in dot points preferably, the major things that have happened in your life plus you tell me what you want to move from and to. That way you give me an insight into those unconscious beliefs that are causing you problems so that I can help you to change them.
Procrastination is something that affects so many people and it is often either a general lack of confidence and also being a square peg in a round hole especially in the workplace where your unconscious mind does not believe you can complete the task effectively or in the time frame allocated. I help people to clear those underlying self-doubts so that they can move forward.
Yes I do help people to change habits like smoking very quickly and easily in only one session in almost all cases. If you know smokers who want to quit send them to me please. You do both of us a favour. I can fit in a FEW more before Christmas but don't waste too much time thinking about coming.


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A reader writes:
I think it is clear that we Jews owe Sarah Palin an apology. For centuries, we have had the temerity to compare our suffering to Hers.
I must say the harmonic convergence of Alan Dershowitz and Pat Buchanan on this question is a little unnerving.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.
2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan


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Friday, October 14, 2011
Who's Sharin'?
I was listening to Sugarland's "Stay," which played a part in my novel "Sweet Carolina Girls." I slid my chair back and looked at my wife of 24 years and said, "I don't know that I would have been able to go back home after a woman sang that song to me..." - I quickly qualified with - "given the same circumstances Lauren was in."
The wife squinted at me, which is what she does when the romance writer takes over my brain.
I continued, "Who wouldn't fall in love with someone who can sing like that, plays softball like Jessica Mendoza, and looks a little like Jenny Finch?"
More squinting.
I ramble on, "Of course, I fall in love with all of my characters. I hope you don't mind sharin'."
She didn't miss a beat and never cracked a smile, just asked, "Who's Sharin'?"
She had me for a moment. I filed back through the books in my head and couldn't think of anyone named Sharon, but a a bit character that I'm sure she doesn't remember. Then I saw the grin starting in the corner of her mouth. She keeps it real for me.
I live the majority of my days, awake and sleeping, in a fictional world of stories and characters. I stare at walls, miss entire sections of movies, fade out during conversations, wake up mad or sad over some dream that will usually end up in a book; in other words, I am impossible to live with. I live in a fantasy world, where people always say just the right thing, where romantic scenes play out just as planned, where lovers always react as they should, and where love conquers all. I was told by a revered college professor, "You know what's wrong with you? You are a hopeless romantic." She passed away, but if I could talk to her, I would grin and say, "Dr. Jones, you were right, but I learned to use it to my advantage."
I was an actress, then later a director, scenic and lighting designer, and technical director during my nearly 30 years in the theatre business. It was my job to create worlds where the characters lived and breathed. I have always believed the depth of my romanticism was an asset in the theatre. As an actress, I was called on to convince audiences that I was someone else. I used to tell my students, it looks so easy, but when you're spilling your insides, drowning in tears, living that character's deepest pain; you better be feeling it for real, because the audience won't believe you if you aren't. I think that being a hopeless romantic and extremely empathetic helped me during my theatre days and continues to see me through my writing career. So, to me it's an advantage to feel things deeply and wish for happy endings.
Another asset I have is a supportive spouse. She tolerates my not really being in the room the majority of the time. She shares me with others, real and imagined. She reads whenever I ask her to. She lets me play endless hours of love ballads. She gets through the hard parts with me as I ride the same emotional roller coaster as the characters I am writing about. I was still an actress when she met me. Someone warned her, "She's a good actress. When will you ever know who you are really talking to?" She smiled and said that was part of my charm. As wildly erratic as my emotions are, she is steady in any storm. Two drama queens would not have lasted 24 years.
So I fall in love with characters, dream of happy endings, cry through the sad parts, and laugh at the funny ones. And when I come back from the land of fiction, I get questions like, "Who's Sharin'?" to keep it real.
3 comments:
- AnonymousOctober 14, 2011 at 9:27 PM
Decky, I hope we meet someday so I can give you a hug. I so get what you are saying and I get how lucky you are. Congrats. Keep doing what you're doing! jReplyDelete
I look forward to meeting you, too. Big hugs coming your way. Another writer can definitely understand that far off stare.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 26, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Knowing the two of you seperately before I realized you were a couple, I can't imagine how fun it would be with both of you in the same room. Deb was always good for a laugh in class and was one of my favorite professors. You two are perfect for each other (but you already knew that, huh?).ReplyDelete
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