Years ago I pointed out to the then Mayor Tom Trowbridge that raising the sewer rates by 136% when it was not necessary would cost Bicknell in population, income at the sewer payment/collection station downtown and checks from the State. Mayor Tom Trowbridge fought with me nearly daily to get his own way and the council chose to go with him down the street of destruction of which only Gary Goodwin is still a part of and should be removed from.
Today Bicknell's tax rate is the highest in Knox County our sewer rates are one of the highest and business in Bicknell is falling all due to the efforts of the probable worst mayor in Bicknell history Mayor Tom Trowbridge. This is also a problem pushed upon the residents of Bicknell by our then council members who were also blind to what the future would hold.

It is almost certain that this census count of Bicknell's population will show a residence drop of at least one third in the last 10 years or to about 2,100 people from 3,300 and this is a problem that the current Mayor will be forced to face.

Today it is obvious that Bicknell in the last 7 years has had the misfortune of having the worst mayor and fortunately has now most likely the best mayor in its history to help us overcome the Trowbridge legacy.

Unlike our previous mayor this mayor can find grants and is not afraid to take up repair and clean up projects in and around town and even if I may not have followed his exact agenda I am certain that he is doing what he actually believes is best for Bicknell and its citizens unlike the previous mayor that was working for his own ego.
Mayor Jon Flickinger will now be faced with a large shortfall in operating money once the 2010 census is completed and I am afraid that jobs in the city may be at stake as I predicted to both Mayor Trowbridge and the council. Now Mayor Flickinger is faced with the problem of how to maintain city jobs without enough money to pay them and I am sure that he will do as well as anybody could as one of the Bicknell City employees told me he is a good mayor and is not afraid to pursue what is best for Bicknell.

John R. Stanczak

Wouldn't it be great if all of the folks who dance at our Contra Dances occasionally would be here at the same time for a really super 'Reunion' type dance? With this Contra dancng the more people there the more fun it is. Why is that? Since it is organized group dancing you will dance with all the opposite gender folks in addition to

“The Curious Savage” - comedy play by Old Town Players
Contact: OTP, oldtownplayers@gmail.com, www.oldtownplayers.org, or
812/882-1639
April 9-11 & April 16-18

Knox County Community Foundation Legacy Alumni Tournament
Contact: Community Foundation, 812/882-0093
April 10

Dear John,

Thank you for contacting me with your views on health care reform. I appreciate your comments, and I welcome this opportunity to share my thoughts.

For years, patients, employers, and health care providers have been urging their representatives to tackle the problems in our health care system. And, without action, our health care costs have kept climbing each year?"forcing more employers to drop coverage for their workers, increasing the number of uninsured Americans who can't afford coverage, and leading hardworking families to file bankruptcy when faced with the unexpected. The one thing everyone has agreed on is the need for reforms that improve care and hold down costs. Over the past year, as Congress debated

1. Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson on being a role model: "I wan' all dem kids to do what I do, to look up to me. I wan' all the kids to copulate Me."

2. New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season: "I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."

3. And, upon hearing Joe Jacobi of the 'Skin's say: "I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl," Matt Millen of the Raiders said:

City-county legislative body; creation of agencies; transfer of agency powers
Sec. 23. (a) The city-county legislative body may, by ordinance:
(1) create or terminate departments, divisions, offices, community councils, and other agencies of the consolidated city; and
(2) transfer to or from those agencies any powers, duties, functions, or obligations.
(b) The powers granted by subsection (a) may not be applied to:
(1) the department of public utilities of the consolidated city;
________________________________________
(2) offices established by the Constitution of Indiana; or
(3) agencies of municipal corporations other than the consolidated city.
As added by Acts 1980, P.L.212, SEC.2.
 

The Good Start Committee is looking at helping the residents of Maplewood in Bicknell to clean up their neighborhood by setting up dump stations for the residents to use at no cost to them.

I provided information to them concerning the cost of large containers and what they will allow to be placed into them.

I believe that this is exactly what Good Start was set up for and I believe that they are in a position to do a good job if they so choose. If this works out then it is possible to expand this throughout Bicknell one neighborhood at a time.

For Good Start to expand into such projects they will need volunteers and donations.

Providing that they do actually start such projects of course.

John R. Stanczak

By Greg Giroux | February 16, 2010 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If not Evan Bayh, then who? Democrats in Indiana are regrouping, a day after their sitting senator's surprise retirement decision left them without a nominee. Here's how it's shaking out.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth is at or near the top of a roster of Indiana Democrats who are weighing whether to ask a selection committee of 32 party officials to consider them for the nomination.

According to the Evansville Courier and Press, Ellsworth said Tuesday morning that he thought he would make a decision "within a week, maybe sooner than that."

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of the House GOP, circulated that

March 23, 2010

VINCENNES, IND. - The executive producers of the Fox television show Glee invite the public to auditions on March 28 at Vincennes University’s Red Skelton Performing Arts Center.  The VU audition is part a nationwide open casting call to fill new roles that will be added to the show’s second season.

Auditions are open to professional and amateur individuals between the ages of 16 - 26.  Admission is free.  Registration at

While we should still be telling our friends and neighbors why this bill was such a raw deal for Hoosiers, it's time to put our words into action. We must work harder than ever to defeat those in Congress who voted in support of this bill.
Rep. Joe Donnelly was for this bill, then he was against it, and at the last minute yesterday he voted for it.
Rep. Baron Hill has played the same game at every step in the process: Pretend to have concerns and then ultimately vote for the bill.
Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who will be running for U.S. Senate this fall, tried to hide from the public as much as possible and avoided taking a stance for as long as he could. He, too, voted to pass this bill multiple times.
And we all know that Reps. Andre Carson and Pete Visclosky are reliable liberal votes for the Obama and Pelosi agenda.
The Indiana Republican Party is committed to defeating all of them in November.
Murray Clark
Chairman
Indiana Republican Party