Under the terms of an agreement reported by the Evansville Courier & Press, Browning Investments first bought the property for $9.4 million, but the City of Evansville then paid Browning $11.9 million to demolish part of the building’s rear section. Thus, Browning Investments netted a return of $2.5 million and ownership of the former Executive Inn.

Mayor Jonathan Wienzapfel and the City of Evansville now plan to re-purchase the building for $300,000. All told, taxpayers will have paid $2.8 million to Browning Investments, but without the benefit of any hotel or meaningful development.

Without a hotel downtown, bonds for the new arena will now become more costly to taxpayers as well. No new hotel means no new TIF funds and a decrease in the amount of food and beverage taxes. Both of these funding sources are committed to the arena bonds.

All told the mismanagement resulted in $2.8 million of taxpayer money handed to Browning Investments, plus millions more lost by the absence of a downtown hotel.

Browning Investments and its principals have donated over $250,000 to political candidates or organizations since 1998, mostly to Democrats or the Indiana Democratic State Committee.

In response Musgrave pledged to continue working for transparency on the campaign trail just as she has as county assessor, county commissioner, and Commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance. Click here for more on the incident and Cheryl Musgrave’s record of transparency.

Musgrave currently serves as Trustee to the United States Bankruptcy Court, and has long been active in local and state Republican activities. He is married to Cheryl Musgrave, former Vanderburgh County Commissioner and current candidate for State Representative for District 77.

“I am happy and pleased that Bob has agreed to do this,” said Parke. “Treasurer is an important position, and Bob brings the right balance of education and experience to really strengthen the Central Committee and the party.”

Wayne is a retired executive with Peabody Energy and Black Beauty Coal Company where he served as Director of Administration and Senior Vice President. Prior to his work with Peabody and Black Beauty Coal Company, Wayne served as President and Owner of Kindill Mining, Inc., was President/CEO of Old Ben Coal Company, and has worked in various other capacities in the coal industry since 1967.

Wayne has long been active in the community as well. He is the Board Chairman of the Southwestern Indiana Red Cross Chapter, past School Board President of the East Gibson School Corporation, and is a member of the Green River Kiwanis Club. Wayne resides on Evansville’s East Side with his wife, Ms. Karen Parke. The couple have two grown children, Andrea and Timothy.

Tomorrow Republican voters will go to the polls to select our party’s nominee for a number of offices. We have an extraordinary number of candidates in competitive contests; a list of them on the ballot in Vanderburgh County can be found here.

After you’ve cast your ballot, please join us downtown at Ri Ra’s for a post-election party. The fun will begin at 5:30pm. Admission is free, and appetizers and a cash bar will be available, along with live primary election returns as they come in.

We look forward to celebrating with you. Thank you for being a part of our team.

Christine, an Evansville native, has been an active participant in the community both professionally and personally. She recently joined Energy Systems Group, a Vectren subsidiary, as Director of Strategy and Business Development for their Utility Services team, focusing on Federal and Renewable energy projects throughout the U.S. Prior to that, Christine was with Old National Bank for 12 years, serving most recently as Senior Vice President, Regional Corporate Lending Executive.

She currently serves as a Commissioner for the City of Evansville’s Historic Preservation Commission, and on the Board of Director’s of the Southwestern Indiana Chamber of Commerce, St. Mary’s Foundation, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, the Evansville Museum and is the past President of the Evansville Country Club Board of Directors. In 2009, Christine was appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications and Nominations and is a 2007 graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. In 2006, she and her husband Jim were founding co-chairs of the S.W. Indiana United Way’s Young Leaders United program.

Christine attended McGill University in Montreal and is a graduate of Indiana University – Bloomington. She and her husband reside in downtown Evansville’s historic district, with their two dogs Brother Bear and Miss Indiana and Boo Kitty.

Christine joins a VCRP central committee which also includes Nick Hermann as Chairman, Joyce Perry as Vice Chairwoman, Josh Claybourn as Secretary, and Wayne Parke as Treasurer.

The candidates facing off in the May 4 primary election and participating in the debate are John Hostettler, Marlin Stutzman, Dan Coats and Don Bates Jr.

The event is open to the public and admittance is free. For questions please email the Vanderburgh GOP at vandygop@gmail.com.

“I commend these U.S. Senate candidates for agreeing to participate in our debate, and for addressing some of the important issues facing the State of Indiana and our nation. Indiana Republicans have an important choice to make, and it is critical that we have the information needed to make an informed decision,” said Vanderburgh GOP Chairman Nick Hermann.

Enter the pertinent information below to submit a question to the candidates.

Click here for more on it and to view additional videos from WatchEvansville.com.

Women R.O.C. Planning Several Events
Jeremy Meeks, candidate for County Commissioner (Dist 2), is set to speak this Saturday, March 13th, at the monthly Women R.O.C. (Women Right of Center) meeting. The meeting will take place at the Central Library downtown and will begin at 9:00am. Come ready to engage in local political discussion. Additionally, the Women R.O.C. will begin planning for an 8th District Congressional Debate on April 19th and a Candidate Event on April 26th. Email womenrightofcenter@yahoo.com with any questions.

VCFRW Membership Event
The Vanderburgh County Federation of Republican Women (VCFRW) will be hosting a membership event on Wednesday, March 24th at 6:00pm with guest speaker Charlie White, candidate for Indiana Secretary of State. The event will take place at the Oak Meadow Golf Club. VCFRW members are encouraged to bring a guest and to consider membership with the VCFRW. All guests are welcome. Contact Sarah Goff for information and reservations at sarah-goff@sbcglobal.net.

Rep. Suzanne Crouch Golf Outing
State Representative Suzanne Crouch will host a golf outing on Friday, April 30th at Eagle Valley Golf Course. The outing will begin with a shotgun start at 12 noon. A Bar-B-Q lunch will preceed the start from 11:00-12:00 and prizes will follow golf. Individual and foursome spots are available, along with sponsorships. For the cost to participate, or to RSVP, email Suzanne at scrouch1@evansville.net.