Thursday, May 6, 2010

CHRIS THIENEMAN: THE TRUTH

I have tried to set myself aside in the Republican primary for Mayor because I have publicly told everyone I support Chris Thieneman in this primary. With the exception of calling out the Heiner camp for challenging my integrity, a situation we have spoke about and Hal and I are friendly, I have basically tried to remain neutral. Integrity matters.

Before I get the comments of "Hal Heiner didn't do this" let me assure you I in no way am accusing Hal Heiner of this. I only mention Hal in my attempt to explain why I am doing this article since I have avoided so many articles because of this race.

In the case of Chris Thieneman, however, there has been some media negatives concerning Chris claims regarding a $10,000 "bribe" if you will back in 1998. This is not a "new" claim used for election purposes as many are trying to spin it nor is it anything new.


Today this would be considered a "whistleblower" deal and would not be seen so harshly when brought out publicly.

If you read this blog where I have quoted land machine as a source,
Louisville News and Politics: Bomb Storage Shelter: The power of the administration, you will see just how corrupt things were under the reign of Jack Dulworth.

Thieneman admits paying $10,000 to get a zoning approval from Dulworth with Fred Cowan as the recipient.

The problem for detractors today is that Chris also took the unprecedented step of going public with it in 1998 and 2001, admitting to it, and filing charges with the Feds.

You can look at this video for proof as then WHAS 11 reporter Mark Hebert interviewed Chris when Dulworth got even back in 2001:




Chris was open and transparent then as he is now. Whether you agree with Chris and vote for Chris is your decision and yours alone, but it is important that the truth is known when making that decision.

During the years of Jack Dulworth you flat out did not get a zoning approval without paying for it. It was dead wrong to do so but in order to move forward and build it was required. Nothing has changed since then sadly.

Though now it is not as open as it was 12 years ago the game remains the same. The pay to play is alive and well until we sicken of it and elect new people to office. Frankly because of the publicity surrounding the charges by Thieneman back then the players started operating in a more secretive way to avoid being caught.

This issue is not an election year snafu or ploy to garner votes. This issue has been public for years. We should be asking who is the most qualified to end this corruption, and more importantly asking why no one did anything about it years ago when Chris brought it to light.

Fred Cowan is a sitting Judge. Sound familiar? Katie King is a sitting Judge too.

Both gained corruptly based on charges. Both score among the lowest on evaluations.

The game is the same folks and it is up to us to stop it.

Make up your own minds but now you know.

3 comments:

  1. If bribes are removed from the equation, would a neutral planning authority approve Thieneman's request? How do we know that there would have been an approval? After all, these approvals are not decided on the democracy of who shows up at these meetings, but rather decided on criteria set up in law.

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  2. How can you support a loose cannon for our next Mayor, a guy who says "everything" is broken (not true) and he will fix it. I'm not in any CJ camp, but when they complain about Chris's communication skills, well, enough said about professionalism needed for the office.

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  3. Steve, well said. Most everyone knows every Developer's proposal for a development is turned down the first time for the same reason over and over - Too high of a density. It's human nature to crowd every project with as many revenue assets as possible. We hope that the Planning Commission process results in a balanced plan, where a development offers open, green space, sidewalks, etc.

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