tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post8064289180012923988..comments2024-03-25T13:42:25.771-05:00Comments on Advance Indiana™: CIB's Barney Levengood Paid $221,000Gary R. Welshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185079937305083438noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-72073331644201075722009-06-03T10:12:04.342-05:002009-06-03T10:12:04.342-05:00I read with great interest that the Director of th...I read with great interest that the Director of the Capital Improvement Board enjoys a salary greater than our Mayor and Governor combined. I am sure at that income Barney Levingood does a great job making sure the parking lots are swept and the light bulbs changed. <br /><br />The Director is just a facility manager and his concern is managing facilities; not achieving the bigger goal of the CIB in driving downtown visits and the downtown economy. The head of the ICVA tries to do that, but no one is in charge of the big picture and the greater goal of the CIB is often supplanted to just running the facility and the insider deals.<br /><br />For instance when the overall price and frequency of downtown parking rates sky-rocketed when the Conseco Fieldhouse was built, causing the top ten restaurants to loose an average of 10% of their sales for each of the first three years after the Fieldhouse opened (after which reporting stopped), Barney was a complete obstructionist to getting the problem solved. He and another CIB employee were caught in a deliberate lie to other members of the parking task force (and so IDI who hosted the meetings refused to publish the minutes of this one session). Barney is also the guy who issued a two page contract synopsis for the CIB members to review so they could vote on the three inch thick set of agreements with the Pacers, but failed to include that the added fifth level of the Fieldhouse parking garage (at a cost of over $4 million) could not be used for game parking. He also lied to me several times to cover this fact up until after the vote. And lets not forget that when the rest of downtown was screwed by hyper-inflated event parking (an average of 735% at the time), that Barney failed to disclose to the public or the parking task force that the Simon’s were not paying the annual contract amount of $3.45 million for the Fieldhouse garage, even at a time when Peterson was building a new $11 million dollar garage so Simon employees could park for free. (Notice that the over $37 million the Pacers are in arrears would, if it had been paid, nearly erase the CIB’s deficit.) <br /><br />Levengood said he hadn’t realized the full extent of the CIB’s budget troubles when he seriously increased spending this last year. If huge operating defieits were front page news last year, where did that information come from and why didn’t he know about it. Who is he kidding? For the amount he is paid, shouldn’t he be held accountable for spending and budgets and never be allowed such a cop out that he just doesn’t get it? He is paid to understand budgets and if he doesn’t get it – he needs to go. <br /><br />Do not forget the extra perks Barney also enjoys such as the free parking pass good anytime at Denison Parking lots, and the rumored free trips on Denison’s Presidents plane and free vacation stays at his Colorado ski condo. Ands lets be fair, Denison has control of all the CIB parking facilities, some with dubious or non-existent bidding procedures. I am sure there are other perks out there.<br /><br /><br />At a salary of well over $221,000 annually plus a $6,000 annual car allowance, it’s time to get rid of Barney and hire someone who works for downtown Indy’s greater interest and not a person who is primarily interested in his own turf and the perks that go with it. The CIB mess will never be truly sorted out with Barneys carefree spending attitude and willingness to sacrifice everyone to his interests. He is not part of the solution, he is part of the problem. Surely an honest team player can be found who can still get the light bulbs changed and the parking lots swept. Time for a change. <br /><br />Ted E.C. Bulthaup III, former owner, Hollywood Bar & FilmworksTedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05457428425905518997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-4549712762721478492009-05-16T12:23:00.000-05:002009-05-16T12:23:00.000-05:00Has anyone thought of what happens when (if?) the ...Has anyone thought of what happens when (if?) the CIB starts paying the $15 million in operating expenses at Conseco? We will be paying the salaries and benefits of the Pacers employees who staff the facility. We will have no control over who gets hired, how much they get paid, bonuses they get, etc?Paul K. Ogdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16137003328850866711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-69217619315604434462009-05-16T12:07:00.000-05:002009-05-16T12:07:00.000-05:00Is Mayor Ballard really that brainwashed that he g...Is Mayor Ballard really that brainwashed that he give even this a pass. I agree with Gary - not even a relevation that the CIB had been killing babies would deter the powers to be, both Democrat and Republican elected officials, from pushing these tax increases for the CIB bailout.Paul K. Ogdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16137003328850866711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-36744314134761364642009-05-16T08:45:00.000-05:002009-05-16T08:45:00.000-05:00172 employees; I thought that there were only 80 o...172 employees; I thought that there were only 80 or so.<br /><br />Interesting what a little investigation uncovers. So, when is someone going to actually investigate this criminal (in name if not in fact) organization?Citizen Kanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17083803017411939029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-28382698927367676272009-05-16T07:58:00.000-05:002009-05-16T07:58:00.000-05:00I wonder what his expense account is too. I bet it...I wonder what his expense account is too. I bet it would build a Habitat for Humanity House for an east side dweller.I knowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14837535454387104930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-78852995845369150292009-05-16T07:40:00.000-05:002009-05-16T07:40:00.000-05:00If only Shepard could 'break the cycle of poverty'...If only Shepard could 'break the cycle of poverty' surrounding the CIB.<br /><br />One thing is for sure, the fancy shmancy stadiums have done nothing to improve the lot of those poor eastside dwellers nor reduced their numbers.Downtown Indyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06239811599722585898noreply@blogger.com