A Good News Day In The Star

Lots of small items that interested me especially in the Letters section:

1) RATTLE-SNAKE HUGGERS UNITE

Terry Kennedy and Mary Ann Cuderman are the border twins of the West End. They both spend a lot of time supporting their views as to what should be done, even though my view differs a lot from theirs.

When you read Terry's Letter today in the Star, you will figure out that my theory yesterday re Malden Road was not that far off (one of the Councillors was a big booster of the concept). This clearly means as well that Spring Garden ANSI may be sacrificed for "progress."

And those of you who accepted that there was no plan to announce an EA hearing, as disclosed here, for the lands west of Huron Church Road and that no thought had been given to it, think again after hearing about the September 5 Council meeting!

My question: is this a Province-Windsor deal to be sprung on the Feds or are the Feds involved too? My suspicion is that the Feds did not know a thing about it.

2) CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE READ MY BLOG TOO

Greg Baggio, running in Ward 1, took top spot in the Letters column today. He talked about "the State of New Jersey's role as a distribution hub to the Eastern seaboard of the United States." As you will recall, that is exactly what I have been advocating in my BLOGs.

However, Greg needed to go further as I have done. Of course it is NOT politically correct in Windsor to talk about working with a successful entrepreneur.

Obviously, we need a border that works if we are to be able to distribute goods. Fort Erie understands this while our Council cannot even arrange to have a CEO for our Development Commission hired after three years!

Why I support a relationship between the Bridge Co. and the City should be clear to anyone:

1. the Bridge Co. runs the best border crossing in North America
2. their Parent Co.'s major business is distribution
3. look what they are proposing and actually doing in Detroit.
   
   

What a joint effort they and the City could have made over the past few years such that our dependence on autos would not have been so great and so devastating when people were laid off! We might actually have had now one of the fastest growing areas in Canada as New Jersy does. And the border would have been smooth-running so that business would not be chased away

When was the last time Councillor STOPDRTP/Budget, Dave Brister, in Ward 1, Greg's incumbent opponent, talked with the Bridge Co.? Oh and didn't Councillor Dave also threaten litigation over the border road?

3) SO YOU THINK ICE TIME WILL COME CHEAP AT THE NEW EAST END ARENA

Read this and have a good chuckle about an arena that will probably come in at over $80 million when finally done, if ever, not including horrific cost over-runs such as at the bus terminal.

• "With plans being developed to build a new twin-pad arena next year in Essex at a cost of $8.5 million or more, nobody should expect to get discounts on ice time , council agreed Monday...If we're looking at building a new facility, reducing fees may not be the direction we want to go in," [Recreation director Doug Sweet]said."

4) PROJECT ICE TRACK MELTING FAST

Every few days we see another supportive Letter in the Star pushing the Raceway arena. "We have had the opportunity to review the Toldo and Rosati Family Ice Track Project. This is a win/win project for the people and the city of Windsor. Our city is fortunate to have this opportunity" is today's contribution. I am sure that you may even have seen the Project Ice Track lawn signs although they are very hard to read when driving.

To be blunt, this is hardly the way to get support for one's project in this City. Is Councillor Halberstadt correct when he says:

• "It has become evident to the west-end proponents – the Toldo and Rosati families -- that Mayor Francis opposes their proposal... The mayor is said to favor an east-end four-plex proposal...The Collavino family has ready-made plans to build this facility."

Playing nice with the Mayor and being co-opted by the system means they are dead in the water! They are engaged in a vicious battle and they are losing it badly in my opinion. They are letting the Mayor determine the time-table and he has held them off successfully. They obviously listened to Gord Henderson who told them to cool their jets. Instead they should have recalled that when they were obnoxious and very vocal in the public eye, they actually got somewhere.

Alan states "it would be prudent for the mayor to stretch this whole mess out until after the election." Prudent for Councillors too who would otherwise have to answer how they can justify this outpouring of cash when Windsor is in trouble! Once the Mayor is in for another 4 years and is not going to run for re-election again as a 2-term only Mayor, who can stop him!

Alan has also said that

• "Dr. David Wonham, a citizen who has been involved with the Ice Track proposal,[and the Chimczuk Museum Inc.] has indicated that he will run for mayor against incumbent Eddie Francis if the proposal to build a 6,500-seat arena, plus extra pad, at Windsor Raceway, is delayed beyond next week."

The effect of that statement will really be to draw out who might actually run against the Mayor in the last few days before nominations close. An interesing name has been dropped by several sources recently. As was said, this person is looking for work so being a Mayor might not be so bad after all.

No offence to the good doctor whom I have met before, Dr. Wonham running will hardly terrorize the Mayor. Now if Alan had said Joe Krall was going to run....