Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The Future Started 3 Years Ago


Do you remember Eddie's old campaign slogan about the future starting today? But has it ever come to Windsor? If so, I must have been on vacation that day!

If you take a close look at the Mayor's election signage, you will note that it refers you to his website. Once there, you are treated to a smiling Mayor Eddie but absolutely no election platform. There is some outdated information about his October 14 kickoff and some ominous words "coming soon" and "site under construction".

Coming soon, to a ballot box near you. He is at least being honest! Everything is coming and little has been built.

One may think (and perhaps rightfully so) that the E-machine just hasn't gotten their act together. Is it possible that they were so confident of a no-contest win that they just didn't get around to arranging for the website? Or perhaps Mayor Eddie supporters don't see a need for a website to get his message out. That has already been done so well for him by others.

I expect though we will see a big campaign soon. Surprisingly, I heard today that his old fund-raisers are out there sending letters and twisting arms again. Some of the Super Bowl team participants are working for Eddie too. It is probably being viewed as a beta test for the provincial campaign where Eddie will be running for the PCs. Wouldn't it be a hoot if he was running against Joyce Zuk!

If the Mayor works any harder for Windsor snubbing or helping to hammer the Province and the Cabinet Ministers, then Motions to get the Province to help local charities get money for their crisis will fall on deaf ears.

We have a ton of cash in Windsor just lying around doing nothing so why are we embarrassing ourselves? Frankly, Councillor Postma's motion was a disgrace. Her motion was "asking the province to work with the city and charity groups to find "short-term financial relief" until a long-term plan is developed to replace the millions lost in bingo revenues." Wasn't she the one who said we already had the $50 million for the arena....Just ask Eddie, we will have torrents of money pouring in. Was she away on that script memorization day?

For Eddie and Caroline's sake and Windsor's, I hope Sandra does not stand up at Queens Park and tell everyone that.

What troubles me is that taunting phrase "coming soon". Surely this could be the mantra of all Eddie supporters. After all - news on the Superior Park fiasco will be "coming soon"; the decision regarding land for the new arena (and the costs) will be "coming soon". So will information about new tenants at Candarel (and perhaps one day "coming soon" information about what they actually are paying back to Windsor taxpayers). So will those plants with all of those jobs, "coming soon." The RFP for the new Urban Village, "coming soon." The letter to DRIC outlining the city's concerns with the proposed access route will be "coming soon" (after all - it was just September 5 when a litigious Mayor Eddie said that he would be writing a letter). Maybe Citistat will "come soon" so we can actually get some of those promised savings too.

"Coming soon..." sounds like a movie trailer. You know what a movie trailer is don't you: "trailers have become highly polished pieces of advertising, able to present even poor movies in an attractive light."

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