Contempt For Windsorites

I was only partially correct....There was another more important reason for the Mayor's Motion requiring that Councillors endorse his role as chief and ONLY border negotiator.

As has happened before with the Star, one had to read to the end of a story that does not deal with the subject to find out the important news.

The headline in the story was misleading "City council endorses tunnel to the border" since that did NOT happen. The only part of the Motion quoted was "(DRIC)...be advised they must have a tunnelled solution." The story completely ignored the amendment which totally weakened the Motion: "DRIC must have a tunnelled solution as the design of the highway through the corridor as determined by the final DRIC process." It was only ONE route that had to be tunnelled.

You would have to be really smart to understand that the comment in the story "Francis encouraged Marra to stress in his motion that it would pertain strictly to the DRIC process--which has already ruled out the DRTP rail corridor plan" eviscerated what Marra wanted to do.

But then again as the Star's Mr. Beneteau said in the past "We did things that newspapers can do to bring about change, positive change. I think we got a lot of results this year and this now validates the results we got."

The important part of the story was:

• "BRIDGE SNUBBED
  
  City council has no plans to meet with officials of the Ambassador Bridge as part of the environmental assessment process regarding its twin span.
  
  The bridge company on Monday unveiled plans for a series of public consultation meetings across Windsor and Essex County. As part of the process, a request was made to meet with city council and the mayor.
  
  "It will be up to council through a majority to decide whether they will act upon the request," said Mayor Eddie Francis. "No member of city council has expressed a desire to meet with them."

I don't get it...Didn't Council just vote unanimously that the Mayor was to negotiate on the Border. (I thought I heard Eddie say after the vote that it was unanimous, presumably so that goes into the Minutes) so how would talking to the Bridge even get to Council to vote on in the first place? Eddie decides not Council. How could they turn around and take back the authority they just gave Eddie? They would look like idiots. It's just Eddie protecting himself from criticism again---the Teflon Mayor--by laying the blame on Council if something goes wrong.

And if the Three Blind Mice even thought of talking to the Bridge Co., well "No member of city council has expressed a desire to meet with them." So none of them dare defy now either. Does this mean that they are banned from speaking to one of the City's largest taxpayers? Certainly a good selling feature for the Gazelle feeders.

While I admire that Councillor Halberstadt has shown some guts on the Ambassador Bridge issue, voting in favour of a tunnel Motion that he thinks has little merit is strange. Is he afraid of being muzzled?

He stated on his BLOG:

• "To summarize, the motion passed by City Council last night, while perhaps necessary to satisfy some one-dimensional thinkers, on its own is a short-sighted approach to our border woes."

Now here is what is bugging me. Back in 2006, the City must have paid both Gridlock Sam Schwartz and lawyer David Estrin some good money to prepare reports attacking the Bridge Co.'s project since both appeared at the US Coast Guard hearing in Cleveland (Remember, that was the day that Estrin was sued by the Bridge Co. as well).

Now one wonders why the US Coast Guard would care what happens in Windsor since the City is outside of its jurisdiction. Why was all of that money wasted?

Instead "City council has no plans to meet with officials of the Ambassador Bridge as part of the environmental assessment process regarding its twin span." Clearly, the Mayor is afraid to face the Bridge Co. after Dan Stamper faced him down at Council. Let his lawyer do the talking for him must be his motto.

Why talk and see if differences can be overcome. Why sit down in a room and see what the Bridge Plan is in reality. Sure, why learn first-hand that the Bridge Co. project has NO impact on Sandwich. (Didn't you find it strange that neither Councillor Postma nor Councillor Jones spoke on Marra's tunnel motion even though it impacts their Ward the most?) Moreover, that would focus attention on the Mayor and Council who would then have to do what they get paid for but are afraid to do---choose the road to the Ambassador Bridge!

Does that mean that the City has dropped its opposition to the enhancement project. Hardly! it just means that there is some half-baked strategy to stall off the Bridge Co. for some more time while Eddie's plan moves forward in secrecy. Let Estrin or whoever takes his place sabre-rattle instead of the City dealing with the Bridge Co. as a professionals would do. Why try and reach an understanding at a time when Windsor can use a billion dollar boost to its economy when one can play silly games.

Ask your Councillor if he/she knows what the Mayor's Plan is. Ask him/her which "special" public Council bi-weekly meeting will deal with it. Ask him/her how it will be put on the public agenda buried somewhere so no one can appear on it just like the Tunnel Motion. Ask him/her how much this will cost Windsor not only in legal fees but in loss to the economy at a time when we have the highest unemployment in Caanda.

Ask him/her how Councillors can look Windsorites in the face!

Ask him/her how Councillors can look at themselves in the mirror!