This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us

Does anyone know a good real estate agent? I think I will need their services shortly.

It's been a fun ride and I have enjoyed writing my BLOG but enough is enough after all. All good things have to come to an end.

I know that my wife and I are just at the beginning of our Heritage bathroom renovation (If the owner of the Paul Martin house can get his roof fixed up with a Heritage grant and so can the owner of a Sandwich bakery, I should be able to get a few bucks too. Now how do I get ahold of Greg Heil to put in my request?). I figure that by the time that it is done and after the Christmas holidays, I'll be able to put our house up for sale and get a pretty good price for it. Bathroom and kitchen renovations are supposed to be a way to encourage people to buy your home aren't they?

No I'm not moving out to Western Canada because I have a job in Alberta. No I'm not going to Toronto or New York to be a big media star because some major media outlet has read my BLOGs. I don't have some big opportunity that is waiting for me. On the contrary, I have recognized that I had better be one of the first to put my house up for sale before the floodgates open and everyone wants to leave.

Oh don't be silly, it has nothing to do with taxes, levies, and failed municipal policies. It has nothing to do with our lack of action on the border or the spending of who knows how much money on the East end arena or a dying downtown.

No, I am being chased out of town. I'm being forced to leave. I'm being hounded and pestered. You see, I assume that I am one of those people in Windsor with an inferiority complex identified by Gord Henderson in his column on Saturday. I am one of those

• "personality-driven naysayers who undermine Windsor's best interests to advance their own agendas."

I must be providing

• "Windsor negatives [that] wind up as ammo for cities competing with us for investments."

I did not know that I was that powerful frankly. I am even more powerful than the Mayor of this City it seems. Silly me, I only thought I had a few thousand readers a day come to my BLOGsite, most of them locals. Clearly I am mistaken.

Apparently it is much more than that. My words have spread around the world. Westjet and big air charter operators read what I have to say. Economic development officers in cities everywhere take down what I write and give it to investors who pour their billions in neighbouring cities around Windsor. All of these "outsiders" learn about all of the problems in Windsor that I am dreaming up.

Poor Eddie had to run to Gord Henderson for help and assistance. He could not do it on his own. You see, Eddie's unofficial spinmeister had to write something to protect Eddie from Council disunity and the anger of Councillors. It seems that some of them still have a bit of self-respect for themselves that has not yet been beaten out of them. So far anyway.

Eddie wouldn't dare apologize himself to his colleagues for his rude behaviour because that would mean that he would be admitting that he did something wrong. And as we know, he never does anything wrong. Just like with his non-WUC apology. Let Gord make the excuses instead.

So Gord writes the column and says that our poor Mayor really did not mean to dump on Councillor Dilkens and the rest of Council by telling them to "Spit It Out." Oh no, it is not his fault that he is so arrogant and that he refuses to share with his colleagues. It is just that poor Eddie is filled up with "unloaded months of pent-up frustration over Windsor's penchant for self-loathing."

Yes truly, Gord has told us correctly... Eddie is full of it!

No it is not because Eddie is being criticized for higher taxes, failure on the border, WUC fiascos, arena extravagance, Tunnel deals, Canderel leases, parking giveaways that he is that so upset. No it is our fault Windsorites. I guess we cannot "feel good" about our City when he have someone with his hand in our pockets to try to take our hard-earned dollars so that he can develop shovel ready airport lands or a new City Hall or some other ego monument.

It's fun being an entrepreneur at taxpayer expense. It's fun being able to do all kinds of things without any personal risk to your own personal bank account. It's so much fun being able to meet financiers on Tunnel deals, politicians and diplomats on border crossing matters and transportation leaders from the airline industry. It's so much more fun than being a Mayor and fixing watermains and sewers and roads.

Haven't you figured it out yet, you and I, dear reader, and I include you too because you read this BLOG all the time, have joined the ranks of "enemies" of Windsor. It's all our fault. It is never Eddie's. Gord Henderson just told us so.

Sure "Dissent and debate are both good and essential" provided of course that you are on Eddie's side and attacking everyone that he believes will prevent him from doing whatever it is he wants to achieve.

And what is the remedy if one doesn't like what is going on and dares criticize according to the Mayor:

• "But if Windsor is as awful as some homegrown critics suggest, and he gets that message at least twice a week in hostile letters, Francis wonders why they stick around. "If you think it's the worst city in the world, what are you doing here?"

That's it. Pack up and leave. Get out of town. Scoot. Go back where you came from. Anybody who's a naysayer doesn't deserve to live here it seems. Unity above all. Eddie's unity that is.

What a bloody nerve. Who the hell does he think he is. I do not think I have ever heard anything as sickening and disgusting as that remark! Frankly, if Eddie cannot take the pressure, he should resign and go into a less stressful occupation that is better suited to his personality. Clearly he cannot handle the stress with public outbursts like that.

Wait a minute, I like my house. I like where I live. I just sunk a whole bunch of money into fixing my place up so that I can enjoy it during my golden years. I like having the best of both worlds by living in Canada but being able to go easily to the US when I want to do so. Why should I go?

I have a better idea. I think Eddie should leave town now. Gord gave us the hint. I think this may happen sooner than later.

As we know, Eddie is not a leader but a legal technocrat. He is a terrific bureaucrat not a decison-maker. His planning, need for reports, hiring of consultants and studying of issues to death---his stalling in other words--are symptomatic of a person who is afraid to be wrong, to make a mistake. He dare not be held accountable personally. He needs a convenient scape-goat.

Is that why Council is made responsible for everything? Eddie clearly pointed that out when he reminded Councillors about their role in previous meetings about the airport and the decisions made. They voted on it didn't they? We heard something similar in his outburst about sewer projects during the WUC Council meeting. It's their fault if something does not work out. Never his.

Eddie is like a prophet in his own land. Never appreciated. He is only appreciated by outsiders. I wonder who told Gord these things about Eddie to show his brilliance to impress us:

• "He was one of four Canadian mayors invited by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to attend a late September summit of Western Hemisphere mayors in the Windy City.
  
  During the summit he was buttonholed by Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan who wanted him to come out and speak to his council about Windsor's success as the second city in Canada to adopt the hugely popular 311 phone service.
  
  Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor David Miller, involved in a titanic battle over tax hikes to address his city's crushing deficit, asked Francis how Windsor managed to slash debt in the midst of a serious economic downturn while investing in new projects like the WFCU Arena. "They can't believe we've cut our debt and how we're getting things done. It doesn't match up with what they read about," said Francis of Miller's envious reaction to Windsor's budget strategy."

Eddie has outgrown us. He is bigger than this small town. We just can't see what a star that we have as Mayor.

It is not fair for Windsorites to keep him all to ourselves. We need to share him with the world and we need to do it now. I will forego leaving Windsor provided that you and I, dear reader, encourage Eddie to leave town to save the rest of the planet. It is his calling. No, it is his duty!