Hello Devonshire Mall Loiterers

Mayor Eddie Francis has to be a closet Liberal! He must have the blood of Pierre Trudeau and Jean Chretien running through his veins.

How did Eddie come up with this great idea about a Town Hall meeting for kids. "The town hall idea came to Francis on a recent Friday night movie outing with his wife" said the Star. Now isn't that just like Pierre's walk in the snow when it just came to him to retire or Jean's walk when it came to him not to.

I wonder if this is how it really happened. But it's a nice urban legend to create. There are some people in town who are offended I was told that they did not receive some credit that they think they deserved for what happened at the mall. It's an early lesson to them about politics.

If you want to read what one "youth" had to say, you might want to read "Youth tackles municipal government" in City Times, the newspaper Councillor Lewenza started, in the August edition, It was written a few months before the Town Hall meeting.

Interesting subjects discussed at the meeting too: community centres for youth after hours, stopping of being harassed by mall security, complaints about bus service and coal-fired power plants. I am told that there was not one question about the border or Schwartz. I wonder why.

Let me help His Worship out with the brilliant idea of a teen Youth council to talk about issues.

How about this concept: a Council for both Youth and Seniors (I am becoming one so why not something for me too). Let's set up a Mayor's Youth Cabinet and a Mayor's Seniors Cabinet. The Youth would be recruited through the two school boards, elementary and secondary, through the College and through the University, in addition to some at large appointments. The Seniors would have been recruited through senior's organizations and through at large recruitment.

Those "cabinets" would be set up to deal with the issues that impact those age-groups and to act as soundboards.

Now I don't want to take the credit for someone else's idea. It would not be right. Wasn't this something like what Bill Marra talked about at a UWSA Council Meeting before the last election, a meeting that he and Eddie attended. Bill also talked about holding Town Hall meetings throughout the year at that meeting too.

Apparently Eddie asked the kids at the mall when he first talked to them, "I don't look that old, do I?"

After the border fiasco, the Schwartz rejection, Cansult, the arena location fight, losing $68 million on MFP, the Mady garage mess, the tunnel ventilation building cost, the failure to lease Canderel, the bus terminal, the loss of auto jobs, the problems in the downtown, secret meetings, my own personal injury lawsuit against the City....He sure does!