The Star's Moroun Exclusive

Can you believe it! Dave Battagello of the Windsor Star scooping the world's major media outlets and having an interview with the owner of the Ambassador Bridge Company. And not just an interview, but a four hour interview at that! I cannot recall many reporters interviewing him, just the odd phrase or two buried in a news story. Not even Forbes magazine got to meet him!

I was amused by the word "secretive" in describing Matty Moroun. He did not seem so secretive in what he told Dave. He did not sugar-coat much and just said it the way it was from his perspective!

Obviously, there is more to the story than the story itself so let's look at the interview from a number of different perspectives.

WINDSOR STAR

The Editorial Board is not a big fan of the Bridge Co., as can be seen by its editorials over the past years. I am sure that Dave wrote the original story but, given its importance, it must have been reviewed and edited by its senior Editors.

Aren't you surprised by how "fair" the story was? I am. I do not mean to malign anyone by that statement, especially Dave since I believe him to be a terrific and hard-working reporter, but it would have been so easy to put in some innuendo or smart-aleky remarks in the body of the story. Instead, the Star, to its credit, allowed Moroun to put his position forward for people to accept or reject.

The photo selection was interesting as well that went along with the story. It did not show the typical "smear" truck back-up shot but showed how the Bridge generally flows now after the Customs booths were installed, even with some maintenance work underway.

I am surprised that the story made the front page with the big headline. (The "spell-checker" for the headline was off I guess since the editor mis-spelled "Moroun") That is the kind of story that the Star normally runs on a Saturday on page 5, especially given its length.

But the big deal was the FOUR HOUR INTERVIEW! Obviously Moroun and Battagello must have hit it off. I can imagine at the beginning what it must have been like. Each of them treating the other warily, but very politely too. As time went on, something must have happened, some kind of unspoken trust or understanding or mutual respect reached.

It was a good story but the length was not 4 hours worth. There must be more, perhaps some background information given so Dave will understand the border story better or another story to follow. It must have a very good "first date" that allowed for that length of a session. I wonder if there will be a second!

It will be interesting to see if there will be any Editorial follow-up too and what the tone will be there.

PUBLIC OR PRIVATE

The story that has already been picked up is that the Bridge Co. is prepared to sell the bridge "if the price is right." As Moroun the businessman said "It's a business deal."

So Eddie Francis, Brian Masse, the bureaucrats in Ottawa, Toronto and Lansing, there is the opening you desired. You got what you wanted. Open negotiations. Buy him out. Stop with the buzz words of monopoly and redundancy to smear him. Open up your checkbook and fill in the blanks.

The money wasting Governance task force can be closed down now too. We do not need to read any more about the phony issues of public ownership or oversight.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP! Put your money where your mouths are!

Oh, there is one small problem for them I am certain. The amount of $500 million as the value of the bridge set out in the story. That is just a down-payment on the purchase price of the bridge as I see it. When infrastructure "leases" in the US are going at ridiculous multiples of revenues, the bridge "sale" is worth billions!

Let's see how the Governments react to reality now that Moroun has challenged them. Of course, we all know the answer don't we. Talk is cheap!

THE FRUSTRATION

It just oozes out--DRIC waste (especially about the technique DRIC used to exclude their project that they were too polite to mention), lack of sense of urgency by Government, lack of money to do what is needed and not focusing on what Windsor needs now.

THE BIG QUESTION AND WHY THE STAR

Moroun does not need the publicity. He is supposedly "secretive." Why give the interview in the first place? Why would he choose a paper like the Star to be honest and risk being slammed again if you want to "come out." CBC TV, The Globe or Toronto Star would have jumped at the chance and the Detroit media are so close by! The Wall St. Journal, New York Times, Washington Post...this could have been played out as a major media event without any difficulty.

To be blunt, Moroun does not need Windsor for what he wants to do. He got his Site Plan approval for the new booths at Canadian Customs that should solve any US road backup problems for the intermediate term. The 200 booth proposal is all on the other side. If he wants to build the Twinned Bridge, he can as DRIC itself has admitted since his project is no longer part of the process. (Ironically, it may now be eligible to receive the balance of the $300 million BIF funding).

There must be a reason why the interview was given. And I think I know why! He is a smart businessman. Even Gord Henderson admitted it, "I’m in awe of Moroun and his hired hands. These folks are the masters. They’re always two or three cunning moves ahead of the other players…" He has recognized that the world has changed from the time he bought the bridge until today.

Look at how he is partnering in the US with the City of Detroit. It is in a manner that would have been unbelievable a few years ago if the stories about him are true. He must want to do the same with the City of Windsor but does not know how to do it. To be sure there is a business reason for him to act as he is doing now but so what if it means that the region may prosper too. He does have the ability to raise money after all, a commodity that seems in short supply these days!

Moroun or his people must have had meetings with the Mayor and/or Council. Or maybe not. It's so hush-hush at City Hall over the border that we will never know. He spent many thousands of dollars to run three ads in the Windsor Star over the summer, effectively a very expensive letter to the Mayor, Council, our MPs and MPPs saying he wanted to partner with the City (and even talked about going to Ojibway!) It looks like nothing worked.

The Star story is fascinating because it points out a situation that can destroy our entire region like nothing else that we have experienced before. And I mean both Windsor and Detroit. He has identified the risk before we even knew it existed. He had to do so, that's his job as Chair of his Company! And he is warning us about it. He is warning the PEOPLE of Windsor to take care.

This article was not for the politicians. I think he has given up on them on our side, at all levels, but especially our Municipal leaders. (Or perhaps, to be fair, he is giving them one last chance to respond). Well maybe I am too harsh. Time will tell with the Federal Conservatives to see if they behave any differently. The Star got their scoop, he got his platform--the major information source in Essex County.

He is appealing to us, the everyday citizen to understand the situation and to demand that action be taken in spite of our leaders. Like a Roosevelt "fireside chat" or a TV address by the PM or the US President, he is talking directly to us and over the heads of the politicians through the Star.

I will let you reread the Star story yourself and determine what the danger to us is. I will do my homework too to see if I can catch up to Moroun's thinking about the problem. If I do, I will share my findings with you.

I may be wrong in what I am saying and, again, I may be reading too much into what Moroun said. But Matty Moroun does not give up four hours of his time merely to help boost the circulation of the Windsor Star!

And who knows what else may happen. The Star may decide that rallying for the short-term, billion dollar "Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz" dream does not make sense any longer and that there may be an alternative: a strong alliance between the City of Windsor and Matty Moroun. We can only hope.