Thinking Outside The Penalty Box

Do I have to do all of the thinking for City Hall? Isn't it enough that I pay my property taxes? I solved the border issue for the Mayor and Council if they would only listen, suggested an economic development strategy and now I have to solve the arena issue for them.

I'll explain in another BLOG how the Councillors are being pressured to support Eddie's new re-election hope so you will learn how City politics are played in Windsor. For this Blog, I'll show you what creative thinking can do.

Supposedly, we need a big time arena for Windsor. As Gord says today, we need it for "Windsor's self-esteem," so we can be a "self-assured Windsor," and to get rid of "Windsor's inferiority complex" which is so pervasive. Frankly, I thought we needed an arena so we can watch the games in more comfort but what do I know. This "group therapy" babble by the Governor's hubby is everywhere!

But I digress. Why, we are known world wide for our Cuban cigars, lapdancers, booze and now our dysfunctional Council. We have to keep the momentum going. We need a billion dollar solution for a City with a billion dollar Casino that makes us a billion dollar destination with a billion dollar short-term dream for a border crossing but we must not build up a billion dollar debt.

Part of what I am going to suggest will help us with our desire for regional co-operation with our neighbour across the river. We need to capitalize on our relationship with Kwame....Oh OK, we have to grovel and beg his forgiveness for Eddie almost costing him the election. We know Kwame is going to do the deal about the Tunnel and that we cannot stop him so we have to figure out a way to capitalize on it and yet make him a hero!

I have it on good authority that:

• "Talk is beginning to surface for a new arena for the Red Wings. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick would like to expand Cobo Hall, Detroit's Convention Center, to continue to attract more and bigger conventions. One of the options for the expansion is to tear down neighboring Joe Louis Arena and build a new arena elsewhere when the Red Wings' lease expires in 2008."
  

Ahhhhh I bet you now see where I am going with this. I am going to solve every problem that Windsor has in one fell swoop. Now we need to work with Ilitch too, especially the new owners of the Spits have to do so, to learn how to make the Spits profitable. "Ilitch took the Red Wings team which was having trouble getting the fans into the arena and turned it completely around by doing what it took to do so."

Now I am doing some non-linear thinking here so I may not have it all down pat yet but here goes.

Windsor needs to become a partner with Detroit and make Joe Louis Arena the new Windsor arena! It needs to be renamed as the Joe Louis Detroit/Windsor International Center/Centre (DWICC). If Joe Louis were alive I bet he would agree. This is the absolute truth too. I ran this idea past a fellow who co-incidentally used to caddy for Joe when he golfed in Windsor many years ago. He said that Joe would have loved the concept!

Preposterous you say. Absurd you say. He has been following the border issue too long you say. Nothing can be further from the truth. Let me explain.

COSTS AND REVENUES

I am sure that Ilitch and Kwame would be thrilled if we took part of DWICC off their hands and shared it with them. We could probably buy an interest in DWICC for some nominal amount, say $2, since it has no value anyway other than the cost to tear it down. Then they could go off and build a new arena elsewhere (and WHERE is another part of my plan!) We just saved $15 million or more in construction costs that we can use in an ingenius manner. (and HOW is another part of my plan!)

We could help fill it up with Spits games, university tournaments, kids hockey, CFL arena football, concerts, meetings, etc etc. It can serve thousands of seat holders or as few as we want. It has suites for the movers and shakers to entertain. It is relatively new and probably in good shape. It could be ready in the fall for the new owners of the Spits.

And as the Mayor said, we would have 6 million people to draw upon who would not necessarily have to cross the border. If the arena made money, look at all of the profits we would get! Imagine the junior players who would want to come here to play. Wouldn't you want to be a Spits player playing in a sold-out DWICC! What a thrill that would be. Or maybe an AHL franchise could be in our future.

REGIONAL CO-OPERATION

What better way to show our appreciation of our neighbour and to recognize that they would be the Senior partner in a partnership of equals but to co-own and operate DWICC. Kwame would be happy and might forgive us and forget that the only value we now have to him is as a snow cleaner. It would be a great way for Eddie to apologize for his gaff without actually apologizing so both leaders save face.

And then just imagine....The next international event that both cities can go after: the Winter Olympics. I can just picture Eddie running over the Ambassador Bridge and handing off the Olympic torch to Kwame at the Canada/US border point on the bridge. If that does not bring a tear to your eye and a lump in your throat, then nothing will!

We can build on the successes of all of the sports events we have had in the region. If the Super Bowl was to bring in millions to the region, the Olympics will bring in billions or at least we can say it will since who would know the difference anyway.

And since this area would be so exciting and popular, guess where new investments will go...not to the sunny south where land is cheap and labour is non-union but right to the rust belt, to the most dynamic area in North America, Windsor/Detroit.

And before you think that is silly, we ARE the main transportation hub on the continent and new economic development does not have to be all high tech. We can build a huge warehousing/distribution/intermodal network throughout the region as is being done in New Jersey, one of the fastest growing areas in the USA, to give us jobs, new housing and increased wealth

WHERE WOULD THE NEW ARENA GO

We have to help out Ilitch and Kwame and here is the genius of my idea as you shall see. The new arena and Cobo Hall would be built in South West Detroit, the fastest growing area of Detroit, to help re-vitalize that area. Just like the new Stadiums did in the downtown as we saw during Super Bowl. The Governor would want to be involved because of its importance to Michigan. She and Kwame can now work together and bury any differences so she can be re-elected.

THE BORDER

Now that we helped out the Americans, they owe us and can help us out. They can use their influence with our Governments (since we snubbed the Senior Levels) to get us a road to the bridge that will cause minimum impact on Windsorites. Kwame would ensure mutual co-operation between the Bridge Co. and the City-owned Tunnel to increase revenues at the Tunnel.

As Eddie has said when he talked about the 25,000 seat stadium, the border is not a problem for us so that cannot be an excuse to pooh-pooh this idea

How will they do that you wonder....The final piece.

WINDSOR'S DOWNTOWN

Now comes the cold water on the concept. It may kill our downtown. WRONG. It enhances it.

If you have ever been to a Leafs game in Toronto, as an example, you know that the restaurants are packed around the arena before the game for dinner and after for coffee and dessert, drinks or a night out. During the game, it's all dead. The arena could be in Timbuktu as far as the fan is concerned during the game. That is exactly what I want here.

Anyone who wanted to go to DWICC would come downtown and park (That fills up the 2 bankrupt garages downtown) and would then be transported over by Transit Windsor buses and transported back. Of course, we would have deals with local establishments for reduced bus fees for their patrons so that people would use our local spots to dine before the game and to have fun afterwards, just like in Toronto.

With all of this new excitement downtown, our Detroit friends would come over in increased numbers too to make our downtown very lively.

The Bridge Co. would work with the Tunnel and the deal would be that the Tunnel would be the exclusive crossing for the buses. With 200 booths and a huge bus parking area in the Ambassador Gateway plaza, there would never be a back-up for buses. Look at the increased revenues for Transit Windsor, the Tunnel and the Duty Free shop which all translates into revenues for the City!

Is this workable---we used 3-1-1 for the Super bowl buses didn't we so we have a reservation system already in place to ease Customs clearance. And remember the Mayor wanted to subsidize a NEXUS card system. Now we have a real reason for doing so.

How do we pay for all of this....so easy. We invest the $15 million set aside for the new arena and the returns pay for it and any excess is used to pay for roads and sewers!

I admit the concept seems "off-the-wall" at first but you can see it gives us everything we want and more without costing us much.

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to settle the weeks old taxi strike!