A Tale Of Two Mayors

Kwame's vision includes a Tunnel

Eddie has tunnel vision

Kwame writes to the Governor about the border.
Eddie writes to the Governor's hubby about his dysfunctional Council.

Kwame is listened to by his Senior Levels
Eddie is ignored by his Senior Levels

Kwame deal with the problems respecting the Detroit Zoo
Eddie creates the Windsor "Zoo" problems at a Tecumseh meeting

Kwame tries to build prosperity based on the Super Bowl momentum
Eddie wanted to build momentum on a 25,000 seat CFL stadium

In order to save me some time and typing effort, may I suggest that you, dear Reader, go back into the archives to look at several BLOGs I have written about the role of the Detroit Mayor in the border struggle. May I suggest that you go back to:

1. January 17, 2006 "Whatever Kwame Wants, Kwame Gets"
2. January 27, 2006 "Famous Words"
3. February 16, 2006 "Kwame Is The Real Border Authority"

Kwame is not the ultimate decision-maker. Who that is frankly remains a mystery to me notwithstanding what was said at the Michigan hearings last week. However, given that it is election time in the State in November, what Kwame wants will help elect the new Governor. As much as some may choose to deride him, he got elected and is Mayor for 4 more years. He fooled by his win a whole bunch of seemingly smart people politically such as DRTP's Marge Byington and Windsor's Mayor Eddie Francis.

His letter was quite perceptive recognizing the issues. I am told that there is more in it than the Star reported including:

1. He wants the Governor to act decisively as she did Downriver
2. He recognized the threat to the region from Sarnia given the 20-30% loss of traffic Detroit has already suffered
3. He views the DRIC study as a threat to Detroit
4. If the Governor could end DRIC for the Downriver towns, she can do it for Detroit [as he did not say, especially since more Detroiters voted for her than in all of the Downriver communities combined!]
5. Cross-border traffic has declined considerably
6. Why are scarce resources being used to replicate what Detroit already has: a world-class border with supporting infrastructure
7. The road system for handling international traffic cannot be duplicated anywhere else
8. The International Center Project must be started now since economic development and new jobs will be created
9. Concerns of citizens must be relieved
10. Detroit has already made the hard choices once to fix up an area for the border so why should Detroiters be forced to do it again
11. DRIC's "seeming" alternative is not an acceptable one for Detroit
12. Windsor must do as Detroit and Michigan have done; fix up their road to the border.

Effectively, Kwame has now changed the border debate. The letter was brilliant, touching on most of the issues that are relevant to what is going to happen here. Do we spend billions to replicate what we already have when traffic is down? We better act quickly to stop the erosion of business to Sarnia! Windsor, fix your roads already.

I have to tell you something however. I cannot stand the arrogance of our Mayor any longer. He knows not only what is good for Windsor but what is good for Detroit too it seems. He cannot handle criticism as we saw with Alan McKinnon and Eddie's shameful and immature attack at the end of the Council meeting. It seems that only Eddie knows the TRUTH and no one better dare challenge him.

Eddie's is losing his friends quickly. We saw that at Super Bowl where Windsor changed from being more important to Detroit than its suburbs to being nothing more than a snow cleaner. All in about a year too.

Do you really think that Kwame would pick up the phone to receive a call from Eddie after Eddie's comments re the Tunnel deal could have cost him some votes. Let Eddie fix our border roads so that they work, as Detroit is doing, then let him speak to the Detroit Mayor.