"Campaign" Kick-Off Speech

Here it is. My speech delivered on CBC radio. Actually, I heard it was broadcast twice, once in the morning and then the afternoon. Make your vote count---only vote for me.

And just in case you do not know, I am NOT running for office.... however being Mayor does have its attraction and nominations are not closed yet and all of those telephone calls........naw I had better not.

• My friends, who would have thought three years ago that I would be running for election today?
  
  We voted then for a young, bright, smart and energetic Mayor who told us that he would not be the typical politician.
  
  We demanded change and elected a Council that promised us that things would be different, that things would get done. They were action-oriented.
  
  They all promised us an open and transparent government that would listen and be responsive to the people.
  
  Ask yourself Ronald Reagan’s famous question: are you better off now than you were since the last election?
  
  Do you remember 3 years ago when the Senior Levels tried to impose a border solution on Windsor? Our Council went out and hired David Estrin as our expert lawyer and threatened litigation. Is it better now? Hardly. The Senior Levels are trying to impose the DRIC road on us today. So what are we doing? We are retaining David Estrin as our lawyer and are threatening litigation.
  
  The arena….why that was supposed to have been built already like our funky bus terminal. The terminal was supposed to have been finished for Super Bowl. I have no idea where the arena stands now. I am petrified that our civic leaders may want to go it alone and build a monument in the East End that will cost around $70-75 million, and probably way more.
  
  If you think our finances are under control, think again. Our debt in 2007 will be around $60 million more that it is now. Our reserves, already amongst the lowest in Ontario, are dropping like a stone. We have been warned that our post election budget may result in higher taxes or a reduction in services. Enwin has had major financial woes as has the Tunnel to Detroit but we have still not been told the full story.
  
  We cannot blame our Mayor and Council for the woes in the auto industry and the loss to our economy of thousands of jobs. But where have they been hiding? Have their heads been in the sand too long? Our unemployment rate is about the highest in Canada. Our housing starts are at the lowest level since 1984.
  
  We can and should hold them responsible for acting in such a leisurely manner on economic development. After three years, we still do not have a CEO hired for our Development Commission. We have not figured out a way to diversify our economy. And who would want to set up a new business in a City where the border does not work
  
  Yes my friends, the situation we are facing in Windsor is grim. There are no easy answers. There are no quick solutions.
  
  We need to elect people who are successful in life, who have achieved and who are prepared to roll up their sleeves to make Windsor a winner again.
  
  We need people who can work with the Senior Levels to solve problems, not snub them and then ask why no one listens to Windsor. We need people who can work with our unions and our business leaders to destroy the negative image that this City conveys. We need to draw upon the skills of our successful business leaders to attract new industry here to create jobs
  
  We need people who are neither penny pinchers nor spendthrifts but who understand that a City needs to set priorities, to decide what are the essential services for our Government. We have to stay away from building monuments to ego while sewers overflow when it rains and roads remain pot-holed.
  
  There is still time for good people to run. Closing date for nominations is September 29 at 5PM.
  
  On election day, I trust that these people will have your support. It is in our best interest to have them, and us, succeed!
  
  For CBC Radio, this is Ed Arditti