Chocolate News Eggs

Just a few tidbits before you go away for the Easter holiday


RECESS TIME FOR SCHOOL TRUSTESS

So the public school board thought that "twinning the Ambassador Bridge was a "terrible" idea...Trustees voted unanimously to send a letter of opposition to Transport Canada, which will decide whether to allow the Ambassador Bridge to go forward with its plans."

Is this the same school board that the Star said "met in secret with Mayor Eddie Francis to discuss the border issue?"

Is this the same school board along with the Catholic Board that "are moving ahead with million-dollar construction projects on two elementary schools despite their proximity to a proposed new border [DRIC] route."

Is this the school board who seems to be playing a political financing game: "If it's determined not useable, the powers that be will have to give us funding to go somewhere else." and "The public school board could launch a campaign to pressure the federal government to cough up cash for six new schools if the new border crossing cuts through the heart of West Windsor..."The government will have to compensate the board."

CAN THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE EVER GET FAIR WINDSOR STAR COVERAGE

Page A5 of today's Star. You be the judge. Compare the 2 stories' size, the headlines size, the headlines wording, the language used. Which group is the more important---mayors or trustees. Shouldn't Windsorites be informed in more detail what the County thinks since we are one region after all!

SAVING THE CAPITOL

Now we know why the games were played about the Capitol! The City's position was weak with respect to having the right to take over the building.

Have Councillors been given a copy of the City's lawyer's opinion on the matter. Oh, silly me, what a dumb question to ask. Eddie is in charge of this file too.

• "Throughout the process, councillors met mostly behind closed doors on the matter, with only Francis as official spokesman."

What is it that Councillors do again other than show up, bi-weekly soon, at public Council meetings with a handful of agenda items?

Instead Eddie is playing a game with taxpayer money to try to bully the unsecured creditors and the Trustee. Doesn't he know that the Trustee is obliged to get the best deal possible.

Here is the issue:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis said newly appointed estate inspectors appear to favour a city offer to pay off the theatre's creditors -- which a preliminary bankruptcy report estimates will cost about $190,000 -- as long as the building, land and assets are signed over to the city.
  
  "From the city's perspective it was important to secure the building and land and to avoid costly arguments in court," said Francis, noting that some creditors had suggested the city -- which claims it holds a $1.8-million mortgage -- had no right to the building."

I've done enough bankruptcy work to know that if you are a secured creditor, you tell the Trustee and the unsecured creditors to shove it. You don't say I'll pay for this if you give me that.

Gee "costly arguments in court"....I thought we were told:

• "If the Capitol declares bankruptcy, city hall will take over the building and its land, to which the city contributed $1.8 million in 1983."

No fuss, no muss.

That does not seem right now. Well it looks like Ward 2 coun. Ron Jones' desire will not work out now so easily:

• "we have to protect the ratepayers."

And unfortunately, although “Council is not in the business of writing blank cheques,” Mayor Eddie Francis said," taxpayers may have to write some big ones for outside law firms by the time this is done!

There was a possible solution but unfortunately Eddie has put himself in the position where he is unable to take action. You see, two parties that might have been able to help out are classified as the City's "enemies" and two others have been threatened with a lawsuit!

THE AIRPORT'S FUTURE

Do you think we will ever find out for how many months the airport was losing money? It had to be prior to November 2006 since that was when the "bleeding red ink" remark was made.

It seems that the City was on top of this disaster almost as well as they are on top of the Tunnel losing money. Hmmmmm was that the objective at the Tunnel: to drive the manager away so the City could take it over and then lease it? If so, how does Alinda fit in with all of this now? How much have taxpayers squandered if this was the Mayor's game-plan?

• Serco Aviation Services Inc., which took control in 1998, has relinquished control to the city after nine years of failing to turn the business around. The airport has been losing an average of $40,000 per month.

STARTING BUSINESS AT AN EARLY AGE

I like reading stories about famous and successful people. I hope that reading about what makes them tick can help me in my life. One is never too old to learn about ways of being a success. I know, I know...at my age you are thinking that Col. Sanders ought to be my inspiration.

I happened to be looking at the biography page of our Mayor on his website when he first ran for Mayor and saw the following:

• PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  
  Eddie Francis was born and raised in Windsor.
  
  In 1978, he and his brother saw an opportunity in baking pita bread and so, with the help of family members, they established Windsor's first pita bread operation, all the while maintaining their full-time day jobs.
  
  It was in this environment of hard work and determination that Eddie first learned the lessons of leadership and success.

What the bio did not state however is that Eddie was born in May 1974. I was very impressed...a 4 year old with all of that business vision while working full-time in a job too.

I wondered if I should be inspired by that. I thought that I should take a look at what he has done so far as a Councillor and Mayor in handling major business issues:

• Canderel subleases which has cost the City millions


• 5 cent a day Keg parking


• As WTC Chair saw the Tunnel traffic volumes plunge downward resulting in the end of the $6.6M dividend to the City


• Giveaway of millions of taxpayer dollars in City assets at the Cleary even though the Westmont offered to do a deal


• $68m loss on the MFP settlement


• Mady Parking garage fiasco which cost the City millions


• An arena deal that so far has no end of cost in sight


• Cost over-runs at the Tunnel Ventilation building, Bus Terminal, Peace Beacon


• Capitol theatre bankruptcy mess


• Airport $40K a month loss

I had enough....This was not so finger lickin' good!