Marra---Mayor Showdown

It had to come sooner or later. Bill Marra has had 6 months to be a "team player." Now it is time for him to be a Councillor and be what everyone expected him to be: the Council leader.

If Bill ever wants to become Mayor of Windsor and to earn our respect, then Bill is faced with an impossible dilemma right now. We'll see if he has the guts to make the tough decisions or if he just walks away.

I just do not understand at all what is going on with Schwartz and his new and improved Report. How can it be considered at all as the City's position? I do not remember anyone advocating for what it appears he is now proposing.

It is time for Bill and Council to take a stand. Let me remind you of the Motion that was passed by Council:

• Moved by Councillor Marra, seconded by Councillor Hatfield,
  
  M74-2007 WHEREAS tunneling projects are common throughout the world; and
  
  WHEREAS the City of Windsor wants to protect neighbourhoods and get trucks off local streets; and
  
  WHEREAS tunneling combined with capturing and scrubbing emissions will significantly improve local air quality; and
  
  WHEREAS the Town of LaSalle adopted Resolution 7652/06 supporting tunneling and has advised Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) of that position; and
  
  WHEREAS the Town of Tecumseh Planning Committee adopted resolution PC-41/06, supporting LaSalle's resolution on Tunneling; and
  
  WHEREAS the Warden of the County of Essex stated that tunneling is the least intrusive option; and
  
  WHEREAS there have been numerous public statements and correspondence from the City of Windsor urging tunneling;
  
  THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Windsor advise DRIC that they must have a tunnelled solution as the design of the highway through the corridor determined by the final DRIC process, with an absolute imperative to mitigate any and all impacts on local residents and the community as a whole from Windsor Border Traffic. Adoption of this motion in no way indicates or implies any support for any existing Border Crossing Operator or Proponent of a new Border Crossing.
  
  Carried.

No matter how anyone wants to play it (and I have already explained how to get around the Motion thanks to Eddie's amendment that he sprung on Bill at Council), the City's position that everyone believes is a tunnel from Highway 401 to the border----no ifs, ands or buts.

Why then is Sam Schwartz proposing otherwise? Why has the Mayor gone out trying to sell something else? Why is the Council allowing him to do so or do they not yet know what Sam's plans are yet? Are Councillors just a bunch of sheep anyway who will let the Mayor do anything he wants?

If there is anything other than 100% tunnelling, is the Mayor in breach of the City's Procedural By-law? If so, Council must censure him. They have no other choice. Councillor Halberstadt got slapped down pretty hard for his BLOG comments! Why is no one taking on the Mayor?

And that is the problem for Bill. He has to be the one to introduce a Motion to censure the Mayor if he is acting contrary to the Procedural By-law. After all, Bill is the "tunnel Councillor." He pushed hard for the Motion to be passed and now, if the Star leaks are true, it is being ignored as if it did not exist. What a slap in Bill's face.

Of course, there is an easy way out. One move that the Mayor could consider making is bringing a Motion for Reconsideration. That will force the issue and make the Mayor and his colleagues put up or shut up. Was their tunnel commitment real or was it always a phony? Or is Sam's new Plan so superior that Council should readily change its mind?

The Mayor would never bring forward that Motion. Why it would be telling us the truth now wouldn't it!

Of course, when Sam begins his Presentation and he talks about something other than a tunnel, he must be stopped and told immediately that he is out of order. Bill has to tell him that his Presentation is NOT the City's position and is irrelevant. His Presentation cannot be heard without a Motion of Reconsideration.

So what will Bill do? Will his colleagues support him or look the other way?

In my opinion, Bill and his colleagues only have two choices:

1. Disown Sam now and stop any further work thereby keeping the integrity of their Motion


2. Fold

It should be interesting to see what happens.