Eddie's Water-loo

The WUC story just keeps on dripping.

It is obvious that Eddie has lost control of the WUC issue instead of containing it. The unusual presentation at Council, the radio show on CKLW yesterday all mean to me that Eddie is feeling the pressure in a way that he has not felt before unless it was the time that the Ice Track people went to Tecumseh. The letters to the Star are brutal

Eddie is desperately holding on until the DRIC presentation so he can change the subject and hope people will forget.

Clearly, the tactic is not working.

Here are some more questions for you to consider when thinking about the issue. Make sure you ask Eddie and the Councillors for answers. Don't worry, their answer will be that we spent more on capital projects than we took in on levies.

1. What did the previous Administration do if anything about the issues raised..Were they really that incompetent?
   
   
2. Were previous managers all fired for cause if they were that bad
   


3. Everyone is focusing on the huge increase in water rates...How about focusing now on the sewage rates. Councillor Halberstadt stated "What Council did with the sewer surcharge at the tail-end of its July 16th Council meeting will actually hit residents much harder. Council voted to set the surcharge at 150 percent of the water rate, which will mean a $225.72 annual increase to the average homeowner.
   


4. Just out of curiosity, how many official WUC Board meetings were held annually before Eddie was on the Board and how many when Eddie was on the Board
   


5. Francis said using his "core business" argument: "We decided as a group, let's get out of the businesses we don't belong in, and take this back to basics." Is running an airport, international border crossing or an arena a core function of municipal government or is Eddie just bored?
   


6. "Now, three years into cleaning up this mess." Eddie will never make it in business if it takes this long to clear up problems. You are supposed to fix them immediately but hey, it's only taxpayer money so take action leisurely
   


7. Some in WUC prior to Eddie and Max's arival may take offence at the statement "They're shooting the messenger. We're the ones finding all this stuff out and they want to kill us."
   


8. 311 message centre--WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CITISTAT
   


9. Where did the number $600M for watermain replacement come from? What were previous estimates?
   
   
10. When was the decision made by the Board to sell the Hot Water tank business...before or after Eddie became Mayor?
    


11. How much money was WUC making from its remaining billing contracts and has WUC lost any clients as customers now? If so, why?
    


12. If Telecom is NOT a core business, why were millions recently spent to install infrastructure from Windsor to Chatham and Sarnia?
    
13. I know the Water Training Centre was sold so now WUC employees can be charged fees for training
    
    
14. How much has WUC/Enwin spent in consultants' fees since Eddie took over compared with the past Administration
    


15. How much has been paid out in Directors' fees compared with the last Administration
    


16. Were the cross-charges from Enwin increased and if so, by how much? What did Enwin do with this increased amount?


17. Are the problem pipes the cast iron ones or the Ductile Iron and how many kms of each are involved
    
18. What other techniques are there for prolonging the life of pipes
    


19. Is the infrastructure age of Windsor pipes comparable if not better than other cities
    


20. What is the cause of the watermain breaks and when do they occur ie are most in winter when water temperature drops quickly

And here is the latest public action in reaction to the WUC financial fiasco:

• Dear Mr. Arditti,
  
  I am equally frustrated with the lack of accountability coming out of the WUC and Mayor Eddie Francis and glad you are discussing the issue on your blog.
  
  With everything that came to light this last week I created a Facebook group last Friday and sent several letters to the Mayor's office cc'ing the Windsor Star and A Channel News. I expressed my unhappiness and made several recommendations in order to address it with the residents of the city. I would love it if we can get as much of this displeasure out there and hope that you may consider placing a link to the Facebook group I set up on http://windsorcityon.blogspot.com/
  
  Here is the URL for the Facebook group I set up:
  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3463737931


As many avenues as possible for people to discuss and express their displeasure is great. I do hope that you would consider sharing this Facebook group with your visitors and members by linking to it from your site(s).

Note: I invited Eddie Francis, the Windsor Star, and A Channel news to check out the Facebook group so the message will hopefully be getting stronger in the coming days/weeks/months.

Thank you for your time.

If possible, I would enjoy getting a response from you in regards to this request.


Thank you,
-Drew Varsava