Quick Thoughts

Let me know what you think

POOR CONDITION

No that is not the state of City Government in Windsor. There are no words to describe what a farce it has become and what a disgrace during the first year of the 4-year Eddie Francis term.

That is the language used at Council to describe the condition of the overpasses on E C Row. This confirms what I speculated before.

It means that we can look forward to a bill of around $12M or more when the rehabilitation plans come back from the outside consultants.

For how long has the condition of the road been known? Why wasn't it fixed up before? Is there money in the budget to pay for it?

When will it be uploaded to the Province for the start of it becoming the redundant truck route to the border or do we get a new toll road when it is leased out long term to a P3 company?

HOW LONG WILL BATTAGELLO LAST AT CITY HALL

After Dave's first BLOG posted on the Windsor Star site, which is not at all complimentary to City Hall, how long will it be before he goes back to reporting the border only?

http://communities.canada.com/windsorstar/blogs/citybeat/default.aspx

And speaking of Bloggers and former City Hall reporters, isn't Roseann Danese allowed to do one in her new job? She has not written one since March.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MONICA WOLFSON

Where are her latest stories on WUC, Enwin and Councillor payments. I keep opening the Star waiting for the next installment. Rumour has it that she had a couple of good ones under investigation. I wonder when they will be published. They must be huge stories since she must be investigationg them for such a long time

ARENA STORY

Something else makes little sense in the Star. One little story on arena land costs "No taxes collected in arena land deal" by Battagello with no follow-up. That's not the way he normally writes. That would have been the first of several articles in a series eg on Sutherland there were 3 of them. When is the next one coming out?

EDDIE vs. HALBERSTADT

Welcome to the Club, Alan. You have finally joined the growing ranks of Windsorites who have become disillusioned by our Mayor.

The guy who was Eddie's first Councillor supporter and who said so publicly when Eddie first ran for mayor has now discovered what many of us learned a long time ago. Just watch the sycophants try to discredit him. It only helps Alan out.

When Gord does his next column slamming him for standing up to the Mayor at Council by demanding that the people be allowed to speak, then you know that Alan will be a full-fledged member!

EDDIE vs. KENNIE

I wonder when someone will explain to Junior the facts of life. As Chair of WUC, will he resign if Eddie promotes a P3 for the Utilities or will he stay around trying to justify it?

Gord has just told him that the unstated City Hall position on Sutherland is for the unions to back off trying to organize the workers there. So what does Junior do now since the CAW is trying to organize them.

OR HAS JUNIOR ALREADY SMELLED THE COFFEE

Did Junior already wake up and is now setting the groundwork for a huge Francis disaster after the audit/inquiry comes in? Is he as Chair of WUC distancing himself from the previous Chair of WUC, the Mayor, so Junior can blame it all on the past Administration?

Here is what Junior said after Council as shown on a clip from the Windsor Shadow BLOG:

• "[Francis] has known every step of the way everything that is happening at the utilities."

Hehehe....Kennie just put the blame right on Eddie and on Eddie alone!

Very similar to the thought that Bill Marra tried to convey in his interview on Face-to-Face.

BEGINNING OF THE END OF A MAYORAL CAREER

History is repeating itself and Eddie should have learned its lesson.

You can pinpoint the second when ex-Mayor Mike Hurst's mayoral career ended. It occurred when Charlie Hotham demanded a vote on Council on border resolutions after the supposed flip-flop by Council on DRTP North in March, 2003.

Can one say the same about the second when Alan Halberstadt had enough and demanded that Eddie "call the question" (ie vote on a Motion) rather than letting the Mayor continue his rambling speech on whatever it was that he was trying to say at Council.

It seemed that Teflon Eddie needed to "prove" that he was not to blame for the utilities mess since his remarks were obviously prepared in advance. Put the responsibility right on Council.

I don't get it. Why do Councillors accept blame from him for his screw-ups.

BRISTER AND THE OTHER MAYOR

I am waiting for Eddie as Mayor and Head of Council to demand that the Councillor formerly known as Councillor Budget apologize for his remark to the Mayor of Monmouth.

I found this quote of interest from a Council "down under."

• "Councillor misbehaviour and controlling Councillor misbehaviour affects the environment in which Council operates. It clearly makes a statement to those in the community who have been subjected to Councillor abuse or aggression. How ratepayers are treated at Council meetings filters into the community at large and that affects how the community perceives the Council and the Councillors.
  
  Ratepayers who are subjected to uncontrolled abuse or aggression may feel doubly disillusioned, because one Councillor has abused them and the other Councillors or the chair has not protected them."