Watermain-gate: Yet Another Shocker

Eddie Francis will make an excellent father. As time goes on and we watch him in action on Monday nights, it appears that he would have made an excellent kindergarten teacher too. Look at how well he has trained the girls and boys on Council to do what they are told.

Is it me or have they not understood that the Mayor's political future and that of four Councillors is on the line in Watgermain-gate? It is no longer merely a question of water levy rates or 1,000 customers getting free water perhaps, or even whether levy funds were diverted.

No the issue is whether the people of Windsor have been told the truth by our elected officials!

We have had so many stories told to us that are irreconcilable that who knows where we stand any more. We need an investigation or audit or inquiry or call it what you will by an impartial third party who is allowed to get all the facts and to separate truth from fiction.

Can we get one? Frankly, No---not if the way this matter has been carried on is allowed to continue. What do I mean by that:

1. The Mayor has called privately and exchanged emails with the Ontario Auditor General, a person who may be investigating his actions and those of other Councillors while they were Chairs or member of WUC
2. The Mayor called for a "discussion" at Council on the WUC matter but the public was not able to talk since it never took place
3. The Mayor introduced a Motion and it was passed unanimously by Council without notice to the public by waiving the Procedural By-law rules so no one could appear as a delegation
4. Will anyone second Councillor Halberstadt's Motion so that the public will finally be allowed to speak and express their views
5. We do not know who is working with the Ministry to set out the terms of reference of their audit ie will it be broad or narrow
6. Is this exercise going to be just some number-crunching by a new set of eyes or the full investigation the public is demanding.

Then we learn another new shocker. The Mayor has known since last Friday that the Ministry was going to be involved. Notwithstanding that the Star story was erroneous on Saturday since the reporter could not have known that anything changed, the Mayor did not tell anyone anything for days. Why not? Was something going on in the background?

• "Francis refused to answer Wednesday why he kept the audit's approval under wraps for days."

Sorry that is not quite right. It seems according to the online story on the Star's website

• "Francis informed councillors of the audit on Saturday morning in a confidential e-mail he issued."

Funny, that line was deleted from the published Windsor Star! Why! If the Mayor could tell Council, why couldn't he tell the public? Oh, oh, I forgot.....we don't have open and transparent government in Windsor but decisions are made and information is disclosed in camera!

I cannot figure out what is going on. I cannot figure out why such a simple exercise in fact-gathering is taking on such monumental proportions and is becoming so complicated.

What it tells me is that we need an amendment to the Municipal Act. With longer terms for Council and no way realistically to control our local elected officials, citizens should demand that the next Government promise us the right of recall! I sure wish we had it now