Big Pat On The Back

THE STAR HAS DECLARED THAT OPENNESS AND DEBATE LIVE IN WINDSOR AGAIN.

I am going to give myself a pat and also one to every other Blogger in town and citizen who has been and is prepared to stand up for his/her City. We've done a damn good job keeping this City honest notwithstanding major attacks by the sycophants, cheerleaders and hangers on who ought to know better. And as you may recall, a physical one as well.

The Windsor Star Editors are a very strange bunch. Take a look at the opening and the closing of their editorial today "Open Debate." If you can figure out how they made their leap of logic, then you are a better person than I.

• "A mayor and councillors who have shown a disturbing penchant for keeping information from taxpayers opted for more of the same Monday when they voted down an accountability motion that would have increased transparency in city politics...
  
  Despite the unacceptable defeat of Dilkens' motion, though, it was refreshing to see council actually hold a spirited debate in public, and comforting to see councillors speaking their minds, voting their conscience and calling for increased openness and accountability.
  
  Debate, dissent and the clashing of divergent opinions are essential to the functioning of any robust democracy. It's nice to see they've finally arrived in Windsor."

Where has the Star been for the last few years? In denial? We have had debate and dissent and divergent opinions. Unfortunately for Windsorites, the Star has not been not part of it and I do not think it is yet. With a few exceptions, they have been cheerleaders and recently spectators.

Let me see now... the Newspaper on a mission who recently told us all to shut up and use our paddles to row to our coxswain/Mayor's command has all of a sudden discovered openness at Council.

Somehow the words "Eddie Francis" or "Mayor" did not appear in several recent editorials written in the Star that attacked what was going on at City Hall. The finger was directed right at the person who is responsible yet the Star Editors did not have the guts to name names.

I guess they never read their Lead Columnist's writings either and see how those who dare question the Mayor or point out what is going wrong in this City are mocked and ridiculed by childish name-calling.

I guess the Editors don't listen to CKLW and especially not to Jason Moore who told us to strap a “W” over our hearts and become cheerleaders.

Sure Councillors had their "public" debate and then went back into an "in camera" meeting right after the public meeting ended. Do you really think that the citizens of Windsor will be invited to attend the Council border meeting that the Mayor has scheduled? Heck, Councillors will not even be invited to attend the Mayor's meeting with business leaders. That shows how much he is prepared to share the glory.

Openness... don't make me laugh. What is this, another charade by the Star to try and fool its readers by saying that everything is all right now? One crummy debate where openness lost and we are supposed to cheer? Have the Star Editors lost their senses completely? Do they really believe that their readers are that dumb or can be fooled so easily?

I am hopeful that what we have seen is a start, that several Councillors have finally figured out that they have a legal responsibility to perform on behalf of those who elected them and not sit there like dummies merely to show a united front. Only time will tell.

From what my City Hall moles tell me, there is tremendous dissatisfaction at Council over a lack of leadership and sharing of information. There may even be a lack of trust amongst Councillors themselves. But I have heard that now for a long time and seen nothing happen. Were the two Motions on Monday a sign that this dissatisfaction has finally come to the fore or will Eddie try and pull and another rabbit out of the hat to keep Councillors quiet as he has successfully done for so long?

I really do want a "dysfunctional" Council like the one after March, 2003 that actually ran the City, not the Mayor, on the important issues. I'm hopeful that the Three Blind Mice can add a few more members as well. I hope that we can have more of the Valentinis/Halberstadt and Lewenza/Hatfield blowups so we would know that everything is not stage-managed over lamb chops before the Council meeting. I wish there was a Councillor like Joyce Zuk who would have told the Mayor by now to get out of the Chair if he cannot control the meetings in a better fashion.

If there is openness in this City, then it is not because of the media or the Councillors but because of me and Chris Schnurr and Paul Synnott and the Mayor of Monmouth and Chris Holt and Al Nelman and WeACT and Alan Halberstadt when he wears his Blogger hat and our readers and certain members of the media who are prepared to buck their management and Star letter writers and the Capitol supporters and Dennis DesRosiers and Citizens of Windsor who are prepared speak at Council even though they are ignored by our decision-makers and a whole bunch of people that I'm sure I have forgotten but who have had enough of seeing this City decline.

I better go out and try and find a bigger phone booth! Our numbers are increasing.