Breaking Resolutions

• I wanted to see how observant my readers are. The answer is very observant. Here's what a reader wrote about the picture of the front page of the Windsor Star that I placed on my BLOG yesterday.
  
  "Is it me or does the Top Margin of the paper "HAVE YOU BROKEN YOUR 2008 RESOLUTIONS YET?" sound a little ominous considering the looks on their faces?
  
  This just couldn't get any juicier."

He was referring to the picture of the Mayor and the Warden on the front page as well as the story about Eddie's vow not to run for a third term that may now not be as solid as before according to Gord Henderson.

• "Francis hints at 3rd term"

Please don't tell me that the Sheriff of the Posse of Windsor Star Renegade Reporters isn't riding high today. That big blue headline about breaking resolutions and the story about Eddie perhaps running for a third term are priceless. The juxtaposition shows that someone at a very high level in the Star is not very happy with our Mayor. And whoever allowed reader comments after Henderson's story and the one on the City/County disagreement clearly is part of the Posse too.

But the classic that you will have to check on for yourself, assuming that it is still on the website, is the slideshow "Listen to a tape of Mayor Eddie Francis as he vows to quit after two terms" http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/soundslides/
mayor_vow/index.html

Who is the Renegade with the online Star who is getting his/her dig in at the Mayor?

• "Asked three weeks ago during a Dec. 20 Star interview if this was to be his last term as mayor, Francis responded: "This is my last term. I made a commitment to the residents and my family."

Remember what Eddie said when he first ran for Mayor:

• "I said to you earlier that I am not a politician and I am not running for office to be Mayor for life. My term in office will be energetic, focused and inclusive. Should I be fortunate to be elected to lead our city, and should I ask the citizens for a second term …….my term is not to exceed two."

The comments from readers of the Star on the Francis story as well as the one about the disagreement between the County and the City are brutal. Heck, my comments in these BLOGs are nothing compared with what some of the people are saying in their remarks. If this was a trial balloon to see how popular the Mayor was, especially if he decided to run for a third term, then the answer is that he may not make it that long if he keeps infuriating people so much. He may also have lost his job with the Tories as well if John Tory ever gets a copy of this.

How do you think the Councillors feel? I don't know what kind of environment there will be at City Council after this immature outburst by the Mayor. To be quite direct about it, if I were a Councillor I wouldn't stand for it and would demand a public apology by the Mayor.

A Reader suggested that perhaps the Governor's hubby was not the right man for the job to fix up Council and their dysfunction. He suggested that perhaps Dr. Phil might be the right man to bring in to try and fix up the mess at City Hall. However he said that Dr. Phil probably has his hands full (what with treating Britney Spears and now the controversy about his comments after his in camera meeting with her) He concluded by saying "maybe even Dr. Phil couldn’t put perfume on this pig."

Another reader asked a very serious question that someone needs to answer:

• "You should ask the question about disfunction.....if the last council was dysfunctional and this council is also dysfunctional then is it the leadership that is dysfunctional or the other 10 people around the table!"

Now I thought that the Mayor would claim that this was just Gord's interpretation of what he said and that he was sticking to his vow to be our Mayor for only two terms. He will deny that he's going to run for a third term. He will explain the intense pressure that he is under constantly in fighting for us and that he wants to keep Council united for the battle against the enemies of Windsor.

Nope, he dare not do that to Gord! Instead, here is what the Star quoted:

• On Thursday, the mayor had no regrets that he's now he's sending out signals he could change his mind.
  
  "My statement is 'I'm more concerned about doing my job, than about my job.'
  
  "I know the commitment I made and I intend to continue on it. There is more to life than politics. Others are approaching me to reconsider. I'm humbled by that, but I'm not even thinking about it."

It is pretty obvious what this is all about as I said in my BLOG: maintaining iron-fisted control over the Councillors.

• "Scanton said it's to Francis' advantage to cast doubt on his previously expressed intention to leave. "It maintains his political strength as mayor. People will be less likely to cross him if he is mayor for a long time and running in the next election."

So it is all politics from a failed Mayor who is clinging for power.

There will be a lot of discussion over Eddie's seeming change of heart at the water coolers in various plants in the City, while people are having a coffee at Timmie's and in the Cabinet rooms in Ottawa, Toronto, Lansing, and Washington over this story. The question they will be asking amongst themselves is how far can the Mayor be trusted in keeping his word if Henderson's story is correct after the commitment that the Mayor made with respect to a third term. Will he walk away from an agreement if it is convenient for him to do so? Can there be any real certainty now with him?

It doesn't really matter what the answer is frankly. If you want to talk about someone who is responsible for spreading negative news about Windsor, one does not have to attack Bloggers anymore. After all, there was no need for our Mayor to have an interview with Gord Henderson to blast Councillors or even to open the door "just a crack to seeking a third term in the 2010 civic election."

Unfortunately it is Windsor that is suffering as this City is being made to look like a complete laughing stock. No branding initiative and PR flacks can undo the damage that has been caused already.

There is some good news in all of this believe it or not. Eddie has now created a strong united opposition against him that hopefully may become a majority of Council similar to that which happened to Mike Hurst in the last year of his term. That Council was probably the most productive Council in any municipality in a very long time. They ruled the City, not the Mayor.

If only we could be so lucky again.