Eddie Slams His Council Colleagues

Now we know why John Tory came to Windsor right after the Provincial election. He was interviewing Eddie Francis for a possible senior position in the Progressive Conservative Party. How else to explain the brutal and vicious attacks on the Ontario Liberal Government that we have seen over the past few weeks. Eddie needs a new job and he needs one soon.

Frankly, if the Councillors do not force the Mayor to apologize publicly to them or run the Mayor out of town if he does not after all of the negative comments that were put in the Star today about them, then they are truly a bunch of wusses who do not deserve our respect.

I have never ever seen a Mayor do such a thing to his colleagues upon whom he depends for support. I will give Mike Hurst credit... even after he knew that Council opposed everything that he did, I cannot recall that he ever got involved in such public name-calling.

The Windsor Star front page demonstrates everything that is wrong with Windsor and points directly at the one man responsible for the mess that we are in.

I have to tell you in all honesty that I my sides hurt from laughing so much after seeing the Star. The noise that you may have heard early this morning from the east was from the Mayor of Tecumseh howling with glee at what was written in the paper. Those of you closer to the river may have heard the laughter from the Bridge Company people when they read Estrin's comments.

Take a look at the front page above again. On the left, the big story by Gord Henderson that Eddie might run for a third term. Not a regular Page 3 column, a front-page story with a byline. Ooooo, that means it is important. On the right, the attack on the Ontario Government and the Bridge Company. And in the middle, the photograph of the stern Mayor sitting below the Warden. Gee, I thought Puppet Masters pulling strings normally are invisible. But after all, I remember the story about how our Mayor worked to ensure that Mayor McNamara did not become the Warden of the County.

Most of you, dear readers, do not know me personally. I hope by now, however, that you understand that I do not take myself seriously but I certainly take my BLOGs very seriously. That may have to change. Perhaps, given the number of attacks over the last few weeks by the traditional media, I should finally realize that I have a lot more power than I ever thought. Let me tell you why:

• the fixation that the traditional media have, both newspaper and radio, on attacking bloggers
• anyone who is familiar with blogging in the City will understand that I am the main target of these attacks although my colleagues are also doing a pretty good job in revealing what is going on in this City. The combination of all of us is just too much for City Hall
• who sent out the e-mail the other day talking about the Mayor being a lame-duck mayor
• who is the one who is talking about the various Councillors lining themselves up for the Mayor's job in three years.

Now I don't want you getting mad at Gord Henderson. I hope that I've explained to you how to read his recent columns. The Sheriff of the Posse of the Renegade Windsor Star Reporters did it again. Did you really see anything in his column praising what the Mayor has done? I didn't.

What I saw was an attack setting out all of the negatives against a Mayor who does not have any power after all this time to control his Councillors and who has been shown to be completely incompetent as a Leader of the City. Gord attacks Eddie by supposedly helping him. He tells us directly what is wrong. What an indictment by Henderson.

Imagine, Eddie running to Gord and having an interview over the fact that the Councillors aren't listening to him. Poor Eddie. Does he need Gordo to slap them around a bit, to do his dirty work again for him? I guess he hasn't the guts to do it himself.

Look at the strong language used to describe a Council out of control: nitpicking, showboating, dysfunctional, backstabbing, clique-ridden, media-hogging. Why I can see a huge contract for the Governor's hubby coming up. It's only taxpayer dollars to help out Eddie mind you so why worry.

The Councillor formally known as Councillor Budget must be in mourning this morning. If you see a black armband on his jacket you will understand why. The only 2 people mentioned as possible candidates for Mayor are Councillors Halberstadt and Marra. Perhaps Councillor Brister will finally understand that he was set up to take the fall on the arena. His future is toast.

I thought that the comment about Councillor Jones being a big booster of the Mayor was hilarious. However the comment attributed to the Councillor was most disturbing. Isn't Councillor Jones one of the two co-sponsors of the Motion to clean up the downtown after the recent horrible shooting? How does he convince someone to do something:

• "He joked that he warned him: "I'm going to take you out and get you drunk and make you sign on the dotted line."

So much for reasoned arguments. Such a good role model for our younger citizens.

I had suggested some time ago that there were rumours about the Mayor running for another term. They're not so silly now are they. The major parties that have a chance of forming the Government have little interest in him. He is persona non grata with the Feds and why would the Ontario Liberals have any interest in him now. Is the best that Eddie has is a chance to partner with a man who may not be leader of the Tories in Ontario any longer?

Would you hire him for a major Toronto law firm when he has not practiced in seven years and when you have available Bar Admission graduates who probably have more information about what is going on in the law than he does.

Maybe he has the connections that can justify him getting a big corporate job from someone. However, I doubt that he would have much influence with the new Windsor Mayor especially if that Mayor was one of the Councillors named in Henderson's column today.

It may be that the only job that Eddie can get is a third term as Mayor. IF he can win another election, something I believe to be doubtful.

You and I, dear reader, know what this column was all about. Eddie is desperate. He has to find a way to keep his Councillors quiet or else he is in big trouble. Gord in a column recently already told us that there is a strain in the relationship between the Mayor and Councillor Halberstadt. And Halberstadt was one of Eddie's biggest boosters. Everyone knows that Councillor Marra wants to be Mayor. Councillor Dilkens is not afraid to introduce matters that anger the Mayor. It is clear that Councillor Brister is positioning himself to run and there is talk about Councillor Gignac also being interested.

Wow, the Mayor has the two Ward 2 Councillors as supporters. That must give him a lot of comfort.

Just as Eddie used the Border to maintain unity, just as Eddie held out his endorsement to certain people if they were a member of the team if they kept their mouth shut, just as the media is being played to hammer possible opponents, Eddie needs something now to help him for the next three years. The only thing that he's got is: be quiet because I might run again. If I don't run, you don't want your chances destroyed over the next three years.

If anyone who is interested in running for Mayor believes that or will follow that edict then they do not deserve to be in any kind of a position of leadership.

The other big story obviously is about the Ambassador Bridge and the Ontario Government. Eddie clearly is desperate on this topic as well. Now I know why he mentioned the road to the bridge and in particular the road to the Ambassador Bridge at the last Council meeting. It was on his mind after the in camera discussion with his lawyer, David Estrin. Estrin, it appears, got the assignment to do the dirty work in the media. I found this remark particularly insulting:

• "An order for a provincial environmental assessment must come from Ontario's environment minister or cabinet -- which includes Windsor MPPs Dwight Duncan and Sandra Pupatello.
  
  "They are not doing anything about it. That's the most puzzling abdication of responsibility I've seen in 35 years of practice," Estrin said.
  
  "Are there special favours for the bridge? I don't know, but that's a conclusion someone can come to."

I almost believe that Mr. Estrin is hoping that someone will sue him for defamation. That would put the border file in a mess and the Mayor can say it was not his fault. It would also be a good way to try and get the files of the suing party opened up as if there is something shocking for him to find in them in an Examination For Discovery and in an Affidavit of Document Production. It is a dangerous game for the Mayor to play, if he is doing so, since he would be a party too. If a pesky environmentalist can shake him up, imagine what a skilled lawyer would do to our Mayor during an examination.

What is ironic though is that Eddie's comments at the Council meeting totally undercut the City's and Estrin's position on the road. He is the one who specifically mentioned that the DRIC road could lead right to the Ambassador Bridge. Thus there is an easy answer to how the trucks would get to the Enhancement Project. Eddie made the case for the Bridge Company already. There was nothing to the story therefore.

Eddie knows that. So what's the big deal and what's that story really all about other than to attack Sandra and Dwight. Was that part of his deal with John Tory?

Councillors should be concerned about this attack. Councillor Valentinis especially since he is the one who keeps asking why no one listens to Windsor and why Windsor doesn't get the grants that other jurisdictions get.

THIS IS THE REASON WHY! THE MAYOR ANTAGONIZES EVERYONE!

It is very clear that after going after the County with a threatened lawsuit, this story is nothing more than a threat of going after the Ontario Government and the Bridge Company on the Environmental Assessment.

Is the Mayor trying to destroy the City of Windsor completely? We are absolutely and totally dependent on the Senior Levels for our prosperity. Don't the Councillors understand this yet? Are they prepared to sit idly by while this single person mouths off. The only message that he is delivering is not a positive one for Windsor but one that tells both business and the Government that Windsor is closed down for any kind of economic development activity.

The one good thing about all of this is that he is driving the Governments, both Federal and Provincial, into the arms of the Bridge Company. Perhaps the three of these parties can finally sit down and negotiate their differences and get a solution for this area. AND THEN DO THE JOB!

The County has to be involved as well. They can't sit idly by and take threats from the Mayor who has stalled a border solution off for years and wants to stall off of their economic development as well using Greenlink as his weapon.

I wonder where Mayor McNamara picked up this line

• "Too often Francis takes a "my-way-or-the-highway" approach," McNamara said"

Hmmmm. I wonder if he read my recent BLOG as well where I used a similar line.

There you have it. A Windsor Star front page and three stories. Actually there's a fourth story that makes our situation even sadder.

• "Billionaire can't resist sports fan's fantasy
  Assumption high school grad, businessman part owner of Nashville Predators
  
  Windsor-born billionaire Doug Bergeron was explaining the business case for becoming a part owner of the NHL's Nashville Predators...
  
  Growing up in South Windsor and playing the game like most Canadian boys, Bergeron said he quickly grasped he was more a "science and math" guy than an NHL prospect..."

It's too bad isn't it that this billionaires is from Windsor.

You know what, I agree with Councillor Postma when she said:

• "It's a thankless job and I feel sorry for Eddie," said Postma. But she wonders, as a wife and mother, why he would want more of this grief. "I don't know if he should (run again) because he has a beautiful family. Why would he do that to his family?"

In my opinion, Eddie should not wait for another three years. He ought to resign now and let someone else have this grief.