"Lead, Follow, Or Get Out Of The Way."

Two Star front pages. Two big stories about jobs. Two stories, one real and one make-believe.

In all seriousness, which story pleased you more? And why? Which story helps out the region and which story is a joke? And why? Which story is political posturing at its worst and which story will actually put people to work now? And why?

Even if you are a Martian and arrived in Windsor for the first time, just looking at the front pages should give you the answer. It tells you everything you would want to know about our leadership and to whom one should be looking to help this region transition into the new economy before it is too late.

On the Greenlink page, immediately below the main story you would read "Mayor Kicks off PR blitz" and then "Bankruptcies soar in Windsor."

On the other front page, you read about a "BUILDING BONANZA" and how much money was actually going to be spent in Windsor and in the County. Immediately below, you would read about the opening of the Essex Engine Plant.

Real jobs starting now to build up decaying infrastructure and reopening plants compared with THINK BIG DREAMS as people go broke.

Real jobs starting now compared with Jobs Today that may not start for years since the City could not put in any money until after 2010 and shipping people away from their homes and families.

Real jobs on real projects to achieve something positive for the region compared with cheerleaders and sycophants promising us the moon to hide the truth.

It should make you sick as it does me that our local government is so incompetent in the face of so much hardship. Think of the thousands of jobs, 2800 of them, that are starting on the other side of the river with the Ambassador Gateway project. Think of the thousands of jobs that could have been started already on our side of the river if the road to the border and the Enhancement Project had started but for our Mayor and Council's stalling.

Think of how well this region would be doing and the signal we would be giving to industry that we are open for business rather than the signal that we're giving now that we need to ship our people away from here because this region is an economic disaster.

Think of the Mayor that snubs the pre-budget meeting of the Minister of Finance and flies off to Germany using taxpayer money to talk to a startup company that can do little for us. Think of a Mayor that snubs a meeting where infrastructure dollars are being presented to the City by two of the most powerful Members of the Cabinet. Oh, I am sorry, it was not a snub. The Mayor could not rearrange his busy schedule:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis did not attend because he was at a read-a-thon at General Brock elementary school.
  
  “It sends a powerful message to kids if we cancel at the last minute,” said Norma Coleman, Francis’s chief of staff.

I wonder what kind of powerful message Eddie's failure to attend gives with Dwight and Sandra. And with the Premier who is supposed to be here today. If Norma wants the answer, she should talk to some of her insider Liberal friends to hear what they have to say "off the record."

Poor Norma. She had to fall on the sword for the Mayor because he did not have the guts to give that kind of excuse personally. No one believes that. It just makes Eddie look even more foolish and immature. It just reinforces the fact that he has little leadership ability and is again failing his constituents.

I wonder if Eddie will snub the Premier as well on Monday. I don't think he would dare do so.

It really is time for residents of this City to say that they have had enough of our Mayor and Council. Let them stay in their booth at Devonshire Mall to hand out brochures. That is about all that they are good for.

I hate to say this because of my involvement early on with STOPDRTP when we fought bitterly against Queen's Park and Ottawa. At that time, the majority of Council worked with its citizens to try to achieve a good result The situation has reversed itself completely. We have an out-of-control Mayor and local Council that just doesn't care what the citizens think. They are prepared to spend another $300,000 and to waste 60 more days with PR blitzes after spending how much on polling.

It is my opinion that the Senior Levels by now understand that they must listen to the citizens of Windsor and not our politicians. It is my opinion that they understand by now that the citizens of Windsor are not dumb and do understand what is best for this City notwithstanding the posturing of the Mayor and Council. It is my opinion that they also understand that citizens of Windsor will stand up for what is in their best interests no matter what local politicians may say or do.

We have done it before when we, the citizens, first opposed the truck expressway through the heart of Windsor, when we opposed the use of EC Row for Montréal to Tijuana international trucks to feed DRTP, when we looked for a better and practical solution to the road to the border and when we acknowledged that the Ambassador Bridge Company will build their Enhancement Project.

Our Minister of Finance is a very shrewd politician. It is obvious that Dwight knew what he was doing and did it on purpose when he said "THE MAYOR IS WRONG. THE MAYOR IS WRONG" and then told us that the road to the border would produce 7500 jobs. He judged perfectly what is in the minds of the people.

It is time already that the Senior Levels come in and do the right thing for Windsor and Essex County. Do they not understand yet that this Mayor and Council know that they have failed and are in fact begging the Senior Levels to come in and impose a solution. It lets them off the hook they pray.

Prime Minister, Premier, do your job already, start leading. Get these projects moving. Get us the jobs. It's time you got Eddie out of the way!

Imagine the headlines then!