Even More News

Stories are coming fast and furious. I'll do my best to keep up with them and give you my perspective of what is going on.

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN FOR KINGSVILLE

How many times have you heard that expression! Well, it is allowed so get moving!

• "Submit your vote for Kraft Hockeyville 2008. Vote as many times and for as many communities as you like."

As a reader wrote to me:

• "RE: Only 2 days left!!!!
  
  Hi Ed,
  
  This may seem frivolous to you, considering all the REALLY important stuff going on, but – can you encourage people to vote for Kingsville for Hockeyville?
  
  The average person has no real voice in this City/County chest-puffing nonsense. This just may be the vehicle to show that the average person can “git ‘er done”, while the politicians are busy looking in the mirror. Let’s build on the most positive national exposure this area has had in years – and WIN!!
  
  How about it? www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville

REDEVELOPMENT AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION


Now I know where the Credit Union money is going. It is not going for brochures to hand out to possible new investors in our region. Nope, a good chunk of it may go for a severance payment and a good part of it may pay for a recruiter's fee for finding another CEO for the Commission. They should demand a refund until the Commission cleans up its act. And so should the City and County.

I do not know if the Commission hired a recruiter for the first go around but I see they are doing it now. This whole situation is disgraceful. I trust that those people who were responsible for recruitment from the Board are replaced this time around too.

Good to see a sense of urgency, NOT. As CKLW reported:

• "The hope is to have the new C-E-O by the fall."

Lots of things are very strange about what went on. When is the last time you have ever seen in a press release that a person was fired! Usually, it is that the person is leaving to pursue other career opportunities or is resigning for family reasons or some other neutral term to save face for both sides.

Not in this case. If CKLW is correct, then Mr. Fischer has already hired a lawyer and this could get ugly unless a settlement has been reached.

Don't you find it strange as well that the spokesperson for the Commission was not the Chair, Remo Mancini. Rather it was Dr. Schumacher, the Vice Chair of the Board. I know, I know...the excuse given will be that he was the Chair of the CEO evaluation committee and that it must have been this committee that made the decision to terminate Mr. Fischer's services. Regardless, this is such a significant position in the Commission that I would have thought that the Chair should have been front and centre.

Interestingly as well, the rumours that I heard and the story in the Star were all wrong. Mr. Mancini did not become the CEO, even on an interim basis. I find that rather surprising since frankly the reputation of the Commission has to be scraping the bottom of the barrel now and I would have thought that the Commission needed a big name to a head it at this time to try to reestablish credibility.

I guess the Board decided that the Chair should never be CEO, even temporarily.

Whiners and naysayers are mere amateurs in badmouthing this City and providing negative publicity compared with what the Mayor is doing and now the Economic Development Commission.

By the way, whatever happened to Windsor's CAO, John Skorobohacz, in this fiasco? Wasn't he keeping the Mayor up to date? I ask this question because of the following comment that the Mayor made. I would have thought that the CAO would know exactly what was going on given his role with the Commission:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis said late Tuesday he had not yet been advised by the development commission of Fischer's status.
  
  "They are supposed to get back to me early tomorrow and give me an update," he said."

GREENLINK AD AGENCY

In case you were wondering whatever happened to the Request For Proposal that Councillor Dilkens told us would be issued for the Greenlink advertising campaign project, here is the information that I received from City Hall. Sorry, no RFP. Hardly a surprise:

• "The City of Windsor has decided to Sole Source the design, copy and artwork for continuance of the Green Link promotional campaign, to HCA Group. A Purchase order has been issued for approximately $15,000.00 for this work.
  
  This purchase falls within criteria and guidelines outlined for Sole Sourcing in the Purchasing by-law. Specifically, the HCA Group created and produced the look and feel for the initial promotional campaign for GreenLink Windsor in 2007. The current phase of the promotional campaign will require a look and feel that is consistent with the initial phase, to ensure recognition and effective messaging to the residents of Windsor. Thus, the new materials must conform to a plan that is maintained by the original creator.
  
  Greg Cecile
  Manager of Purchasing and Risk Management (Acting)"

EDDIE WHO

Not a mention about the Mayor in the Star Editorial about the Ford jobs. Did they snub him too:

• "The government of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, including Finance Minister Dwight Duncan and Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello, deserves credit for helping to cement this deal with $17 million in funding...
  
  Ford of Canada deserves credit as well for revisiting the decision to close the plant...
  
  But this deal would not have happened without the foresight and courage of Mike Vince, president of CAW Local 200, who realized the Ford jobs lost last fall would be gone from this community forever unless the union agreed to dramatic concessions in a new Competitive Operating Agreement."

Who will spread this news around about the CAW to boost our image?

HOPING

Why can't people in this City actually DO something instead of "hope." I wrote above about the Development Commission "hoping" to hire someone. Now this respecting the Airport Board:

• "Our hope is that the ad will go out in April and then that will come back to council," Francis said."

Why can't the order be given to do it! Or else!