Stories Of Interest

Here are some more stories that you may find of interest.

CITIZEN POWER

I find it amazing that the Windsor Star is recognizing the positive role played by naysayers and citizens groups in Windsor. Here is the latest:

• "In many respects, other mechanisms -- free ones -- already exist to monitor and probe the conduct of public officials. The media and watchdog groups like the Windsor Association of Concerned Taxpayers scrutinize the actions of councillors and often question them and take them to task."

If WeACT can accomplish in watching over what our municipal politicians are doing what STOPDRTP did in protecting this City on the border file, then we may finally have a check and balance on this Mayor and Council.

It is ironic to me that the politicians who were elected because of citizen involvement in the border file have forgotten the lesson that they learned about Citizen power.

LEONE CAR ACCIDENT

I am certain that you saw this story in the Star "Leone's sister, in critical condition, wasn't wearing seatbelt."

What you did not see in the Star so far are Letters to the Editor expressing outrage at the Star about how the story was written i.e. the comments about her brother. I am surprised that people wrote only online and not to the Star itself.

In the Windsor Star Forum, you would have seen comments such as:

• Shame on the Windsor Star
• What is the Relevance of Carls past to this story - besides slimishly grabbing a headline.
• There was no need to add the fact that her brother is Carl Leone to this article. The young women is fighting for her life.........show some class (Star editors!)
• Sounds like a nice way to sell an article or give an extra dig against the family. Real classless.

I am disappointed that we have not heard yet from the Star Editor, Marty Beneteau. Obviously, readers were upset about how the Star covered this story. When readers have been upset before-- about the Star coverage of Kwame back in January or disturbing photographs such as one of a car crash on E.C. Row-- we saw a response from the Editor.

I wonder if there will be one again or does the Star believe it will all fade away and there's no need to justify how the story was reported.

BRIAN BELL LEAVES LIBRARY

What makes Eddie believe that merely because the City pays the bills, that he is entitled to any information with respect to the leaving of Brian Bell from the Library?

I thought that the Library was a separate organization with its own Board of Directors of which Eddie is not one. Eddie whines:

• "We cut the cheque, we fund the library, and I think these are legitimate questions," Francis said Friday. "We want to know what was paid. Was there a buy out...
  
  "It's concerning. Did we send him to law school, then let him leave without repaying any of that money?" said Francis. "I believe we are entitled to this information."

If he is legally entitled to the information, he should just ask for it and stop going to the media. If he is not entitled to the information, then why is he complaining?

He almost sounds like a Windsor taxpayer who is upset about the transfer of City assets into private companies that taxpayers are financing and from which we can get no information because they are "legally incorporated private companies" with their own Boards.

I'm surprised at the bickering in the newspaper when Eddie should know the legal answer. After all Eddie IS a lawyer

WHERE IS THE ESTRIN LEGAL OPINION

I see from the Communications Package on the City website that taxpayers have paid out at least $4 million on the border file so far including almost $600,000 in the latest time period.

These fees cover part of that time period when Estrin was supposed to be providing a legal opinion to the City:

• "Legal options sought
  Windsor Star 06-24-2008
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis says he will urge Toronto lawyer David Estrin to quickly provide legal options in dealing with the province's controversial border traffic highway planned for the Huron Church Road-Talbot Road corridor.
  
  The Windsor-Essex Parkway plan proposed by the Detroit River International Crossing team features a six-lane below-grade highway with 11 short tunnels.
  
  Council maintains its Greenlink border solution -- which offers twice as much tunnelling -- has been shortchanged...
  
  "(Council) has asked me to pick up the phone, call David Estrin and tell him to hurry up his work," Francis said. "Council wants to know all their options from A to Z -- what are the benefits, pros and cons (and) what steps need to be taken.
  
  "The legal issues will be flushed out more and brought to council for Monday or soon after."

I wonder if Estrin's bill for that work is included in that $600,000 or will that be part of a new bill. I must admit that I don't recall hearing anything about the legal options and what the C and ity might do.

I guess that Eddie has been too busy on the Tunnel deal and setting the record straight and worrying about canals rather than thinking about Greenlink and the DRIC road.

GELLMAN LEAVES UNIVERSITY

I wonder if you saw the small story announcing that

• "Amanda Gellman has decided to leave her post as the vice-president of university advancement when her term ends in December."

To be blunt, I am surprised that she has been in her job this long. One of her key functions is fundraising for the University. I wonder how many people she has helping her in her Department in comparison with other schools.

Can you imagine the pressure that she was under to try to find money in this economy, especially from alumni and businesses in the Windsor/Essex area. She needs to find millions for the still not paid for Stadium, for the medical school building and soon for the Engineering complex as well as for the usual scholarships and bursaries and donations to faculties.

I have no idea how many multimillions she would have been required to find to help finance the University's projects. When the former Chair's organization could pay for naming rights for the City's arena and not for the University's stadium, it must have been discouraging. What does she think now when the former University Chair and Chair Cooke are involved in dealing with canals for the next three or four months.

It looks like the University is looking for a replacement for her. Good luck to that person!