Eddie Is Incapable Of Leadership
Not this weekend.
I started writing this BLOG Saturday morning getting angrier as I wrote, just after being infuriated by reading the Windsor Star, again.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO LEADERSHIP IN THIS CITY. WE NO LONGER HAVE A MAYOR WHO IS CAPABLE OF LEADING US OR IS PREPARED TO DO SO.
I was interested the other day in seeing a Letter to the Editor by Tony Blak. He ran unsuccessfully twice in Ward 3. He wrote in his very short letter:
- “Mayor wasting taxpayer dollars on advertising
It is time to stop the advertising and manipulation of the citizens of Windsor by our mayor and council.
Let's get the shovel in the ground, and take the 401 all the way to the Ambassador Bridge.
The Ambassador Bridge has been a great corporate citizen and it's time the city stopped putting roadblocks up for it.
It's time the mayor stops wasting money on advertising and gets back to the core issues -- plow the streets, fix the potholes, and make it easier for people to earn a living in this city."
Nice election platform. It's a winner!
In a few short paragraphs, Tony has identified everything that is wrong with Eddie Francis and this Council. Waste of taxpayer money, manipulation, anti-business, stalling, need for jobs and failing to carry out the basic functions for which they were elected.
Is this a signal that Tony is going to run again, probably targeting Councillor Valentinis who to me has been a terrific disappointment while Eddie has been Mayor? Instead of sticking up for citizens as our Senior Councillor, he does nothing but act as an enforcer for our Mayor.
It would not surprise me to see others start making themselves visible. Do they smell in the air that this Mayor and Council are all vulnerable to be defeated in the next election? Is it the time that they start gearing up for the next election because it is unlikely that anyone can win against an incumbent without name recognition in this City?
It is interesting to see how many names are being bandied about for people to run as Councillors in the different Wards and as Mayor as well. It may not be the slam dunk either that Councillor Marra hopes that it is for him.
There is no doubt that someone has told the Mayor that he has personally overstepped. Attack Sandra. Attack Dwight. But for heaven’s sake, leave the Premier alone.
There is a well orchestrated campaign designed around HEALTH that is being used now as a last ditch effort to make our Mayor look like our Saviour. Of course, they forget to mention what our Champion, MOE’s Dr. Diamond said about trucks moving constantly
- “During normal traffic movement (no delays), the average increase in particulate matter adjacent to the road was minimal.”
More importantly forget to tell us about the changes in diesel fuel and diesel engine technology which will drastically reduce emissions such that the health concern is no longer there.
As the DRIC wrote also:
- “The fact is, getting rid of traffic lights will eliminate stop-and-go traffic and reduce emissions. New cleaner fuel rules and (truck) engine technologies are also reducing pollution from tailpipe emissions."
I just do not understand what any of this has done other than to bore people or what it is designed to accomplish. I do expect that it will scare away seniors from coming here and new investors.
All I do know is that it makes Eddie Francis look like the weakest and most irresponsible Mayor of a City. If it is true that there are such health concerns, then this City should have started a lawsuit already with our Mayor/lawyer leading the charge.
Every Henderson column mocks him. Every Editorial makes him look weaker and weaker and weaker.
His failure to act has to be deemed as “unconscionable.” After all, we were told by the Star’s Columnist that there are no other alternatives, even though he has now backed off that ridiculous position and is advocating negotiations.
We have not acted because we know better and know we are being played.
Council has not acted because they are unable to do anything.
More importantly, our Voice of Council, our Mayor, Eddie Francis. has not acted because he is afraid.
What a WEAK-LING!
I will be very direct in this BLOG. We have no Leader in this City. A true Leader would not hide behind others to do his dirty work for him. He would stand up for our City and our citizens. He would take action not start another wasteful advertising blitz. He would lead us into battle and not hide behind us forcing us to do everything so that he does not take the blame.
Of course, our Mayor cannot do that. He knows that the factual basis upon which he is building his campaign is not strong. He is afraid. His strategy might backfire. Dwight and Sandra might be telling the truth… if there is a lawsuit, then the jobs go.
Especially the job of Mayor for Eddie Francis and for the rest of the Councillors. None of them can dare risk that, the amount that they get paid for failing us time after time is too much especially with the addition of the newest amount for the Airport Board membership.
Just take a look at the Saturday Star to see what I mean:
- -the Henderson column does the attacking of the Premier now, not the Mayor:
“Which carries more clout with the Dalton McGuinty regime, a Southwestern Ontario city with 216,000 citizens and two senior cabinet ministers or an obscure Toronto neighbourhood with 17,000 residents represented by a rookie Liberal MPP?
If you guessed it was the former -- Windsor -- guess again, because a big-bucks transportation announcement by McGuinty this week made it perfectly clear where our city stands on the province's aim-to-please list -- somewhere south of nowhere…
Talk about a tale of two cities. In early December, at a chamber of commerce luncheon at the Caboto Club, gunslinger McGuinty laid down the law, telling a defiant Windsor in no uncertain terms that it must knuckle under.” - -Letters to the Editor… three of them slamming Sandra and her expenses. Of course, this is not directly related to Greenlink but it is designed as a warning of what is to come unless she knuckles under
“MPP can get her work done at less costly hotels
Pupatello spends freely from the public purse
Pupatello's travel tab extravagantly high” - -Star Editorial tells us who is to act: ie who is to be the cannon fodder. And it is not the Mayor. He is behind us all right. Waaaaaaaaaay behind, out of the line of fire.
It is a shame also that the Editors did not read the City’s new advertisement where the word “Jobs” is prominently displayed, obviously because someone has done some polling. Health is no longer the only key concern.
“The debate over an international truck route linking a third border crossing is not about jobs, and it's not about traffic flow -- it's about health.
That issue, alone, has been at the forefront of the City of Windsor's refusal to bow to growing pressure exerted by the Ontario government as well as other interest groups to drop its opposition to the route being proposed by the binational Detroit River International Crossing study group…
The public will have a chance to give its feedback until Feb. 27 -- part of a 32-week review before the assessment goes to Environment Minister John Gerretsen for approval.
The city plans to spend an additional $60,000 on a campaign to rally the troops. Francis is encouraging all residents -- not just those living along the Huron Church Road-Talbot Road corridor -- to join the fight. "For all residents sick of our air quality, the choice is clear," said Francis. "Accept the status quo or try to stand up and get (the province) to make changes that are required to improve the quality of life for this region."
Windsor-area residents should answer the call and fight for the health of future generations.” - -Finally, the Greenlink ad in the bottom left hand corner.
“What can you do”
Do you see anything at all of Mayoral Leadership? I do not. I just see a Mayor who knows that he has lost but will keep on talking, pretending that he’s doing something. He is rallying the troops so that we can fight the battle for him.
He is not involved. Heck, he does not care what we do because he does not want to know what we do. If someone follows his advice and the battle cry and sends something into the Ministry of the Environment, does Eddie want to know about it?
No, dear reader, he does not. Copies are to be sent only to the Premier and local MPP. He does not want to see, nor does Council, what anyone has written.
Is there a mailing campaign again? I don’t see one so far. The last one was a dismal failure. If there was one again, my guess would be that the results would be even worse. How could our Mayor launch a huge campaign saying that the people are behind him if few people respond to his phony Health issues. By not knowing what is going on, then be Mayor can keep pretending that he is representing the people when he does not.
Fortunately, the Senior Levels are aware of what is taking place because they play the same games also.
There is no point in me keeping on about this matter. You know already how I feel about our Mayor. He has failed us, again and again and again on the border file. Unlike 2003, I do not see anybody on Council who can be our leader at this time. It is a shame.
All of this reminds me of the reason why I split with Eddie many years ago, or rather why he split with me. I have told you about this before but you may have forgotten.
I was one of Eddie’s backroom boys who helped him the first time around to become Mayor. I was still involved at the time with STOPDRTP when I received a call from the Mayor. He wanted me to arrange to have members of the group send out a number of letters on a particular subject. I refused for two reasons:
- 1) I told him that it was not fair that he should expect that merely because he snapped his fingers on whatever issue he wanted that people would go out and spend time to collect letters, nevermind prepare them. It had to be vital before that would happen I told him.
- 2) I said to him as well that this was now HIS job to do, not that of the people of Windsor. After all we had just elected him to be Mayor. He had been given the mandate to act.
I remembered this event as I was writing this BLOG. It is so interesting. Nothing has changed. Same old Eddie, same old Eddie.
posted by JoeBlog at 1:45 p.m.
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