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Edgar failed. Again. What more can be said.

How dare he continue sloganeering rather than doing. Aren't you tired of hearing about "guns, gangs and drugs." As if that would scare anyone or solve anything!

The slogan was a good one mind you. It might have worked to make Edgar the Attorney-General if he ran provincially since Toronto was having similar problems. But not now, after Edgar demonstrated his inability to stop anything.

There is nothing that I individually or all the Bloggers in town collectively can do that will damage this City as much as Mayor Edgar (aka Eddie) Francis' ridiculous comment:

• "Mayor advises staying clear of Pelissier Street late at night
  
  In the wake of another murder on Pelissier Street, Mayor Eddie Francis warned residents Monday to steer clear of the area late at night if they value their safety.
  
  “If people are concerned, they should be concerned,” said Francis. “I would avoid that street. At 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., if you’re concerned don’t be on Pelissier Street on that corner.
  
  “Businesses continue to be open and residents continue to live without any problems for the majority of the day,” Francis said. “But in this particular location at a particular time there seems to be problems.”

That was another absurd comment by the Mayor, one of many, that will chase people away from this City.

Here is another

• "Francis, who chairs the police board, said the violence on Windsor’s streets still bears no comparison to other Canadian cities, but he said the incidents on Pelissier are painting the whole downtown in a poor light."

Actually, not. It is Edgar's mouth that is doing it. And his inaction is part of the problem.

What does this mean? What are the consequences for Downtown?

There is one obvious one. Mr. Farhi should be a happy man and so should the "shrewd investors" who bought land around the East End arena. Let me explain.

Edgar has just chased everyone away from downtown and out to the equivalent of our suburbs. Imagine a Mayor doing that. As I Blogged before:

• “the Farhi proposal. After all, it can change the face of this City rather dramatically don't you think:
  
   “East-side renaissance”
  
   "I can see eventually 60 acres being developed...the equivalent of an entire downtown…"
  
  Some members of the Downtown Business Association may now finally understand how bad the decision was for them to move the arena to the East End. I wonder how many will ask for the money that they paid to their Association to be given back to them. Their Chair at one time had said:
  
  "successful downtowns have a number of attractions, which include residential, retail and entertainment developments. Most urban villages have a "centre piece" attraction, such as an arena."
  
  It is too late now. The east end vision includes:
  
  "hotel, restaurants, retail outlets, apartment towers and senior-citizen residences."Why it sound just like what is being proposed at the canal urban village...
  
  That gasp you heard was almost the last one of our sick downtown. It is on life support with its condition critical after the front page Star story…
  
  Eddie made a very strange comment that is going to raise a tremendous amount of controversy and questions:
  
   “The entire Lauzon Road corridor is going to come to life again. This just adds to and complements the activity at the WFCU Centre. Shrewd investors are already picking up properties."

Imagine what Eddie has just said. Sure we have had some crime in one particular location. The solution of our Mayor and Head of the Windsor Police Services Board: Give up, the bad guys have won.

I am not going to offer a solution. That should be done by the Mayor and Chief of Police. If not, then the Premier needs to have the OPP come into Windsor immediately and take over the policing of this City.

There is something very wrong here and I do not know what it is. Why isn't the downtown being patrolled better, to prevent crimes such as this? It is not like we have screaming hordes of Americans coming over any more:

• "The typical Friday night of a few years ago that saw 10,000 or more young revellers in downtown Windsor streets has since seen a reduction to about several hundred young American visitors in the bar zone."

And all of this ruckus just as it looked as if the Downtown is going to be revitalized. Why just days ago we read:

• "Kiddie bars grow up
  
  Windsor’s downtown kiddie bar scene is in its death throes, according to a pair of nightclub owners cashing out on youth and going after an older and unplugged crowd...
  
  The kiddie bar has run its course … this is the ideal time to do this,” said co-owner Kevin Lafontaine...
  
  the new business will be the kind of place that is beginning to draw a maturer crowd, including their friends, to the downtown...
  
  While the news of Windsor’s economy and its downtown has invariably been gloomy of late, those who frequent the core are marvelling at what they say is a transformation underway."

That concept is dead before it even got started. No one in their right mind would go Downtown for entertainment. Our Mayor just told us so.

Why bother with a canal now? Who would ever visit it? Poor Mr. Farhi. He has to be furious. What will he do with that prime piece of real estate for a high end condo now since no one will want to live downtown?

Education...who would attend at a downtown campus now?

A cultural renaissance headed by our Symphony and Art Gallery. Sure, if you do not mind dodging bullets after parking at the City-owned garage..

Streetscaping, why bother if no one is on the street.

Wow is this City ever attractive now to seniors. Who needs the Retirement website since no one will be attracted to come here. If you want gangs, stay in Toronto.

As for new investors. The Undevelopment Commission does not need a CEO since no one would ever start a new business in this area.

Now, dear reader, we know this is NOT Edgar's fault. Who can we blame? I got it...University students! Let's have the Star run photos and show videos as they did during the CUPE strike to work up everyone too. Huge headlines required to make the point.

Make it the University President's problem to solve, not Edgar's. That's the idea. Have mini-Gord do a column along with Anne, Gord, an Editorial and a cartoon too. A full-court press:

• "And he wants the university to do more to rein in its students.
  
  The mayor said he'll be raising the matter with the university's president."

DUH....Off-campus? That is not his job Edgar, it's yours! You cannot pass the buck. But he sure can try.

Why not raise the matter with Councillor Jones? Chris Schurr's BLOG is a damning indictment of the City's failure to do anything: "Where’s the Town and Gown Committee?"
http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/no-copy-of-signed-contract-and-west-end-keg-parties

If only the students could have held the frat party the night of the shooting it would have been a perfect answer for Edgar. Have they no consideration:

• " Frat party angers mayor
  Francis concerned cops diverted from other duties
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis is angry that all available city police resources had to be called out to deal with a frat house beer keg party gone wild on the same weekend as a man was shot and killed in the downtown."

There is something bothering me though. Edgar is too smart to be this stupid even though he panics sometimes and does dumb things a la the near-riot. We'll just have to be on our guard and watch how this plays out.

Remember, to get from A to B in Windsor, we have to go through the entire alphabet.

Perhaps this might be the first letter: "T" as in Tenant Tax as in London on small landlords to encourage large student apartments to be built instead. Of course it will be called "a measure [to] protect the health and safety of vulnerable tenants" especially of course student housing with absentee landlords similar to what was tried a few months ago in Windsor but failed:

• "Last night, City Council passed the Rental Residential Licensing Bylaw by a vote of 13 to 4. The bylaw will require landlords with buildings with 4 or less units to complete a checklist and pay an annual licensing fee of $25 per building. "