Star Stories

More stuff from our beloved only newspaper in town. I am so glad that I cancelled my subscription:

SCHMIDT LOGIC

Seriously, he is in the wrong profession. He ought to be involved in PR medicine ie a spin doctor.

Only Schmidt could take this statement in his "Who's the City Hall Leak?" BLOG:

• "Windsor’s integrity commissioner failed to ferret out that leak, despite the most expensive effort of his inaugural year, but he said it had to have come from someone at a closed-door session of council that was also attended by senior administration."

and then blame CUPE for:

• "A further month’s lost wages and benefits later"

So someone from management was supposedly the Leakor, obviously for a specific reason, but it was all CUPE's fault for the strike lasting so long...See what I mean, spinning excellence.

No, the hardliners did not have a political agenda to prolong the strike. Blame it on a guy leaving town:

• "it was Daryl’s [Newcombe] reporting of leaked details during the bitter CUPE labour dispute last summer that “led to a month extra” in the 101-day strike."

That amnesia disease has hit Doug because he forgot that Edgar (aka Eddie) left town right after the leak and there was little negotiating while he was away. He also forgot about the near riot caused by Edgar that also caused a delay.

But blame it on CUPE. Play to the mob that way.

And Councillor Jones is not off the hook yet although not named:

• "But, confronted by Ron’s lawyer hammering on the city’s weakly crafted guidelines governing his office, Earl did back down from a subsequent investigation triggered by his leaky probe — his discovery of hundreds of phone calls made between Ron on his city-issued BlackBerry and CUPE Local 543 president Jean Fox...
  
  There’s a good argument that the constant feedback CUPE leaders were getting from their own “sources” inside council’s closed-door sessions helped feed a false sense that council was wavering, that the leaning and the votes were slowly going the union’s way and that the employer would eventually buckle...
  
  no, no, Doug, we have our secret insider sources, too, and council’s resolve is going south"

I love the way Doug did that. Genius.

And of course the hardliners won according to Schmidt:

• "The union leadership, which obviously would have preferred being the ones introducing the terms of surrender...
  
  Whenever I’d point out to the CUPE brass that the overwhelming response from the community (at least according to the politicians I spoke with constantly) appeared increasingly hard-line and pro-employer."

DUH, what would hardliner politicians say Doug?

But one ought not to make fun of Doug. He does not know the real story of the strike. He does not know the hardliners lost. You see, the Star Editors did not send him or anyone else to the Lewenza Ward meeting to learn the truth.

STAR REPORTERS VANISH

Not only has Councillor Dilkens mysteriously disappeared according to the Star but so have all of their reporters.

You see there was a daycare meeting last Wednesday night with the President of CUPE Ontario in town but it was never reported. That makes 2 meetings in a row that the Star has not covered for their readers.

And some of you still subscribe to it?

So here is what one of my readers sent me that I can share with you:

• "Again Windsor Star was nowhere to be seen. Must have been a craft show in the county somewhere tonight. CBC was there for a bit then his cell phone rang and he hit the road. A Channel showed up at the end of the night and waited outside for a rep to go and speak to them. But enough of our weak media.
  
  Fred Hahn spoke tonight and he's not giving up.
  
  Neither are the 125-130 parents & employees that were there either
  
  Drums are only just beginning.
  
  Task force has been meeting and they have been communicating with administration making small strides
  
  Lots of letters written tonight to the MPPs - maybe 50 - but the flood has just begun.
  
  Marion Overholt is leading a team to meet with Dwight Duncan within the next week. Task force is working on a meeting with him too. He IS the finance minister after all.
  
  Large rally on March 5th at high noon. As you recall, SSWC (Social Service Worker Sector of CUPE Ontario) Conference is scheduled at Caesars so for 12pm on Friday the 5th of March, what are they going to do but come outside and visit City Hall along with parents, children & members of the community. Marching from City Hall to the Glengarry Ave Childcare Centre. Everybody welcome! Bring your biggest Canadian Flag!
  
  Next up is Amherstburg Council Meeting on Monday, March 8th at 7pm.
  
  TONS of great ideas from parents tonight. Many really angry! Feeling betrayed I think. And well we should all be. It's our kids!
  
  Growing slowly. But growing!"

LESSONS FORGOTTEN FROM THE 400 BUILDING AUDIT

The Star Editors don't read their newspaper for news so why should you continue to subscribe to it!

What a wonderful Editorial on the 25th and a few comments that should have been inserted but were not. I wonder why.

• "City spared avoided
  Learning lessons from the 400 audit"
  
  "We can understand why Smith believes the city tried to keep a lid on the events surrounding the tendering and building of the 400 Building until the time line for suing had expired. That view is shared by many in Windsor. [We can understand why Edgar wants to keep a lid on the events surrounding the tendering and building of the arena]
  
  One could draw the conclusion, as Smith has, that this breach was not something city administrators wanted to become public knowledge. That conclusion could be further reinforced by comments from Coun. Alan Halberstadt, a current member of the audit committee. [One is drawn to the conclusion that there may be a breach that is not something City Hall wants to become public knowledge. That conclusion could be further reinforced by comments from Coun. Alan Halberstadt, a current member of the audit committee, about "unanswered questions"]
  
  Those involved in the spectacle that became the 400 Audit must be reminded that taxpayers were also put at major risk, and they must respond to those taxpayers accordingly. [Our Mayor must be reminded that a $70M+ arena owned by the City puts taxpayers at a major risk especially when it is not as profitable as projected for 2 years now]
  
  Given the fact disclosure took so long, and knowing how the audit unfolded, it is inappropriate for administration to in any way appear overconfident.
  
  The city must graciously accept EllisDon's goodwill gesture, then do two things: concentrate on fixing the breaches in Windsor's bylaws, and release the original Dunbar audit. [Given the seeming attack on the arena audit, it is inappropriate for Edgar to in any way appear overconfident and say that "there were no "unanswered questions" or to question "the need for an audit." It is time to fix the sole source sections of the Purchasing by-law that the Mayor introduced in his term of office and get the audit done before the election!]

Oh in case you forgot, Edgar's attack on the arena audit was published in the Star on February 23 "WFCU Centre audit on track" before the Editorial was published. Not a word about the disgraceful remarks in the Editorial at all. Keep the focus on the Dunbar audit and off of Edgar!

Hmmm maybe the Editors were going on vacation and missed that story too or were looking for their reporters who had vanished.

POLITICS WINDSOR-STYLE

Mini-Gord tried to downplay it and obviously failed so a Star Editorial is needed to tell us that Edgar (aka Eddie) was not playing dirty politics.

I am talking about Edgar's vicious and uncalled for attack on Bill Marra and his family to try to score political points to prevent Marra from running for Mayor.

The Star tries to tell us with a straight face:

• "It's been suggested there's an ulterior motive behind the decision by the mayor's office to release attendance figures for Windsor city councillors over the past term. Some people have been given the impression that the list appeared, out of the blue, to cause embarrassment.
  
  In fact, the attendance numbers were tallied and released because a Windsor Star reporter asked for them. He did so Feb. 23, the day after council was barely able to scrape together enough councillors to hold the regular Monday night meeting."

If that was true, then the Mayor's office should have answered my email a long time ago but did not. Note the time and date:

• "----- Original Message -----
  
  From: Ed Arditti
  To: Mayor Francis
  Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 8:00 AM
  Subject: Media Inquiry
  
  As an accredited Blogger who writes on politics in Windsor, please provide me immediately with the following information from the start of the Mayor's second term until today.:
  
  --number of Committee meetings that the Mayor did not attend
  --number of Committee meetings in which the Mayor was NOT there for the entire meeting eg he arrived late or left early
  --number of airplane trips that the Mayor has taken on Windsor business whether as Mayor or a member of a Board or committee and out of which airport he has flown for each trip (note I do not care what the destination is or whom he was meeting or for what reason)
  
  Considering the speed in which the Mayor's Office answered the media requests re absences, I expect this information today so I may Blog it tomorrow.
  
  After all as the Mayor said:
  
  ""It's about accountability. We knock on doors saying we want to represent you at the table.... I think the public has a right to know,"

Can one say double-standard? Can one say dirty politics? Why couldn't the Mayor's Chief of Staff have compiled that information and sent it to me right away. Does the Star have special privileges with her?

After all, the Star claimed:

• "But that doesn't alter the fact this was a reasonable question for the media to ask, and the mayor's office had a responsibility to answer it."

Was my question chopped liver? Was it unreasonable? Why wasn't the Mayor's Office obliged to answer it? Does this mean that the only conclusion I should draw is that this was an effort by Edgar through the Messenger to damage Marra?

It is completely disingenuous given the email that Marra sent to the Mayor and Council for the Star to say:

• "Neither the media nor the voters are asking the mayor's office or administration to explain why councillors have missed meetings. That would be a violation of their personal privacy rights."

Those rights were "waived" when Marra sent that email and the Star and the Mayor know that. Edgar chose to give half the story and now the Star has to do damage control. It may well be a fatal mistake for the Mayor politically.

But of course, the Star has to rub it in Marra's face too but in a very subtle manner:

• "But it's also a given that in life, situations and priorities can change, making it difficult for individuals to fulfil their career obligations. When that happens, they must consider taking a leave of absence or stepping down from their position. It's no different for city councillors."

Considering that Bill is looking after his family, running a large organization like New Beginnings and is a Councillor, the last group that should be giving him advice is the Star given the relationship they have with City Hall.

Edgar will never recover from the low blow he gave! People will remember it in October. It is a huge step on the slippery slope for Edgar.