Thoughts On Windsor Politics

It's the pre-election funny season. Time to talk about what is going on

QUEEN GIVES FINGER TO GIGNAC

I wonder if meeting the Queen will be on Councillor Gignac's election brochure. Probably not because she failed:

• "Queen gets invite to Windsor
  
  When Jo-Anne Gignac went to England last Tuesday, she did more than just take in the sights. She invited the Queen to Windsor.
  
  Wearing a large bronze hat and a linen cropped jacket, Windsor's Ward 5 councillor joined about 8,500 guests at the Queen's summer garden party at Buckingham Palace...
  
  Gignac is excited about the invitation.
  
  "I know the people of Windsor will be thrilled," she said."

Well we know now where the Queen is going and it is NOT Windsor:

• "Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office released a preliminary schedule of Queen Elizabeth’s Canadian visit Wednesday, slated to run from June 28 to July 6 with prominent stops in Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Toronto and Waterloo."

Apparently, she is going to New York City too to address the UN.

Heck, blame the failure on the CUPE strike since it took place when she was sipping tea with the Queen, not the Councillor. Everything else wrong in this City is blamed on them so add this too.

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A "WINDSOR" PARADE

Doesn't Edgar (aka Eddie) get it yet? Saying we are going to have an NYC type-parade won't bring the Queen here either.

It really is so pathetic. Is Edgar really ashamed of Windsor because we are too small-townish for a high-flyer like him:

• "Windsor plans 'New York-style' parade Monday for Spits
  
  Regardless of whether they win or lose in the Memorial Cup final Sunday night, the Windsor Spitfires will be welcomed home with a "New York-style" parade on Monday...
  
  Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis announced the plans for the "Parade of Champions" Thursday, and said whether they win or lose the Memorial Cup, he'd like to see 20,000towel-waving fans decked out in Spitfires gear lining Ouellette Avenue...
  
  "This is our New York-style type of parade, lining Ouellette Avenue and the Spits as they make their way down into Dieppe Park," said Francis."

Watch out for the ticker-tape falling from our skyscrapers lining the parade route.

It reminded me of this football story:

• "Giants to get NYC ticker-tape parade if they win, but why not parade in Jersey?
  
  New York City said Thursday that it would hold a ticker-tape parade for the Giants Tuesday if Big Blue wins the Super Bowl. The parade would head up Broadway's fabled Canyon of Heroes to City Hall where the team would be honored at a ceremony...
  
  So how come there's no parade here in Jersey where the Giants actually, you know, play and train? Jerseyans, do you feel snubbed? Where would you plan a Giants Super Bowl parade, Jersey style?"

TREMENDOUS YEAR

That's Edgar's new catch-phrase, for this month at least.

Good thing that mini-Gord did a column on the State of the City speech of Edgar or we would not have known how tremendous the year has been.

• "Reaction to Mayor Eddie Francis's seventh state of the city address last week was so focused on his re-election plans -- will he or won't he? -- we overlooked what a landmark speech it was."

Mind you in his speech, Edgar did use the word "tremendous" but not in a good way:

• "For our families … it has been a time of deep anxiety and tremendous uncertainty."

But now, tremendous has changed its colour

• "Francis marks city's 118th birthday
  
  The fourth annual Mayor's Riverfront Walk saw crowds of citizens join Francis for the yearly walk along the riverfront, ending at Dieppe Gardens. The throngs cheered as Francis cut into a large birthday cake.
  
  Francis said the celebration showed a "positive sense of momentum building in this city" after what he called a "tremendous" year. "Today's just an amazing, awesome day for this whole community and region," Francis said."
  
  
• "In double delirium
  
  Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis said the Spits' big win helped cap off a "tremendous" year for the city.
  
  "I think all of us are excited," he said. "The Spits have given us all a reason to be proud."

DWIGHT-LITE vs. EVERYMAN

Not fair. Al Maghnieh gets oodles of coverage and his main opponent so far, Jeff Gaudette, gets a few sentences.

No mention of the 80 people plus who showed up at Jeff's candidacy announcement, no photos of supporters either. So here are a few.

What has Al got going for him---"Al Maghnieh, who has spent the past seven years working in Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s local constituency office"--- and trotting out the Zalev plant the way Edgar did in his first mayoral run until it became too expensive a deal and he backed away from it.

Here is how Gaudette will be campaigning. From his recent pamphlet

His theme clearly is bringing the Community together after the divisiveness of our Mayor and Council. It is a theme that will be a common one I would bet among many candidates.

It will be interesting if the Liberal machine can outgun the populist support that Gaudette has considering his background. If Maghnieh loses, there goes his political career so a lot is at stake.

Oh and it is doubtful now that Councillor Valentinis will dare run in this Ward.

THE SANDRA/EDGAR RELATIONSHIP

Why everything is just so peachy-keen between the two of them now since Sandra and Dwight crushed and smashed Edgar down over Greenlink and showed him who was boss that I do not want to rain on their love-in.

Do note in Doug Schmidt's BLOG though this comment that shows the fragility of the relationship:

• "Pupatello modestly points out that all those projects and programs Windsor's using with skill to help itself climb out of recession "had their genesis in provincial policy."

She does NOT like Edgar taking credit for her work as he did with Sutherland as an example.