So close...

With the Provincial legislature shut down for the summer and all parties in election mode, Windsor's border solution just became a rather large political football.

Border Plan Release Delayed
The timeline for a detailed plan for a new border crossing in West Windsor seems to have been pushed back.

Today, representatives of the Detroit River International Crossing Study would only commit to a vague schedule that will include more lengthy public consultation.

In the absence of our shiny new $250,000 dollar communication department, we turn to the Windsor Star for information:

Decision on truck tunnel will be delayed because city and province can't agree

The city has again retained the services of former traffic engineer Sam Schwartz who has studied the corridor and started offering possible options to the province.

The province seems to be pushing for a cheaper at-grade solution with green buffer zone.

"The city is taking extra steps to make qualified submissions to DRIC for their consideration," Francis said. "We are certainly frightened and fearful of cheap solutions."

Last but not least, "Son of Sam",

Traffic guru has corridor tunnel plan
Francis fearful of province's 'cheap solutions' for route
Dave Battagello, Windsor Star
Published: Saturday, June 16, 2007

Sam Schwartz, the city's hired traffic guru, has come up with innovative tunnelling suggestions for a border truck road in the Talbot-Huron Church corridor, according to Mayor Eddie Francis, who urged Ontario officials to take a closer look at Schwartz's plans.

As the city and provincial officials on the Detroit River International Crossing team remain at loggerheads,it was announced Friday that a recommendation on the truck route, expected this month, is being delayed.

The city several weeks ago rehired the former New York traffic engineer known as Gridlock Sam. He studied the planned border access route corridor between the end of Highway 401 and E.C. Row Expressway and offered possible tunnelling options to the province.

Options - not compromise. Make sure the correct wording is used or you'll earn a trip to the woodshed.

The knife cuts both ways

The head of the dragon here

If only the folks cocooned in government towers in Toronto and Ottawa could understand this. If only they could see that spending a few billion dollars on world-class border infrastructure here -- including a tunnelled route to a new bridge -- is a drop in the bucket compared with the potential dividends over decades.

The same arguments can be made for funding an intermodal freight terminal at underutilized Windsor Airport and for a new state-of-the-art downtown University of Windsor engineering school.

We need visionaries. Sadly, we're stuck with self-serving senior politicians and petty-minded provincial and federal bureaucrats.

Let's not forget the cocoon surrounding our own City Hall. When exactly was it the City switched from "Schwartz or nothing" to "tunneling or nothing" ? The first mention any residents received of tunneling from the City was Councillor Marra's long deferred notice of motion. With all the fanfare and chest thumping surrounding the Schwartz Report (and a price tag to match), it certainly died a quick albeit quiet death.

The Downtown engineering school? How many plans have been announced for this site? How much have we spent on studies over the years? I shudder to think of the cost. Windsor seems to be in love with whatever plan is the flavour of the month. We just never know what the flavour is until after the fact.

Inter-modal freight terminal? Does the City think that the senior levels of government are just going to show up with a wheelbarrow of money and start shoveling on demand? We're so busy running our golf courses, marinas and our latest business, a tunnel, that we can't see the forest for the trees.

Successive Federal and Provincial governments have a lot to answer for, but Windsor isn't exactly in the position to be casting the first stone. Not by a long shot.

What could $80,000.00 USD do for Windsor?

We already know that the $80,000 USD being spent on the Grand Prix could have been used to secure the Buskers Fest, but what else could that money do for Windsor?

• Pay for the final phase of the Community Improvement Plan for Glengarry Marentette -Glengarry-Marentette Waterfront Village urban design guidelines ($75,000)

• Sustainable Downtown plan, a Community Improvement Plan study to to finalize a financial incentive program for investors wishing to redevelop downtown with shops houses and residential lofts. ($60,000)

• Park Playground replacements: at an estimated cost of $30,000 to $40,000 per park, up to 3 more parks could be added to the list for replacement this year - Adstoll, Esdras, Little River Acres, Riverdale, Thompson and East Riverside are the parks slated for 2008 that could be moved up

• Parks and Recreation Health and Safety Orders: double the current funding to begin dealing with a backlog of Health and Safety orders. ($75,000)

• Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex - family changeroom ($71,840)

• Adie Knox Herman pool refurbishment ($52,200)

• Gino A. Marcus pool refurbishment ($48,000)

• Oakwood Community Centre - upgrades and refurbishment ($46,300)

Those are just a few examples from the City's 2007 Recommended Capital Budget.

All of the branding, re-imaging, communications and messaging in the world isn't going to accomplish anything unless we are willing to address the underlying issues.

Coming up next week - What will $100,000 and $250,000 buy the City of Windsor (the amounts we're currently contemplating spending on "rebranding, imaging and communications).

PS. to my knowledge, we still haven't heard exactly what the City of Windsor is getting for it's $80,000 USD investment in the Detroit Grand Prix

Not looking good for Buskers Fest

How curious. We could make an $80,000 USD commitment to the Detroit Grand Prix, but couldn't give the Busker's Festival one for $40,000 CDN. Why is it Council only found out about all the difficulties at the last minute. Were they informed prior to the News Release on the 31st of May?

I agree with promoter Ken Brandes - moving the festival to the downtown streets would be a bad idea, especially with the streetscaping underway.

25 pages on the Detroit Grand Prix website. Couldn't find any mention of Windsor.

"The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is being organized and promoted by a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, whose chairman is Roger Penske. A provision has been made that enables the net proceeds of the Grand Prix to fund measures to preserve and improve Belle Isle."

Just because...

To go with the new banner, everyone should listen to this blog's theme song at least once.

Excuse me...

It's gonna take me a while to recover, I've been laughing my ass off ever since reading Gord's piece in the Windsor Star this morning.

Read it again and then tell me why he continues to endorse local politicians such as Joe Comartin and Brian Masse. The absolute antithesis of what he waxes so nostalgic about in his articles.

Please spare me.!

Something to keep in mind

PR for the Provincial government, scraps for municipalities:

Ont. unveils program to help municipalities go green
CanWest News Service
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - The province of Ontario is providing $200 million in loans and $20 million in grants over the next three years to help cities and towns reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

If the Province really believed in "going green" the grants would be $200 million and the loans $20 million. The lineup will be 10 deep for the grants, while no wait status is ensured for the loan line.

Any wonder why Windsor wants to establish as $250,000.00 dollar Communications Department? More of the same.

Shadow Poll # 7 - Results

I've been neglecting the Shadow Polls lately. This one was up for a long time.

I was surprised at how many people did know about the Ward funds. On the other hand, considering most people that visit here are probably fairly knowledgeable about City affairs, I guess I shouldn't be.

New poll is up in the sidebar. I'll post the results of this week's poll just prior to next Monday's Council meeting when the fate of the Buskers Festival is likely to be decided.

A Channel report on Bridge Demoltion request

Good report from the A-Channel on this subject. Includes the fact that the draft report on the Heritage District Study area dated March of this year did NOT include the buildings the Bridge Company is requesting to demolish.

At the rate this situation is developing, this one case alone should put a couple of law firm's kids through University.

AM800 Bridge Poll

The poll runs till tomorrow morning, but the results so far are enlightening.

The AM800 poll is located on the main page of the site, right hand sidebar (under the weather).

Quick Hits

Good news for the lawyers, bad for taxpayers.

Buskers Fest earns short reprieve. Time for all in the City to step up. Here's one suggestion for funding - $5000.00 per ward would be a good shot in the arm. Update: just listened to the report on AM800 regarding this issue. Apparently the reason given now is uncertainty due to the budget not being finalized till May. $40,000 was budgeted for this event.

Windsor's brand - a quick internet survey. Very interesting to read, including all the comments.

Federal Election anyone?

City News Releases: Jan 2007 - 2 (Council Notes), Feb 2007 - 2 (Council Notes), Mar - 7 (2 Council Notes), Apr 2007 - 7 (2 Council Notes), May 2007 - 13 (no Council Notes), Jun 2007 - 3 to date (no Council Notes). Were Jan, Feb, Mar and Apr really slow news months for the City or is the battle for the $250,000.00 dollar communication budget still underway? Could August 2007 see us with our new Communications Department and no Busker's Fest to promote? Ironic wouldn't even begin to describe that moment.

Bridge crossing site discovered

DRIC's preferred crossing site has recently been discovered. Confirmation was obtained after crews hired by the City of Windsor were spotted drilling test bores for site suitability.

The new site, although the most expensive option possible, is widely touted as satisfying every group's concerns, with the exception of the Bridge company.

Busker Bump

H/T to Councillor's Marra and Lewenza for taking up the Busker cause. I was really disappointed when I saw the news release from the City canceling the event. I was living in Halifax when they started their Buskers event and have loved it ever since.

$80,000 US for the Detroit Grand Prix is ridiculous when Festivals such as Epicure and Buskers hang by a thread. If it's too late to cancel this commitment, then I would suggest the "branding" money allocated in this year's budget be re-allocated.

I'd rather see vibrant successful festivals happening downtown than have to read another high-priced consultants report destined for the shelf with all the others we've paid for over the years.

Blast from the past...

Some things never seem to change in Windsor. I found this picture on Al Nelman's old website.

You bring the butter

Having looked at this week's delegation list for Monday's Council meeting, I think I'm going to stock up on the popcorn and settle in for some interesting TV.

It seems like such a shame to have one of the busiest Council agenda in months on a night when both Ward 3 Councillors are unable to attend.

Council Communications will take you a while to read this week. (4 parts).

The Council Remuneration report is included(page 13). Looking at it, either Enwin and Windsor Utilities Commission have some serious issues requiring endless meetings or they are being used to subsidize Councillor's pay without actually having to deal with the issue in public.

Any monies received for various boards and committees is pooled and shared equally amongst Council. Last year, thanks to a payment of $158,968.44 to WUC/Enwin members, Councillor's received $17,531.59 as individual shares from the pooled funds. On top of their base salary of $$26,372.93, this brings the total salary to $46,445.94.

I think this is a fair total for our Councillors, if not even on the low side considering the amount of work they perform. It would be interesting to compare this years Enwin/WUC payments with the last 4 years.

If the case is there for Councillors to be paid more than $26,372.93 then it should be made in public. EnWin/WUC is owned by the City of Windsor and has no other shareholders to my knowledge. These large payments for meetings have the appearance of a salary increase by stealth.

One final note. As I read the Council Communications and other various reports each week, I'm left hoping that we've seriously beefed up our legal budget this year. I get the sense we're going to need it.

(click image for full size)

Testing, testing, 1,2,3...

For all you Blackberry, PDA and cellphone users (with web browser), surf on over to Alan Halberstadt.com on your favourite handheld device. I'm testing a new PDA version of the website and would like see how it runs on a number of different platforms.

So far I've been using an emulator and a Blackberry 7520 to check things out. Drop me an email at bluebloggingsoapbox@gmail.com and let me know the type of device you used to access the site and whether you encountered any problems. Cell phone users will probably encounter a fair amount of scrolling to view all the content as the site is formatted for larger screen PDAs.

I'm going to leave the PDA site up for several days to test things. Once I have all the bugs worked out and as much content as possible mirrored on the PDA site, I'll be able to launch it for full time service.

More and more people are accessing the net with handheld devices, so this is a natural extension of the website that I'd like to develop and grow.

Windsor Star Blogs - new and improved

Congratulations to the Windsor Star on the upgrade to their Blog section. The revamped Windsor Star blogs now feature comments (registration required), tags (Digg, del.ici.ous and Tag Cloud), easy to find permalinks and RSS feeds for each blog. Along with the standard RSS are easy subscribe buttons to readers such as Bloglines, Feedgator and CanWest's own rss.Canada.com . Random blogs are featured on the homepage of the Windsor Star, top right hand corner, along with a link to the complete blog list.

Now I know what happened to Council Notebook blogger Roseann Danese. Apparently Roseann is the new head of web services at the Star. (not sure if this is the correct title). While I miss her blog on City affairs, her efforts so far on the blog section are excellent. Contrary to some people's opinion of blogs as nothing more than a "ultimate exercise in vanity", most major media outlets recognize their potential in driving traffic to an outlets website and ultimately to their advertisers. The internet is where most growth is happening, especially for traditional print mediums such as newspapers and magazines.

I've added the feeds for all the Star's blogs to WE Speak. I'm trying out a feature at Feedburner called Pingshot that will hopefully ping the WE Speak blogroll whenever one of the Star bloggers post. This will automatically move their blog to the top of the WE Speak blogroll.

The Star bloggers are a welcome addition to the blogging community in Essex County. Here's your chance to interact with the reporters and columnists that you read every day.

Vanderblogger - Chris Vander Doelen

Off the Hill - Sharon Hill

Reel Life- Roberta Pennington (name change may be pending? Stay tuned!)

Blogelicious - Ted Whipp

Life on Tour - Don McArthur

Duffer's Dabbles - Bob Duff

Running Chatter - Monica Wolfson

Pearson to Person - Craig Pearson

Ward Fund Spending 2006

Below are the results of my analysis of Ward Fund spending just prior to and after the last Municipal Election in 2006.

Each Ward had a budget in 2006 of $30,000.00 dollars, although they were allowed to carry over any unspent funds from previous years. No Ward spent only the $30,000.00 budgeted for 2006 and the lowest percentage spent during the July to December period was 69.17% in Ward Two.

Lowest spending Ward was Ward One at $31,000.00 dollars, although it should be noted that $30,000.00 dollars of this amount represents only Councillor Zuk's portion of the fund. Top spending Ward goes to Ward Five at $117,776.00 dollars, followed by Ward Four at $78,436.00 dollars.

Looking at the money spent in each ward, especially in the months leading up to the election, are the contests in Windsor really a fair race subject to the same rules? While campaign spending is regulated by the Municipal Act and subject to strict spending limits, individual Ward spending of taxpayer dollars is not covered.

Hopefully future Council candidates will cast a critical eye on Ward Fund spending when contemplating whether or not to run for a Council seat. At the very least, Ward Fund spending should be reported on a monthly basis in an election year. Ultimately, the existence and use of these funds should be eliminated in favour of an open and accountable process available to all groups in Windsor. I am continuing my research into whether or not similar funds are used in other municipalities and what rules govern their use.

Ward One
Total Spending 2006		$31,000.00
Spending Jul - Dec		$31,000.00
% spent Jul - Dec		100.00%
Note: $30,000 of the funds spent are noted
as coming from Councillor Zuk's portion of the fund
One incumbent, one open seat
Result: one new councillor
Ward Two
Total Spending 2006		$51,801.00
Spending Jul - Dec		$35,832.00
% spent Jul - Dec		69.17%
Two incumbents
Result: both incumbents re-elected
Ward Three
Total Spending 2006		$51,476.00
Spending Jul - Dec		$41,076.00
% spent Jul - Dec		79.80%
Two incumbents
Result: both incumbents re-elected
Ward Four
Total Spending 2006		$83,716.00
Spending Jul - Dec		$78,436.00
% spent Jul - Dec		93.69%
Two incumbents
Results: one incumbent, one new councillor
Ward Five
Total Spending 2006		$126,476.00
Spending Jul - Dec		$117,776.00
% spent Jul - Dec		93.12%
One incumbent, one open seat
Result: one new councillor

Ward 5 Fund - August 2005 to November 2006

Were you a lucky winner of the "Ward 5 Fund Lottery" in 2005/2006?

Get your tickets early for the 2007 edition of the lottery.

This year's prize pool estimated to be $27,000.00 .

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 4 Lottery.
(some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillor's sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)



Chance #1

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 4 Lottery.
(some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillor's sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)



Chance #2

Below are the Ward 5 Fund expenditures for 2005/2006.
(click on the pic for full size)



Note: coming tomorrow - an analysis of Ward Fund spending from August to December 2006 (pre and post election period).

Ward 4 Fund - August 2005 to November 2006

Were you a lucky winner of the "Ward 4 Fund Lottery" in 2005/2006?

Get your tickets early for the 2007 edition of the lottery.

This year's prize pool estimated to be $31,728.00 .

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 4 Lottery.
(some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillor's sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)



Chance #1



Chance #2

Below are the Ward 4 Fund expenditures for 2005/2006.
(click on the pic for full size)

The Artful Dodge

City told to pay injured cyclist

Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis and city solicitor George Wilkki said they didn’t know enough about the case Monday to comment. A message left with Jack Fitch, who represented the city in the lawsuit, was not returned. The city has 30 days to appeal. Yovanovich said he’s happy with Morissette’s judgment because he thinks it may improve road conditions for cyclists.

I guess that's what happens when you don't have a $250,000 dollar PR department to rely on. Besides the border, exactly what does Council discuss at in-camera meetings if they're not receiving updates on on-going cases such as this?

Quick Hits - Monday June 4th

Interesting editorial from the Ottawa Citizen. I liked the "shoot the messenger theme". Unfortunately, in Windsor the media tends to be the shooter instead of the victim. Why do we need a $250,000 dollar PR department for City Hall when we have the Windsor Star and AM800? (ever listened to the Mayor's spot on the Morning Drive - for an all news station, AM800 should hang it's head in shame. Weekly fluff piece doesn't even begin to describe it)


Dion buys barters civic support
Not surprising from an organization who secretly voted out their President, Guelph Councillor Gloria Kovach, for having the temerity to attempt to run as a Conservative candidate. You haven't heard the last of her and the FCM yet.

Businesses, would-be investors - pay no attention. There are no militant unions in Windsor. Move along, nothing to see here.

Ward One, Ward Two and Ward Three Ward Fund Lottery Tickets still available. Details on Ward Four and Ward Five lottery to follow.

The circular logic of Windsor City Council. Anyone who wonders why Windsor has an anti-business reputation, wonder no more. Current halls in Windsor are virtually guaranteed no new competition in Windsor thanks to this lovely bylaw. A bonus for the City owned and run Roseland. How does the City of Windsor make decisions on matters such as this when they are essentially a competitor?

Olde Sandwich Community Improvement Plan moves forward with blinding speed while others like Glengarry-Marentette languish. Maybe the Glengarry-Marentette area should lobby for an International crossing to be built in their area - seems to work for others.

City no longer in the running for Tunnel

Unless the Mayor has access to deep pockets he hasn't let us in on yet, it looks like Alinda really wants to keep on managing the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel.

Firm issues bid for American side of Detroit-Windsor tunnel

UPDATE: According to a report today by the Detroit News, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced in a impromptu press conference, that Alinda has boosted its offer to $70 million from $60 million.

Furthermore, he said he would veto the portion of the Detroit budget, approved by the City Council, that relies on the sale of $58 million in bonds to Windsor and that he was "excited" that a new offer is on the table.

Anyone else get the feeling that Windsor was used to drive up the price on this one? Kwame doesn't really give a hoot who runs it - just whoever's going to provide the most cash.

I can't wait to see the legal bill for our negotiations. This was dumb to begin with, no matter how the Mayor tries to spin it, now it's going to be dumb, expensive and pointless. Yet another good example of why Cities shouldn't be or try to be in business.

Three strikes and you're out.

PS. I wonder what the City of Windsor could do with an extra $75 million US right now?

Update: here's the coverage of the "impromptu press conference" held by Mayor Kilpatrick. Can the City of Windsor win a bidding war with Alinda?

Kilpatrick: Let's rethink Cobo expansion

David Josar / The Detroit News
In a wide-ranging, impromptu press conference on the front porch of The Grand Hotel, the mayor also said he would veto the portion of the Detroit budget, approved by the City Council, that relies on the sale of $58 million in bonds; was "excited" that a new offer is on the table to lease the city's portion of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel; and is against a proposal to make the Michigan Legislature part-time.

Before becoming mayor, Kilpatrick had been House Democratic leader.

Kilpatrick said that Alinda Capital Partners LLC has already increased to $70 million from $60 million its offer to extend its lease with the city for its part of the tunnel.

The city had already been negotiating to lease the tunnel to Windsor.

This afternoon, Kilpatrick is to be on a panel with Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Macomb County Commission Chairman William Crouchman, Ficano and Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.

Stay tuned!

Mayors make a list of demands for Ottawa

Mayors make a list of demands for Ottawa
But big-city leaders unclear about getting federal approval for their requests

Jun 01, 2007 04:30 AM

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion said the mayors must still convince citizens the cities need the $100 billion they claim is warranted for maintaining, repairing and upgrading infrastructure. She said they must explain that in a way the average voter can relate to.

Spending $250,000.00 on a PR department and millions on "marketing" and "branding" would not be advisable strategies in the Mayor's quest to explain these complicated matters to us average voters. We won't even get into the buffet menu.

Downtown Farmers Market

The 2006 Downtown Farmers' Market will be open from June 1, 2007 through October 31, 2007.

Downtown Market Hours
Wednesday through Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm

406 Pelissier at the Park Pelissier Garage
Windsor, Ontario.

One hour free parking is available at the Park Pelissier garage above the market.

Crossing Made Easy.com

A great new initiative by the local Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Crossing Made Easy.com is a one-stop shop for border related info. Passports, Nexus cards, Duty Free, along with specific info on Windsor's two crossings - the Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge.

If you have a local blog/website consider posting either a button or banner linking to the site.

Button

98 x 110 .jpg





Banner

468 x 60 .jpg

I've posted a button here at the Shadow and included the banner in rotation at Libertyblogs.ca, WE Speak and Blue Blogging Soapbox.

Two for the price of one

A Henderson column and a main editorial. If I was Alan, I'd run out and buy a 6/49 ticket this week.

I'll take a look at Gord's column first. After reading the article I was wondering if Gord has upgraded to email yet, let alone the internet.

"So it doesn't surprise me in the least that Coun. Alan Halberstadt finds himself in his favourite place this week, up to his armpits in hot water, over potential conflicts between his day job, representing Ward 3, and his moonlighting as a journalist."

"And when a blog, the ultimate vanity exercise, has the potential to compromise negotiations involving billions of dollars and the city's very future, that's especially true."

Either Gord hasn't visited Alan's website or chooses to ignore most of what's there. Alan doesn't have a blog, he has a website that includes a blog as one of it's tools. That may seem to be splitting hairs to some, but there is a distinct difference between the two. Rather than "moonlighting as a journalist", the website represents an extension of his work as a City Councillor.

I've listed some of the various features of the site previously, so I won't go into it again here. Suffice it to say that the blog portion of the site is but one of the many tools designed to reach out and communicate with the residents of Ward 3. As a journalist, Alan probably recognizes the value of this more so than the average Councillor. One key aspect - it doesn't cost the taxpayers a single cent. Stacked up against the proposed $250,000.00 dollar Communications Department for the City, that's a pretty good bang for the buck.

With declining voter turnouts and general apathy to all things political in Canada, we should be encouraging politicians at all levels to leverage modern communication tools, not trying to impose a gag on them. The Mayor promised a "fireside chat of the 21st century" email newsletter in his 2006 Inaugural Address (page 12), seven months later he doesn't seem to have found the "send" button yet. (I guess this was going to be one of the tasks for our new Communications department). Paul Martin Sr. was famous for his appearances at various barber shops and weddings throughout his riding when he represented Windsor. A website such as Alan's represents a modern online version of the barbershop. It's a place to interact with residents, hear their opinions and provide various services and information.

I guess Gord doesn't visit my humble blog too often or he wouldn't have needed to write the following

"I don't know how many regular folks read Halberstadt's blog."

On Tuesday I reported 13,444 unique visitors. As of this morning that count stood at 14,177 unique and 31776 total visits. Last time I checked, that's a lot of regular folks looking for information.

The main editorial in today's Star presents a more even-handed look at this situation than that dished out by Gord Henderson. As a strong advocate for smaller/less government, there's not much I disagree with. On the other hand, I see the value of an Integrity Commissioner along with a Lobbyist registrar. In a city such as Windsor where transparency and open government haven't exactly become buzz words, a little growth can go a long way.

One last comment. If the City of Windsor border strategy hinges on parsing the various meanings of compromise then we're in far deeper trouble than I ever imagined.

Around the blogs...

A few quick hits from WE Speak that caught my eye over the last few days:

1. The things you find reading blogs. The fact that this happened to Councillor Ken Lewenza Jr at a Propaganda conference might be considered a delightful delicious hilarious appropriate bit of irony.

2. Blast from Windsor's past

3. Congrats Adriano

4. Neighbourhood in Action - Monmouth cleans up in Ward 3

Careful What You Wish For

The Motor City Mini-Mouth (TM) roars:

Blog sparks uproar
Lewenza says Halberstadt undermining border negotiations

This is the "leak" of confidential information that will single-handedly sabotage and undermine the position of the City of Windsor?

"City Council met privately last night and the night before to hash out its preliminary position on the DRIC blueprints. New York transportation guru Sam Schwartz, with a full team of technicians, is back in town and ready to engage in intense modelling with the provinces's engineers to hopefully find a compromise on the route's many nuances."

Which part is the one that is so damaging? The fact that Sam Schwartz, author of the $500,000.00 Schwartz Report so widely derided and dismissed, is back in town with his $10,000.00 a minute team to strategize with City Council?

Quite frankly, if this Council wasn't consulting with someone, preparing various strategies and compromises options on the border route, they would be considered the biggest collection of boobs to ever warm Council seats, although the debate is still open on that particular issue.

Was Sam Schwartz's visit to Windsor classified as a 'City Secret', not to be revealed?

Would it be so difficult for the Mayor (as the lead on the issue) to issue a press release about the meetings -ie Transportation Consultant Sam Schwartz will be meeting with Windsor City Council over the next several days to consider compromises strategies in preparation for the upcoming release in June of the DRIC report on the Windsor Border Crossing....

Instead the option chosen was the typical Windsor secret in-camera meeting with no notice other than "Border Issues" on the agenda published after the meetings were held. Trust us they say.

The designation of the Mayor as "lead" on this issue means he is the official spokesperson for the file, not that he's the only one allowed to speak on anything border related. Blindly and silently following other "leads" in the past is what delivered Windsor gems like the Candarel building and MFP fiasco.

"Yeah, I was surprised (at Halberstadt's blog), but it's not the first time where he has talked border and we have challenged him for it."

I'm sure Councillor Halberstadt will be pleased to know that his fellow Councillor's read his blog with such fervour and attention to detail.

What were some of the other times Councillor Lewenza was referring to? Would one be Councillor Halberstadt's relentless push to have Council reveal exactly how much money they are spending on lawyers and consultants? How about the letter from the Mayor to the Federal Transport Minister that the Windsor Star seemed able to get a copy of before any City Councillor could? Or maybe this isn't border related at all. Could it have something to do with the $250,000.00 dollar Communication Department that Councillor Lewenza was in such favour of? Council's eating habits? There certainly seemed to be a lot of behind the scenes Council opinion floating around related to that issue. Multi-residential tax fairness is another issue Counicllor Halberstadt has been championing of late, much to the chagrin of most on Council.

Maybe Councillor Lewenza and others wouldn't be so surprised if while visiting Councillor Halberstadt's website they also took the time to review his campaign platform, still posted for all to see. The top three issues listed there certainly seem to relate to this situation.

A Grand Vision of Small Solutions

• Urge the new Council to take a more conciliatory approach with the senior levels of government to find a solution to our border issues.

• End the reliance on expensive lawyers and consultants on the border file.

• Ask for an external Municipal Act expert to orient the new Council on methods to be open and transparent.

I realize it's shocking to many people for a politician today to actually attempt to accomplish what they pledged during a campaign.

The mention of an Integrity Commissioner in the article would be a welcome addition to Windsor, although Councillor Lewenza might not wish to be so quick off the mark in questioning Councillor Halberstadt's integrity through an insinuation such as this.

I wonder how far back an Integrity Commissioner would be authorized to investigate? October of 2006 is certainly one occasion that springs to mind. We never did learn anything more about the mysterious note or classroom confrontations.

Why share an Integrity Commissioner with another municipality though, when you could give the position a secondary role of Lobbyist Registrar and really open the doors of Windsor City Hall to some well needed sunshine? If we're going to be considering options, let's get them all out on the table, as uncharacteristic as that may be for Windsor.

The question to continue asking yourselves is just what is it about Councillor Halberstadt's website that so threatens his fellow Councillors and the Mayor?

H/T to Alan for the inspiration for this blog title.

Update: Chris Schnurr also has a blog related to this issue. Looks like he wrote his prior to today's Star article being published.

City of Windsor versus Bloggers - Round Two

So what is it about bloggers that so frightens some people on Windsor City Council?

Today's Windsor Star has an article about Councillor Alan Halberstadt walking out of an in-camera meeting after being accused of leaking information on his website.

Congratulations to Alan for refusing to buckle to the secrecy obssessed Council. I agree with him that it was an inappropriate topic to be discussing at an in-camera meeting. If a Councillor wishes to make such an accusation then they should have the guts to do so at an open public meeting.

For anyone interested - the blog post in question is located here.

I didn't realize the fact the Sam Schwartz was in town and consulting with Council would be considered a state secret worthy of discussion at in-camera proceeding. If Council wonders why the citizens of Windsor are increasingly concerned about their conduct in-camera, you could find no better example of why.

As I have often disclosed here in the past, I designed and manage Alan's website for him. The idea for a blog as part of the site was first discussed early on in the planning for the last municipal campaign. Alan was intrigued by the idea and soon took to blogging like a duck to water. A journalist by trade, Alan immediately recognized the connective value of the blog in his efforts to communicate with his constituents.

Following the campaign, Alan decided to keep his website as a tool to reach out to the residents in his ward. The site was redesigned with that task in mind, and continues to evolve to this day.

After the election, I reset the site tracking software used to record traffic. Since that time, 13,444 unique visitors have viewed the website. (the tracking software records each visit from an individual ip address only once per day. If you visited the site at 8 am, 12 noon and 6pm, the software would only record 1 "unique" visit from your ip).

Since re-launching the website, here is a list of some of it's accomplishments:

1. Alan has had several citizens from around the community post Guest blogs;

2. he's interviewed others as part of his Council Chat series of blog videos;

3. added a Weblink section for websites in and around the Windsor Region (including a new section of Blogging Councillors from across Canada and around the world);

4. created a "Service Centre" of features that assist Windsor residents. It includes direct links to 311 info, the City of Windsor website, the newly launched Bizpal services, City of Windsor job postings, City and School News (news, press releases and community info from various Windsor sources aggregated by RSS and updated hourly), and location info for the Ward 3 Customer Care Centre located at the Optimist Community Centre on Ypres;

5. Alan has received and responded to numerous emails, submitted through the site, from Ward 3 residents dealing with a wide variety of concerns and issues;

6. Run a regular series of Windsor Essex County Environment Commission Public Service videos regarding responsible water use;

7. Alan's election platform from the last campaign is posted for reference by all

8. A Community Calendar has been added, along with a link to the City of Windsor Calendar.

The content and control of the site remain with Alan. I simply handle the technical and administrative aspects of the site.

All of this and not a $250,000 dollar communication budget in sight.

If you believe in open and transparent municipal government, take a few minutes to write a Letter to the Editor for the Windsor Star. Let everyone in Windsor know how you feel. Help support Alan in his efforts to reach out to everyone in Windsor.

The Red and White

Thanks to Rosie Dimanno for articulating yesterday what so many of us feel but are unable to express adequately.

I came across the following not long after first reading Rosie's article. Seemed appropriate to me today.

Canadian singer Julian Austin singing his song "Red and White" in Afghanistan.








$5.00 dollars off every CD sold goes to "The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund". If you would like to send donations, cheque or correspondence to:

"The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund"
PO Box #141
Stn. Brooklin
Whitby, Ontario L1M-1B5

Inquiries Captain Wayne Johnston
Joint Task Force (Central) Headquarters Land Forces Central Area
Tel: 416-633-6200 Ext 5505 Cell: 416-275-7448
Email: Johnston.gw@forces.gc.ca

For more information, please goto http://www.woundedwarriors.ca

Cross posted from The Torch

Monday night Council meeting

Off to Toronto today, so not too much time to blog about tonight's meeting.

Take some time to read the Council Communications , Order of Business, and Council Agenda.

No lack of interesting items in this weeks agenda. Lots of info in there for the eagle eyed readers.

Loved the Transit Company lawyer's letter to the Heritage Committee. Heck, even the In-Camera minutes are interesting for a change.

Ward 3 Fund - August 2005 to November 2006

Were you a lucky winner of the "Ward 3 Fund Lottery" in 2005/2006?

Get your tickets early for the 2007 edition of the lottery.

This year's prize pool estimated to be $53,788.00 .

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 3 Lottery.
(some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillor's sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)



Chance #1



Chance #2

Below are the Ward 3 Fund expenditures for 2005/2006.
(click on the pic for full size)




Don't miss out on your chance for fund tickets - only two more wards to go!

Now that last Monday's Council Minutes are posted, I see the Ward Fund got the usual 1-2-3 (don't blink) vote, that issue's done with treatment. Note and file.

The report contained a recommendation for semi-annual reporting. Since the minutes don't mention any specific direction from Council on this issue, I can only assume we're going to keep the traditional " we'll report this when we think about it or someone asks about it" approach.

Municipal follies

No matter how much I may agree/disagree with the Mayor and City Council - at least we don't have this bunch.

I look forward to the Province's reaction next year as the City of Toronto contemplates filing for bankruptcy.

Put the "Royal" back in the Navy and Air Force

H/T Beaverbrook at The Torch

Sign the Petition

Spread the word

Edmonton Centre Conservative MP Laurie Hawn has agreed to sponsor the petition in the House of Commons.

Ward 2 Fund - August 2005 to November 2006

Were you a lucky winner of the "Ward 2 Fund Lottery" in 2005/2006?

Get your tickets early for the 2007 edition of the lottery.

This year's prize pool estimated to be $55,174.00 .

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 2 Lottery.
(some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillor's sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)



Chance #1



Chance #2

Below are the Ward 2 Fund expenditures for 2005/2006.
(click on the pic for full size)

Ward 1 Fund - August 2005 to November 2006

Were you a lucky winner of the "Ward 1 Fund Lottery" in 2005/2006?

Get your tickets early for the 2007 edition of the lottery.

This year's prize pool estimated to be $59,669.00 .

Click one of the images below to qualify for an entry in the 2007 Ward 1 Lottery. (some restrictions may apply. Awards subject to Councillors sole discretion. No rules or regulations required or desired)


Chance #1



Chance #2

I received an email yesterday from one reader indicating some difficulty downloading/opening the .pdf of the Ward Funds report. I'll post pics of each individual Ward's spending over the next several days. (click on the picture for full size)

I apologize for the size of the pictures, not much I could do. (you'll have to speak to your individual councillors about that. Maybe they could do something in the future to help reduce the size).



One other question comes to mind today. If council did approve administration's proposal for semi-annual reporting, does that mean we will see a report in June/July for the November to June timeframe or will we have to wait until November for our next "semi-annual" report?

I'm not holding my breath. It's kinda like waiting for that "21st century fireside chat email" we've all been anticipating.

Ward Funds - lets compare

Unfortunately, due to work commitments I was unable to watch last night's council meeting to see what, if any, decisions were made with regard to the Ward Funds. The report contained a proposal from administration that the funds be reported semi-annually. At the very least, I hope this proposal was adopted.

Personally I'd like to see this fund disappear. If we are going to keep it, a good time to report it would be quarterly, along with the "Sunshine Bylaw" report on Council meetings. In an election year, the fund should be reported for the entire year just prior to voting day, including any future commitments for fourth quarter funds.

In an effort to see what other municipalities are or are not doing with regards to Ward Funds, I've begun to inquire of Sarnia, London, Kitchener and Guelph to see if they have similar practices.

Specifically, do they:

1. have a program similar to Windsor's?

2. what is the program's spending criteria?

3. is there an application process for these funds?

4. what is the selection process for fund recipients?

4. how and when are these funds reported?

5. does the City have a Charitable Giving policy?

Ward Funds - a long overdue report

Anyone who follows politics closely probably knows of the time-honoured practice of releasing reports on the Friday before a holiday break or long weekend. I suppose it's still tried because it sometimes works. A cynical person might think that this weeks Communications Agenda is one such case. Good thing I'm not cynical.

(although not the subject of this blog, the 6 new applications from Boardwalk REIT for condo conversions are interesting to note)

On this week's Communication Agenda we find a report on Ward Funds. This is the first report on these funds since August 2005, the date of the last report to Council.

Anyone wondering why an incumbent Windsor City Councillor is hard to beat in an election should really take a close look at the report. I've cut out the particular report from the Communications agenda so that readers don't have to wade through everything.

Ward Fund Report (.pdf)

Let me say at the outset that I'm not alleging that anything illegal or unethical is happening with these funds, simply that they should not exist. They are nothing more than Ward Piggy Banks to be doled out at the Councillors discretion. There is little transparency in these funds and virtually no accountability. Where is the criteria and application process for these funds? How is the existence of these funds advertised to residents in the various wards? How do Councillors in each individual ward decide the winners of each year's allocation - flip a coin, draw numbers or throw a few darts?

I'm sure CUPE Local 543 President Mark McArthur would be interested to learn of the application process after his request for matching funds from Council for Brentwood was turned down.

The majority of the expenditures listed are arguably for worthwhile causes, although one exception in my mind is the $5,600.00 spent by Ward 2 Councillors Jones and Postma in 2005. "Flyers and Postage for Ward 2 Mailings to keep residents updated on Ward issues" Quite frankly, I get enough of this self-serving crap from my MP and MPP, I certainly don't need more from my Councillors. I don't have a bird cage or litter box so it all goes directly from the mailbox to the recycling bin.

The criteria for spending these funds is woefully inadequate:

Ward Fund Policy
On May 2, 2005, Council rescinded CR272/2004 and approved the following policy:

* Ward Councillors are authorized to spend ward funds at their discretion within their own wards;

* Notice of the use of ward funds including details of how the monies are spent must be reported on a public agenda, but Council approval is not required;

*If the two Ward Councillors cannot agree on the use of their ward fund, no monies will be expended;

* Monies must be spent on identifiable projects or undertakings having a specific purpose and objective.

Based on the above policy, where a proposed expenditure meets the above criteria, the funding shall be issued in accordance with normal City procedures.

The annual allocation to the Ward Fund was $40,000 per Ward through 2005. In 2006 the total amount was reduced to $30,000 per Ward and further reduced to $27,000 per Ward in 2007

Not mentioned in the above is the fact that unspent monies rollover to the following year. A handy thing leading up to an election year. A further amendment was passed in 2006 to address what happens when Councillors can't agree on how the funds are to be spent:

Moved by Councillor Zuk, seconded by Councillor Lewenza,
M106-2006 That the Ward Fund policy (M73-2005) BE AMENDED to include a provision that in the event that the respective ward councillors cannot agree on the use of their ward fund, that the funds be split 50-50, and to be used at their own discretion, and that the details of how the monies are spent continue to be reported on a public agenda.
Carried.

The chart below summarizes the spending. Interesting to note that not a single ward spent only the minimum of $30,000 in 2006 leading up to the election. (click on picture for full size)








So not only does Windsor feed it's Councillors well (Food for thought, Windsor Council Essex County's Gastronomical Winners, Eat hearty, it's only tax money) , it gives them a nice allowance of $15,000 to spend as they see fit.

Ward Funds should be abolished. People wishing to receive funds should be required to appear before Council as anyone else. Councillors wishing to spend funds should have to justify their decisions in an open public meeting.

More apartment related stuff

It's a good thing Council decided to provide some tax relief to the multi-res sector after all in the latest budget, otherwise this report would have been like throwing gasoline on a fire.

If a federally supported and subsidized housing complex is having financial difficulties, is experiencing a 5.8% vacancy rate and in tax arrears - how do you think the rest of the city's apartment owners are doing?

Some stray thoughts

From the Mayor's "State of the City" address

1. If we as Canadians have this visceral hatred of all things associated with American politics, why then a "State of the City" address? Nice PR exercise. (I wonder what St. Clair charges for rent on it's new theatre?)

2. Once in a while I'd like to hear what our current debt is, how much we're paying this year and what it's projected to be next year. You know, just in case I'm not around to celebrate in 2011.

" Before our debt reduction plan was approved by city council, our municipal debt was to have grown to $245 million by 2011.

Thanks to our debt reduction plan, Windsor’s municipal debt is projected to be only
$155.7 million by 2011.

It will then further be reduced to $128 million by 2012."

3. "We asked the people of Windsor about their priorities. And we were told to focus on the
basics – renew our roads and sewers." So where does the rebranding, marketing and imaging as a priority keep coming from? (along with the associated budgets)

4. In a word - NO!

"Today, we have independent communications functions in Social Services, Building,
Planning, Transit Windsor, Public Works, Parks and Rec, Windsor Police, Enwin,
Windsor Public Library, City Clerk’s, and the Fire Department.

All of them undertake independent initiatives. That means we don’t have a coordinated message, and common approach to communicating our city’s identity or resources.

Imagine bringing them all together under one communication umbrella. Don’t you think that by focusing and streamlining their activities, we will be able to deliver a better service, at a lower cost?

If there is a lack of "coordinated message, and common approach to communicating our city's identity or resources" then the fault lies with the appropriate management directing these resources. Anyone who believes that this "focusing and streamlining" is going to save the city any money now or in the future should run out real quick and buy some of those Ambassador Bridge ownership certificates being hawked at the corner of Riverside and Ouellette.

5. Forgive me if I don't break out in a verse of Kumbaya:

" We need to put narrow interests aside – and promote the greater good.
We need to think about the long-term, and not get distracted by arguing with one another over small, petty and personal issues in the short term.
We need to end the fragmentation – where narrow interests compete with one another within Windsor.
We need to recognize and sideline the special interests that seek to divide us.
And we need to stop distorting our Windsor in the name of advancing other agendas – political or otherwise.
We need to unite in the cause of promoting the benefits of our city and our region to one another … and to the world.
We need to tell our story.
But before we do … we need to accept responsibility.
And realize that every action, every word, every report, every headline, or news story…"

Welcome to Windsor where any critics of the Mayor and Council are classified as petty, personal, narrow special interests. Apparently the situation is so critical we have to spend close to a million dollars in the capital budget over the next two years to develop a "brand" for Windsor. How - " The funds will be spent on consultants, advertising, promotion and a public consultation process as they are available." More PR.

BTW, I sit in vain each night, beside my fireplace, waiting for the Mayor's 21st century "fireside chat email" that was going to keep us all in the loop. That must have been part of the new $250,000.00 dollar communications department.

More on water

As a quick follow-up to my earlier post on Windsor water usage, I did some quick number spinning.

0.70 megalitres = 700,000 litres (1 million litres = 1 megalitre)

700,000 litres = 700 m3 (cubic metres - how Windsor measures it's water for billing purposes)

2001 Census lists 95,049 households in Windsor.

If each household was able to reduce their usage by 100 m3 per year, the City would stand to lose roughly $7.4 million in revenue.

If by some miracle we were able to reduce our usage to something like .30 megalitres (still above the Provincial median and 4th highest in the Province), the City would stand to lose $29.5 million in revenue.

With the sewer surcharge at 190% of the water rate, approximately $4.8 million and $19.2 million would represent the reduction in sewer surcharge revenue from the above numbers.

Lots more to come on this issue.

More AM800 polls

From the AM800 archive of recent polls:




Let the sun shine in say respondents!










Not too many pats on the back to go around here.











People are a little more willing to speak their mind in an anonymous poll.

Windsor Water Usage

While I was researching info on water and sewer rates across the Province, I came across this startling piece of information in a City of Toronto report. Windsor residents use water at an alarming rate when compared to the rest of the Province. (click on image for full size)



Edit: second chart added to reflect first comment

Are Canadians ready to pay for climate change?

A continuing theme by Dr. Suzuki and others is that Canadians are telling him that they are willing to pay the price to meet Kyoto.

I found these two polls from AM800, our local news station, interesting. Yes, they're Internet polls, but they certainly provide an eye-opening snapshot of local public opinion on the issue. The polls were posted one after the other, on two successive days.

You'll have to excuse me if I don't buy into the rhetoric that "Canadians are willing to pay the price" of Kyoto.

They're willing to pay, as long as it's someone else doing the paying.

Doing everything possible to improve the environment is a good thing. Doing everything possible to meet Kyoto targets is just plain ridiculous.

Cross posted from Blue Blogging Soapbox

Sandbagged in Windsor...

... and most of them probably don't even know about it yet.

Council reversed itself last night and cancelled a five year plan to reduce the rate for multi-residential buildings. I found the quote from the Mayor in the Windsor Star that this was "unfair" to the other tax classes rather ironic.

Where is the fairness in multi-residential owners paying 2.74 times the residential rate? Most buildings use less services and pay almost 3 times the rate? Where's the fairness in that? I wonder what the the extra 1.74 works out to in dollars for an average $700 or $800 dollar a month apartment. What many people may not realize is that the owners are only allowed to keep a certain percentage of any tax relief, the remainder must be passed on to the tenants.

Many apartment dwellers don't think that they pay Muncipal taxes, they just don't realize that it's part of their monthly rent.

It looks like the multi-res sector is going to have to learn to get better organized. Involve local tenants associations and groups in their fight for tax fairness. What is the tax burden for apartment dwellers as opposed to condominium and home owners? What percentage of services are available to apartments as opposed to homes?

Some other things to consider on this subject are how many condo conversions are we going to see now? What is the impact to the tax base of those conversions? If the city tries to halt the conversions, what are the legal costs associated with that decision such as OMB battles? With Windsor's aging stock of apartment buildings, what is the likelihood of new multi-res units being built in the next 5 to 10 years? I've noticed a lot of new condos being built, not too many apartment buildings.

I've included a graphic of GTA rates as a quick comparison (click on the graphic for full size). It will take a little longer to compile stats from other municipalities in Ontario. Probably a good project for a public Google Spreadsheet.

Update: more info in a blog by Councillor Halberstadt - A Stunning Betrayal