Windsor's Direction

Come out and attend the meeting

UPDATE

I am sure you saw this in the Star

• "Mayor Eddie Francis has called a special meeting of city council for tonight to discuss an economic development opportunity so pressing it can’t wait until council’s next regular meeting April 12."

Gee, how can municipal politicans be in two places at the same time! The perfect excuse for snubbing citizens concerned about our future!

UPDATE2

Apparently, the Clerk merely sent a note at 4 PM to Councillors with no details other than it is a meeting re: the border and economic development.

Hmmm, will attendance be taken and Councillors slammed if they could not make Edgar's surprise last minute meeting? Naturally, Edgar will be there so he cannot be criticized. The meeting was called by him to meet his convenience!

As a furious reader wrote to me:

• "I just can't believe he, Eddie aka Edgar would try this trick again!!! He certainly does not respect city council or the citizens of Windsor! Urgency and expediency are no excuses for decision making and consultation! The pomposity and arrogant nature of this man is unbelievable!!!!
  
  I don't care what it is, this is no way to conduct business in this city!!!
  

Windsor Star's Stories of Desperation

Who really is the most desperate one? Matty Moroun or the Windsor Star or rather the DRIC people?

I cannot believe it. Another Star story telling why the Bridge Company NAFTA claim will not succeed. Of course, there is no one telling us why the Bridge Company might win but what can one expect from the Star.

• "Moroun suit claims NAFTA breach
  Bridge owner unlikely to win $3.5B, experts say

Ok, I guess Matty better pack it in given what the Star says. He ought to throw in the towel. It's over for him.

Mind you, after American Secretary of State Clinton rocked Ottawa, I would think that the adjective "desperate" applies to the Prime Minister these days.

When Lawrence Cannon says this, then you know Canada is in trouble. He sounds like Minister Van Loan, living in a dream world:

• "Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Hillary Clinton's criticisms of Canada's maternal health initiative were her own views and not the policy of the Obama administration.
  
  "Mrs. Clinton expressed not her government's position; she expressed her personal point of view ...," Cannon told CTV's Question Period on Sunday...
  
  Clinton also criticized Canada last week for not inviting three Arctic countries, as well as indigenous groups, to talks on the Arctic, and made a public appeal for Canada to keep its troops in Afghanistan beyond its 2011 withdrawal date.
  
  Cannon said the criticisms did not signal a cooling of relations between Ottawa and Washington.
  
  "This is a tempest in a teapot," Cannon told CTV.
  
  "This is not snubbing anybody; this is nothing that is detrimental to Canada-U.S. relations. Our relations are the best relations in the world."

As if the Secretary is so dumb as to make off-the-cuff comments. Give me a break.

A word to the wise to the PM. Keep Governor General Michaelle Jean. She is all you have to preserve your relationship with President Obama!

I will deal with the latest NAFTA story another time but let us look at what the Star has written before.

• "Bridge legal challenge called an act of desperation
  Claim to border tolls called shaky"

Mind you, it comes after their recent absurd story about the bridge value decreasing:

• "Windsor's Ambassador Bridge losing value, expert says"

Of course, the Star should be applauded for trying to educate their readers on important issues and setting out questions that are relevant. However, acting in a one-sided manner is hardly enlightening. Rather, it makes a mockery of the debate.

Even the Star cannot possibly believe what they are publishing so how can they expect their readers to do so.

Why would the Star quote Cliff Sutts for heaven's sake. Is he the only lawyer in town? Was he the stand-in for Edgar (aka Eddie) who is afraid to open his mouth now since he is scared that he would be sued? You had to read 8 paragraphs into the story before you saw:

• "Sutts, who represents the city's tunnel commision."

You remember, dear reader, Sutts acted on the failed Tunnel deal with Detroit. That file cost the City a bundle in legal and expert's fees.

In fact, in a previous Star story, he was described this way:

• "Lawyer Cliff Sutts has handled tunnel issues for the city for decades."

Of course, we know who the Tunnel's biggest competitor is don't we?

What do you expect him to say:

• "Yup, Moroun has got them by the short and curlies. He won"

Come on Mr. Beneteau, we remember how Cliff feels about the Bridge Company:

• "Sutts agreed the driving force behind the [City's Tunnel] deal has been "to keep this out of the hands of Matty Moroun and the Ambassador Bridge."
  
  The lawyer said a plan unveiled by the bridge last year to relocate the tunnel customs plaza to a new 200-lane superplaza in Detroit was "not in anybody's best interest."
  
  Sutts anticipates Moroun -- or potentially other private investment companies -- will attempt to derail the deal before it is completed."

And then to quote Brian Masse. Oh please. Mr. Bridge Public Authority.

I found this comment shocking for a Member of Parliament who makes laws that govern how parties are to act with each other:

• "If this is successful in any way, it shows business has more rights than citizens of this country. It would set quite the precedent."

No Brian, it says that the law has been applied.

I expect that many of the questions posed can be answered by reading sections of the International Bridges and Tunnels Act (Bill C-3). That is the Act that Brian took the credit for when it passed while his real contribution was setting the world's record for the number of times the word "inadmissible" was used in relation to his proposed amendments.

• "The Chair: We have an amendment introduced by the NDP. Again, I'm advised by counsel that it is inadmissible due to its being contrary to the principle of the bill.
  
  Mr. Brian Masse: I would like, at an appropriate time, at least written correspondence from the department on the inadmissibility of the amendments. They were originally submitted--those ones, in particular--from the City of Windsor and their legal experts."

Wouldn't it be a real hoot if, in the end, Brian is responsible for Matty being allowed to build his bridge because of Bill C-3!

The NAFTA Claim

Nice Star headline



"Moroun suit claims NAFTA breach

Bridge owner unlikely to win $3.5B, experts say"



He might win more given what DRIC has said about traffic volumes to justify the building of the DRIC Bridge. Note as well, Matty Moroun would keep the bridge too!



Moroun has a reputation of being litigious but no sophisticated business person wants lawsuits especially those against government. They are too expensive and time-wasting.



My personal view is that part of the reason for starting the NAFTA claim is to get the attention of the Government of Canada. The timing could not be better given the chilling relationship between Canada and the US as demonstrated by the anti-NAFTA legislation introduced into Congress and Secretary of State Clintion's recent comments.



It gives Canada the excuse to talk to Moroun if the PM really wants to do so. As Matthew Moroun said in the Toronto Star:



"After years of bruising lower-level skirmishes with the Canadian government, he has a "big ask," as they say in diplomatic parlance.



The Morouns know they are a bee in Stephen Harper's bonnet. Famously, during one of the Three Amigos summits, the Prime Minister pleaded for then-president George W. Bush's help in getting rid of the billionaire owners of the Ambassador Bridge – the aging link between Windsor and Detroit that accounts for a quarter of all trade between Canada and the U.S.



"Here's the thing. We have never had what I would call a real conversation with the Canadian government," says Moroun.



"All the talk so far has been at a lower level, and it starts with the Canadians saying, 'No matter what, we're going to build a new bridge and kill you. Now what did you want to talk about?' It's a pretty tough way to start off. It puts us in a position of saying, 'No matter what, we're going to stop you.' "



The Morouns say it's time to start anew. At the highest level.



If they can win an invitation to Ottawa, if the doors of the Prime Minister's Office will open, they are ready "to agree to what Canada needs to be able to sleep better at night. We can allay their concerns. We can be Canada's best friends."



The other thing it does, to be blunt, is to raise the ante if Canada is serious in wanting to buy the bridge. The Morouns are sayings clearly as is possible that they want to keep the bridge but if Canada wants it, then their terror tactics have not worked one bit. The Morouns will not be forced into giving away the bridge at a low cost since some bureaucrat thinks they can be scared off. Rather, Canada's stupidity has resulted in the INCREASE of the bridge's value over time.



So what do the Star's experets have to say about Moroun's NAFTA claim to justify the headline:

• Regulations under NAFTA allow for massive arbitration claims such as the one made by Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun, who is seeking US$3.5 billion from the Canadian government, says a University of Western Ontario law professor specializing in international trade.
  
  
  
  But final settlements are often a fraction of what is originally sought.
  
  
  
  [There is no doubt that claims are often settled for a fraction of the original claim. However, the professor has NOT said how big that fraction can be in this claim. Moreover, there is no doubt that the NAFTA claim fits i n with the other lawsuits that have been started, an important matter that is NOT discussed in this article at all. One cannot look at the NAFTA claim in isolation.]



• This is the opening salvo. It's showcase litigation meant to get a lot of attention.
  
  [I agree. See above.]



• But over the long term most of the claims end up nowhere near that amount -- and several are dismissed."
  
  
  
  [There is no doubt that more salvos are coming with some of them being quite shocking. The war has just begun and not all of the ammunition has been used yet.
  
  
  
  Who is more likely to be more successful over the "long term" if this carries on. One need only take a look at the past to figure that out.
  
  
  
  
• Fair and equitable treatment as Moroun has claimed is the most common thread among the treaties, including NAFTA's Chapter 11.
  
  
  
  "It's a concept so broad, any good lawyer can say it's unfair," Cadieux said
  
  
  
  [Unfairness should not be too difficult to prove given the tactics practised against the Bridge Company, especially with the aid given to competitors.
  
  
  
  I wonder if Edgar (aka Eddie) will be dragged into this as a witness?]





• Another major linchpin is "national treatment," he said.
  
  
  
  "You cannot give a better treatment to Canadian citizens. You have to extend the same to (Americans) and Mexicans," he said.
  
  
  
  [It's a variation of what was said above and relatively easy to prove in this case]
  
  
  
  
• A potential exists for one party to endlessly delay the process by being slow to file documents or respond to requests for others, Cadieux said.
  
  
  
  Moroun could also push for a freeze on government actions that impact his business -- such as building the DRIC bridge. "Its equivalent to an injunction and the tribunal can say to the state 'freeze,'" Cadieux said. "These are very hard to get, but from time to time it does happen.
  
  
  
  "What generally happens is to award compensation in damages. Let (governments) build the bridge and we will compensate you later."
  
  
  
  [As I have said above, the long-term favours Moroun. If traffic builds up, then his damages increases don't they. If traffic does not build up, then who needs a DRIC bridge? And if he gets a freeze, it is virtually game-over for Canada then.]



• "Tribunals in the past have said governments have the right to legislate," he said. "The question is of the intent behind what it is doing -- whether it's regulatory valid in all facts."
  
  
  
  [It is another variation of what was said above. This time it is intent. It should not be too difficult to show the bad faith of the Governments in this file.]





• One view that might be argued by the government is on Moroun's endless promise to build a new crossing, Carmody said.
  
  
  
  "He waited and waffled so the governments were forced to build a competitor," he said. "Now (Moroun) is launching a claim to get money out it. That could be another view on what might be happening."
  
  


[Not too likely considering the hundreds of millions of private dollars that Moroun has paid out for the Gateway project and to build the Enhancement Project.]

There is one interesting element in the Star story that was not mentioned that really intrigued me. "Rene Cadieux, an investor state arbitration lawyer in Montreal who handles high-profile arbitration cases involving global treaties" works for the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. Guy Giorno, who served as chief of staff to former Ontario premier Mike Harris, and who took over as right-hand man to Harper from the NAFTA-gate Chief of Staff, Ian Brodie. Giorno also worked at Faskens.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Gord Henderson has no shame. He is desperate. He MUST convince Edgar to run again for Mayor. He will do anything to get what he wants or rather, so he will not lose because it will be costly for him.

Remember this bet that he discussed in his column in July, 2008:

• "Betting on a vision
  
  Arthur, a reader with a dry wit and a nice touch with words, contacted me Wednesday to express deep skepticism about the marina and canal being touted for the near west side, and to throw out a thirsty challenge.
  
  "Count me in with the skeptics about the proposed marina: such a dead-end pond, with no circulation of water, will become a weed- filled ditch," he predicted...
  
  "I am willing to put a bet on this marina -- say a bottle of whatever it is you drink. Let me know if you are interested," he concluded.
  
  Challenged in that manner, I had no choice but to respond. And given the nature of the debate -- moving water -- I chose to put on the line a bottle of Scapa, single malt whisky from Scapa Flow, the great natural anchorage (and final resting place of the battleship HMS Royal Oak) off the north coast of Scotland...
  
  After placing the bet I developed the inevitable cold feet. In a subsequent conversation with Mayor Eddie Francis I confessed to having rashly placed my wallet and a piece of my Scottish heritage at risk.
  
  His advice? "Double the odds. Double down. Raise it to a case. I'd take the bet because it will be done before I leave office," he insisted."

Could that mean that Edgar will run forever because that is the length of time it will take for the canal to be built!

Saturday's Henderson column has to be one that even Gord does not take seriously:

• "The heart of downtown Windsor is still beating."

Perhaps he knows something that the Star told us about last December:

• "As mayor of Canada's unemployment capital, Francis is itching to announce early in the new year success on three "files" the city has been pursuing, each involving non-government investments with the potential to inject large numbers of new jobs into Windsor."

Scratching, Gord did say this after all:

• "There's one other bit of good news on the way.
  
  Stay tuned for an announcement by the end of this month on a "very significant" new office tenant for our vacancy-plagued downtown."

Good thing that the Integrity Commissioner has been defanged or else he would have another leak to investigate.

Perhaps Dwight will help out his new buddy when he comes here to speak soon and will tell us that some Government Department might finally be going into a Joe Mikhail building.

Hmmm, let 's see, our downtown is on life support:

• Urban village, what urban village. The RFP for that one has never happened


• Downtown arena, what downtown area. It's somewhere in the boonies with a rate of return on our $70M invested of just over 1% last year. If the real amount invested is $100M as some have suggested , then the rate is less than 1%


• Chasing Summer Fest out to the arena to try to get its business up but forced to retreat because of citizen outrage.


• Continued "mulling" for a half a year of a "Pelissier mall plan."


• Various Star reports of fights and serious injuries almost every week downtown


• Eddie's famous comment: "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.

Don't you find the downtown so exciting and vibrant now?

Why I remember what Edgar (aka Eddie) said in his 2006 State of the City speech:

• "The entire face of our downtown is transforming, and transforming for the better.
  
  Two and half years ago, we talked about building a balanced downtown where people could work, live and play.
  
  We believed in a friendlier, more vibrant downtown.
  
  Some said it couldn’t be done.
  
  Some said that we should live with a downtown that many people found intimidating, and just accept it for what it was.
  
  But our Council took action. Our Council believed in a better downtown for Windsor.
  
  Today, our downtown has what people did not think was possible."

Edgar is right for once. Who would ever think this as our downtown with high vacancy rates four years later:

• a chain restaurant located in our money drain Canderel building with 5 cent parking,


• a new reduced price bus terminal located right near a building that Mr. Farhi was going to build as high-priced condos and


• an influx of St. Clair students who were going to turn downtown into an area jsut as vibrant and alive like Wyandotte West near the University.

Here is the new Francis mind's eye vision as told to us by Gord. Rather, it is the Sheriff telling us about another Francis failure:

• "Meanwhile, there's new evidence that the controversial marina/canal plan for downtown is not dead and buried as its critics hoped, and that at least one segment, the transient marina, could see design work completed this year.
  
  The canal, dismissed by the unimaginative and pothole-obsessed as a useless "ditch," has drawn significant interest from out-of-town investors.
  
  There's a buzz around it. But with an election less than seven months away and with Francis still pondering whether to take on CUPE and its allies and seek a third term, it's too late to advance that "red flag" issue.
  
  Sadly, it's on hold. And for Lord knows how long."

Instead what do we get:

• "But the other piece, the 35-berth transient marina proposed for the riverfront between Caron and Church, with an estimated price of $11-million, which includes breakwall work that must be done regardless, is a different story.
  
  Francis plans to ask council during capital budget talks for approval to conduct, as early as June, a "design charrette," an intense workshop involving leading designers from far and wide who would produce a ready-to-roll marina blueprint for consideration by the next council."

Oh great, a public consultation on artists' renditions but no consultation on daycare. The Mayor truly has lost his perspective and has no sense of value!

I hope you noticed the part "it's too late to advance." No one is responsible for the delay other than Edgar. Here is what Gord wrote about a year ago so we can see the speed at which our our Mayor operates.

• "The marina proposal, by the way, has been radically altered. Initially slated for the Caron Avenue cut, that site has been ruled out, for technical reasons, as "prohibitively" expensive.
  
  Instead a transient marina with 35 to 40 berths would be built on the riverfront west of Dieppe Gardens for about $11 million, which includes significant work that must be done whether the marina proceeds or not."

Nothing like rehashing the past and making it seem new again.

Oh, the rest of the column was another pitch for the University to do something. It will be either in the Mady complex so one can pretend the Armouries are involved or the Capitol or perhaps Mr. Farhi will build it on his land so he can get out of the downtown.. Again, Edgar's blinding speed:

• "The current talks, which were triggered by discussions involving Wildeman, St. Clair College President John Strasser and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan during last year's Red Bull festivities, are aimed at developing a "creative cluster" downtown, building on St. Clair's trail-blazing downtown campus in the former Cleary and its spectacular $5-million plus mediaplex now nearing completion in the former Salvation Army building."

Unless Dwight is putting up all of the cash or the University President is not doing any trips any more to places like the Olympics, do not expect much. After all, Gord told us in 2007:

• "Nice plan, no cash
  
  A month has passed since the University of Windsor developed cold feet and retreated from a $58-million downtown campus proposal, but Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis still winces as he examines the glossy images of what might have been.
  
  And little wonder. The preliminary sketches from Calvin Brook, the consultant who prepared Windsor's Central Riverfront Implementation Plan in 2000, show the area from the new bus terminal west to Caron Avenue, and from University Avenue north to Riverside Drive, changed from asphalt wasteland into a dynamic urban space featuring attractive academic buildings, creative museum space, student residences and existing housing.
  
  A standout feature would have been the transformation of the Caron Avenue rail cut, currently a weed-strewn dumping ground, into a canal (shades of San Antonio's Riverwalk) leading to a riverfront waterfall. That waterway development has been on the city's planning books for several years but could have been accelerated with the university as a downtown campus partner.
  
  So close and yet so far. The drawings are just one indicator of how seriously Francis took the university's proposal -- a second proposal which followed the university's rejection of the downtown as a site for its $110-million Centre of Engineering Innovation -- to occupy as much as 100,000 square feet of space in the core area for programs that could have included a new law school, school of social work, business incubator and part of the nursing program...
  
  And then, splat, in an instant it was gone, snuffed out by number crunchers who concluded the university was in no position to make additional investments on top of its engineering school commitment.
  
  How did it happen like this? How could expectations be raised to such towering heights and then sawed off at the knees? According to Marty Komsa, outgoing board of governors chairman, board members were hugely excited about the proposal from university president Ross Paul, but it simply couldn't be justified financially...
  
  There was just one problem, according to Komsa. At $58 million, which included money to refurbish existing campus buildings, it was $35 million to $45 million more than the university could afford at this time, given the $135 million being invested in the engineering and medical schools.
  
  "Our business plan clearly indicates it's not feasible. At this point in time we just don't have the funds," said Komsa. "We're short. And where would we come up with the money? It just boils down to, our business plan doesn't support it."

So do not get too excited when we see more retreaded design charrettes....just think "municipal election."

The Answer To The Star's Question: Windsor Artsfest Weekends

The Star asked in its Saturday Editorial

"What could encourage an entirely new group of Essex County residents to come to the heart of the city? Closing streets and creating one big pedestrian mall downtown on weekends all summer long. It worked during the Detroit Grand Prix and the Red Bull air races, and we believe it should become the norm for weekends in the inner city. It's the best way to revitalize the core...

Now is the time for the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association to approach city council to ask that streets in the core be closed to vehicular traffic this summer.

We would suggest shutting down Ouellette Avenue between Riverside and Park streets, closing Chatham Street between Ferry and Goyeau, and also blocking University Avenue between Pelissier and Park.

For those who worry, there will still be plenty of parking, but frankly, parking's not the issue. It's coaxing people out of their cars and on to the streets that's the problem. A pedestrian mall presents the perfect opportunity for merchants and restaurant owners to take it up a notch and showcase themselves. How they do it is up to them, but summer is a great time to experiment with new foods, new decor, new ideas.

The benefits have been proven. We need to take full advantage of our great weather and our fabulous waterfront from now until Labour Day."

Of course events are needed to encourage people to come downtown. A Pedestrian Mall alone won't do it. People need a reason to come and not just once, but many weekends.

Naturally, the BLOGMEISTER had the answer even before the question was asked and presented this concept to the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association months ago:

Windsor Artsfest Weekends

DoubleClick here for details http://www.scribd.com/doc/29398781/Windsor-ArtsFest-Weekends

Oh don't worry, nothing will happen. Even with a major media sponsor and with a terrificly innovative idea how to attract Americans AND Canadinas into the downtown at minimal cost, all I got was the run-around, being shuffled between DWBIA Committees.

Do Edgar/Dwight Have A DRIC Road Deal

There is no doubt that one is close to being signed or so it is being suggested to us.

The only question is when will it be announced. My guess: sooner rather than later to ensure that no one runs against Edgar. Or that is the hope.

How do I know this? Obviously, inside moles at various government levels have been suggesting to me that something is coming. But actually, there was a Big Leak.

Yes, dear reader, another one. I will not keep you in suspense. The Leakor this time was Councillor Hatfield and he leaked it in the Star obviously as the beginning of a set-up to show the genius that our Mayor is:

• "Hatfield cites tax fight in bid for Ward 7 seat
  
  In the next session Hatfield said council should put the border file behind it, adding he is now optimistic the province will make enough concessions to "wrap it up."

Except, here is what another Star story stated about Hatfield and the border file:

• "Hatfield 1st Windsor council incumbent to file papers for re-election
  
  >
  >
  >
  
  "

Yes that is right, Zippo, Nothing, Nada. Percy gave it away too soon. No more Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler, B.C. trips as the Mayor's stand-in for Percy! Or maybe the deal fell apart and the Councillor was not in the loop to know it.

What power someone has to take out this key part of the story though don't you think. Scary!

If there is an Edgar (aka Eddie) deal with Dwight, will that mean that Marra will be pressured not to run for Mayor against Edgar. Bill would win easily otherwise.

Oh, one last warning. We have heard of a deal between the Province and City so many times before when reading Gord's column but it has never come to fruition.

It may well be that this happened again if the Province got angry that they are being pressured to sign on the dotted line for something that cannot be achieved but which will help Edgar politically. After all, according to Percy, everone bows down to Edgar

• "the province will make enough concessions."

Yea, right! Dwight knuckling under to Edgar. That's good for Dwight's leadership ambitions.

Obliging Blogosphere 1, Edgar 0

Want proof of the power of the Blogosphere, look no further than what was posted on the Star online. Two conflicting stories with the major one being that Edgar (aka Eddie) was forced to back-off.

Chris Schnurr's BLOG "Downtown Festival: Possibilities?' with photos of the midway on Riverside was devastating and made a mockery of what was being claimed as to lack of location.

I hope that my BLOG contribution "Is A Boycott Summer Fest Facebook Page Next" which made it clear that Summer Fest was never going to come back to the Downtown if it moved eastward helped.

Both Chris and I and some other writers making comments on other BLOGs were suspicious of what was going on and speculated about what the real reason for the move was.

Clearly though, the clincher was the 2977 people who signed up to the Facebook group "Keep Windsor's Summerfest at the Riverfront!" within a few days who scared the hell out of Edgar!

And if you really believe that the Summer Fest move was a last minute thing, then explain this poster away on another Facebook page:

So we went from our Mayor saying this:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis said a number of options were explored: Dieppe Park, not enough space; the area around the Art Gallery of Windsor, no service; and Riverside Drive, too inconvenient.
  
  “You would have to close Riverside down for 18 days, which is problematic,” Francis said. “But the move is not permanent. It’s just a result of all the construction going on.”

To our Mayor saying this:

• "But Francis said he arranged a hasty meeting Tuesday night with the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association and the Windsor Parade Corporation, which runs Summer Fest, to see if the carnival could somehow stay downtown."

The funniest line was this:

• "It’s very disappointing,” Francis said about the largely anonymous and harsh criticism about what was a business decision by private companies."

Sure, no input by the City in this whatsoever.

• "The east-end centre has the necessary hydro , parking and space needed to host the festival, said Walt Metulynsky, Windsor's manager of leisure outreach services.
  
  "Thinking of other places we could put it downtown, that footprint just didn't match," he said."

And when does Edgar give in to criticism anonymous or not.

It is typical Edgar...It is more important to promote the Lauzon area for "shrewd investors" rather than continue a tradition for citizens downtown.

I found this quoote interesting:

• "The last two weeks have clearly demonstrated that people have come to value the midway and the entertainment it provides," Mayor Eddie Francis said Wednesday at a news conference.

What it also says is that our Mayor is completely out of touch with citizens.

Why did he back off? One simple reason---an election year. But just you watch, it will be pay-back time later for Edgar. It always is.