Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Modest Electoral Changes Approved at Windsor Council

Windsor city council members must be breathing a sigh of relief. As a matter of fact, I can hear it all the way here in Amherstburg. Under curious political cover, from our very own Windsor Star, the council members voted to maintain a bloated city council. Surprisingly, the Windsor Star gave their blessing to a continued bloated council via recent editorial comment.

Read my post of July 30/09.

For those readers outside the Windsor Essex region, you should know that the Windsor Star mantra has been for more regional government. Translated this means fewer politicians and less government. There is merit in this, although for rural communities and small towns, regionalism has usually translated into distant government, loss of history/community and little to zero tax savings.

So it came somewhat as a surprise to me that the Windsor Star put their political weight behind such modest electoral reform. More than 3 decades ago, Windsor created a ward system with 5 wards and 2 council members per ward. Council was perfectly willing to keep it this way until a citizens group collected enough names to send the whole matter to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The OMB for sure would have made wholesale changes. This risk was to great for Council, they had to do something.

So on Monday of this week Council opted for the safest change possible, a 10 ward system 1 council member per ward. This way every incumbent will have a good chance for re-election. But really, that is not what concerns me.

The City of Windsor has just gone through a 101 day strike. Two Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) locals and the city were in a fierce struggle. The Windsor Star weighed in heavily and often against CUPE. In my opinion the lines between editorial and straight reporting were shamelessly blurred. It is also my opinion that this happens often at the Windsor Star to the detriment of our entire region. All one has to do is look at the reporting about the new proposed border crossing. If that is not shameless I don't know what is. I fully disclose that for 11 years I was a senior corporate executive at the companies which own, mange and operate the Ambassador Bridge.

For the Windsor Star to support more regional government, and a less costly administration for the City of Windsor (during the middle of a strike) and then support and maintain a position for a bloated council for Windsor, makes no common sense. What is the reason or reasons for such a significant about face? We will see their hand much more clearly as the next political contest (2010) unfolds.

The problem with most readers is that they believe newspapers and reporters have no bias and just report the news. I wish it were so.