A long-time member of city council has announced his intention to run for mayor of Windsor. Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis plans to submit his nomination papers this week. The three-term councillor was first elected to council in 2014 and is also the current executive director of the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County. Francis, 45, says he feels he has something more to offer. “After 12 years of being a city councillor in Ward 1, I felt like I’ve accomplished everything I’ve set out to accomplish,” he says. “We’re able to make improvements to the Capri Recreation Centre. We were able to make improvements to Budimir Library. We were able to make big improvements to Cabana Road and other road and sewer infrastructure in the area. We were able to make Roseland into a money winner as opposed to a money loser.” Francis says he came to the conclusion that he either walks away from politics and give someone else a chance or take what he has to offer to the next level and run for mayor. “If successful, bring my talent, skills, and experience and energy and commitment to the mayor’s chair. Move the city forward with everybody else in that regard,” he says. Francis says they’ve achieved a lot of good things over the last 12 years, but some things have become worse, including affordability, homelessness, and the governance of city hall with the use of strong mayor powers. “The first thing I would do is get rid of strong mayor powers. I would never use strong mayor powers and obviously put the focus on how we tackle the homelessness issue. How do we represent people in this city more than they feel they’re being represented now? Where their voices are not only heard but they’re also considered in the decision-making process in how we move our city forward,” he says. Ontario’s strong mayor powers grant municipal heads of council authority over local administration, budgeting, and specialized by-laws tied to provincial housing and infrastructure goals. The rules allow mayors to hire or fire chief administrative officers (CAOs), veto certain council decisions, and pass specific provincial-priority by-laws with the support of only one-third of the council. Francis graduated from Holy Names Catholic High School before going on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (combined honours History/Political Science) from London’s Western University in 2003 and a Master of Arts degree (History) in 2006 and a Bachelor of Education degree in 2009 from the University of Windsor. Francis, who’s married and has one daughter, is the younger brother of former Mayor Eddie Francis, who served as mayor from 2003 to 2014. Only two people have filed their nomination papers for mayor of Windsor so far: Benjamin Danyluk and Kat Pasquach. Incumbent mayor Drew Dilkens has yet to officially announce his future political plans. Candidates have until Aug. 21 to file nomination papers with the municipal election set to take place Oct. 26.
