Mayoral candidate Fred Francis is now focusing on the downtown core. He released his Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan Thursday morning on Ouellette Avenue between Erie Street and Elliott Street as part of his mayoral platform. “One of the reasons I’m running for mayor is not to bring downtown back to what it was but to bring forward a vision to what downtown can be,” says Francis. The plan focuses on four pillars: Safer Streets, Coordinated Support and Responsible Discharge along with A More Livable Enhanced Downtown, and Bringing People and Investment Back Downtown. Francis says revitalizing Windsor’s downtown and making it the heart of the city again will be a top priority for him as mayor. He says his downtown plan includes establishing a Downtown Safety and Outreach Command Unit. “Led by a director who reports weekly to the mayor, myself, the unit will coordinate the Mobile Crisis Response Team consisting of local police, mental health service workers, and Essex-Windsor EMS,” he says. Francis says his downtown plan also includes establishing a Downtown Mayor’s Roundtable. “Connecting diverse stakeholder groups to coordinated action and measure progress on downtown revitalization,” says Francis. “As mayor, I will take direct responsibility and direct involvement and engagement in turning our downtown around. I will bring all the stakeholders to the table, we will have regular meetings, and we will hold everyone accountable and ensure we can measure progress month to month.” He says he will also establish a permanent home for the Central Library branch. “It’s been years, and you’ve seen money go to other projects as opposed to priority projects like a downtown Central Library,” he says. “A temporary solution is not acceptable. Under a Francis term, under a Francis administration, we will have a plan within four years to establish and hopefully build a new central downtown library.” Francis’ downtown plan also includes launching a Clean and Safe Street Ambassadors Program, as well as investing in downtown parks, expanding programming, and launching an Office-to-Residential Conversion Program. Francis is one of 11 candidates seeking the mayor’s seat in Windsor. The municipal election is set for Monday, October 26.
