A candidate for mayor of Windsor is calling the race a “dogfight” and says that every vote is going to matter in Monday’s municipal election.
Fred Francis says he always knew it was going to be a competitive race and that he is the underdog in this dogfight because beating an incumbent mayor is not easy.
“If you’re out there and you want change, you don’t like the status quo approach, and you want to make the city better, then I’m your candidate. I’m the one who can make change work for you. I’m the one asking your vote. That’s the way we bring change, positive change to the city of Windsor. Make no mistake, every vote is going to matter on Monday, and we are certainly the underdogs,” he says.
Francis, who served as Ward 1 councillor for 12 years, is pushing out a message of change as he promotes his 140-point plan for the city in the final week of the election campaign.
“Here it is in writing. People can find it on my website Francisformayor.ca. It’s 140 specific details on how we will make change work for you and your families. I will tell you that our campaign has always been about hope, has always been about change, and is always about making things better for the people that live here,” he says.
Francis is also restating his vow to get rid of Strong Mayor Powers on his first day in office and will request the province take the legislated power back.
“Simply stated, we don’t have to use it. We’ve seen that with our mayors in Essex County that were given strong mayor powers, and you don’t have to use them. There’s always a choice. Regardless if the province takes them back or not, as mayor I will not use strong mayor powers,” he says.
Strong mayor powers grant the mayor authority to propose the municipal budget, veto council amendments or bylaws tied to provincial priorities, appoint and dismiss the CAO and department heads, and direct staff in writing.
The 11 candidates running for Windsor mayor are Benjamin Danyluk, Aaron Day, Drew Dilkens (incumbent), Fred Francis, Dylon Graves, Tara Grayer, Nick Kolasky, Tristan Ty Morencie, Kat Pasquach, Patrick Sutherland, and Louis Vaupotic.
The municipal election is set to take place October 26.
AM800’s election night coverage starts at 7 p.m. with host Kyle Horner, who will be live with a panel of experts bringing analysis and results as they come in.
Listen live to Windsor-Essex Votes 2026 on AM800, the iHeartRadio app, and on YouTube.