There was a time not long ago when automakers like Chrysler appeared on the brink, and along with them, the economic health of the City of Windsor.
That was back in 2008 and 2009, in the midst of the financial crisis.
Former mayor Eddie Francis recalls those sleepless nights and the role former Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne played in revitalizing Chrysler and with it, Windsor.
FCA President Sergio Marchionne and Unifor President Jerry Dias at the launch of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, May 6, 2016. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
Some have said Marchionne, whose death was announced Wednesday morning, brought the city back and Francis would not call it an exaggeration.
"Our community would have been devastated had Chrysler failed," says Francis. "Our community today is alive, is well, is thriving, has been given a second chance to grow in prosperity because of him.
"It was a time in the history of our community that we hope to never have to live again. It was one of those times when you were really at the mercy of economics, you were really at the mercy of senior levels of government on both sides of the border," he recalls.
They were dark days indeed.
It started with a housing bubble in the United States and festered into a near global economic collapse. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors were near bankruptcy by the end of 2008, and Francis says there were not many people at the time that thought the North American auto industry had a future.
"When many people were taking positions and lobbying government's not to support the industry... he was one of the few that recognized the significance of the industry to the point that he championed its survival," Francis says.
Ultimately, both the U.S. and the Canadian governments bailed out the automakers.
Francis says he was devastated by the news Marchionne had suffered severe complications from shoulder surgery and was in grave condition.
"Still am devastated," says Francis. "The world loses a remarkable individual. The automotive industry loses an unparalleled champion."
Over the weekend, Fiat-Chrysler announced Marchionne would not be returning to work and named Mike Manley the new chief executive officer.
Marchionne died Wednesday at the age of 66.
