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Still, the political will to pay for the project was in jeopardy.
“This gives the community foundation an opportunity to refocus onto more pressing needs in London. They’ve done some great things already,” Mayor Ed Holder said.
“If they’re focusing on some of these other issues in the community, I say good for them.”
Holder described Back to the River as an effort that “caught the imagination of the last council.”
But the city council he helms was much less sure. Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis led a failedcharge to keep city money away from the venture.
“I think that any commitment of taxpayer dollars, and for that matter, community dollars, should be able to withstand the rigour of good debate. At this stage it had not really done that,” Holder said.
