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William Michael Windsor (born October 2, 1948) is an American with a business and publishing background. He is chairman and chief executive officer of The Windsor Companies. Early life William Michael Windsor was born on October 2, 1948. His father, Walter M. Windsor, was a pioneer in broadcasting. who began as a joke writer for W.C. Fields, and ended his career over 50 years later as President of the ABC television station, WFTV in Orlando, Florida. In high school and college, William M. Windsor worked as a radio disc jockey for KLBK Radio, KLVT Radio, WHIR Radio, WBKY Radio, KCAS Radio, and others and as a television announcer and talk show host at WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando. Maid of the Mist controversy From 2005 to 2008, Windsor and Alcatraz Media, Inc. were embroiled in a dispute over the Niagara Parks Commission’s decision to award a long-term lease of 25 years and New York State's decision to award a long-term license of 40 years (with an agreement entered into in 2002) to Maid of the Mist officials James V. Glynn and Christopher Glynn without going through the process of competitive open bidding. Windsor and Alcatraz Media fought these decisions, which were made in secret, in order to allow other companies a chance to participate in the bidding process in hopes of securing the $2+ billion contracts to operate the Maid of the Mist boats. Canada's Globe & Mail newspaper wrote a series of articles that helped open the contract for competitive bidding, and a series of investigative reports by the Niagara Falls Reporter helped bring the matter to the attention of the public and the government of Ontario. Alcatraz Media has been identified as one of the finalists in the bidding. In his investigation of Maid of the Mist, Windsor discovered violation of laws in Ontario and New York in regard to the issuance of the exclusive monopoly contract to Maid of the Mist. In 2009, Windsor sued the government of the Province of Ontario and Maid of the Mist in Canada to force the government to tender the contract for the boat service at Niagara Falls for competitive bids. Maid of the Mist has enjoyed a billion dollar exclusive monopoly on the boat service for 164 years, and there has never been competitive bidding. Windsor exposed corruption in the contract process and at the Ontario government's Niagara Parks Commission that led to the firing of the senior management of the Niagara Parks Commission and the firing and replacement of most of the Commissioners. In 2009, the government of Ontario announced that the contract for the boat service would be tendered for bids. The government of Ontario announced the winning bidder in 2012, and Windsor's prediction came true that Ontario would receive better than $500 million over the 30-year term while Maid of the Mist was paying only $81 million. The Niagara Parks Commission has been losing $4 million annually, and those losses will be erased with this lucrative new contract.
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