What Ontario premier-elect Kathleen Wynne means for Windsor remains to be seen but at least one local political observer says Sandara Pupatello would have been the better choice.

"You have a much better chance at getting attention. We need someone that understands the area," said Cheryl Collier, a political science professor at the University of Windsor. "We’re going to immediately start to see lack of attention."

For years, the region had Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Dwight Duncan serve as the finance minister and Sandra Pupatello, who finished second to Wynne, hold several cabinet positions.

Collier said there is "an outside chance" that Teresa Piruzza, who replaced her mentor Pupatello, receives a position in Wynne's cabinet.

Collier says that without a voice at the table, particularly if there is a minority government, Windsor and promises to the city can be easily forgotten.

Former premier Dalton McGuinty promised help to clean up the former Grace Hospital site.

"This is a football passed between council and the province," Collier said.

Bids to demolish the site came in last week, higher than expected.

"At this point in time, you want to make sure you get that money," Collier said.

The province has, on several occasions, promised $2 million toward the cleanup.

McGuinty's government also moved forward with a $1.2-billion single-site mega-hospital planned for Windsor-Essex.

Last week, it entered the second phase with the announcement of a $2.5-million study.

However, Duncan will not seek re-election and the next finance minister won't be from Windsor.

Tom Porter, co-chair of the Windsor hospital task force, isn't worried.

"We’re on a positive timeline on the hospital," he said. "The further the project gets underway, the less likely it is for any one person, any one party or a change of government to stop the project or even affect it.

"The new leader of the Liberal party, even though she’s not from our area, she’s well aware of the needs of this region."

Still, Porter would have preferred Pupatello.

"If Sandra had won, it would have been a good thing for the region, in terms of having a lot influence in government," he said.