Richard McGuire
In coming months, we’re going to be hearing a lot more about provincial politics as the parties gear up for the May 9, 2017 fixed-date election.
This fall, the Boundary-Similkameen NDP goes through the process of choosing a candidate.
Readers will recall that the B.C. Liberal incumbent, MLA Linda Larson, has chosen to run again and she was acclaimed as her party’s candidate in June.
Journalists tend not to like acclamations, because they only result in one news story when it happens, and not a very exciting one at that.
Contested nominations are always more interesting to follow. For political parties they’re also good. They generate media coverage and they allow candidates a chance to hone their skills before the general election.
This week the NDP race has heated up, though none of the potential candidates are allowed to say they are seeking the nomination until they’ve been vetted and green lighted by the party.
Allan Patton was the first to publicly express interest when I interviewed him in March and then in July he told me he’d “like to run.”
I’m told even this indiscretion led to him getting his knuckles rapped by party officials, who weren’t happy to see him in the news before he was green lighted.
So this week, when Brenda Dorosz and Colleen Ross expressed interest, they chose their words carefully, suggesting they are still considering it. But I expect that unless something suddenly changes, they’ll both be candidates for the nomination after they pass the vetting.
I’ve known for a while that Ross, a Grand Forks councillor, was interested, but I respected her wish not to be identified until she was ready and more certain.
Dorosz, who of course led the fight to save Osoyoos Secondary School, was more of a surprise. I fully expected her to run in the school board by-election to replace trustee June Harrington, who is stepping down. Dorosz is very clear that she won’t.
A fourth person, male, is also said to be interested, though it’s not former Osoyoos mayor Stu Wells.
During the early days of the school crisis, it looked to me like Wells had rediscovered his love of politics and was preparing to run. Many, many people tell me they’d like him to. Unfortunately for them, it appears Wells has other plans outside of politics.
Certainly all three potential candidates have strong convictions. Most people do when they choose to run politically. And all are involved in one way or other in agriculture. It’s probably a safe bet that none of them are fans of Monsanto, though farming politics is not something I’ve ever discussed with Dorosz.
But do any of them pose a serious threat to Larson? I’m not sure. It takes more than just a candidate with a long resume to win an election and at the provincial and federal levels, much of it is beyond the control of the candidate.
Many people don’t base their votes on the local candidate, but rather vote on the basis of the leader, the party or whether there’s a general mood that it’s time for a change.
I’ve met both Premier Christy Clark and NDP Leader John Horgan, and I can usually size up politicians pretty quickly.
In my encounter with Clark, her handlers allowed me a few quick questions on the national park issue before they whisked her away.
While I don’t necessarily agree with her politics, she is a very skilled politician. She can speak in perfect sound bites and she doesn’t get tripped up. Her communications background shows.
Horgan seems likeable and about as genuine as a politician can be. I was able to follow him around on his recent visit to Osoyoos and saw that he has no hesitation about going up to people and chatting with them.
But he lacks Clark’s skills with pithy sound bites and I don’t know how he’ll do against her on television where attention spans are measured in seconds.
Larson has upset many people with her opposition to a national park, her perceived initial cool response to the school closure issue and her tendency to put her feet in her mouth.
But she also has a very loyal following, especially in Oliver, where she served many years as a municipal politician. And she’s well known, regularly attending events around the riding.
As a self-admitted political junkie, I’m going to find the next eight months very interesting to watch.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Richard McGuire is digital editor/photographer with the Osoyoos Times. He worked 14 years on Parliament Hill.
