Of the 5 races going on this weekend, i've managed to get conclusive info on the winners in 4 of them (everywhere except Bonnyville-Cold Lake).
In Grande Prairie-Wapiti, former MD of Greenview councillor Wayne Drysdale will carry the PC banner as MLA and former Gaming Minister Gord Graydon retires. Mr. Drysdale appears to have an impressive and well-diversified background. I'm confident he will be an excellent representative for his constituents.
In Athabasca-Redwater, businessman Jeff Johnson won the nomination (reportedly thanks to an impressive turnout at the advance polls). As I have said earlier, Jeff comes from some of the finest political stock in the province. I know that his dad, retiring Wetaskiwin-Camrose MLA LeRoy Johnson has much to be proud of and that his mom Dianne, who lost her battle with cancer last year, is looking down on him with the same pride. I look forward to meeting Jeff and watching him at work for the people of Athabasca-Redwater. Kudos also to my friend Monty Bauer who ran a supurb campaign and has every reason to finish this race with his head held high.
Edmonton-Ellerslie has chosen Naresh Bhardwaj as their candidate in the next election. Naresh was our candidate in Edmonton-Mill Woods in 2004 and ran what was probably the most above-board race against new Liberal candidate (and now MLA) Weslyn Mather. After the election, Naresh was elected to serve as the Southeast Edmonton Regional Director on the PC Executive. I wish my former executive colleague all the best as he works to unseat one-term Liberal MLA Bharat Agnihotri. Mr. Agnihotri's most notable accomplishment to date has been getting himself thrown out of the Chamber for failing to understand the rules of Parliamentary decorum.
Finally, Lethbridge West PCs have chosen former City Alderman Greg Weadick to replace Clint Dunford when he retires at the end of this term. As you know, I was rooting for friend Justin (JC) Penny in this race. His youth, enthusiasm, and unique perspective on issues would have served the people of Alberta well. I certainly hope this defeat won't dampen his enthusiasm for the party, we still need voices like his to help shape our future.
Speaking of youth and enthusiasm, let me introduce you all to T.J. Keil. T.J. is a fellow young conservative who is running in tomorrow's PC nomination in Edmonton Highlands-Norwood. This riding is, as you probably know, home to Alberta's top socialist, Brian Mason. T.J. will be facing former Liberal/PC MLA Andrew Beniuk. I have nothing against Andrew, but its time for some new blood in this party.
The fact that T.J. is showing such spirit and enthusiasm in the face of what will be one of the toughest seats for our party to win is exactly why I support his efforts 110%. Someone with the kind of drive that T.J. brings is precisely what many of our constituency associations need.
So if you or anyone you know lives in Edmonton Highlands-Norwood, grab $5 for a PC membership, head on down to the Alberta Avenue Community League Hall (9210 - 118th Avenue) anytime between 5 and 8pm, and give an aspiring MLA a chance.
And, if you do head down, say hi to Constituency President Parker Hogan... he's one of the most solid Flames fans in Edmonton.
Enjoy the Grey Cup folks... go Bombers!
Showing posts with label Jeff Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Johnson. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Nominations everywhere!
Its another busy week in the Alberta PC party as the slate of candidates for the next election is nearing completion.
Last night in Calgary Mackay, Social Worker Teresa Woo-Paw beat Community Activist Marnie Marr for the right to replace Gary Mar as the PC candidate. I, admittedly, don't know a great deal about these women personally. I checked out both their backgrounds and who was supporting whom, and came to the conclusion that I still don't know who I would have voted for. Party members had two excellent choices on their hands. Congrats to Ms. Woo-Paw on her victory, and to Ms. Marr for throwing her hat in the ring. I hope both of these exceptional women remain involved in the party for many years to come.
Tonight, PC members in Wetaskiwin-Camrose will choose their standard bearer to replace retiring MLA LeRoy Johnson. LeRoy was a very able MLA and quite possibly the nicest man ever elected to the Alberta Legislature. He has served his constituents with the highest level of honour and integrity for the past 10 years and has every reason to look back on his career with pride. In terms of candidates running to replace LeRoy, I have only been able to find out about one person running, Verlyn Olsen. Mr. Olsen seems to be an excellent candidate but, in the interests of fairness, I would have liked to hear about who else is running. I guess we'll know about any other candidates if one of them wins tonight!
Looking further down the road, we'll see contests this weekend in Athabasca-Redwater, Bonnyville-Cold Lake, Lethbridge West, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, and Edmonton Ellerslie.
Of these 5 races, there are two which I am particularily interested in.
Athabasca-Redwater was one of the constituencies I represented during my term on the PC Alberta Executive Committee. With long-time MLA Mike Cardinal set to retire, PC members will choose between Monty Bauer of Redwater, Jeff Johnson of Athabasca, or Richard Dubetz of Smoky Lake.
If I had a vote, it would go to Monty Bauer. I had the chance to talk with Monty on several occaisions during my term on the executive and was always impressed by his straight talk and sincerety. Monty is also part of a younger generation who, much like myself, grew up in PC Alberta. For someone who still qualifies as a "young guy", he sure brings a lot of historical knowledge to the table.
To be fair, I will say that I know a few people who are supporting Jeff Johnson and, after some research, I will say that he also seems to be a worthy candidate for the position. My searches for information on Mr. Dubetz haven't turned up any substantive information.
The other race i'm watching this weekend is in Lethbridge West. With Clint Dunford stepping down at the end of this term, Justin (JC) Penny and Greg Weadick are lined up to compete for the nomination. My support is 110% with JC.
JC is the kind of person we need more of in the Legislature. As another member of the under-40 crowd, he brings a much-needed perspective that has been lacking in Edmonton. He's a former student leader who understands what post-secondary students are facing today (and, more importantly, that there are institutions OUTSIDE Edmonton and Calgary). He has experience working on behalf of Albertans in Ottawa as a Senatorial Assistant. He's a committed member of our party who is well known beyond his hometown in Southern Alberta. Most importantly, he's just a damn good person who listens carefully and has a passion for helping people. If that doesn't qualify you to be an MLA, I don't know what does.
Between now and Saturday i'm going to do some digging and try and find out about some of the folks running in the other races this weekend. If you've got any info you'd like to send along, its always welcome at albertatory@hotmail.com.
Before I go, a couple items from the federal world:
-I have long been supportive of more "Blake" in conservative politics in Alberta. With that in mind, I was pleased to hear about Blake Richards, the man who will be filling Myron Thompson's shoes as the Conservative candidate in the federal riding of Wild Rose. I don't know the man, but he certainly seems to be an excellent candidate.
-Three cheers to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson for introducing measures to crack down on drugs and the despicable thugs who sell them. Naturally, this is going over like a lead balloon in parts of British Columbia (including the one in which I live). What the spineless drug-addict apologists fail to understand is that we need MORE prosecution of drug pushers, not less.
Reading this article, I was appalled to find that fewer than 1 in 7 criminals who are charged with growing pot ever see a prison. I have to pass by the results of a lax attitude towards illegal drugs every day and am continually baffled that there are so many leaders in BC communities who want to make these drugs even more available.
Its enough to drive a guy who still has some common sense right out of the province...
Last night in Calgary Mackay, Social Worker Teresa Woo-Paw beat Community Activist Marnie Marr for the right to replace Gary Mar as the PC candidate. I, admittedly, don't know a great deal about these women personally. I checked out both their backgrounds and who was supporting whom, and came to the conclusion that I still don't know who I would have voted for. Party members had two excellent choices on their hands. Congrats to Ms. Woo-Paw on her victory, and to Ms. Marr for throwing her hat in the ring. I hope both of these exceptional women remain involved in the party for many years to come.
Tonight, PC members in Wetaskiwin-Camrose will choose their standard bearer to replace retiring MLA LeRoy Johnson. LeRoy was a very able MLA and quite possibly the nicest man ever elected to the Alberta Legislature. He has served his constituents with the highest level of honour and integrity for the past 10 years and has every reason to look back on his career with pride. In terms of candidates running to replace LeRoy, I have only been able to find out about one person running, Verlyn Olsen. Mr. Olsen seems to be an excellent candidate but, in the interests of fairness, I would have liked to hear about who else is running. I guess we'll know about any other candidates if one of them wins tonight!
Looking further down the road, we'll see contests this weekend in Athabasca-Redwater, Bonnyville-Cold Lake, Lethbridge West, Grande Prairie-Wapiti, and Edmonton Ellerslie.
Of these 5 races, there are two which I am particularily interested in.
Athabasca-Redwater was one of the constituencies I represented during my term on the PC Alberta Executive Committee. With long-time MLA Mike Cardinal set to retire, PC members will choose between Monty Bauer of Redwater, Jeff Johnson of Athabasca, or Richard Dubetz of Smoky Lake.
If I had a vote, it would go to Monty Bauer. I had the chance to talk with Monty on several occaisions during my term on the executive and was always impressed by his straight talk and sincerety. Monty is also part of a younger generation who, much like myself, grew up in PC Alberta. For someone who still qualifies as a "young guy", he sure brings a lot of historical knowledge to the table.
To be fair, I will say that I know a few people who are supporting Jeff Johnson and, after some research, I will say that he also seems to be a worthy candidate for the position. My searches for information on Mr. Dubetz haven't turned up any substantive information.
The other race i'm watching this weekend is in Lethbridge West. With Clint Dunford stepping down at the end of this term, Justin (JC) Penny and Greg Weadick are lined up to compete for the nomination. My support is 110% with JC.
JC is the kind of person we need more of in the Legislature. As another member of the under-40 crowd, he brings a much-needed perspective that has been lacking in Edmonton. He's a former student leader who understands what post-secondary students are facing today (and, more importantly, that there are institutions OUTSIDE Edmonton and Calgary). He has experience working on behalf of Albertans in Ottawa as a Senatorial Assistant. He's a committed member of our party who is well known beyond his hometown in Southern Alberta. Most importantly, he's just a damn good person who listens carefully and has a passion for helping people. If that doesn't qualify you to be an MLA, I don't know what does.
Between now and Saturday i'm going to do some digging and try and find out about some of the folks running in the other races this weekend. If you've got any info you'd like to send along, its always welcome at albertatory@hotmail.com.
Before I go, a couple items from the federal world:
-I have long been supportive of more "Blake" in conservative politics in Alberta. With that in mind, I was pleased to hear about Blake Richards, the man who will be filling Myron Thompson's shoes as the Conservative candidate in the federal riding of Wild Rose. I don't know the man, but he certainly seems to be an excellent candidate.
-Three cheers to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson for introducing measures to crack down on drugs and the despicable thugs who sell them. Naturally, this is going over like a lead balloon in parts of British Columbia (including the one in which I live). What the spineless drug-addict apologists fail to understand is that we need MORE prosecution of drug pushers, not less.
Reading this article, I was appalled to find that fewer than 1 in 7 criminals who are charged with growing pot ever see a prison. I have to pass by the results of a lax attitude towards illegal drugs every day and am continually baffled that there are so many leaders in BC communities who want to make these drugs even more available.
Its enough to drive a guy who still has some common sense right out of the province...
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