The last week in local politics saw epic confusion that had political observers shaking their heads, trying to figure out what had gone on.
One week after nominations for people seeking party candidacy had supposedly closed, PC Alberta stepped in, removing the entire nomination committee and extending the nomination deadline. This cleared the way for one more challenger to step in, one with 10 years in federal politics.
In a formal announcement last Tuesday, MP Brian Storseth said he would be running to become the PC candidate, alongside those who had already declared.
While Storseth has traditionally had a lot of support in this strongly conservative riding, his siding with Wildrose opponent Shayne Saskiw against long-time cabinet minister Ray Danyluk in the 2012 election left some long-time PC supporters with a bad taste in their mouths. For Storseth’s part, he says he didn’t support premier of the time, Alison Redford, which is why he campaigned for the Wildrose.
Politically speaking, it’s a smart explanation to offer potential voters, since Redford went down in a flame of scandal and had few supporters by the end of her tenure. But as one reader noted, there must have been more to the story than him simply not supporting the premier; it’s too flimsy an explanation to stand on its own.
While the nomination process might have had some strange missteps that left jaws hanging, card-carrying PC supporters shouldn’t let the flaws or mistakes that occurred colour their faith in the election process. Those who have put their name forward have done so to serve their communities and deserve due consideration.
Since there is a strong possibility that whoever wins this nomination will be the community’s next MLA, voters should take a good look at each person’s track record and judge them not by what they have promised for the unknown future, but what they have delivered in the proven past. They should be scrutinized not for the personalities, but by their intelligence, commitment and ability to get the job done.
