A reader of this blog spotted these two signs yesterday morning on the corner of 34th Avenue and Mill Woods Road in the constituency of Edmonton-Mill Woods.
Progressive Conservative MLA Carl Benito, who spent much of his first-term in office defending self-inflicted controversy, was defeated by Sohail Qadri in a tense battle for his party’s nomination. While most politicians in his position would quietly move out of the spotlight, are the sudden presence of these signs a signal that Mr. Benito’s name could show up on the ballot as an Independent candidate in the upcoming election?
The signs note that they are donated by “High Speed Printing,” which means that they were likely not paid for through constituency office funds.
While the opposition parties were hoping that Mr. Benito’s name would on the ballot as the PC candidate, a run as an Independent candidate could lead to interesting results. In 2008, Mr. Benito became the first PC MLA to be elected in this constituency since 1982. Voters in this constituency elected Liberal MLAs to represent them in the Assembly from 1993 until 2008.
Former Liberal MLA Weslyn Mather has been nominated to carry her party’s banner into the election, the New Democrats have chosen Alberta Union of Provincial Employees Vice-President Sandra Azocar, and Joanne Autio is the Wildrose candidate.
7 replies on “return of benitomania. will carl benito run as an independent in the upcoming election?”
As much as we’d all like to chuckle at Benito only getting 100 votes or so, this won’t be happening. The signs are probably one last attempt to garner name recognition before he returns to being a real estate agent.
Carl Benito, Making me laugh!
I mentioned these signs in several places since first spotting them a couple of weeks ago. I can’t miss them since I travel the route every day. I could hardly believe my eyes!! Thinking that the neighbours who put up these signs were just living in the past – mistaking 2012 for 2008 – I was doubly shocked to see the same Benito signs on the fence at another home just opposite Lee Ridge School. I hope he decided to run as an independent. He provides terrific comic relief.
You did call it. Edmonton Mill Woods continues to become more ‘interesting”. Carl Benito an independent along with the plethora of ill placed Election signs by the PCs this riding cannot be anymore colorful and worth watching.
I throw up a little in my mouth knowing I voted for this goof and knowing that these signs are only feet from my own backyard.
He actually fell asleep in Question Period the day I visited the Assembly.
Im only hoping the 4 trillion signs that Sohail Quadri has carpet bombed all over the riding will be enough to make his name stick…or that all the constituents were collectively watching the news the day it was revealed Benito had failed personal finance 101.
There is an old adage that saya, ‘the best way to test a man’s character is to give him power.’
Benito failed this test miserably. It is time to go Benito!
Good riddance to Benito!