As the October 16, 2017 municipal elections approach, we are starting to see a number of candidates from the 2015 provincial and federal elections putting their names forward to run for municipal office. At least three former Progressive Conservative MLAs who were defeated in the 2015 election have put their names forward to run:
- Linda Johnson announced she is running for Calgary City Council in Ward 11. Johnson was the Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-Glenmore from 2012 until 2015, when she was defeated by 6 votes by New Democrat Anam Kazim. Current Ward 11 councillor Brian Pincott, who is not seeking re-election this year, is considering a run for the NDP in Calgary-Mountain View in the next provincial election.
- Former Fort McMurray-Conklin PC MLA Don Scott is running to become the next mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Scott served on council from 2010 to 2012 and as MLA from 2012 until he was unseated by Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean in 2015. He served as Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education from 2014 until 2015.
- Former PC MLA Dave Quest will be a municipal election candidate in the Strathcona County, though it is unclear whether he will run for a council spot or for mayor. He represented Strathcona-Sherwood Park from 2008 until 2015, when he was unseated by New Democrat Estefania Cortes-Vargas. He is married to Ward 8 councillor Fiona Beland-Quest. UPDATE: Beland-Quest has announced that she will not seek re-election. Rex Adam, husband of former Sherwood Park PC MLA Cathy Olesen, announced he will run in Ward 8.
A few other recent provincial and federal candidates are running as well:
- Jim Black is running for city council in Medicine Hat. He was an Alberta Party candidate in the 2015 provincial election.
- Rod Frank is running for mayor of Strathcona County. He earned 20 percent of the vote as the 2015 federal Liberal candidate in the Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan riding.
One reply on “Former Tory MLAs jumping into municipal politics”
I wonder if this is a sign how some former MLA’s feel about the state of the PC party and unite the right.
It used to be local politicians clamoring to get the PC nomination and leaving municipal politics to go to provincial. After the provincial Liberals did poorly a few elections ago, I recall some former Liberal MLA’s also decided to run municipally. I suppose this is another sign of how times have changed for the once great PC’s.