It is only fair after introducing the local Conservative candidate, we mention that there is also going to be a Liberal candidate. We actually have a contest to determine the Liberal candidate. Somehow the Liberal party made a slip and approved two candidates in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte. (That riding name has something of a country music connotation.) And it might be an interesting contest. Both candidates approved to-date have some good credentials.
The first to announce was Brian Tamblyn, a well-known educator and community leader. While still in his 50s, Brian has had a 30-year career with Georgian College and the last 13 years he has been President and CEO. It was a time of unprecedented growth for Georgian and he has solid credentials throughout our community. He has shown himself to be very adept at dealing with politicians and functionaries at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.
But one good candidate must deserve another. Also approved by the Liberal Party is lawyer Trevor Owen. Trevor has been a litigation lawyer for the past 24 years and goes even further back as a Liberal since his father Bruce Owen was a Liberal Member of the Ontario Legislature in the Peterson government. Trevor is also a hard worker for groups such as Habitat for Humanity and in working with physically and mentally disabled children as well as his father’s cultural and musical productions.
The only thing that we do not know is when the heck the party is going to get around to letting the riding hold its nominating meeting. To prevent any hanky-panky, the party makes a practice of announcing the nominating meeting to all members of the riding association from the party’s membership database. If you have not paid your membership before then, you do not get a vote.
As a writer we try to be forgiving of the candidates for their desperate efforts to cram all the reasons someone might vote for them into their first letter. As a lawyer, our friend Trevor should know that the only time someone wants a lawyer to write a letter is to go to someone they are mad at. And as an academic, Brian should understand that only academics weigh curriculum vitae rather than read them.
While both candidates might be somewhat more right wing than we normally would want, they both seem attuned to people and that is always a good start. And, after all, the first job is to get rid of Stephen Harper. Anyone is to the left of that guy.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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