More Political Games
On May 18th this year the Cariboo -Prince George Federal Conservative Riding Association Executive changed in one major move.
A new slate of Directors, each armed with a list of who they should vote for, came prepared for what did happen.
Included on that list was then Mayor Shari Green , along with her husband, her husband’s old boss, Green’s former campaign manager in her run for the Mayor’s job , Ken Sands, and his wife.
Among the previous supporters for Mayor who made the leap to the Executive, were Janine North, Head of The NDIT Trust; Carla Johnston Executive Director of the DBIA (who was one of the people who had taken over the DBIA in exactly the same manner a few years earlier) and for good measure, Cameron Stolz , who was then elected President of the Riding Association. Stolz was a strong supporter of Green at the Prince George Council table. In addition there were others who had supported Green in her bid to become Mayor.
Missing from that group was Dan McLaren, one of the principles of the Commonwealth Group of Companies, one of which had chalked up a better than half million dollar profit from the flip of the Prince George Hotel and property. The fact McLaren’s companies were now before the courts has been offered as a possible reason why he was not on the Board, but that is only speculation. He has since shown up, supporting Green on her Conservative Nomination facebook page.
On May 22nd, Green announced that she would not stand for re- election in Prince George , telling the media , ” I am considering other ways on how I will serve the community and the region”. By doing this Green was able to continue to have a high profile, while at the same time trying to extend her popularity , given that her real plans were no secret.
Dick Harris at that point held the political hand , he was quietly sitting back, hoping to tender his resignation on October 23rd, triggering a nomination battle, in which he hoped his candidate Todd Doherty would be able to pick it off.
Doherty was working at the Canada Winter Games, and in mid September he suddenly resigned from that post after it became public that he would seek the nomination for the Cariboo-Prince George Riding should Harris decide to retire. To this day, no one is prepared to talk about his departure, it is known he received a severance from the Games, and that does not suggest a departure initiated on his own behalf.
On the other side of town, well known businessman , T.J. Grewal , had taken out a membership with the Conservatives within days of the takeover of the riding Association. He had previously served on the Riding Association’s executive, but had let his membership lapse. He then set about trying to sell memberships knowing full well he would need a long list in order to secure the nomination in the riding. In order to seek the nomination for the riding, your member ship has to have been in existence for a period of six months. Grewal would become eligible around November 20th.
The newly elected President of the riding, Cameron Stolz would have access to the members list, knowing who had signed up and when.
Shari Green attended the National meeting of the party in Calgary, and also had made a trip to Ottawa, meeting with Conservative brass.
On November 5th, Green made her official announcement that she was running for the nomination. Her supporters, including some of the board members had been attempting to sell memberships for some time previous.
Grewal by this time , while not yet announcing he would be a candidate, had amassed a large following and word on the street was that he was leading the pack of hopefuls to get the nomination.
Suddenly the Conservatives announce that the nominations for candidates will close on November 13th.
If the nomination dates were picked by either Ottawa or in tandem with the local directors, we do not know, and we leave that up to your observation . Gone was the front runner T.J. Grewal who found himself unable to seek the nomination because he was about a week shy of being “eligible” . That nomination close had come less than two weeks after Harris had said he was retiring , and less than a week after Green had announced her intention to seek the nomination. What the rush for the close of nominations was is still not known and no one wants to comment on the matter. Calls to the Ottawa Conservative offices where this decision was supposedly made, have not be returned.
Grewal appealed asking for a waiver , which has been handed out in many other previous nomination bids by the Conservatives but to no avail. He may have had the strong support but it was not about to do him any good.
With the departure of Gerald Caron from Vanderhoof the field had been reduced to three. Green, Doherty and Nick Fedorkiw.
What the feds and the local brass from the Conservatives may have missed is the tenacity of Grewal.
He is not known as a guy who throws in the towel very easily. With Grewal packing around the support of upwards of 1500 supporters, he is, for all intents and purpose, the king maker, and the king maker is not about to throw his support behind the Green machine. While we do not know just how many supporters Green is packing, rumours are around 1,000, perhaps as high as 1200. That being the case and with Fedorkiw having around 250, she will have a tough time coming close to getting past the post first if Grewal decides to toss his support behind Doherty, who is rumoured to have shy of 1,000 memberships.
So while the political tricks shave been ramped up over the past few months , the chickens will all come home to roost whenever the nomination is held . While it takes place in a roundabout way, it is the people who will have the final say . What happened to Grewal is dead wrong, what happened to Doherty in his job loss is dead wrong.
The final judgment in the matter rests with you.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
One thing about Sherri is for everything she lacks as a genuine contender, she makes up for in ego and denial. No matter how low her ‘team’ will go, there will always be some kind of spin on events to build a positive facade of the brand.
I think Harper will call an early election to avoid the Duffy court case calling him as a witness before the next election. As such they will short circuit the nomination process and appoint from Ottawa the next candidate for the ridings that are open. Green will be a shoe in because of her control of the rising association.
Personally I think Nick Fedorkiw is the best choice to put some distance between our potential representative to the party and or Ottawa… between the cronyism that inflicts the party of power and the representative of the people. I knew of Nick as a student at St Mary’s in my sisters class, and as far as I can tell he had a good local up bringing, doesn’t have any glaring flaws or compromised political connections, and has a platform of ideas that include better representation for this region to Ottawa, rather than the reverse.
Supporting Green is about wanting to be close to the big power politicos, and getting endorsed by Dick Harris isn’t much better IMO. I think if the riding association hopes to keep this riding in play they should go with someone fresh to politics without the baggage.
I have lived in Prince George for just short of 50 years. Along the way, I have heard people talk about what a great city we live in and we do. Every once and a while I would come across a bully. Usually as a group in Prince, would get together and take them on and they would go away.
In all those years I have never seen one as organized as the green group. What makes them interesting is how organized they are. Today as I understand it, is the last day to sign up in time to vote for the conservative party of Canada.
It is time for us to stand up to a bully. Right now it does not matter who you are pulling for. Todd I think he is the best choice but that is not relavant.
You can’t vote without a membership, every candidate started after Shari. They are on their heel. So you can sit back and do nothing and once again Shari and the gang win, or you can buy a membership and vote.
To buy a membership go to the conservative website. They are $15 after that you have 25 days to decide who you want to vote for. I think Todd but anyone other than the bully gang is a good vote.
If you are in the riding it is up to you. Your vote matters!! Please vote, so we can fight against bully politics and say good bye to a bully.
This is just my opinion, if you disagree, either don’t vote or vote for Shari but let’s say Shari we love our community! You go to greener pastures.
I think its very easy to understand somebody like Shari Green. If one were to define a classic narcissist. Also understandable are people like Stolz, Smith and McLaren for that matter. lacking in empathy and a sense of fairness. They all make bold moves, not caring in the least how their decisions affect others and relishing in treating our community and democratic values with a lack of respect. Its a strive and hunger for power and control, and all part of our human condition. An ego in a state of overdrive. They, all of them, sleep very well at night.
What I don’t understand, what keeps me up at night and is the most disturbing, is the people that surround them, the people that support them, the ones that tell them that their actions are ok. They fail to see the toxic personality and self-serving politics. Ben has listed many of them here, but sadly there are more. One great indicator of good character, is how you treat others who can do nothing for you. Shari Green has failed miserably at this for the better half of her life so I hear, a bully in reputation from years ago and has been left unchallenged. Nobody around her is able or willing to say “This is not okay, and you need to treat people better.” and that is IMO the real tragedy in all this.
I really don’t know which one to pick, as long as Dingbat Shari doesn’t get in. I would be more inclined to vote for the person that TJ was going to support so we don’t split the vote.
The only way to stop her is by buying a conservative membership, if you live in the riding of Prince George – Cariboo. If you don’t live in the riding, then encourage a friend who does and offer to drive them to the voting meeting. Hell, I’d even buy my friend dinner! Today up until 9pm tonight is the final day to sign up online. Lets not just out vote this woman, lets send a message that bully behavior is not acceptable either in the playground, board room or in politics. Enough is enough!
Nick Fedorkiw looks to be the only candidate with clean hands. Go Nick !
Ben, why so surprised that Doherty and the CWG parted ways ? Its not the first job Todd has been asked to leave. Go Nick !
Yes, lets all vote for the two other candidates and split the votes so Shari win’s.
Where is Dick’s voice in Ottawa? He must know some people after holding the caribou riding for this long. Maybe he is a deathly silent MLA. Dick Harris endorsed Todd Doherty. Everyone mean to say this has no weight in Ottawa?
Why don’t all the union hacks band together and hijack this process as well? Seems pretty simple to me.
Why does anybody even care who is the Conservative candidate for this riding is? What a lot of hype over nothing. Anybody can sleep walk their way through their term in this riding, and in reality can do no-wrong.
All the whining on this site is from dippers and faux liberals, who don’t have a prayer of ever seeing their choice elected, and are just sour over Green’s tenure as Mayor.
Talk about a lot of hype over a seat with no influence.
Here Jimmy Hughes have a snickers bar. You are a real buzz killer when you are hungry.
@ Digitus Impudicus If you actually think being bullied out of job is funny, then you are a bigger part of the problem!
Spoken like a true neo-conservative, Jimmy Hughes. Quick, go hug your Ayn Rand book! LoL
@ Veritas…..sounds like you have some good stuff to share with us. Go ahead……we’re listening.
I wish I could agree with you Jim but you are wrong. Change starts with a fire in your belly. Todd has this. Yes, the first term we will not see much change. I am not stupid. Well, most days I am not.
I thought Nick had it, but he wants a job. I am not looking for someone who wants a job. Shari wants fame and a pention, both will not be looking out for our region.
If Nick gets in we will never see him. If Shari gets in we will see her at Costco leading her husband around with her cellphone stuck to her head. Just like now.
Those of you who know Todd will know at Costco Todd will be at Costco all day, talking to everyone, about what a great place we live in. At work he will fight to make it even a better place.
You decide what you want.
The riding will nominate the candidate it deserves to get. Hopefully it will lead to a positive change in the long run, positive for the people.
I actually hope Shari wins the nomination. Then maybe after 16 years of having basically no representation in Ottawa maybe the electorate of this district will go in another direction and vote someone other than conservative.
I’d vote for that looney tune in North Korea before Green
November 20th, (today) is the last day to get your conservative membership enabling you to vote in the nomination process.
Why does this site boot me out in the middle of writing a post, and then lose everything I’ve written so far? This has happened several times. Kind of discouraging.
lbear,
The site has no ability to “boot you out” while you are writing a post, you must have hit some key on your keyboard in error.
Elaine Macdonald
Publisher
tap says…”I thought Nick had it, but he wants a job”….? And just what the heck is Doherty in it for ? Where is Todd employed right now ? Free everything and a large party budget is what Doherty is in it for. I would say its DOHerty and Green that are looking for a job.
Fate.. No representation is better than Green.. She did nothing as mayor, she had her own agenda and didn’t live up to her promises when she ran for mayor.. . She must be sent away.. Ice flow time..lol
In looking at the Candidates and their campaigns for this nomination, my information as to levels of support is quite different than Ben’s. Mr. Grewal, being disqulaified is indeed in a “kingmaker” role with his large number of supporters who would likely be inclined to follow his recommendations. Ms. Green has been collecting memberships for sometime, but doesn’t have the support level of Grewal, which is likely why the chosen date contributed to Grewal’s disqualification. The real key is where Grewal will choose to put his support. Mr. Doherty doesn’t have as much support as Mr. Fedorkiw – my information is that Ben’s numbers in that regard are not correct, as Mr. Harris’ endorsement has not brought significant member support. In my assessemnt, the candidate most likely to beat Green in the absence of Grewal is Fedorkiw, not Doherty.
Hi Elaine – it happens everytime the comment posts are updated.
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 @ 8:20 AM by Fate
I actually hope Shari wins the nomination. Then maybe after 16 years of having basically no representation in Ottawa maybe the electorate of this district will go in another direction and vote someone other than conservative.
I agree. I never understood how such a working class town would vote so right wing.
I hope that Grewal does throw whatever votes he has to the next candidate. Wouldn’t vote for him, but what happened is dead wrong.
I remember reading somewhere that the one difference between those in power and those that aren’t is being organized.
And it seems the Green camp is well informed, and very organized.
Why is Green seemingly the choosen one?
“…neo-conservative”? What tripe. The looney left is bereft of anything cogent to post, so after the bumper sticker talking points, they resort to ad hominems. Way to go skippy; for living up to the stereotype.
What do we know.??
1. Grewal is out. Does he actually have 1500 signed up supporters, somehow I don’t think so. In any event the question is, can he deliver these 1500 if they exist.
2. If Fedorkiw’s numbers are accurate ie; 250, then he is not a player in this game, and in fact there are rumours that he is in it, mainly to split the vote in favour of Green.
3. Doherty is the real threat to Green, and has the support of a large number of new and old Conservative members. I suspect that Grewal would give whatever support he can to Doherty, as he has the best chance of winning over Green.
So there you have it. A neck to neck race between Green and Doherty. If Doherty wins, we will have some good representation for this riding, because he would probably get elected to Parliament. Assuming Harper wins the next election (which he should), then we will have a representative in Government.
If Green wins, this opens up a whole new ball game. Many new and old time Conservatives will not vote for Green. Furthermore electing an NDP, or Liberal in a Conservative Government will not do you much good.
So whats the answer.??. I think that the answer is, we have to send a message to Ottawa, and the respective political parties, that they should stop messing around with nominations. How do we do this?? We elect an Independent representative rather than Green. He/she would have the same amount of clout as an NDP or Liberal, and we would be sending a message that we can operate outside the party system.
At the very least the Independent could split the vote, and allow someone other that Green to win.
That’s my take on the situation.
I will say again that it does not matter who wins the nomination – Green is in. The real winner will be promised something to withdraw. Do I want this to happen? Absolutely not. The next step is to defeat Green in the next election and send a message to the riding association that in the north we get cranky when we get taken for fools.
Vote NDP or Liberal that’ll show them.
Cheers
Palopu -Furthermore electing an NDP, or Liberal in a Conservative Government will not do you much good.
How do you know that a Conservative government will win? CUPE will be out in full force and with the Mayor and 6 councillors support in PG – it will be a NDP for sure!!
Where Palopou’s assessment is wrong is that Fedorkiw has considerably more than a mere 250 members signed up. His broadly based campaign team is far ahead of Doherty’s in that respect. Assuming Grewal can direct his support, which is likely in the order of around 1400 members, to Fedorkiw, then Fedorkiw’s numbers will be far ahead of Doherty and Green combined.
Again, the smoke and mirrors part is that Doherty’s campaign has not generated the support expected from Harris’ endorsement and he simply has not signed up nearly as many members as either Grewal, Green, or Fedorkiw. The other factor to consider is just how much support Green has been able to generate in terms of sign-ups who will actually show up to vote for her.
Whether or not Grewal is able to direct his support and how he will direct it remains to be seen. The truth will be determined in how many members will be generated by these candidates as of November 20 (the last day to sign up), how many have signed up with one and will support another and where the votes of the 600 or so long standing members will go.
Even if Grewal’s numbers are divided, which seems unlikely, the candidate most likely to be victorious against Green is Fedorkiw.
Right back at you, Jimmy Hughes! :)
Thisn was in yesterdays post and I like.
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A word of caution or a question. what if all the Libs. & NDP take out a cooserv. membership $ vote Green in, that would give 1 of them a garauntee to get in on the next election. Or am I out to lunch. Just asking.
Cheers
Can Grewal still run as an independant?
Retired 02 that is what could happen.
I would vote Grewal as an independant.
What a lot of navel gazing over a riding that no one cares about. The NDP and Liberals could hold a meeting for all their constituents within the riding, in a phone booth.
They couldn’t even unseat the evil Christy and her band of dilettantes. What chance do they have with one of the safest Conservatives seats in the land?
Finally something we can agree on, Jimmy Hughes!
Great Fedorkiw will win. I ask where has he been the last few years. Why is he back and IF he wins when will we see him again.
One on one he is a nice guy but if he feels he is done he starts looking around. He may win but we will lose.
Realistically, Grewal as a independent isn’t a good bet. That just works in Greens favor. 2 terms and she’s in the pension, am I correct?
Btw, I think that this is the most active thread I’ve ever seen on 250!
“Hi Elaine – it happens everytime the comment posts are updated” .. it is because when the page refreshes to update the comments it wipes out everything you have already written. Most sites use cookies to retain form input, but apparently this security on this site doesn’t allow for that. If it takes you a long time to write a comment, you will have to do what I do, and type it out first in notepad.
“Dirtyrottenresearcher” .. welcome back Gus.
I like “Gus” not sure about “Dirtyrottenresearcher.” :)
Huh … sorry but dirtyrottenresearcher is NOT Gus … they are on opposite ends of the political spectrum … however, both have reasonable analytic skills and would likely come to the same conclusion with this case’s fact sheet.
To beat the refresh, get to the point! Forget the long-winded diatribes; one Eagleone is enough.
Dirtyrottenresearcher. (Can I call you DRS) Your assessment is based on the assumption that Fedorkiw is a serious contender. He’s not. At best he will split the vote and make it easier for Green to win.
However the best laid plans of mice and men oft times go awry.
We need only look at the last Municipal Election to see, that some people are nowhere near as smart or astute as they think they are.
If the liberals say they will make pot legal if voted in then the conservatives will not win this seat anyway :)
Palopu, there’s no assumption in my analysis. Fedorkiw is far ahead of Doherty – the membership numbers will reflect that circumstance. There is no issue of splitting the vote – to win the nomination, it is not sufficient to have the most votes, one must have a majority of the votes. That is whoever wins must be elected with 50 percent plus one vote. Therefore, there is no splitting of the vote, but perhaps a need for a second ballot in which the third place finisher would need to determine where he will put his support in the absence of a clear majority.
In my analysis, the pre-existing members will make a difference as to who will win, and they should not be counted as part of Doherty’s numbers, merely because of Harris’ endorsement. Those members are very much “in play.”
It is one thing to sign up, and it is quite another to show up to vote. A critical issue will be how the EDA executive decides to allocation balloting opportunities.
Also, Fedorkiw’s full-page ad in the Citizen today certainly establishes him as a credible candidate – at least one with some resources behind his election.
Okay..second time trying to post as I was kicked out earlier.
Good day folks,
I appreciate all of your comments and opinions (good and otherwise)
That we can freely express our views and opinions is an important right.
There are clearly people on here who feel they know me and others who do not and are choosing to perpetuate negative comments regarding me and others in this race.
I have said this before and hope this will resonate with this crowd – our team will focus on what we can control and we will not engage in publicly destroying others in this race.
We need to move away from this type of behaviour and bring some integrity back to our regional politics.
I want to be your next Member of Parliament. I will advocate and fight for what our region deserves and demands. We need leadership now more than ever to be able to bring our region together.
I am humbled by Mr. Harris’s endorsement but I want people to know who I am, to be comfortable in what I stand for and vote for me because of this rather than who has endorsed me.
I am travelling today but I would like to hear from you.
If you would like to speak to me in person or by email rather than anonymously via this site. I urge you to contact me by email so we have the opportunity to address your concerns and comments. If you want to perpetuate negativity towards others, I won’t engage in this.
My email – todd@todddoherty.ca
This is about your voice. Your family’s voice.
This is my home. This is my family’s home. We are here to stay.
Please go online or by phone to register as a member so that you can exercise your voice.
Sincerely,
Todd Doherty
Yes, I agree Dirtyrottenresearcher is definitely not Gus. Gus always had better reasoning within his opinions…
Todd and Nick are running to split the vote for Shari and Grewal was the main play to stop for Shari, it is a set up for Shari to win. A travesty for democracy for sure. The results will show this, even if Grewal’s numbers go with Nick or Todd, as long as there is a split selection for the vote, Shari will win. It was set up that way…
“So there you have it. A neck to neck race between Green and Doherty. If Doherty wins, we will have some good representation for this riding, because he would probably get elected to Parliament. Assuming Harper wins the next election (which he should), then we will have a representative in Government.
If Green wins, this opens up a whole new ball game. Many new and old time Conservatives will not vote for Green. Furthermore electing an NDP, or Liberal in a Conservative Government will not do you much good.”
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It’s also entirely possible that the Cons will not be in power after the next election and in that case, a Conservative MP does you no good.
I think it will be very interesting to see who the Libs and NDP choose to run in this riding. If they are facing Green, it could be a huge opportunity for them to steal a seat if they find a strong local candidate.
Dirtyrottenresearcher is not Gus. Gus would be laughing at the comment and say he is not as smart as Dirtyrottenresearcher because he would find Dirtyrottenresearcher logic well let’s just say not the same as Gus’s logic. Check Gus’s website out it is Gus. jokat .ca
So, anyways, it’ll be a nice day if it don’t rain.
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 @ 8:44 AM by lbear
Why does this site boot me out in the middle of writing a post, and then lose everything I’ve written so far? This has happened several times. Kind of discouraging.
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Happens to me a lot too Ibear. Ever since the new site format.
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2014 @ 7:30 AM by happy13
Here Jimmy Hughes have a snickers bar. You are a real buzz killer when you are hungry.
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You meant to say every time he posts right?
I have never had problems with the site booting me out of posts. Mind you, I don’t write 2000 word diatribes and I can type more than 3 words per minute.
HI ALL,
My understanding, which has been confirmed by one of our candidates, is that the voting process will be by preferential balloting. Please take note of this Palapu and Silverpaw.
In voting, it will be important to mark all names – not just the one you prefer.
When I vote, Green will be last. That way her last place on the ballot will never be a vote for her. BUT if you leave any blanks, the total vote count will be decreased and it will take fewer votes to meet that 50%+one threshold.
In other words, blank spaces on the vote card scares me to the point it may only help one candidate and that could be Green.
Comments for this article are closed.