The Voters Of Prince George Peace River Wanted Someone New
By Ben Meisner
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 03:45 AM
For those that thought Colin Kinsley or Cameron Stolz had the inside track on picking off the Conservative nomination for the Prince George- Peace River riding, the lesson was in the final result Friday night.
Stolz, in my mind was never a serious contender, although he should be able to take some satisfaction in knowing that he ran fifth out of seven. If Stolz, who at one time had aspirations of someday taking over from Pat Bell, still has that idea in mind , he would do well to remember that he was a first time Councillor, and before the public gives him the nod they want to see what his performance is as a Councillor.
The jury is still out on that one.
There was a lot of talk that Colin Kinsley would get the nod in that he was the former Mayor of the city and was well known.
Well perhaps too well known.
When Kinsley decided not to run for the Mayor’s job in the last race, he could see the hand writing on the wall. If you add in his stand on BC rail which a lot of Conservative brass still haven’t forgotten, or his most recent post trying to get the Enbridge Pipe line built through BC and he was carrying as lot of baggage with him.
I don’t believe for a moment the strength is in the area north of the Pine Pass, there was an opportunity to sell a wheel barrel full of memberships in the Prince George region and in spite of the sales, the voters didn’t see a pressing need to come out and support Colin. They took the position that he had has his turn.
As for the other candidates, Jerrilyn Schembri put on a good show from a small community. She may have come 6 out of seven, but trying to build a power base out of Tumbler Ridge is a tall order.
Bob Zimmer got the nod because the voters saw an opportunity for a change of thinking. Zimmer ran first on that platform followed by Dan Davies.
The voters opted for a change rather than the same old, same old.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
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Posted by: Palopu on March 15 2011 9:13 AM
As far as the notion of "change" goes, that is becoming as overused a word/phrase as “moving forward” and several others. Obama ran on it, Christie Clark ran on it. Will real change actually happen? Unless someone is a Mahatma Ghandi like individual, highly unlikely.
I think Zimmer won not because of the promise of “change”. He won because he was cut from the same cloth that Hill was and because the power base for the riding is north of the Rockies.
One just has to read his bio to see that Zimmer is well rooted in the Peace as far as family background goes. The importance of that cannot be overestimated when it comes to rural communities and that is what the Peace is, a myriad of small agricultural communities. In addition, he is cut from the same Reform side of the Conservative Party cloth as Hill. Finally, he was a long time part of the Riding’s apparatchik which is also centered north of the Rockies. I think the old adage, “family sticks together” can be applied here to an “extended” family.
Now, as for change. If there is anyone up there who really wants change, vote anything but Conservative in the next election. No one is interested in change. Chances of that? Slim to none.
They have their new “boy”. He may not do as well as Hill the first time out, but given the history of the riding, unless he botches it with some wrongdoings, he will be around for a decade or more no matter which party forms government.