Mayes says he’ll seek nomination

By Scott Neufeld Monday, July 31, 2006http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_410.php
Okanagan-Shuswap member of Parliament Colin Mayes has made his intentions known about his political future.Mayes has announced that he will be seeking the Conservative Party nomination for the local riding in advance of the next federal election. He said the rush announcement was made because the minority government could be brought down at any time.“There is a possibility that the current minority government could fall sooner than expected,” Mayes said in a press release. “With this in mind, the party wants candidates ready in all 308 federal ridings by this fall.”Mayes said the record of the Conservative government speaks for itself. He said he hopes he will continue to be a part of the government into the future.“Canada’s new government has been sitting for 75 days and has made positive gains,” he said. “I look forward to representing the Okanagan-Shuswap as this government moves forward with its commitments.”The incumbent MP added he hopes that he will continue to receive the support of his constituency as he continues on in his political career.“I hope to be given the opportunity to serve the great communities of Okanagan-Shuswap for many years to come,” he said.Conservative riding association president Dean Skoreyko said it is no surprise that Mayes is going to vie for another nomination. There was no indication that the current MP was poised to leave his post, he said.Now that Mayes has declared Skoreyko said it is possible that others will make their intentions known as well. However, with no official nominating committee in place, entering the race at this point is a bit premature, he said. “All we know for sure is that sometime in the fall there will be a nomination race,” he said. “It will be in October maybe even in November.”Even if other candidates came forward there is no guarantee that they would be eligible for the race, Skoreyko said. The nomination process has to be followed before an applicant can be considered for inclusion and that process won’t begin for some time, he said.“There is no final nomination process right now,” he said. “There is no real committee to take the nomination to.”Starting today a selection committee will begin searching for potential candidates. Once that search is complete a nomination committee will be struck and a voting date set to select the candidate in the local riding.