By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 15, 2009 6:00 PM
With the initial shock of MLA Tom Christensen retiring starting to wear off, potential replacements are starting to line up. Two mayors — Eric Foster of Lumby and Vernon’s Wayne Lippert — are giving preliminary consideration to seeking the Liberal nomination for the May provincial election. “I’ve had several phone calls about it and when people ask, you think about it,” said Foster, who is a member of the B.C. Liberals. “I’m in the political realm so you always think about things.” Lippert, who is also a Liberal member, is taking a similar approach to the vacancy created by Christensen’s departure in Okanagan Vernon. “It’s always something to consider. As with any job, there are opportunities,” said Lippert. “It’s an interesting thought but that’s all it is at this point. He (Christensen) just made the announcement.”Lippert added that he is always looking at ways to serve the public.“I believe in the community and the area,” he said.
It’s anticipated that others in the constituency are also considering the Liberal nomination, but others have already taken themselves out of the race. “I’ve committed myself to local politics for three years,” said Buffy Baumbrough, a Vernon councillor who previously represented the federal Liberals locally. Also not interested in the provincial scene is Janna Francis, who ran in November’s federal election for the Liberals. “I’m so busy with the Liberal Party of Canada through the organizational process. They (B.C. Liberals) need a more high-profile person and he will be hard to replace,” Francis said of Christensen. Christensen announced Tuesday that he will not seek a third term as MLA so he can spend more time with his family. He was elected to the Legislature in 2001 and 2005, and has served as minister of education, aboriginal relations and currently children and family.
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Morning Star EDITORIAL: Mayors must consider public
It's a natural that other elected officials would think about filling the void after MLA Tom Christensen retires in May. After all, they already have an understanding of how politics work and the fact that they have been elected once means they stand a good chance of doing so again. In the case of Wayne Lippert, he is now serving his second term as mayor of the largest city in Okanagan Vernon, so there could be some star attraction there for the B.C. Liberals. And with Eric Foster, he is not only mayor of Lumby and North Okanagan Regional District chairman, he is a loyal party stalwart. But if either were to actually decide to seek the Liberal nomination, they could face a serious public backlash.
Primarily, it was only back in November that Lippert was re-elected as mayor of Vernon while Foster was acclaimed to his position in Lumby. So if one of them was the Liberal candidate during May's election and they were chosen MLA, that would leave their respective community without a mayor. Just six months after the last civic election, voters of either Vernon or Lumby would be heading to the polls for a very expensive byelection. There is also some question as to whether either of them could continue on as mayor while also campaigning provincially. There is nothing wrong with politicians considering career options that benefit themselves, their family and their community, but they also need to be aware of their current obligations. At a time when many residents are worried about their jobs and money is tightening up, a politician forcing a costly byelection to pursue higher office may not go over very well.
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