By Dylan Hackett, News Editor
The list of candidates vying to run against the BC Liberals this spring in the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain electoral district has increased with a slew of new candidates announced. Former Coquitlam city councillor Barrie Lynch joins the list of civic politicians established as NDP members after four-term Port Moody mayor Joe Trasolini took the neighbouring Port Moody-Coquitlam riding in the spring by-election.
“I think most people will respect the fact if you’ve got some experience at the civic level, it can be transferred over to the provincial level,” said Lynch.
Former world champion wrestler and current executive director for KidSport Tri-Cities, Chris Wilson, has also filed his nomination papers to run in the riding, saying “I think for me I have the most to offer on a provincial level rather than on a community level.”
At the end of the summer, Joe Keithley, frontman of punk legends DOA, who spoke with The Other Press earlier last month, made headlines with his announcement to run in the riding as well.
[quote]The selected candidate will be running against BC Liberal backbench MLA Douglas Horne, who has held the seat since 2009.[/quote]
“I’ve always thought change doesn’t come from politicians or business leaders or the media. Politicians are kind of like poll readers in a way. They read what people want and but it’s the people that run things. A lot of the time, unfortunately, people don’t realize that they can have a great influence on society. I think really big change starts right within your own community. If you have a good idea it goes out from your community, across the province, across the country, and maybe even across the world if the idea is good enough,” said Keithley.
The BCNDP is still recruiting members of the riding to sign up as party members in order to have a vote in the party’s yet to be determined constituency meeting.
The selected candidate will be running against BC Liberal backbench MLA Douglas Horne, who has held the seat since 2009.
The neighbouring riding, Coquitlam-Maillardville, was only short an NDP candidate for springtime election for a week, after current MLA Diane Thorne announced that she does not plan to run for the seat again. In an unheated contest, Coquitlam city councillor Selina Robinson has been announced as the new runner in a seat held by the BCNDP since 2005.
“After four years on council, [you recognize] there’s only so much you can do at municipal level,” Robinson said.
