While the rest of the province seems rather intrigued by the approaching provincial election, the North Coast seems to be embracing a collective yawn, at least from the perspective of political organizers and would be candidates for the main parties.
With election day of Mid May nearly two months away, we have yet to hear of a BC Liberal nominee and while rumours persist that there may soon be a Green candidate to be revealed, there hasn't been much talk of late. If the BC Conservatives have any thoughts or designs on a campaign, they are apparently quite top secret.
Not that people aren't talking politics in the community.
There was some excitement on the political front last week, for a brief bit of time, there was that trial balloon of a possible Independent campaign by Joanna Larson, a quest to bring Ms. Larson to a ballot near you now taking to the classified pages of the Northern View (page A15 e edition March 6)
That, at the moment, leaves the riding with but one candidate thus far, Prince Rupert Councillor Jennifer Rice currently the lone confirmed candidate, having wrestled the nomination from Ms. Larson in January and since then, going all but silent and invisible since claiming the nomination.
Her twitter feed but the home of tumble weeds for long stretches of time, her website not providing an update since early December, while her Facebook page rather silennt since the nomination was secured.
Not even a pair of rants from Northern View publisher Todd Hamilton have tweaked her interest to offer up a reply, or share some talking points for the community to give some thought to.
Compare that cone of silence like campaign, with the always very active social media contributions of the nominee she defeated.
Joanna Larson, mainly through her twitter feed, has raised items of interest and engaged political discussion frequently since her loss, seemingly much more engaged in the political process at the moment, even if she's not the candidate.
Meanwhile, Ms. Rice, the actual candidate, has yet to formally introduce herself to would be voters. It would seem that she has appeared at few political functions, those events which would serve to increase her visibility and share her ideas or policies.
If she has been busy in the public eye, she's failed to publicize many of those appearances, nor it would appear have they had much of an impact on the local media.
In a business where you earn your seat in Victoria by meeting the voters and securing their trust, her efforts thus far haven't exactly been quick out of the gate.
All in all, a very strange way to run a campaign, even one that hasn't officially started and without any real competition at the moment.
Maybe the NDP candidate is waiting to see who may step into the political arena with her, holding her policies, platforms and talking points close to the vest.
In fact, right now, heading towards Mid March, we seemingly know more about the candidate that lost the NDP nomination, than the one who claimed victory.
Leaving us to think, that perhaps that idea of an Independent campaign may not be such a bad idea after all.
If nothing else, it would provide North Coast voters with some indication that an election actually is coming up in May.
And if no one else is willing to step into the electoral forum, Ms. Larson's potential campaign may even offer North Coast voters with a little bit of choice.
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