Two prominent local Liberals are calling on their fellow Grits to step up to the plate and help the party get ready for the next election.
Former MLA Jack Flaherty, the St. Albert constituency association’s current president, and Wilf Borgstede, the association’s treasurer and vice-president, penned an open letter to local party members early this month calling on them to step up their support.
The letter says the association is a lot of the same old faces and not enough new energy.
“The reality of our situation is that the old is not out and the new is the same old,” reads the letter.
While highlighting the success of last year’s leadership garden party, the letter says the party has failed to attract a candidate for the constituency.
Flaherty and Borgstede said two credible candidates had expressed interest in running for the party, but balked when confronted with the lack of resources available to them.
“Had we been able to offer them more support I believe we could have empowered them to the next step and they would have been more open to running in the next election,” the letter continued.
Borgstede said the association has to show candidates that they will be there to organize campaigns, call supporters and plant signs and the letter was meant to light a fire under local supporters.
“We certainly do need support. We are not getting the support we need to get a candidate interested in representing the riding,” he said. “I don’t think that the association has indicated a willingness to step forward and kind of put their shoulder to the wheel.”
Borgstede said there has been some response to the letter, which was sent out on Feb. 1, but there still needs to be more people stepping forward for the party to mount a challenge.
“I am just a grassroots person doing what I can to try and stimulate the Liberals a little bit.”
Despite the dour assessment, provincial party leader Raj Sherman said the letter encouraged him, because he said it shows people are prepared to gear up for the campaign.
“I am glad to see that they are working hard to get election ready and I am glad to see Jack is cracking the whip.”
Sherman said getting candidates in place has not been a major focus for the party until recently. He said they first wanted a complete platform so candidates knew what they would be presenting to the public.
“When candidates decide to run they need a policy to run with and this is why we have not aggressively filled out seats until now.”
Citing Flaherty’s previous electoral success, Sherman said he believes St. Albert can be painted red again.
“St. Albert is a winnable riding. It was a Liberal riding and we will work hard to make sure it is a Liberal riding again.”
He said he expects to be able to announce a Liberal candidate soon.
