The race to succeed former B.C. premier Christy Clark as the MLA in Kelowna West has a fourth contestant.
Kyle Geronazzo has been named the the B.C. Libertarian Party candidate.
Geronazzo, 29, will join B.C. Liberal Ben Stewart, the NDP’s Shelley Cook and the B.C. Green Party’s Robert Stupka in the byelection, which Premier John Horgan has said he plans to call next month. That means voters in the riding will head to the polls in early February after a 29-day campaign.
“I want to offer a different voice,” said Geronazzo, who feels B.C. is “caught between a rock and hard place” when it comes to picking between B.C. Liberal and NDP candidates.
A newcomer to politics, he said he joined the B.C. Libertarian Party following May’s provincial election, and agreed to run in the byelection because he was “somewhat displeased” with the result, and was dissatisfied with how few options were presented to residents in the Okanagan.
“As libertarians, we’re all about personal freedom above everything else,” he said.
Describing himself as a “long-time philosophic libertarian,” Geronazzo said he wants to bring a more pro-freedom fiscally responsible message to the valley and put partisanship aside.
Geronazzo wants to see the private sector allowed to compete against ICBC for auto insurance, an end to the government’s monopoly on control of liquor distribution in this province and private competition to B.C. Ferries. And, he added, if private healthcare will cut down on medical wait times, he’s all for that too.
Geronazzo plans to step up his presence in the riding now that he is an official candidate and wants to get out and meet as many people in Kelowna West as possible to talk about the issues they feel are important.
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