To the editor:
Former MLA Ben Stewart announced that he intended to seek the B.C. Liberal nomination. You remember Ben don’t you? He’s the politician the people of Westside-Kelowna elected on May 14, 2013 and quit on June 5, 2013 so fired politician Christy Clark could run in his riding. You remember Christy Clark; the residents of Vancouver-Point Grey fired her on the same May 14. After he was elected Stewart said he was looking forward to representing the people of Westside-Kelowna for the next four years. Three weeks later he quit and now he wants to represent us again. So in four short years we will have two elections and two byelections in Westside-Kelowna to satisfy the whim of two quitters.
Byelections are costly, just ask the residents in Port Moody-Coquitlam who waited more than six months for the byelection to pick their elected official and it didn’t come cheap. According to the Elections BC Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Port Moody-Coquitlam byelection cost taxpayers $502,795 to administer. Or ask the residents of the Chilliwack-Hope, their byelection held simultaneously, cost $467,184 to administer.
The question becomes, do we want Ben back? He was elected an MLA and quit all in one month. In October 2013, Clark appointed Stewart as BC Special Representative in Asia and he quit that job after collecting $450,000 in salary. Now Ben wants to get back into the provincial political trough to refill his purse. Ask yourself do we want Ben?
Vair Clendenning, Kelowna