This is the blog where I lead you on that I'm endorsing someone but really don't.
“I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m just a disgruntled voter.“
There’s this one person I can talk to who will invariably give me a plain, unvarnished view on life. He says I’m an idiot, I say he’s an idiot, and at the end of the day we can always go for a beer together. We’ve argued back and forth nigh on 30 years now, I guess. The funny thing is, in all that time, he’s never been wrong.
For far too many Albertans, that’s the prevailing view of government. We have to change that. It cannot stay “boring old politics” as my kids say. We have to stop this garbage of a political machine geared up to perpetuate itself. If 60 percent of the province feel they have no political home, we have a crisis on our hands. Time to change something. It’s time to act.
Since this is now on a provincial stage, maybe I need a little recap on just how I got into this boat.
It started way back on a summer’s day when I attended a festival with my children. I spent a little time thinking critically about what it meant to me, how it had become something important to me, and how it merely needed a chance to prosper.
It became clear to me that there was a problem. The problem wasn’t the festival, the problem was in our collective decision making. In our governance. The problem was one faction bashing the other faction and not paying attention to the work that needed to get accomplished. It took me by surprise when I realized I had to rethink my vote. It shocked me when I concluded my logic demand that I act and participate to ensure that my viewpoint was heard.
I spent a great deal of time deciding which mayoral candidate fit best with my views. I really wanted to make an early decision so I could be involved in the past election because I thought it was an important opportunity to shape positive change.
Frankly, there are only three people who should really care that I endorsed Naheed Nenshi. They are - in order - me, Naheed Nenshi, and Stephen Carter. However, there’s somewhere over 600 other people who cared enough to read that blog entry. I’m okay if you agree or disagree with me. I’m pretty sure I made the right choice and I’d like to think I helped a few other people clarify their thoughts and decide what matters to them.
At least I was absolutely clear that I had no interest with the mess that is provincial politics. Cue the Alberta Party.
Many of you will know that I went to Chris Tesarski’s press conference announcing his candidacy for the Alberta Party leadership.
I’m really proud to have met Chris a while back. He is one sharp cookie and knows energy the way I know my way around a motherboard. Every single time Chris and I get together and talk about the smallest detail he demonstrates great insight into both the problems we face and solutions to get us past them. I have complete trust that he can put together a solid economic plan that will put this province in good stead with planning and foresight for the future. I feel that he shares the same sense that I feel of having heartstrings in rural Alberta while living in the heart of the city and the understanding that we all go into our future together.
Chris has spoken of a broad 50 year plan to carry us into the future. Much more than just lurching election to election, we need a greater plan ahead. He’s put up his 12 point action plan as a means to accomplish his goals. It’s a great plan. Even if I don’t agree with every single detail, it creates a great place to start our discussion. With absolute certainty he will discuss it and explain his reasoning and more than likely it’s better than my own.
Without a doubt I feel confident and comfortable under Chris’s leadership and I happily endorse him as leader for the Alberta Party.
Hey, but waitasec, what about that title you lead with?
Tammy Maloney is a spark plug of a person who infuses energy and invigoration into everything she touches. Her enthusiasm is completely infectious and you cannot help but feel that you’re part of creating something tangible, significant and meaningful in our province. Tammy knows how to focus that power and every time we talk I know that together we can build a province that looks to our future but includes the people around us today.
She’s got a great business background behind her and she’s a person who can find solutions to difficult problems around her. She’s creative, she’s innovative, she’s brilliant and she knows what she’s talking about. She is dedicated to channeling her passions towards making Alberta better.
Tammy comes from outside Alberta politics and brings a fresh perspective and ideas anew when we most need them. She has proven success of engaging people of all ages and backgrounds and re-engaging that 60 percent of Albertans who did not feel compelled to vote. She’s a great person who can grow and energize the Alberta Party and engage Albertans as a whole.
She also comes from rural Alberta, but she’s got a global perspective that is much greater than my own. Tammy has the experience to use that perspective to plan a better future for us all.
Without a doubt I feel confident and comfortable under Tammy’s leadership and I happily endorse her as leader for the Alberta Party.
And you know I can’t stop there.
Every single discussion I’ve ever had with Glenn Taylor has made me feel like I’ve been heard and that Glenn will truly listen to Albertans as a whole. Glenn has experience with government on the municipal level and what I like most about him is when he speaks about bringing what works best at the municipal level to provincial politics.
Glenn understands what is necessary at the local level because of his participation on the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and as the chair for the Grande Alberta Economic Region. He knows what we’re going to need as a province to get the whole province moving forward together. I know I can trust Glenn to have a handle on the economic needs, of the services we need to provide and a plan ahead to keep the province on track on a long term basis.
Glenn is the only candidate I have not yet met in person. I’ll go out of my way to shake his hand the first opportunity I have, because I know that will make a fascinating conversation with a scintillating man. I trust his experience, I trust his insight, and I value the conversations we have had online over the past few months.
Without a doubt I feel confident and comfortable under Glenn’s leadership and I happily endorse him as leader for the Alberta Party.
This is without even mentioning Sue Huff who I feel is a stellar person and an outstanding acting-leader. I think she’s amazing and completely support her as well - perhaps it is too much of an advantage to let her run for leader of the Alberta Party but she’d make a great choice on her own.
So for right now I haven’t the foggiest idea who I’m going to vote for in May. I support each and every one of them and I’ll pledge to work with all of them as I can. Hopefully by growing our party and building interest as I can.
What remains most important to me at this time seems to be having a clear plan to securing and strengthening our economic future ahead. Creative approaches and fresh thinking is crucial going forward because we’ve had such a deficit provincially for a long time. For me, personally, it’s very important that we stay away from the rural / urban or Calgary / Edmonton divides which have so painfully split us for decades. Having an understanding of the Alberta Party values and integrating all of them into our direction is crucial to me.
I engaged more fully because I came to some critical thinking about our city governance and found it lacking. My logic compelled me to get involved and to try to make a difference. I know we need some serious improvement with our governance provincially and I’m willing to work to make it better for all Albertans. I have a lot more thinking to do, more questions to ask and to decide for myself which is the best fit for me. It’s a lot easier when we’re all clearly friends, willing to talk with each other and create positive change together.
We have nothing but great choices ahead, and there’s still room for more exceptional individuals to come forward. Alberta’s future is bright. Now is truly the time to act in our best interest.