By David F. Rooney
The BC Liberals of Columbia River Revelstoke are putting their money Doug Clovechok as their man to win in next year’s provincial election. It may be a winning bet.
Party members gathered to acclaim the Fairmont Hotsprings resident at George and Bjorg Buhler’s home on Mount Macpherson Road south of the Big Eddy on Saturday, May 7.
During Clovechok’s last go-around he came across as an aggressive, opinionated and highly partisan figure. It was a persona that did not serve him well and he paid the price, losing with 4,847 votes (36.19%) to veteran New Democratic MLA Norm Macdonald who had a ballot box showing of 6,463 votes (48.26%). Macdonald, it should be said is a soft-spoken man with an almost-aw-shucks manner reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart that worked well for him in the political campaigns of 2005, 2009 and 2013.
Will there be a rematch between these two men in 2013? That remains to be seen. While Clovechok appears to be ready to start campaigning in at least low-key manner right away, Macdonald has not yet said he’ll run again. So it’s possible that the BC Liberal may face an unknown NDP opponent.
Bill Bennett, MLA for East Kootenay and minister of Energy, Mines and Natural Resources, was at the Saturday afternoon barbeque and spoke briefly to the crowd. He said Clovechok has spent the last three years learning about the riding, its people, their aspirations and their problems. He has also been serving on the party’s executive committee and these different eexperiences have all combined to season him and prepare him for what is to come.
“I think (political victory) is going to depend on the quality of the person, of the candidate — more than the party, more than the leader,” Bennett said. “And the person here that would make a hell of a really good representative and work really hard for us is right here — Doug Clovechok.”
Please activate the YouTube player below to watch a 10-minute interview with Doug Clovechok.
