After several months of campaigning, The BC Liberals have elected their new leader; Andrew Wilkinson.
Columbia-River Revelstoke MLA, Doug Clovechok was elated at this win for Wilkinson.
“Its an exciting time. We did not just elect the next BC Liberal leader, I believe we elected the new Premiere.”
Clovechok was one of many MLAs that drove down to the lower mainland to partake in this election and to be apart of the outcome. Clovechok noted that he was surprised at the amount of Generation Y and Millennials that were in attendance.
“That place was full of thirty year olds, It was outstanding. Of course, many of us seasoned veterans were there, but it was nice to see such a young crowd in their supporting him. He seemed to appeal to a younger scope.”
Now that he won the spot, promises made during the campaign election will now be monitored by the membership. Wilkinson’s platform during his visit to Revelstoke, was that previous campaigns did not work and that it was time to speak to British Columbians in the smaller markets such as the North and the Interior in a way that is relevant to their area and surroundings.
With the race coming down to Diane Watts and Andrew Wilkinson, many were surprised as these were not the two that were expected to go head to head. Mike de Jong has been in the game for decades and it could be argued that his long standing appearance in media throughout BC could draw, however it was Michael Lee who was a sleeper agent. He came in at a close third with many rooting for him. When asked who could be an up and comer within the part Clovechok was fast to state Michael Lee.
“Michael Lee. He was such a smart man and had a great message. Very strong. He has gotten better and better, he impressed me. I was so pleasantly surprised.”
Wilkinson stated in his speech that Lee would be a great asset to the future of BC and that this was now a time for renewal.
Todd Stone came in lower than Clovechok expected, but with close to 1400 spoiled membership votes, It did not come off well.
“When you are sitting at the desk, it all stops there. I think that hurt him.”
Clovechok mentioned that one of the first goals is to get Ben Stewart who is running in the bi-election in Kelowna to get that seat back. Overall, it was an evening of celebration for those that were rooting for Wilkinson.
“It is a new day for the BC Liberals.” Clovechok stated confidently.
