The writ has now dropped in British Columbia — which means a lot to a first-time B.C. voter like me.
It means on May 14 I will proudly exercise my right to vote for the MLA of my choosing. After 35-plus years of voting in another country, having a say in who forms the next B.C. provincial government is a pretty big deal to me.
In my 10 years here in B.C., I’ve been a volunteer, donor and organizer for municipal, provincial and federal campaigns. And I’ve listened to my share of campaign speeches, political promises and candidate “guarantees.” What matters most to me is a candidate’s and a party’s ability to deliver on their most important responsibilities: improving the long-term health and welfare of the people of B.C.
As a college professor and businessman, I tell students, clients and anyone else who’ll listen that the height of foolishness is doing the same thing over and over again... and expecting different results. Believe what you will about the B.C. Liberals’ track record for the last decade. But don’t kid yourself about what an Adrian Dix-led NDP government will do to the economy of B.C., and the long-term health and welfare of all of us. (Answer? The same thing they did in the ‘90s.)
And that’s why I — and four other Ziebarths — will proudly cast our first-ever B.C. provincial election votes in support of Christy Clark’s and Dan Ashton’s B.C. Liberal platform.
Mark T. Ziebarth
Summerland