Shirley McLellan

[coppertop]

Shirley announced yesterday that she is retiring effective this month.

This will require a by-election in Drummheller-Stettler, as well as the seat vacated by Ralph Klein.

Already some names are being rumoured to be in the running for Shirley's constituency, at least one is certainly a good supporter of rural Alberta.

Shirley has spent 20 years in the legislature, and had some tough portfolios. I am sure she will show up again in some capacity, but she likely is looking forward to having time to enjoy her family.

[cowman]

Well despite the fact I never thought Shirley wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, I wish her well and think she added something to Alberta? She was a true Albertan and served to the best of her ability? All the best to Shirley!

[coppertop]

She never forgot she was from rural Alberta, hopefully her replacement has the same ability to remember where they came from.

[farmers_son]

I think we were fortunate to have Shirley McLellan during the BSE crisis.

What names do you hear being rumoured as Shirley's replacement.

[coppertop]

farmers_son, one person that I hope will consider running is Jack Hayden. Jack is the past president of Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, and is a farmer from the Big Valley area. He served on the Alberta School Board association as well as councillor for Stettler County for 15 years. He understands rural issues and certainly has gone to bat for rural Alberta many times over the years.

I think Shirley did her best during the BSE crisis, whether or not I agree with where the dollars eventually ended up she was trying to help the producer.

I saw her at numerous Beef dinners during the spring, summer and fall of 2003, sometimes she looked exhausted but she travelled from one end of the province and back numerous times to show her support to the industry.

She was one tough gal in government, and certainly will be difficult to replace in her home constituency.

[blackjack]

...she came a long way from working at the cereal auction mart to her time in government...the special areas will miss her presense(sp)but saying that it time for someone else to have a crack at it...i for one don't care to have the same long tooth politicians running year after year...personally i think their ideas get stale and that seems to what has happened to the present government...there seems to be change in the wind here in alberta...so things might get a little interesting in the next year or two...

[cowman]

I guess whoever gets nominated in Shirleys riding is a shoe-in with a by-election...but how about Ralph Kleins old riding? That just might be interesting? I would think the Liberals would throw everything but the kitchen sink at that one! How well they might do there might be a good indication of how the cities are accepting the Stelmach government?

[coppertop]

cowman, I think you are correct in saying that the Liberals will run a top gun in Ralph's constituency. I look for the Liberals to lose ground in Edmonton next time around. I know that many Liberals were supporting anyone but Ed, they knew he would have a lot of support in Edmonton, which could turn into support for PC Candidates next election.

[cowman]

Okay...I like to think we are above the ethnic thing in this province...but realize it is still there!
My question is this: Is Ed popular in Edmonton because he is Ukrainian? I mean why would he be more popular than Klein in Edmonton...when basically he proposed "business as usual"? I mean come on...he never had many new or novel ideas? Basically his whole campaign was "nothing changes" but I'm a nice guy who won't rock the boat?
Seriously isn't that what he said?
So how come Edmonton would go wholeheartedly for Ed?
Lets be truthful here? Edmonton is full of Ukrainians? It is natural that any ethnic group likes to see the "home boy" do well...that is not just Ukranians but every group?
But I have to ask...is that why Ed will do well in Edmonton, but not Calgary?

[coppertop]

cowman, you state your opinions and hazard guesses on what might happen in the future, hopefully I am allowed the same opportunity.

I am saying that I feel the PC's might regain some seats in Edmonton in the next provincial election, so after the next provincial election I will either have been right or wrong.

Remember, there will be a municipal election before a provincial election, we know that Bronc will stay on as Mayor of Calgary, but Edmonton may have a change, and if so, perhaps the new Mayor will be more able to work with the government, and if that happens the citizens may also feel that working with the government might be a better route to take.

[cowman]

Well I wasn't trying to run down your opinion...just trying to understand the demographics of the political scene?
I do believe Mr. Stelmach needs to reach out to Calgary and southern Alberta...and keep them in the fold!
Make no doubt about it...the media knives are out for ED! The urban media smells blood and they will go after him in a big way! The Edmonton Journal, The Calgary Herald, and yes even the Red Deer Advocate have all run little smear campaigns on Mr. Stelmach and his cabinet! Immplying it is a "Dumb farmer premier and hick cabinet"!
I find it totally funny that in good old redneck Red Deer we have about the most leftist paper imaginable? The editorial staff is about as far left as you can get...they even had one editorial about what heros Fidel and Che were!
Recently I got the old phone call to take out a subscription? I told the girl "Why would I subscribe to a paper that does everything in its power to ruin the county? Why would I subscribe to a paper that is so anti-business and anti-farmer? Why would I subscribe to a paper that supports every immoral act known to man?"
Now I know the girl was just doing her job and her reply was actually pretty good... She said "Well how about for shock value?" I thought that was pretty funny?

[coppertop]

Painting the new premier and his cabinet as hicks may come back to bite urban communities in the butt. Rural folks take exception to being labeled hicks and they can take their dollars where they feel their commerce is appreciated. Our local town made the mistake a few years ago of underestimating the power of the rural dollar and the rural vote. It cost them the support necessary to get county funding for a huge recreation facility and they had to drop the idea. Calgary and Edmonton do not control the province, even though they have always had the idea that it revolves around them. Of course the knives will be out for Ed, most of the newspapers in the province are Liberal, so they will do what they can to further the cause of Taft and Co.