It’s a brand new riding that reaches across part of Fredericton, Noonan, Barker’s Point, Marysville, Maugerville, and of course Grand Lake. This new district is the result of a merger between two ridings which both had incumbent PC MLAs; Pam Lynch and Ross Wetmore. Pam Lynch is the PC who will run for re-election in the newly minted riding. Lynch defeated Kelly Lamrock in 2010 to attain her seat.
Though Lynch has never been given a cabinet position, she is on several committees including the Standing Committee on Law Amendments. She was, prior to politics, the owner and operator of her own legal services office. Despite her success before getting into politics and the efforts she has made on the committees she is involved with, Pam Lynch has been criticized by citizens on both the left and right of the political spectrum. The Campaign Life Coalition for example, gives Lynch a yellow light for her indifference on abortion. The CLC decides whether or not its members may support a candidate based on their stance on the hot button issue; Lynch hasn’t taken a stance (even during the closing of the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton).
Sheri Shannon, of the NB Liberal Party, is a former Executive Assistant to former Premier Shawn Graham. Despite having such a high profile job on her resume, the name association might actually hinder more than help her.
The New Democrats’ Bronwen Mosher is an exciting twist to the race. She’s incredibly intelligent, friendly, and involved. She has been tracking the billions of dollars in debt that New Brunswick has racked up under consecutive Liberal and PC governments. She has a major focus on debt reduction, which New Brunswick has never needed more than it does right now. She also produced a film on multiculturalism in Fredericton by focusing on the local Patel family and how their small buisness (in samosas) has forever changed the Fredericton Farmers’ Market. Should Mosher not win this year, she’s one to watch.
Dan Weston tries to get the seat for the Green Party. Dan of course is a major player in the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization and has been heralded for his contributions to raising awareness and ending poverty in the capital region. As a founding member, Weston has fought for years in changing the way homeless people are treated and has been interviewed a great many times about panhandlers, soup kitchens, and fresh ideas to help the hopeless.
At the far end of the spectrum enters Kris Austin. A former pastor who turned from spiritual endeavors to economic ones, Austin is a buisness owner and Deputy Mayor in Minto. He is also the leader of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick. Though the party has a few left-of-centre policies, Austin leads the far-right party towards the brink of Tea Party-Conservatism. Given that this riding has so solid a right-wing base, Austin may have a chance to garner more than the 100-400 votes his party won on average last election year.
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