Changing Colours

Autumn. The trees are like an artist’s palate; a beautiful blend of orange, yellow, and crimson red. Everyday New Brunswickers can look out their windows and see a tree that was yesterday green but today red and orange. But this autumn it is not only the leaves changing colour, but also the signage on the front lawns of East Side Saint Johners. Topeka Street, Courtenay Avenue, Bayside Drive, Westmorland Roadand all of East Saint John is lighting up with bright signs and smiling faces; but not as it was before September 22nd.

Only slightly more than a month has passed, but it might as well have been four years. Many lawns which once boasted scarlet signage with the Keating name are now Green or even moreso; orange. The riding which saw the New Democrat star rise in a 1984 by-election now seems to be leaning that way once more; exactly 30 years later. NDP Leader Dominic Cardy accepted his party’s request to run in the by-election (with the blessing of Phil Comeau who ran in the general election) and seems to be out to an early lead. If you use the change in lawn signs as an indicator, Cardy has gained the most from the Liberal abdication. But the Greens have also picked up some lawn share.

Not surprisingly, Shelley Rinehart and the Liberal brand is having trouble gaining traction in the smited riding. However, Glen Savoie doesn’t seem to have cumulated the support he had prior to the election either. Savoie, who’s greatest accomplishment listed on his PCNB page is being a fully certified martial arts instructor, has reissued his same signage but added a blue banner pleading voters to “Just Say Yes”. But it would appear that the close-knit riding is not ready to vote for the direct opposition of the government anymore than they are to vote for the party that let them down. East Siders appear to be leaning towards electing someone who will work in conjunction with the governing party without being a part of the pack.

Despite the lacklustre performance of the Liberals; Savoie is targeting them in his attacks. Hiw Twitter currently has an unflattering picture of Rinehart with a vague and misleading accusation that she was part of the attempt to sell NB Power. Rinehart was, at the time, an advisor, one of many, to the Liberal Minister of Energy when the plan came forth to sell the Crown Corporation; but there isn’t any evidence to link Rinehart to the decision. The proud family man uses allusion and misdirection to attack a respected opponent and then paints himself a saint with a personal call to aid in a food drive for a local food bank shortly after.

Election day is November 17th.

The Stage is Set!

Twenty-two days after winning a narrow victory over Glen Savoie and and Progressive Conservative machine, Liberal Gary Keating threw in the towel. Nobody saw it coming.Premier Brian Gallant had no choice but to `gratefully` accept Keating`s resignation. Keating has given an array of reasons for quitting (most laughable being that the 50 minute drive from Saint John to Fredericton being too much of a commute). Keating`s early bow out prior to the first scene set the stage for another dramatic opportunity for the politicians to come out, bash one another, and plead for your love (and money).

The party in the best position from the Quitting Keating is the Progressive Conservatives. They just lost the riding of Saint John East by the skin of their teeth. It probably didn`t help that they took the riding for granted and Savoie didn`t campaign half as hard as Keating. But they did trump the fiscal donation and lawn sign portion of the dog and pony show; giving the impression that they put in more effort than they did. Despite all that, they are counting on disenfranchised  Liberal voters not turning out. That may be a safe assumption but they shouldn`t count on too many Tories showing up at the polls either as another Tory MLA won`t affect Gallant`s majority, and Tory supporters know that. The party in blue has decided to put their chips on Glen Savoie, the smited second choice in the last go around.

The Liberals need a miracle after the Keating fiasco. If we`re being honest, even the most steadfast Grits know their guy screwed the electorate. Gallant needed to deliver a modern-day Lazarus and he may have done it. Saint John`s deputy mayor, Shelley Rinehart. Rinehart is a professor of marketing at UNBSJ. She is extremely popular in the city for her excellent work with city council. But will it be enough to perform a resurrection? Some Saint Johners are speculating that Rinehart’s popularity may actually be a double edged sword as nobody wants to lose her from council.

Back by popular demand; Dominic Cardy. The election saw the NDP come in third place in Saint John East but with the party running their flagship candidate, aim to perform better. After losing the election, Cardy announced he would resign as leader of the New Democrats but that instantly raised revolt in the amond New Democrats who wanted Cardy to stay on as leader. When Keating quit, NDP supporters began to plead with Cardy to run in the by-election. After consulting his family, Cardy decided to do as the party asked of him and threw his name into the hat. Cardy also has the support of Phil Comeau, the NDP’s candidate in the general election.

Green faithful, Sharon Murphy was quick to take the opportunity for another campaign. On September 22nd, Murphy came in fourth place in the riding with 353 votes.

People’s Alliance are also running a candidate but have yet to announce who it will be. Jason Inness was the official PANB candidate in the general election and came in last place with only 115 ballots.