The political starting gates for the great B.C. stakes flew open yesterday with 14 runners vying for three spots in Richmonds winners enclosure on May 14.
In what has been the sleepiest of electoral hollows in recent provincial elections due mainly to embarrassingly poor voter turnout and to Liberal dominance at least two of the citys three ridings are far from the fait accomplis of the past.
Veteran Liberal Linda Reid is fully expected to canter to her sixth campaign in a row in Richmond-East. However, the formerly safe seats of Richmond-Steveston and Richmond Centre are very much up for grabs.
Despite neither living in Richmond, two Asian candidates, look set to go toe-to-toe for the Liberals and NDP in a potentially head-bobbing finish to Richmond-Centre.
And further south, the Liberals incumbent, John Yap, will have to work harder than hes ever done to maintain his position as MLA for Steveston after an eventful March which saw him implicated as part of his partys "Ethnicgate" voter scandal, which forced him to step down as a Cabinet minister.
He faces some credible challenges this time in the shape of the BC Tories Carol Day a former school trustee and anti-jet fuel campaigner and the NDPs former Mountie Scott Stewart.
Over the next four weeks, the News will be shining the spotlight on each riding and their candidates in a bid to help the people of Richmond decide who should represent them in Victoria for the next four years.
Richmond-Centre:
Frank Yunrong Huang (NDP):
Award-winning journalist Huang was the editor in chief of the Global Chinese Press, a position he announced he was stepping down from to run for office. Huang is a member of the Asian Campaign Committee of the Richmond Hospital Foundation.
Gary Law (Independent):
Before deciding to go it alone, Law, a decorated army cadet major and Burnaby Mountie, had his Liberal nomination unceremoniously pulled in favour of Teresa Wat.
Teresa Wat (Liberal):
Wat is president and CAO of Mainstream Broadcasting Corporation (AM1320) a predominantly Asian language organization and was named among B.C.s Top 100 most influential women in 2010 by The Vancouver Sun.
Chanel Donovan (Unparty):
According to its website, the Unparty is "founded on the consensus decision-making value system. Unparty has an unleader."
Michael Wolfe (Green):
Educator and environmentalist, Wolfe is often found at the forefront of any debate.
Richmond-East:
Linda Reid (Liberal):
Liberal MLA Linda Reid is embarking on her sixth campaign she was first elected in 1991and in the last provincial vote in 2009 she cruised to victory with 10,853 votes close to double her nearest rival.
Her three main issues include the preservation of green space, safety and traffic congestion, and maintaining a stable economy.
Gian Sihota (NDP):
Carrying the NDPs hopes, Gian Sihota is a retired transit operator & CAW union representative and according to his bio on the partys web site is a strong advocate for human rights and social justice.
He served on the Board of Registration for Social Workers of British Columbia and has Bachelor of Education and Masters degree in Economics.
Nathaniel Lim (Conservative):
Rookie candidate Nathaniel Lim admitted the road will be a tough one to beat Reid at the polls.
Lims background is in social work as a family and youth counsellor.
Its from that perspective he decided to throw his hat in the ring to make changes that can help families.
Green Party undecided
Slow out of the starting gate in Richmond-East is the BC Green Party.
Victoria Cross, the partys provincial candidate coordinator said a replacement for Ping Chan is expected soon, adding that candidates have until 10 days into the campaign to register themselves with Elections BC in order to be on the ballot on May 14.
In 2009, the Green Party banner was carried by Stephen Rees who coaxed 1,211 votes from area residents to finish far back in third place.
Richmond-Steveston:
John Yap (Liberal):
Current MLA John Yap was first elected in 2005. He has served as Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism.
Yap has lived in Richmond for 27 years and enjoyed a career in banking before entering public life. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Genetics and a Masters of Business Administration.
Scott Stewart (NDP):
Scott Stewart has long supported the NDP and worked on Coun. Harold Steves campaign in 1972.
He is a proponent of education and advocates for family and seniors issues. He spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement and runs a small consulting firm.
Carol Day (Conservative):
Carol Day is a former school trustee and one of the founders of VAPOR, a group opposed to the transport of jet fuel on the Fraser River.
She worked with the Garden City Lands Coalition to save ALR green space and has attempted to run for city council twice. She owns a Richmond-based sign company.
Jerome Dickey (Green):
Jerome Dickey advocates for sustainable and smart community planning.
He was part of Richmonds Economic Advisory Committee and has helped lead the citys Emergency Social Services Program.
Mike Donovan (Unparty):
The Unparty values consensus-building as a means to reach decisions that fit with the common good.
In that vain, Mike Donovan values participation, collaboration, inclusion, equality, respect and agreement-seeking.
