Punk rocker Joe Keithley to run in Burnaby election
VICTORIA — The race to represent Burnaby-Lougheed in the legislature is getting another high-profile entertainment personality, as the B.C. Greens have named punk rocker Joe Keithley as their candidate for the May provincial election.
Keithley, whose onstage antics as frontman for well-known band D.O.A. earned him the nickname Joey Shithead, will fight for votes against the comparatively straitlaced and affable former Global B.C. TV host Steve Darling, who is representing the Liberals.
Burnaby school trustee Katrina Chen is running for the NDP.
“It’s my community,” said Keithley. “I know the area really well. Steve may have worked at the (Global B.C.) studio in Burnaby, but you know what, I grew up here.”
Keithley said he’s been a community activist and business owner of his own record label for more than 20 years. He ran for the B.C. Greens in the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain byelection earlier this year, and tried unsuccessfully to secure the NDP’s nomination in the 2013 election.
Darling appears to have a sizable fan base from his time on TV, before he was laid off by Global during restructuring last month. Darling doesn’t live in the riding but worked there for 18 years at Global’s studio.
Premier Christy Clark is looking to tap into Darling’s high profile and mellow disposition to appeal to voters. Keithley is bringing an edge to the role, saying most voters consider politicians full of “a lot of B.S.,” and that one of his top priorities would be to use every tool possible to fight against the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline through the riding.
“I think we have a pretty decent chance and I’m going to work my ass off,” he said.
Burnaby-Lougheed is a potential swing riding. The Liberals held it in 2009 under Harry Bloy, but the NDP’s Jane Shin took the riding by 743 votes in 2013.
Chen is hoping to hold the riding for the New Democrats. In addition to being a Burnaby school trustee, the Taiwan-born Chen has served as an assistant to NDP MP Peter Julian and NDP MLA Raj Chouhan.