Krog’s win triggers critical byelection in Nanaimo
Byelection needed after successful mayoral campaign
NANAIMO Veteran MLA Leonard Krog won Nanaimo’s mayoral race Saturday, setting the stage for a crucial byelection that could decide the fate of B.C.’s minority NDP government.
Krog’s pledge to clean up a scandal-plagued city hall and restore order to a dysfunctional local council carried the day with voters, earning him a margin of victory of more than 3-1 over nearest rival Don Hubbard.
“This is a great night for the city of Nanaimo,” Krog said at an election party at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
“We are not going to be an embarrassment to the province of British Columbia and we’re not going to be an embarrassment to the people of Nanaimo.”
But Krog’s victory may have huge ramifications provincially.
Krog, 65, said he would resign his provincial seat upon winning the mayoralty. Premier John Horgan technically has six months to call a byelection, but it’s expected he’ll call the race relatively quickly to get an MLA in place before the provincial budget in February.
Should a new NDP candidate retain the riding, the power-sharing deal between the NDP and B.C. Greens would hold at a combined 44 seats in the legislature compared to 42 Liberals.
But if the Liberals win, they would tie the NDP- Green alliance with 43 seats, forcing Speaker Darryl Plecas, a former Liberal who is now an Independent, to cast tiebreaking votes. That scenario could hamstring the ability of the Horgan administration to pass legislation and potentially lead to the government’s early defeat and a new election.
Krog said he’s confident the NDP can hold the riding, noting the NDP has won every provincial election there since 1963 except for two — when then-mayor and pirate aficionado Frank Ney won for the Social Credit Party in 1969 and during the B.C. Liberal sweep of the province in 2001.
“The John Horgan government is very popular,” said Krog.
“And they’ve done a lot of the things that if Christy Clark hadn’t been so arrogant and had done herself she might even be in power today. So I’m quite confident.”
Krog said a homeless tent city in Nanaimo — where more than 300 people have gathered for five months and face eviction Nov. 30 — is mainly a provincial issue.
The city, he said, should co-operate in finding land for the B.C. government to build upon.
Rival candidate Hubbard, a former board chair of the Vancouver Island Health Authority, had called for a long-term plan to help those suffering mental-health issues and better city bylaws to prevent future homeless camps from returning to city land.
The high stakes meant provincial parties have already been planning byelection strategies.
The Liberals will need to find a superstar candidate and dig up major local issues to have a shot in the riding.
The party put out a fundraising email by neighbouring Parksville-Qualicum Beach MLA Michelle Stilwell titled “byelection alert” within minutes of Krog ’s victory.
“We haven’t won Nanaimo since 2001, but the city is growing and changing fast — so anything could happen,” Stilwell wrote.
The Krog municipal campaign crossed the political spectrum and included former Liberal MLA Mike Hunter, who defeated Krog in Nanaimo in 2001 but encouraged him to run for mayor. Krog thanked Hunter at his acceptance speech and the two men hugged.
Hunter said he’ll now focus on helping the Liberals win the byelection.
“In a byelection, the governing side doesn’t do well, so I think there’s a chance,” Hunter said.
Krog ’s campaign centred almost entirely around convincing voters his political skills, developed over 18 years as an MLA, could restore decorum to a city hall he said had become a national laughingstock following a series of special prosecutor investigations, lawsuits and firings.
Incumbent mayor Bill McKay — who was at one point sued by the city for allegedly leaking confidential information before the legal action was dropped — chose not to run again, as did half of the eightperson council.
Only two incumbents won reelection as voters cast ballots overwhelmingly for change.
Council meetings had become raucous affairs, punctuated by shouting and personal insults.
The city’s former chief administrative officer Tracy Samra was arrested for allegedly making threats against the mayor and others and later fired.
Former chief financial officer Victor Mema was also fired after questions about his expense account.