By Pepper Parr
July 15th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
There were two meetings – both took place at the same time, in the same room.
Many people were not fully aware of the meeting that mattered to Mike Wallace.
The scheduled meeting was the Burlington provincial Progressive Conservative Annual General Meeting at which a new board was installed. The other meeting, taking place at the same time was former Member of Parliament Mike Wallace creating the campaign team he will need in 2018.
Wallace is going to take a shot at getting the job as Mayor of Burlington.
Here is the time line he is working within.
The next provincial election is “scheduled” for June of 2018.
The next municipal election will take place in October of 2018.
At the Burlington Provincial Progressive Conservative riding association Saturday forenoon the new board was put in place.
Nominee Jane McKenna at the Progressive Conservative AGM last Saturday?
And it was announced that Mike Wallace as going to run Jane McKenna’s election campaign whenever the provincial election is called.
The municipal election date is cast in stone – the provincial election can take place whenever Kathleen Wynne decides to call it. The Burlington provincial Progressive Conservatives believe they are ready.
They appear to have the money in the bank and they now have a Board and an Executive that will do what Wallace needs them to do.
McKenna’s chances of getting returned to Queen’s Park are slim unless the Premier really screws up – and that may well happen.
For Mike it doesn’t matter all that much. He will put together a campaign team and do the best he can with what he has. Running Jane McKenna against Liberal Eleanor McMahon is an uphill battle – too early to attempt to call that one – except for the fact that McMahon is the much better campaigner. She has a genuine touch for people that McKenna is never going to be able to match.
Can former MP Mike Wallace keep all those Tory blue votes when he runs for the office of Mayor in 2018?
That too doesn’t matter – Wallace will do the best he can with what he has. He will put together a superb team; there are some very accomplished Tory political operatives in Burlington and the party still believes that the heart of this city is still conservative. I think Karina Gould has proven that may no longer be the case
This city has more than enough in the way of Tory party faithful who will heed the call and turn out and pull in the vote.
The night of the last federal election, which Mike Wallace lost to Karina Gould. Mayor Goldring went to the Wallace campaign offices first and then went to the Gould campaign offices later to congratulate the winner. Did Goldring misread the tea leaves?
What Mike Wallace gets out of this is a well-oiled campaign machine that he will use to propel him into city hall where he will get to wear the chain of office.
Wallace served as a city Councillor for a number of years and was the Member of Parliament for Burlington until Gould defeated him.
The race for Mayor of Burlington in 2018 looks like it will be between Rick Goldring, Mike Wallace and Marianne Meed Ward.
Wallace will eat into the Goldring voters – the Meed Ward voters will remain firm.
I believe Mike would be a better option as he’s a good leader, team player and concensus builder, whereas Marianne is a good communicator and passionate with her convictions but can be devisive.
I don’t like Mikey! He didn’t always eat his cereal. He was very very very impressive as a drone when he was walking offstage with a very full pocket of pension pennies. In the ‘staged’ presentation, Mikey was a very very very effective caricature. (taken from the words of a former prime minister). When he was a member of council, he did the very very very same thing. He used to hold conversations with his fellow councillors when delegates were presenting. I do hope the readers here will be very very very attentive to my message . . . . . . unless you wish to GET OFF ON caricatures.
I like Mike and would vote for him – I may have not like his party but he was a good councilor and put Burlington first. I hope he does run for mayor – he has my support.
@John. At present, Meed Ward may be the default best option but I am hoping new blood steps forward. In a best case scenario, we need a mayor who listens to the residents/taxpayers, recognizes that there is only one taxpayer (the ongoing tax increases at multiples of the rate of inflation are unsustainable), and ideally is not a career politician. The previous criteria would certainly disqualify Wallace and Goldring. It might take a miracle!
I hope that Mike Wallace does opt to join the race for Mayor. It will be good for Burlington residents to have viable options this time around.
Mike is NOT a viable option!
Burlington needs new people running the show Wallace unfortunately has been there and done that and now is the time to move on to other things besides politics
Exactly, Yvonne. Wallace has been a “career” politician with a remarkably mediocre resume.
Phillip
If as you suggest, we drain the swamp at city hall and Mike is not a viable option, who would you suggest?