MLA Rick Thorpe not running in 2009
Posted June 22, 2008 by Sacha Peter - Link
Category: BC Liberals
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Rick Thorpe is the MLA for Okanagan-Westside and also the Minister for Small Business and Revenue. He announced last Friday (June 20, 2008) that he will not be running again in 2009, citing “life reasons”.
There seems to be a lot of credibility with this explanation given Thorpe’s circumstances compared to when other ministers announce the same. Probably the best contrary example was when Christy Clark decided not to run again in 2005 when she said “I want to be with my newborn baby” and then 11 months later decided to run for the NPA Mayor’s nomination. The suspected reason was that she was rather disgusted with her last assignment, the Ministry of Children and Families, which is apparently the location where you send cabinet-level MLAs to depress them for life.
Thrope, on the other hand, had a heart attack and then subsequently went through some life transformations – he lost a ton of weight compared to when he was first elected in 1996. He also fainted in the BC Legislature last February due to exhaustion. He’s 63 years old and likely will find life a lot more enjoyable outside the government.
This is eight BC Liberal MLAs that will no longer be running in the 2009 election.
Thorpe’s riding, Okanagan-Westside is a safe BC Liberal riding; he won the last election 54% to 31% for his NDP rival. The 2009 redistribution adds a slice of Kelowna into the newly formed Westside-Kelowna riding.