All in all, it was a wonderful evening -- now the real work begins

Two dozen members of the BC Conservative Party, in the riding of Kamloops South Thompson, came together last night to enjoy a meal, and to take part in the Constituency Associations Annual General Meeting, which was chaired by riding President Ted Joslin.

Back Row (Left to Right): Nando Di Lorenzo, Richard Holmes,
Ted Joslin, and Peter Sharp
Front Row:  Alan Forseth and Jacquie Hilton
Missing:  Chris Kempling and Roy Bell

The election of the new board was overseen by Fred Bosman, and when voting concluded, members had elected eight men and women who will now be tasked with registering the Constituency Association with Elections BC, getting plans underway to begin a candidate nomination process, and preparing for the general election to be held next May.

Elected to the board were Fernando Di Lorenzo, Alan Forseth, Jacqueline Hilton, Richard Holmes, Roy Bell, Ted Joslin, Chris Kempling, and Peter Sharp.  The new board will meeting in the next week or two to decide on executive positions, and to set several committees in place.

Following the election of the Board, Regional Director Alan Forseth introduced the evenings Guest Speaker, Sacha Peter of Chilliwack.  While a large portion of his talk centred building a strong campaign team around the right candidate, he also spoke to a concern that some have raised; the issue of vote splitting.

Quoting John Martin, the parties candidate from the Chilliwack Hope by-election Sacha Peter said, “All votes are split, unless you live in North Korea.”

He went on to say, “The Liberals assume you owe them your vote.  People should choose the candidate, and party, that will best will best represent their interests in Victoria.  They have a choice, and the BC Conservatives are the best choice to do that.”

The evening wrapped up with members having the opportunity to participate in a lively question and answer period.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening -- now the real work begins.

I'm Alan Forseth in Kamloops.