Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi will not be running for the vacant Lethbridge-West seat in the upcoming by-election.
The former Calgary Mayor was in Lethbridge Tuesday to kick off Whoop-Up days and when asked if knew where he was planning on looking for a seat Nenshi’s response was “I don’t.” Nenshi says even though there is a by-election coming up in the Lethbridge-West riding, he believes that it is important the people of Lethbridge be represented by somebody who knows the city.
“I am thrilled we have two candidates who have a lifetime of service to Lethbridge and really know the city in the mix here,” Nenshi says.
Earlier this month Bridget Mearns and Rob Miyashiro both announced they would be running for the NDP nomination for the riding seat that opened after Shannon Philips stepped down. Nenshi says with both of these candidates having previously sat on Lethbridge City Council and both having extensive ties to the community, he believes either would be the right choice for the Lethbridge-West riding.
As for his plans the political party leader says he is adjusting to partisan politics and is focusing on some of the key areas he needs to work on for the NDP. Right now he says he is splitting the majority of his time between Calgary and Edmonton, so if a seat opens up in one of those communities then he will jump at it.
“A typical politician would ask someone to step aside so they can run, but in the world I live in the majority of my caucus were just elected a year ago. They have achieved one of their dreams which is to be an elected official and I am not the kind of guy to walk in and say hey get out of the way so I can run.”
With that being said, Nenshi adds that like everyone else politicians’ lives can change, as people decide they might want to retire, move on or try something else. He says when one of those situations arises and a seat opens he plans on being ready.
