It has been a long run for Conservative Elizabeth Witmer. She has been Kitchener-Waterloo's MPP for 17 years, but it seems in next week's election she is vulnerable to defeat.
The Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy Seat Calculator still shows Witmer as the predicted winner, but LISPOP also quotes local news reports as saying that "the race could go down to the wire." That's about as encouraging as it gets when you oppose such an entrenched incumbent.
The K-W NDP has an extremely capable candidate in Catherine Fife - the best NDP candidate I've ever seen in our riding. Her web site claims that she is only slightly behind the Liberal candidate, Louise Ervin.
Still, it's probable that K-W Liberal Louise Ervin is the only candidate who could unseat Witmer. Ervin, a longtime member of the School Board and former teacher and social worker, has a solid understanding of local issues, a great resume and a solid track record.
People criticize strategic voting but the fact is that Witmer will only win if the NDP and Liberals split the vote. My mother, impressed by Fife, found a compromise: she's voting for Ervin but sent Fife a campaign contribution. Me, I'm just voting for Ervin.
I would dearly like to have new representation in the next government. Witmer was such a big part of the horrible Mike Harris years... let's get her out and elect someone new.
2 comments:
Fife has likely already surpassed Ervin in the polls. I believe that anyone who has seen the Kitchener-Waterloo debate will see that Catherine Fife is not only the best candidate in Kitchener-Waterloo, but the best chance to unseat Witmer. I would urge everyone to vote for who they believe in.
The election is now over, and the results for K-W are:
Witmer (PC) 41%
Ervin (Liberal) 31%
Fife (NDP) 17%
(Green) 9%
In the last election (2003), the results were:
PC 43%
Liberal 40%
NDP 11%
Green 3%
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