No hard feelings,
and many good ones
This territorial election didn’t turn out quite the way I had hoped. But I gave it my best shot and have no regrets.
I had a terrific time, and learned a great deal about both my riding of Riverdale South as well as many of its residents.
Running for public office is a wonderful experience, and I recommend it to anyone with strong beliefs and lots of energy who wants to make a difference.
To the 226 people who voted for me, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am humbled and touched.
I thoroughly enjoyed our chats on the doorsteps and on the phone during the election campaign.
The fact we felt so strongly about so many of the same issues is encouraging. Better luck next time, right.
To those who didn’t vote for me, I say, “No hard feelings,” but don’t be too surprised if you see me on your doorsteps again in the future.
I also want to publicly thank all those who donated their time or money to my campaign. I’m sorry if I let you down. It wasn’t meant to be this time, I guess.
However, don’t give up just yet on the Yukon New Democratic Party. I’m convinced it will bounce back from this little setback, stronger and more united than ever.
As some of our victorious candidates said on election night, our party remains committed to fighting for social justice, environmental responsibility and legislative reform.
And while I personally find the thought of five more years of a Yukon Party government rather discouraging, I believe most Yukoners will not stand silently by if it ignores their wishes, abuses its powers or forgets its promises.
Peter Lesniak
Whitehorse
Loves a free press
I am so glad to see that the voting public of the Yukon were not influenced by your constant anti-Yukon Party editorials.
If the Yukon Party were half as bad at running the Yukon as your editorials claim then we would not have a Yukon Party majority now would we?
It restores my faith in democracy that the voters can make up their own minds and not be influenced by your anti-Yukon Party rants.
If you can spew so much criticism against our elected officials than why were you not running for office, Richard Mostyn?
I am looking forward to four more years of your amusing yet frivolous editorials that unjustly slam the work of our elected government.
Jon Wilkie
Dawson City
Too much green
I was reading NDP trumpets green cred (The News, September 22) by Graeme McElheran.
It was saying that the NDP (No Development Party) “would protect 54 well-known critical wetland areas in the Yukon from industrial development.”
Would somebody from the NDP answer this letter publicly and this question in particular: Where is all this industrial development?
Where is all this development that has all the Luddites running around in a panic?
If you added up all the placer claims, all the hardrock claims, all the little bit of logging, all the town sites, and all the roads it wouldn’t add up to four per cent. Four lousy per cent.
On the other hand, how much of the Yukon is already in park land — 18 or 20 per cent? And the greenies want more, another 10 per cent more.
I don’t agree. We should be protecting industrial parks in the Yukon. That seems to be the endangered land.
The NDP used to stand for the common man, the working man.
Stopping industry sure doesn’t help the common man.
In fact, because of your no-development attitude, the common man left and moved to Alberta.
Geoff Barrington
Whitehorse