When Christy Clark left provincial politics in British Columbia, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, she stepped aside from the daily grind of governance because she wanted more time with her family. She especially was concerned about not being a part of her sons life in ways that she would like. Who couldn't admire her stand to put family ahead of ambition, leaving the highest of positions in government to keep guard on the family home. Priorities that seemed to be right in tune with the times.
That was less than a year ago, so one can only assume that like any parent having spent a summer vacation with the kids enough is enough, it's time to get back to the adult world, well sort of I guess. Clark is coming back, this time as a candidate for mayor in Vancouver, the apparent penultimate launching pad for those that would be Premier one day. Having put in some part time work in that other political launching (or is that landing pad) of talk radio, Clark has kept a pretty high profile of late for someone looking to spend time with the family/
Ms. Clark has tossed her hat in the ring with the NPA as candidate to replace the Senate bound Larry Campbell, a guy that she apparently really, really respects. As Clark said "if Larry was staying on as mayor I wouldn't be running".
But Larry isn't running for mayor, he's running towards the Senate in Ottawa, perhaps urged on by Clark's husband, Mark Marrisen who is a political fixer in BC for Prime Minister Paul Martin. Interesting possibilities that one offers up, hubby puts a bug in the PM's ear, PM offers the mayor the Senate and Christy steps in to fill the void at City Hall. Considering the many branches of the Clarks into the Liberals it's easy to see how Conspiracy theories can run like water here.
What remains to be seen is how the folks in Vancouver will react to Ms. Clark's candidacy, considering her current residence is in the burbs of Port Moody and nowhere near the neighborhoods Vancouverites call home.
Will she be running for the long haul? Or merely as a stepping stone to the job many pundits feel she truly wants that of Premier of British Columbia. She's a smart student of BC History and the last few occupants of the Premiers office have begun their path to Victoria through the electoral process of the Vancouver mayoralty.
She will make the race for mayor a much more interesting affair than what was shaping up, but she brings with her some serious baggage from her days in the Gordon Campbell cabinet, her battles with the teachers and the events in Humans services will find her facing some serious opposition in the bare knuckle ridings of Vancouver.
She's a high profile candidate no doubt, but will she have both eyes on the job at hand should be successful or will she be keeping an eye on the career path of Gordon Campbell, how she answers that question could go a long way as to whether she'll be back to being a stay at home Mom at the end of November!
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