Remember the December deal and all the claims that the provincial Tories would all be standing for re-election, bar none?
Yeah, well you could take that one to the bank. Not.
As your humble e-scribbler told you a while ago there are a few Conservatives who will be cashing out rather than take another run at fattening the pension even more.
For the record, here’s the partial list from last week’s post:
The provincial Conservatives, for example, included a pledge to run again for all incumbents in the December deal that installed Kathy Dunderdale for a longer interim term than originally planned.
Before then, the slate of incumbents likely to quit included Dunderdale herself. Finance minister Tom Marshall was reputedly headed for retirement, along with Sheila Osborne , Bob Ridgley*, Roger Fitzgerald, Dave Denine and a few others who were pensionable.
Michael Connors of NTV tweeted on Wednesday that St. John’s West incumbent Sheila Osborne is leaving.
Local rumblings also have it that minister of something or other Dave Denine will also leave a seat vacant should some Mount Pearl municipal councilor want to take a shot at a promotion and a bigger salary.
Can Sheila’s bro Tom Ridgley be far behind? How about Fairity O’Brien and Harry Harding?
It could only be a matter of time. The Tories are a little over halfway through their list of nominations and some districts are conspicuous by their absence.
Stay tuned.
- srbp -
* Corrected from Tom Ridgeley in original.