Mayne at loose ends

Ed Mayne is going to take a little time off before deciding on his next move.

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With his leadership hopes dashed, his candidate of choice finishing third and his riding of choice earmarked for somebody else, Ed Mayne is taking some time to consider his future.

The former mayor of Parksville quit his first political office partway through his first term in order to run for the premier’s job and now, with  Christy Clark in the Liberals’ top job, he finds himself at somewhat of a loose end.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” he said. “My wife has been asking me the same thing.”

First on the agenda is to take it easy in Arizona and then ... he’s not so sure.

“The reality is I’m going to take this and next week and relax and catch up on things around here, play a bit of music,” he said. “When I get back from Arizona around March 18 I will sit down and think about what I plan to do.”

Mayne failed to make much of a splash in the leadership contest and pulled out to back George Abbott prior to the vote on Saturday. However, he said he was satisfied with the result.

“I felt that our message was well received and by the end of the campaign it was a constant from all of the candidates. I believe that our campaign was successful for this reason alone. We fought this battle with minimal funding — offset by my team’s extremely hard work and dedicate to the cause. I’m humbled by their efforts and for the confidence shown in me by my supporters.”

Mayne said his decision to back Abbott instead of Christy Clark likely won’t have an impact on his future with the BC Liberals. However, he’s not at all sure what form that future will take, noting he made a commitment not to run against incumbent Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon.

Mayne hinted his political involvement may not involve seeking election.

“I’m still interested in provincial politics in one form or another and running would be my first choice, but there are other ways to be involved.”

He stressed he remains committed to helping the Liberal cause.

“I’m more interested in it now than I was before,” he said. “As much as I committed to wanting to run, I will wait to see what happens.”

Mayne congratulated Clark for her win.

“The Premier Designate conducted a strong campaign,” he said. “Christy and her team did an excellent job in reaching out to the people and telling their story.”