Eileen Clarke joins P.C. nomination race in Agassiz

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Published on Thursday, January 8, 2015

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

A new name has joined the race to become the new PC candidate for Agassiz MLA. Former Gladstone mayor Eileen Clarke has announced her intention to run for the Progressive Conservative nomination.

Clarke is the fourth person to formally declare, along with Sheri Grant, Kelly Wilson and Darryl Gerrard. The need for the nomination race arose when current MLA and PC party member Stu Briese declared that he will not be running in the next provincial election.

Clarke made the decision after completing her current term as mayor as of December 31st, a position she has held for the past eight years. Clarke had run for head of council for the amalgamated municipality of WestLake Gladstone, but was defeated by former RM of Westbourne Reeve David Single. Clarke noted that after the election, the option of competing for the PC nomination was presented to her.

“I was actually approached two years ago to consider running for the position down the road. At that time, I still had two years left in my municipal commitments, so it was something that we did not focus on at the time,“ said Clarke. “It was an opportunity that was presented to me again immediately after the municipal election. The option was still there, so after meeting with a bunch of different people. Discussing it with them and weighing my options, it was obvious that this was the next logical step.”

Along with serving as mayor of Gladstone, Clarke was also elected as a board member of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. She held that position within the AMM until 2010 when she was elected as Urban Vice-President for an additional four years. Within these positions she was appointed to several provincial government committees and boards. She also served on national and international committees, often being asked to present her municipal experiences and committee reports at conferences all across Canada.  Clarke believes that those experiences would serve her well in this new endeavour.

“I have a wealth of experiences, working as a part of municipal government and directly with the provincial government on a variety of issues,” said Clarke. “I have gained the respect of my peers at the legislature, both in the PC party and the NDP.”

Clarke noted that she hopes residents of the Agassiz constituency will give her the opportunity to be a strong voice for them.

“I’ve worked in many different facets within the municipalities. This riding is home base for me, so I’m pretty comfortable here,” said Clarke. “My experience is going to be vital. I consider the province to be, politically in total disarray and I think you’ll going to need good, qualified people to fix it. People with background, people with experience because this work needs to start immediately after the next provincial election. Hopefully the PC party will be leading the way then creating a sustainable future for all Manitobans.”