Greg McCune, BC United's candidate for Salmon Arm-Shuswap, has announced he'll be running as an independent.
The former Enderby mayor and Sutherland’s Bakery owner announced Thursday evening (Sept. 12) his intention to run as an independent in the October provincial election. This comes seven months after McCune won the nomination to represent B.C. United in the riding, and two weeks after the party's leader, Kevin Falcon, suspended BC United's campaign and urged supporters to get behind the Conservative Party of B.C.
In a letter to voters, McCune, a longtime Liberal/BC United supporter, said Falcon's decision left him a "political orphan."
"When I won the local nomination for the BC Liberals/BC United, I knew that I was following the centre-right footsteps of George Abbott and Greg Kyllo," said McCune. "I was looking forward to representing this riding and working against the David Eby government. That is why I was completely shocked when Kevin Falcon withdrew all party candidates from this election. I no longer had a political home."
McCune shared his beliefs that the province is facing a number of crises – in housing, health care and the overall economy – and that people are "tired of polarizing politics that are distracting from these issues."
"My 25 years of experience as mayor and city councillor would have made me the most experienced candidate in this riding," said McCune, noting as a small business he knows the "struggles the business community faces under the David Eby government.
"My name is already on the ballot, and I am not quitting this race."
McCune said he is grateful to all the people who called and encouraged him to stay in the race.
"Being an Independent candidate will not be business as usual. These are unprecedented times in B.C. politics, but when I win this riding, Independent MLAs like myself could be positioned as provincial powerbrokers to hold government accountable to start focusing on the issues that matter and that makes me very excited."
As of Sept.13, McCune was one of four candidates vying to represent the riding, up against Sylvia Lindgren with the BC NDP, Jed Wiebe with the BC Green Party and David Williams with the BC Conservative Party.
An all-candidates meeting, organized by the Salmon Arm chamber, takes place at the Salmar Classic Theatre from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
