September 28th,
Marie Pollock, Airdrie Echo

With just days until the final vote for the PC Party leadership, Wildrose MLA Rob Anderson and former Airdrie mayor Linda Bruce are weighing in on frontrunner Gary Mar.

Mar walked away from the first ballot Sept. 17 with 41 per cent of the membership vote, making him the frontrunner to take over as leader of the PC Party when the second ballot is cast on Oct. 1.

But Anderson, who has been critical of the PC Party in recent months, said the party should be wary of electing Mar.

"Gary Mar has a very, very checkered past when it comes to handling the public's money," he said. "If I were the PCs, I would be very worried about electing him, but the fact is that they don't really have many more options. They've rejected every single Conservative candidate in their midst."

Anderson said the results of the first ballot indicate both a lack of support for the PC Party, and a shift in the party's values.

"The low voter turnout on the first ballot was telling," he said. "Clearly the PCs have lost a huge chunk of their support, and primarily to the Wildrose.

"They have (also) decided that they are going to take a hard shift to the left," Anderson added. "They may talk and say otherwise, but Gary Mar is a known Liberal. His campaign is run by (federal) Liberals."

Bruce, who is an active supporter of Mar, disagreed with Anderson, saying she believes Mar is a "strong, fiscal conservative."

"He has a huge understanding of the social needs of this province," she said. "He understands the environment, he understands the economy, but he also understands the importance of having quality of life throughout this province."

Bruce also disagreed that the PC party is losing support, saying she thinks Mar will be the one to bring back many of the PC Party members who have jumped ship.

"The PCs in general are still very strong," Bruce said. "I think people will recognize that (Mar) is a very, very strong leader and will put their support behind the PCs. I think he definitely will be the person that will call many of the people back to the party."

Anderson was not convinced, saying he has confidence in his party's chances when the next provincial election is called.

"The feedback we're getting in Airdrie is very, very, very strong," Anderson said. "It's very positive. People are excited to be a part of something new. Our polling shows the vast majority of folks in Airdrie are very supportive of the Wildrose."