Landowner Association president running for nomination in the PC Party

According to an article that appeared in the Ottawa Sun on June 17, Jack Maclaren, president of the Ontario Landowners Association, is looking to get the nomination to run in the next provincial election as a Progressive Conservative candidate. If he is anything like Randy Hillier, the founder of the OLA, I think that this is great news. The more advocates that we have for property rights in Queen’s Park and the PC caucus the better.

It appears that the riding association Carleton-Mississippi Mills is uncomfortable with his candidacy, which is understandable considering that part of Mr. Maclaren’s strategy is to take control of the riding association’s executive. This has been characterised by the sitting riding president as being ‘bullied out.’ Personally I would call it democracy.

I’ve seen it happening a few times, and I’ve heard of it happening a dozen times; a new up and coming politician wants to put people who are personally loyal to him or her in positions of trust in the riding association. If the existing executive can’t mobilise the membership to safe their position, then well, that’s politics.

Of course there are always tricks up the sleeve of an incumbent to stave off a potential threat, especially in the rough and tumble of local politics. One of these tricks is being applied by the Carleton-Mississippi Mills current executive. They are putting off holding an AGM pass the constitutional deadline. The hope it seems is that Mr. Maclaren will either go away or the executive can use the extra time to put up a decent fight.

With a reported 600 new members signed up by Mr. Maclaren it doesn’t seem like either eventuality is likely. The members of the current executive should instead be thinking ahead for ways that they can best work with the new team.