Surrey Mayor Diane Watts is a populist, a shrewd political reader of the public mood, and a figure that appeals to a nice cross section of the political spectrum.
Watts' aspirations may lie beyond the borders of Surrey, but a kick at the BC Liberal can after Gordon Campbell would be a quick descent to an early political burial
Her steady performance on Council from 1996 until 2005 was nearly flawless.
Her timing in knocking off former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum as an independent was impeccable.
And her move to create the Surrey First slate of “non-affiliated” candidates to take control of council (she beat her opponent by an astounding 43,000 votes, and all six of her running mates won handily) was a stroke of brilliance.
Which makes all of this recent talk of Watts’ eventual run for Premier a non-starter based on her record of success.
Forget for a moment about the HST, which is by far the most unpopular initiative that the BC Liberal government has ever brought forward.
Ignore the fact that the BC will now run deficits over the next four years, miraculously recovering to surpluses (as reported by the every so trustworthy Finance Minister Colin Hansen) just in time for another election.
Disregard the political nuclear explosions that the Olympics are sure to bring to the doorstep of the government for years after the closing ceremonies.
The fact is that the poison pill of defeat lies with one man whose ego is far larger than the party he leads with an iron fist.
And regardless of when Gordon Campbell takes a walk in the snow (or in the rain, by West Coast standards), the fate of the BC Liberals will be sealed.
The party has become a resting place for those who consistently aspire to mimic the political model of the Socreds. Moderates, and even centre-right political types, are not welcome with the organizations of Rich Coleman and Kevin Falcon waiting in the wings to spring into action.
Diane Watts’ political radar has served her extremely well thus far, and her realization that the realm of provincial politics is not a friendly place for her future aspirations should come about far quicker than her cheerleaders in the media.
Federal politics however? Well that’s a whole different story. And I’m not referring to the party currently led by Stephen Harper.
