Joe’s back and he’s a little green.
Punk rocker Joe Keithley is once again putting his name up for provincial office in the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain constituency, this time with the Green Party.
He announced Tuesday he’s seeking the nomination in a yet-to-be-called byelection, telling the Tri-Cities NOW the Greens are a “promising” party with “positive ideas.”
“It’s really about people power and grassroots democracy, rather than myself as a potential politician telling people what they need,” he said.
“I’d rather listen to them and find out what they want.”
Keithley, who fronts the punk band DOA and runs his own record label, is no stranger to the Green Party, having run in both 1996 and 2001.
He’s also familiar with the riding, putting his name forward in 2013 for the NDP. He lost the nomination to current city councillor Chris Wilson.
Keithley said he soured on the NDP after 2013, taking a few jabs at the Opposition. He suggested the NDP is neither “new” nor “democratic”, adding he doesn’t believe the party is fiscally responsible or cares about the environment.
Keithley said the Greens want to create jobs through green technology and the NDP is not “forward thinking.”
But the musician also acknowledged it will be an uphill battle to win the riding, whenever the byelection is called.
The constituency, which is being vacated by MLA Doug Horne, who is running for federal office with the Conservative Party, has been a BC Liberal stronghold for years.
In 2013, Green Party candidate Ron Peters nabbed just five per cent of the vote.
Keithley does have the backing of the only Green MLA and deputy leader of the party, though.
“I am absolutely thrilled that Joe Keithley is seeking the BC Green nomination for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain in the upcoming byelection,” said Andrew Weaver, the Green MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, in a press release.
“Joe Keithley’s vision for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain epitomizes the fiscally, environmentally and socially responsible and progressive values of our party and I am convinced he will be a powerful advocate for his constituents.”
Keithley said he’s not sure when the nomination meeting will happen, but he intends to have volunteers in place and start door-knocking shortly.
He’s the first candidate from any party to publicly announce his intention to run in the byelection.
- See more at: http://www.thenownews.com/news/green-candidate-ready-to-go-in-coquitlam-burke-mountain-provincial-byelection-1.2046934#sthash.YYG7Ylvz.dpuf
