Nanaimo MLA-elect Leonard Krog won his third consecutive term in office despite a strong push from Liberal candidate Walter Anderson.
Krog was winning by a margin of about 1,500 votes with only five of the 136 polls left to report.
Krog, who was Opposition critic for the attorney general, ran on a platform that focused heavily on job creation and social services.
Reached Tuesday night at his campaign headquarters, Krog was celebrating with supporters, a group that included his wife, Sharon, daughter Jessica and grandchildren Portia, Archer and Alasdair. He said he was delighted about winning a third term, the fourth of his political career.
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“I’m thrilled to win again here in Nanaimo. That’s three in a row, and it’s wonderful.”
However, he did have some reservations about the bigger picture, given the NDP’s results were much poorer than the party had hoped.
“It is bittersweet,” Krog said.
“I had expected that we would actually win government, I had certainly hoped it. I think pretty clearly the negative campaign [by the Liberals] worked, and that’s unfortunate.”
During his campaign, Krog had expressed interest in freezing B.C. Ferries fares over a two-year period, if elected. Despite the Liberal victory, the Ferries issue will remain on his radar, Krog said.
“Clearly, now, there is not going to be any rate freeze. Tonight is bad news for Vancouver Island, in many respects. The issues an NDP government would have championed for Vancouver Islanders are not going to be championed by this government.”
Krog, first elected in 1991 in the Parksville-Qualicum riding, ran for the B.C. NDP leadership in 2003, but lost to Carole James. He is a practising lawyer who has lived in the riding since 1979, and is highly visible in the area.
Anderson, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, is a longtime area businessman and past chair of the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce. The first-time politician helped the Liberals finish second in a race that also included Green, Conservative and Independent candidates.
