Category Archives: Uncategorized

In August 2021 a woman I met at a work conference two years prior posted on Twitter that I put my hand in her skirt and grabbed her ass. I did no such thing. At the time, I was the Conservative candidate for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour and this false allegation became national news instantly. My lifeContinue reading “The Conservative? Post Script”

It was election day. With it, came an odd sense of calm. Behind the scenes, a hive of activity was going on as the get-out-the-vote machine tracked our supporters down with the diligence of a hungry bounty hunter. However, there was little for the candidate to do, and this didn’t feel right to me. AfterContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

Margaret had dropped a bomb and seemed relieved when it failed to explode. After the laugh my anger left. We hugged. In the end, she was loyal and I appreciated that. She told me she would remain with the NDP and its Dartmouth-Cole Harbour campaign. She was a political junkie too, and she needed toContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

The next day the news outlets were crazy for the story. We never did get a chance to debate the issues important to people in this election but the narrative of the event had many newsworthy elements: arson, assault and local media personalities as characters. These folks were happy to be interviewed by other journalistsContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

Four hours later, I was sitting with Dale in the back of a campaign car discussing last-minute details. We had an hour to go before the start of the debate. The usual nervous energy had not yet kicked in. I was relaxed despite Clive’s warnings. I was feeling very good in the freshly-pressed suit, shirtContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

The micro marketing campaign went ahead regardless of what I said or did, short of shooting myself in the head. Some hills are worth dying on but this wasn’t one of them. Even if I did shoot myself in the head, I was certain Kathleen and her crew would move on without me. I wouldn’tContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

After a quick lunch at Subway we stopped at the office to clean up after Camp Day. I smelled like coffee and sparkled with donut dust. Dot welcomed me with an extra firm bone-crushing hug. She smelled like brandy. After the chaos of Camp Day I was jealous. “Mr. Candidate. I was very proud ofContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

On the morning of the leader’s visit, I arrived at campaign headquarters early. I didn’t want to be unprepared. Dot and I hugged. The smell of cigarette smoke had become strangely comforting to me. “Good Morning Mr. Candidate. Are you ready for the royal visit?” asked Dot. “As ready as I will ever be,” IContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”

The next few days went by like a supersonic blur. The debate preparation kept me busy with little time to think about potential traitors and saboteurs. On top of the debate work, I increased the pace of canvassing. Frank and I spent twelve hours a day knocking on doors. We were on the street fromContinue reading “The Conservative? continued…”