NDP MLA Leonard Krog said Sunday morning he’s “very seriously” considering running for mayor of Nanaimo.
The provincial NDP caucus chairman is slated to make an announcement on Wednesday, June 13, at the Coast Bastion Hotel, according to invitations circulating on social media.
“I have had a lot of people over the last couple of years whose opinion I value, people who I respect, leaders in our community, [they] have been asking me to run for mayor,” Krog said. “So certainly that’s a huge motivating factor for any politician.”
The NDP government, supported by the B.C. Green Party, holds only a two-seat edge over the opposition B.C. Liberals, but Krog suggested the close split in the legislature wouldn’t be a major consideration in his decision.
“I won this constituency by 3,800 votes last time,” he said. “I don’t think the NDP is likely to lose Nanaimo [in a subsequent byelection.] It’s lost Nanaimo twice in, I think, 55 years.”
Krog has represented the Nanaimo riding since 2005. Between 1991-96, he was MLA for Parksville-Qualicum.
The local government election is in October. So far, two candidates have announced their intention to run for Nanaimo mayor: Don Hubbard and Norm Smith.
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