- and stepped aside, . A-l7-year-old Burton first tromped into ‘TERRACE STANDARD The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 8, 1996 - AS ELECTION ‘96 Ex-Socred takes Reform mantle EVEN HIS critics admit he’s a strong voice for the north. But the biggest knock B.C. Reform candi- date Andy Burton will have to overcome is that he’s too far north, The 54-year-old mayor of Stewart lives in the North Coast constituency — not Skeena. But Burton says the issues are essentially the same, and argues that he knows them as well as anyone, *‘T think | am from here,” he says. ‘I’m from the northwest. The concems are the same,’? Burton didn’t seek the nomination, but was asked to run by local Reformers after candidate Ron Town suffered a heart attack the northwest in 1959 to work as a surveyor . with road crews building the Stewart- Cassiar highway, ever since. After working as a heavy equipment op- erator at Granduc mine and later as operator of the Shell bulk plant in Stewart, Burton opened his own laundry business. Today Burton owns the laundromat plus various rental properties in Stewart. He’s been actively involved in the cham- ber of commerce there and is on the board of directors of Terrace-based 16/37 Com- munity Futures. A self-declared free enterpriser, Burton says government has to demonstrate how to become more efficient — not drag its heels. Three years ago Burton and the rest of Stewart council voted to eliminate their own salaries and become volunteers, “Tm one of three unpaid mayors in B.C.,"’ Burton says. ‘That's what govem- ment’s got to do — lead by example.’ Burton was first elected to Stewart coun- cil in 1966, He’s been on and off council since then, but bas more than 20 years representing the town in all. For the last 10 years, Burton has also been Stewart's representative to the Kitimat Stikine Regional District — experience that he says gives him a good understanding of the issues and concerns facing the Kitimat- Terrace area, This is not his first attempt al provincial politics. He lost out to NDP candidate Larry Guno when he ran as a Social Credit candidate in Adin in 1986, Burton has never shied away from taking a stand. ‘You don’t want a yes man wha's just going to go down there and toe the party line, I’m not a yes man and don’t in- tend to be,”’ He was a vocal critic of Orenda Forest Products for failing to deliver on promises to build a high tech paper mill first ia Slewart then later in Terrace — all the while cutting to the limit of their forest li- Burion says companies have a responsi- bility to give something back to tiorth- westemers in exchange for extracting TESOUICES, Cautious on the topic of native land claims, Burton says he recognizes the issue must be resolved. And although he’s opposed to the Nisga’a agreement-in-principle as outlined, he says he has nothing against the Nisga'a or na- tives in general. "I’m not a racist and I’m not biased. 1 judge people on their merits and [ hope they judge me on the same thing,’’ he says, "IT don’t believe I'm responsible for the sins of my fathers, if there were sins.’* “But of course we've still got a problem. And you have to resolve the problem.” Burton and his wife Ann have five chil- dren between them. He said he believes the area’s future is great, “I know the potential of this region — it’s hardly been touched,’’ he says. “ak is Andy Burton He settled in Stewart and has stayed there MLA hardened by the game of politics THERE’S A slightly harder edge now to Helmut Giesbrecht than in 1991 when he was first elected as the Member of the Legislative As- sembly for Skeena. More than four years of high public exposure and, at times, severe criticism have left him experienced in the high stakes game of provin- cial politics. Giesbrecht says he approaches every situation on the basis that if he teats people with respect, that respect should be returned, He expects to listen to what people have to say and, in return, to listen to what he has to say. But it isn’t always that way and Gies- brecht has leamed to give as weil as he -gets “There’s a feeling that with people in authority, the best option to take is to in- timidate them and I don’t intimidate easily last week, ae “‘l won't be used as a doormat.” And just because a riding may elect an MLA from the governing party, there’s no guarantee of an easy ride. Giesbrecht has had to explain and defend government policies that may not have @ been popular in Skeena. ~ He did convince the government to Helmut Giesbrecht change its mind about moving the orthopedic surgeon out of Kitimat. But he took a lot of punishment over his government’s decision to kill Alcan’s Kemano Completion Project. “J have to remind them that while they can capitalize down south with environmentalists aver KCP, it was done over my political blood,’’ Giesbrecht says. ‘Bom in the Ukraine, Giesbrecht was just a boy when his family moved to the Fraser Valley in the 1940s. His father was a mechanic and ran a garage and his mother worked in the home. Now 53 years old, married and with two older children, there’s noth- ing in Giesbrecht’s background to indicate he might take to politics ane " day. Armed with a teaching degree from UBC, Giesbrecht came to Ter- race in 1967, He became involved in the teachers’ association three years later based on the belief that people have a right to organize to bargain with employers, He credits long time Social Credit Premier W.A.C. Bennett’s attacks against the B.C, Teachers Federation in 1971 with spurring him into political action by joining the NDP, (A banana won't get peeled if it stays with the bunch,” said Gies- brecht. He ventured unsucecssfully into municipal politics in 1975 after bec- _ oming involved in a debate about row housing. A year later he was clecied to council and served for five years before being elected as mayor for two terms, Municipal politics proved a valuable training ground for Giesbrecht who often found bimse!f alone among a right-leaning council, Politics can be an intensely personal experience and one example car- ries over from Giesbrecht’s municipal life to this day. When he was mayor, the city puta picnic table on the Jawn in Eront of cily hall to provide a meeting place for a group of older Indo-Canadian men. In the last couple of years the group has moved to a picnic table beside the library in Lower Little Park. It also happens to be just across the street from where Giesbrecht bas his constilucacy office, anymore,” said Giesbyecht in an interview INE OF THEM /ILL BE SKEENA’S ~Scolland in 1937 to a Jewish father and § Underdog faces uphill battle THE MAN WHO has run unsuccessfully for Kitimat council more times than he will admit says voters may get more than they expect from him. “People keep voting for winners aad getting losers,’’ says Social Credit candidate Dave Serry. ‘It’s time they voted for a loser and gota winner.’? Serry admits he faces an uphill batile to win back some of the voters his party lost in the 1991 election. But the Skeena riding has a history of Social Credit support and Serry is confident that he can regain the pub- lic’s trust in his party. “The Socreds deserved to lose the last election,” Serry says. ‘But the party bas gotten rid of all the trouble, Social Credit how represents common sense govern- ment.” Dave Serry was born in Glasgow, an Arab mother. Inflicted with ear infections, Serry was unable to hear or talk until he was 11- “years-old. rr rere Ts Frere an “OF course, I haven’t stopped talking since,’’ he says, ‘I tend to be very pas- sionate about my views,’’ . 4 During the Second World War he was — sent out of the city as part of a nation- Dave Serry wide move to protect children from harm during German air raids on large population centres. He spent many years on a farm with 17 other children. Serry holds a diploma in urban land economics from U.B.C, and Spent two years studying chemistry and physics. He is a journeyman millwright and has worked as a fisherman, a farmer and a ship’s cap- tain for the British Board of Trade. He claims to have had an IQ of 175 at the age of 12, Serry says that he got involved in public life because he didn’t like the way the government was being run. “T’ve travelled all over this world and Canada is one hell of a place to live,’’ he says. ‘‘So it really bugs me when I see guys like Glen Clark and Gordon Campbell screwing it up. I’m pissed off."’ Serry says he and his party represent the common working people, something that he feels is lacking im both the Reform and Liberal parties. ‘‘The Liberals are the servants of their corporate masters,’’ he says. ‘‘And Reform is right off the clock. They are a freaky bunch.” Serry holds that elections are won on local issues and says that be will press Victoria to recognize the necds of the northwest. “Alcan has polluted this valley for years and nobody bas been able to stop them,” he says. ‘‘We drink this pollution in the water every day and it has taken its toll. Kitimat has the highest per capita cancer rate in Canada and Terrace isn’t much lower. And the infant mortality rate is like Uganda's, We really need a water treatment plant.’’ According to Serry, the Social Credit party will look for the best ways to spend tax money. He says that the NDP’s budget was fair, given the millions lost from federal transfer payments, but argues that Glen Clark did make some mistakes. *'One of the ways Clark balanced the budget was to drive licence fees through the roof,” says Serry. Serry also says that a common complaint in the Skeena is that the NDP will hold hearings and listen to people, but then go ahead and do what they want anyway. And he isn’t shy about his feelings for the Lib- eral party. ‘In my opinion it is the Liberals who have to be stopped,”' he says. Senry claims that, except for party donations, he has raised all the moncy for his campaign himself. He has no qualms about disclosing his personal finances since he says they consist entirely of a disability pen- sion. ongtime Liberal looks to Victoria tinue. politics, he’s memorized it. the Liberal party. coil. * Wozney was bom in 1944 in Edmonton, His parents divorced when he was quite Rick Wozney HE'S WON every election he's ever entet- ed, and he’s counting on that trend to con- When Rick Wozney, mayor of Kitimat, threw his hat into the ring as a contender for the job of MLA, no one who knew him could have been surprised. If there was a textbook explaining how to get involved in From his early involvement with the Lib- crals, to his career as a lawyer, and to his increasing involvement in local politics, Wozney was the obvious local choice for His hair is probably even neater than lib- eral leader Gordon Campbell's admired if there was a textbook ex- Plaining how to get involved in Politics, he’s memorized it, young, and his mother took on the job of raising him and his brother and sister. That meant he had to work bis way through his BA degree in English at UBC, Following that, Wozney got a law degree, again from UBC, Almost immediately, he moved to Kitimai, and has lived there since 1971. As early as high school Wozney says he was drawn to the Libezal party. That was a while ago, he admits, and says he thinks it may have had something to do with Lester Pearson being granted the Nobel peace prize. That allegiance then transferred to Trudcau, and then spread to the provincial level. In the 1970s hie even wenl to a provincial Liberal convention. Considering the liberals have only become a force in provincial politics since 1991, that was loyalty the party had to admire. Wozney started his own political career in 1976, running for a seat on the Kitimat school board, “My oldest boy was just starting kinder- garden,”’ he says “and I had a neighbour who was a dit of a jokester and challenged me to put my hat in the ring.’* Eventually Wozncy became chair of the - school board, then in 1986 tan for city council. His success then led to a bid at the Mmayor’s job in 1988, and he’s been un- defeated since then. Now Wozncy says, ‘'I’d like to be the best MLA Skeena’s ever had,” When asked why now, and why not in 1991, Wozney says ihe timing now is better for him. His family is grown up now, and two of his three children will soon be grad- nating from university. Wozney claims current NDP MLA Hel- mut Giesbrecht bas passed up a lot of op- portunities for the region over the past four years. In particular he mentions the Kemano Completion Project. A government under Gordon Campbell would allow MLAs free votes on these kind of issues, says Wozney, “I'd speak up for the residents of Skeena rather than simply toeing the government ne.”