In response to Mr. Herrington’s letter in the June 19, 2012 edition of the Chilliwack Progress:
Claiming that a “right-wing split” wasn’t the reason Gwen O’Mahony won April’s by-election basically amounts to burying ones face firmly in the sand. The numbers don’t lie; O’Mahony and the BCNDP received 6,022 votes in the byelection, but the combined votes of the two free enterprise parties was 8,208 – a full 2,186 more votes.
It is painfully clear that if supporters of free enterprise politics had stayed united under one coalition, O’Mahony wouldn’t be celebrating the opening of her new office (which, by the way, is far outside the boundaries of the actual riding).
All of the candidates worked hard to win the byelection – no one would dispute that. However, while looking at her campaign through rose-coloured glasses might make the author of this letter feel a sense of accomplishment, there is no way to dispute the fact that a split amongst free enterprise voters was the key to O’Mahony’s success. Her win was legitimate – but the numbers don’t lie about what made that possible.
Collin Rogers
Chilliwack-Hope Voter