Photo by Vince Fedoroff
PARTY ACCLAIMS CANDIDATE – Mike Nixon (left), acclaimed as the Yukon Party candidate for the coming Whitehorse Centre byelection, stands with Premier Dennis Fentie at Wednesday evening's nomination meeting.
Byelection set for Dec. 13 as YP acclaims candidate
Premier Dennis Fentie gave a ringing endorsement of Mike Nixon, the Yukon Party's candidate for Whitehorse Centre,
Premier Dennis Fentie gave a ringing endorsement of Mike Nixon, the Yukon Party's candidate for Whitehorse Centre, acclaimed by the party's downtown riding association Wednesday evening.
"My first impressions of Mr. Nixon were based on his representation for families with children with autism,” Fentie told the Star today.
"I was struck then by the man's passion and social conscience, and we're very, very pleased that Mike Nixon chose to run for the Yukon Party.”
This morning, Fentie visited Yukon Commissioner Geraldine Van Bibber to request the writ be dropped for a byelection to fill the downtown seat, vacant since former NDP leader Todd Hardy died on July 28.
Current Yukon NDP Leader Liz Hanson will run in Whitehorse Centre for her party while Kirk Cameron has been given the nod by the Yukon Liberal Party.
Nixon is the third horse into the race and has 30 days to catch up to Hanson and Cameron, both of whom have been canvassing voters in Whitehorse Centre for several months.
Nixon, 41, is the president of Lanix Property Management Ltd. in Whitehorse. In 2002, he co-founded Autism Yukon after his two-year-old son was diagnosed with autism.
Nixon has also been a board member with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Yukon.
Nixon told the Star he was unavailable for comment this morning, but Fentie took up the rookie politician's public relations slack.
The premier quickly dismissed the idea his conservative Yukon Party's Whitehorse Centre candidate drew the short straw to contest a riding a right-leaning party has not held for nearly 30 years.
"If people think those who make the decision to enter the political arena, that being in this business is through drawing straws, I won't lower myself to comment on something like that,” Fentie said.
"(Nixon) is a man of great balance ... and when you have social conscience and experiences Mike does, this is a good balance and part of why he adds strength to the team.”
A conservative candidate has not held a seat in Whitehorse Centre since 1982, when Yukon Progressive Conservative incumbents – Geoff Latin (Whitehorse North Centre) and Dr. Jack Hibbard (Whitehorse South Centre) – lost both ridings to NDP challengers.
And the New Democrats have dominated the downtown riding since – retaining the seat when the north and south districts were amalgamated in 1992 – except for a brief period between 2000 and 2002, when then-Liberal Mike McLarnon was the district's MLA.
Whitehorse Centre voters will chose their MLA on Dec. 13.
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Comments (4)
Up 1 Down 0
Anonymous on Nov 15, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Well, well....the Son-in-Law of Dan Lang, or so says the newspaper. If that is the case, there's a question we have to ask, and that is "Who do you think will be driving the truck? Big Dan or Mikey?"
Welcome to YP politics Mikey. To be gentle on your first foray, let me just say this....if you can make your own way and be your own man, we'll all be doggone surprised.
Perhaps a coffee with Cahoonas Cathers would be a good start, but its doubtful you'd get a kitchen pass to do that.
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francias pillman on Nov 15, 2010 at 9:55 am
Mike who? Your whole party is on the way our Mr. Fentie. Your smile in this picture is one of defeat. You know you are done. You were never very good at what you did. And I think everyone knows that, and so you do. Anyone can show up to events and put on a fake smile and flip a hamburger.
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keith E on Nov 14, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Never heard of Mike Nixon however I think he made a poor choice running with the Yukon party. Dennis Fentie is a bully premier and I cannot wait to have a general election and vote the Yukon Party out of power... the only one that had the cahones to leave that defunctional party was Brad Cathers. That will not go unnoticed Brad come election time.
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Don McKenzie on Nov 13, 2010 at 1:47 pm
I know Mike. Mike's a nice guy. But let's be real, he drew the short straw. As for Premier Fentie, not wanting to, "lower" himself, too late. The Premier has lowered himself before, and will most likely do so again, before his time in power is up.