BYE BYE

So now the race beginnings. Is this a sign for the riding of Riversdale that we the people will be looking at new MLA too. I am sure it will happen but when. Some people ask me if I am running again I am not sure I am going to talk to love ones and friends. To see if they will support me. With man power and Money. To run it takes money. But I know one thing that we in Riversdale needs a strong voice in the Regina. Please no more Premiers or NDP leader in this riding. We need just a hard working MLA.... No matter which party. Here is story below:
Calvert resigning....

Randy Burton, The StarPhoenix.com
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
If the universe unfolds as it should, former premier Lorne Calvert will be announcing his resignation as provincial NDP leader Thursday.
People in a position to know say there will be an invitation-only event at TCU Place, where Calvert will make a sendoff address.
There is no great surprise in this. Having suffered a decisive defeat in the last provincial election, it was never in the cards that Calvert would lead the party into another vote.

This news will only formalize what everyone knew was coming. Calvert himself has never suggested that he would stay on, although he has been indefinite about when he might decide to turn over the reins to someone else.
The timing is good now because it will give the party almost eight months to prepare for a leadership convention next June.
The question now is who is best positioned to replace Calvert, given the political landscape the NDP faces over the next few years.
Experienced players within the party assume Saskatchewan Party Premier Brad Wall is likely to stay in office for at least two terms. This is because the Saskatchewan economy looks like it will fare relatively well during the next few years, in spite of global economic uncertainty.
In addition, Wall remains popular with the voters after his first year in office and has so far avoided major political disasters. He has not embarked on any wild adventures outside of the party's election platform, making it hard for the opposition to come up with compelling reasons for a change after only one term.
In fact, there is a possibility Wall and the Saskatchewan Party can eat further into the NDP's urban dominance while maintaining their grip on the rural vote. If that begins to happen, then the future for the NDP in Saskatchewan could begin to look rather bleak for an extended period of time.
The immediate challenge for the party is to hold on to the 20 seats they have. If you look at the situation in that light, the party has two options. It can select a leader for the long term in the hopes of unseating Wall in 2015, or it can pick someone who can fight a strong, defensive action during the next three years and then step aside after the next election.
Perhaps the best way to solve this riddle is identifying who will not run. Some of the obvious choices who have opted out include former cabinet minister Eric Cline, now a senior executive with Shore Gold, and longtime MLA Pat Atkinson.
However, there are some names that keep cropping up. Rookie MLA Cam Broten is one. He performed well in his first outing in the legislature, but at 30, he is still young and relatively inexperienced. Former justice minister Frank Quennell has not ruled out a run at the leadership, and is said to be thinking it over. And despite her protestations to the contrary, former health minister Louise Simard may yet be enticed to enter the fray.
But the bulk of the speculation centres on Dwain Lingenfelter, the former deputy premier in the Romanow administration who is now a vice-president with Nexen Inc. in Calgary.
There is no doubt he has the skills. Lingenfelter is a talented political operator with long experience in both government and opposition. He is also tough as nails and has the debating skills to make life in the legislature difficult for Wall.
He might also be able to cobble together a convincing attack against the Sask. Party on several fronts. One prong of this would be on social policy. For example, the NDP would like to build on the Station 20 West issue here in Saskatoon by painting the Sask. Party as being indifferent to the problems of low-income people.
This might be a hard sell in light of all the social spending Wall has done, but that would be the starting point. Secondly, Lingenfelter could argue the Saskatchewan government is giving away our resources at fire sale prices. Even Alberta has raised resource royalties, so why would Saskatchewan promise no change for three terms of government? Over time, that line of attack might bear fruit.
In spite of all this, Lingenfelter remains a polarizing figure within the NDP. The left wing of the party wants no part of him and would mount a pitched battle to stop him. Thus a coronation seems out of the question, and there is some question whether Lingenfelter is interested in competing for a contested leadership.
There is also some question about why he would want the job. Given that the prospects for the NDP of winning the next election are slim, it could mean Lingenfelter would be spending a minimum of seven years in opposition, a daunting prospect for a man who turns 60 next year.
Or could he be convinced to come in just long enough to save the party from annihilation in the next election? Under this scenario, he comes in for one term, fights the good fight, leaves the party in better shape than he found it and retires.
That might be wishful thinking, but there's no doubt the game is afoot. It all begins in earnest with Calvert's retirement speech Thursday