Lisa Beare has made the jump from school board trustee to provincial MLA by defeating Liberal incumbent Doug Bing in the riding of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.
Beare said being a local trustee made her want to get involved in provincial politics. One example was hearing crying school counsellors asking the school board for more resources to provide mental health support for students, while the board constantly grappled with a lack of funding from the province and constantly faced budget cuts.
“I was hearing a lot of stories from children and their families about how difficult things were getting,” she said.
“I thought running [for MLA] was the best way to make a difference.”
The finally tally Tuesdya was a decisive 10,992 votes for Beare to 9,652 for Bing.
Despite the fact she watched the results on television at home with her family for most of the night, Beare could not get comfortable.
With 36 of 96 polls having reported, her lead was 257 votes.
But she was confident.
“We knew it was going to be a very tight race,” she said. “I was out there every day.”
Beare and the local NDP ran an old school door-knocking campaign. She and the party’s campaign volunteers met with voters on their doorsteps.
Her campaign manager, Korleen Carreras, said it was an important emphasis.
“We put a lot of energy into talking to people and hearing their stories – that’s what’s important about elections,” said Carreras, who sits with Beare as a trustee on the school board.
“We had teams on the streets talking to people every day,” she added.
“Lisa was a strong candidate, and she worked very, very hard.”
The Beare team shared a campaign office and resources with the fellow NDP candidate Bob D’Eith, who won in Maple Ridge-Mission, and Carreras said the volunteers felt like part of something big.
“I enjoyed the team atmosphere, and the team effort,” she added.
The simple difference between the Monday night election and the 2013 vote was voters in the riding were finally ready for a change, she said.
“It has been 16 years of one government.”
The Liberals have been declared elected in 43 of B.C.’s 87 ridings, but that could change when final counts have been tallied by May 24.
“I’m really excited and looking forward to getting to work,” Beare said.
Veteran NDP campaigner and city councillor Craig Speirs also said it was a big night for the party locally.
“We did really well here. I was quite impressed,” he said. “The two of them [Beare and D’Eith] worked so well together, and they were definitely a team.
“As far as the local NDP movement – this really gave us some strength,” he added.
On the possibility of another election inside of two years. Speirs said the NDP, in the local ridings, could build on its success in another campaign.
“If we get back to an election anytime soon, we’re ready. Bring it on.”