Claude Richmond Is Done

This one is a surprise, as he had said repeatedly that he wanted to run one more time: Claude Richmond has announced he will not seek re-election. Richmond is 72 years old, but he had been adamant that he wanted another term. Apparently a health issue has convinced him there are more important things than Victoria at this point in his life.

The rumour around Kamloops is that Mayor Terry Lake may be thinking about seeking Richmond's BC Liberal nomination.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Sun notes that Gordon Campbell is busy recruiting "high-profile" candidates for the next election:

Already, Campbell has recruited former B.C. Cancer Foundation president Mary McNeil to run in Vancouver-False Creek and B.C. Paraplegic Association marketing director Stephanie Cadieux in Surrey-Panorama.

In Taylor's Vancouver-Langara riding, Campbell has pulled in Dr. Moira Stilwell, who heads the nuclear medicine program at St. Paul's and Surrey Memorial hospitals.

High-profile? I follow Surrey news and politics pretty closely, and frankly I had never heard of Cadieux before she decided to run for office.