Green Party candidate chooses Fame

Jaimie Board knows what she’s going to be doing Oct. 2, and the Nipissing Green Party candidate said her plans don’t include watching results come in after the polls close.

Board, who lives in Restoule, will spend an hour or so at the Iron Works Café, in North Bay, before heading to see Fame at the Capitol Centre.

“I can always get the results Friday, but Fame is only going to be there one night,” Board laughed.

Seeking fame isn’t exactly what Board had in mind when she decided to run for the Greens in the provincial election.

“I just wanted to make sure the goals and ideals of my party were represented in front of the electorate.”

Ironically Board wasn’t even the candidate when Premier Ernie Eves called the Oct. 2 election.

She took over when Algonquin Park resort owner Todd Lucier dropped out of the race Sept. 10, alleging that a well-known North Bay businessman, whom he did not name, had offered financial help to boost Green chances, supposedly to draw votes from the Liberals.

“When Todd told me he wasn’t going to run I felt empty, I felt somebody had to be there to make sure Green Party ideas were put out,” Board said.

“The environment is my passion. I stand up for rocks and trees and fish, so when the Green Party called I said, ‘sure, why don’t I go for it.’”

Board had gone for it in the 1999 provincial election, garnering 612 votes for the Green Party in the Nipissing riding.

The 2003 campaign was a little rougher, and she admits she made some mistakes, which put her in the uncomfortable glare of the media spotlight.

Still she considers her involvement in the election a real “learning experience.”

“I appreciated the opportunity to share the Green Party platform with the riding,” Board said. “I grown a lot through the exposure of both good and bad media, and it was a great honour to participate in this provincial democratic experience, and to get to know the other candidates.”

Board believes whoever wins will do a “fabulous” job for the riding.

“And I do hope people who go to polls make decisions they’ll be happy with for the next four years,” she said.

Board reminds voters the Green Party stands for innovative, practical solutions that will “repair our democracy, strengthen our communities, protect the environment and create sustainable economic opportunities.”

While people may shy away from casting Green ballots now, Board thinks it’s just a matter of time before they begin embracing the party.

“I think the Green Party votes is closer to them than they want to admit, because they know time is of the essence, and that we have to clean up our act, sooner than later.”