Grit riding association president resigns (Updated)

Carol Lonsdale has resigned as president of the Nipissing-Timiskaming Federal Liberal Riding Association, BayToday.ca has learned.

Lonsdale did not give specific reasons for her resignation, but called the current situation within the association "intolerable."

"I have served the Liberal party as a volunteer for over 26 years and as president for the last eight in the riding of Timiskaming-Cochrane," Lonsdale said.

"During that time it was a pleasure to be involved in campaigns and in helping the Liberal party."

She said "giving of one's self in a volunteer capacity" should have been a "positive, pleasant" experience.

"With the current executive membership of the association from Nipissing, it is anything but," Lonsdale said.

"When it's no longer fun, it's time to get out."

Nipissing-Timiskaming Liberal candidate Anthony Rota pointed out Lonsdale's resignation was "voluntary" and it has already been accepted by the riding association.

"Everyone has a different way of running things and this new riding association has been operating a little bit different than she's used to," Rota said.

"Carol had a hard time adapting to it, because some people have a hard time adapting to change, but I wish Carol well and I’m sure she’ll do well wherever she goes."

Rota said the remaining executive will now start begin the search for a new president.

"It's a coveted position and there are there's no shortage of people who are interested in it," Rota said.

Susan Church, who lost to Rota during the March 6 candidate nomination meeting, had a blunter assessment of the situation.

Lonsdale, Church said, had given "thousands of hours" over the last 26 years to the party.
"But if she was having the lifeblood squeezed out of her by the Nipissing Liberal old boys network,which I think was the case, I can certainly see why she would have resigned," Church said.

"What it does is call into question the integrity of the current association."