Anita Huberman no longer has her eye on a Tory prize for Surrey Centre.
Last week the Now-Leader reported that the former long-serving CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade was seeking the Conservative nomination in that riding, where Liberal MP Randeep Sarai is seeking a fourth term in office.
Then Huberman on Feb. 24 said she's ending her run on account of party regulations governing nominees that rendered her ineligible.
"While I meet all other requirements, the party requires a full six months of membership, and I fall just three weeks short of this deadline," she revealed. "The decision has nothing to do with my qualifications, leadership experience, or commitment to my community. It is solely based on an equally applied rule across all candidates."
Huberman told the Now-Leader she is "of course" disappointed as she "put a lot of effort" into it.
But there's no way to manoeuver around the rules, she conceded. "We just have to move forward now."
Asked why she doesn't fulfill the three-week obligation and stay in the race, Huberman replied, "Well, the riding is closed for Surrey Centre and so when I spoke to the Conservative party over the weekend, they said that as a result there's no room for negotiation. I kept asking is there a way around this and they said no."
Asked if she thinks it's a fatuous rule, Huberman replied that she thinks the political party needs to have skilled and experienced people, "especially during these unprecedented economic times and sticking to a membership rule because it's a rule doesn't mean that it's good for the party."
"I don't know what's happening behind the scenes and as I mentioned to you earlier, they need skilled and experienced people. And I couldn't be a Conservative party member given my previous position at the Surrey Board of Trade."
Asked if she will then seek public office at the civic level, Huberman replied "I won't be running for mayor or civic politics. I have a couple of contracts (private sector) and we'll see what my future holds. I'm still young."
