Dr. Allison Patton, prospective local candidate for the BC Conservative party, is hopeful that internal turmoil in the Surrey-White Rock constituency association will soon be resolved.
Patton – who had been president of the association since it was formed in early 2011 – resigned two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, she said most of her board had also been in the process of resigning, but that they had been asked by the party to rescind already-submitted resignations and see if discussion could resolve rifts in the association.
“We’re in discussions right now,” she said, adding that the association’s AGM is Sept. 22 at the Langley Events Centre.
“The AGM will definitely help – a lot of matters will be dealt with or become a lot clearer after that point.”
At the heart of her own decision to resign, Patton said, was her determination that the party be inclusive of all segments of society.
“I want it to be a party of young people, of women, of different cultures,” she said. “I want it to be an integrated party – and that takes some time.”
While Patton was not specific about what prompted local board members to resign, she said “there were some appointments made in the party that posed some challenges for some of us, based on our future plans – when people have a history of views that we don’t agree with.”
Patton said she remains confident the constituency association can get past the current crisis – and that she’d still like to represent the BC Conservatives in the next election.
“Being such a new party, we’re in the process of inventing ourselves,” she said. “At the beginning, you welcome all opinions, but, over time, there have to be people who are calling the shots.”
Patton encourages local residents to join the party and help shape the constituency.