An outspoken Wildrose MLA abruptly quit the party on Sunday to sit as an independent over concerns the party has drifted from its grassroots beginnings and is embroiled in an internal “civil war.”
Joe Anglin, MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, said Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith was prepared to call for his ouster from caucus during a Sunday meeting in Calgary.
But in a pre-emptive move, Anglin, a former U.S. Marine and property rights advocate, left the party, airing his grievances about the Wildrose establishment through social media.
“This party was founded on the principles of a grassroots democracy,” Anglin wrote on his Facebook page. “It is now infested with an unelected backroom weed that is choking off the grassroots movement.
“It was clear by the way the party executive mishandled my nomination process last June, and by the way they mismanaged the past four byelections something needs to be corrected,” he continued.
In July, Anglin, a fierce property rights advocate and former leader of Alberta’s Green party, lost a controversial nomination race to his former constituency association president Jason Nixon.
After that defeat, Smith said Anglin still had an important role to play in the party and wanted to see him run for a new seat in Edmonton.
On Sunday, Wildrose MLAs, including Smith, and executives gathered at the party’s downtown Calgary office.
Smith declined to take questions about Anglin, but in an earlier statement accepted his resignation and thanked the now independent MLA for his service to Albertans.
At the meeting, caucus voted unanimously to withdraw Smith’s contentious request for a leadership review at the party’s upcoming AGM in Red Deer.
Smith surprised many when she called for the review following the Oct. 27 byelections, in which the Tories swept to victory in all four contests.
According to a party news release, Wildrose House Leader Rob Anderson introduced the motion to recall the review. Smith was not present during the vote.
“Caucus members are united in their support of Danielle Smith and are confident that she is the best choice to move our party forward,” Anderson said in the statement.
Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, said the caucus’ endorsement of Smith’s leadership should help quell any dissension within the ranks.
“She got 100 per cent of the caucus,” Williams said. “There’s no heir apparent. Nobody else who can do a better job than what she’s doing. So it puts the question to rest.”
In an interview, Anglin said many Wildrose caucus members believed a leadership review was unnecessary in the first place, despite the byelection losses, which he blamed on party executives.
The Wildrose placed second in Calgary-West and Calgary-Foothills, and third spot in Calgary-Elbow and Edmonton-Whitemud.
“That’s not a victory under any circumstances,” Anglin said, adding the party would be wise to flush out the current cast of party executives, which he described as a “secret politburo.”
Anglin said he is keeping all his options on the table and plans to run in the 2016 election.
“I thought it was best that I step up and go independent,” he said. “I can spend a lot more time representing my constituents doing what they need to have done.”
Twitter@TSHowell
