Rich Coleman says he鈥檒l miss the people the most.
After 24 years in politics, the Langley MLA is retiring, timing his announcement for Saturday to coincide with the anniversary of his first nomination on Feb. 29, 1996. He was elected for the first time on May 28, 1996.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time to hang up the skates,鈥� Coleman said.
Coleman explained he was making the announcement now out of consideration for his party colleagues, who need to be ready for the next provincial election.
It wasn鈥檛 an easy decision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gut-wrenching, actually,鈥� Coleman told the Langley Advance Times during an interview in his office at the Langley Events Centre (LEC) shortly before making it public.
He started seriously considering retirement after a friend told him he was 鈥渁t the very edge of having stayed too long,鈥� then made his decision after talking it over with his wife, Michele.
On the day of the interview, he was using a large desk in his LEC office meeting room to fill out birthday cards for constituents, cards that were hand-made by Michele and her scrapbooking group.
鈥淎 lot of these go out to some cool people,鈥� he commented.
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He鈥檚 enjoyed his time in politics, especially the opportunity to go places and meet people.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in probably every dam in British Columbia, most mines 鈥� underground and above ground 鈥� [and] through mills and pulp mills.鈥�
His personal highlights list includes four years as provincial Solicitor-General 鈥� where Coleman, a former RCMP officer, oversaw a communications overhaul that allowed different police forces and RCMP detachments in B.C. to directly share information.
He also cited his part in negotiating a settlement to the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. that he felt gave the B.C. forest industry nine years of peace and stability.
In addition, he recounted his tour of duty as minister in charge of housing, travelling abroad to educate the world about B.C.鈥檚 considerable reserves of natural gas, getting the Pacific Autism Centre in Richmond built, and the opportunity to talk with actor Martin Sheen at an event where Sheen spoke out about the personal impact of addiction.
People make the job rewarding
It is the people part of politics Coleman likes the best, calling it 鈥渙ne of the most rewarding parts of the job.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e got such great stories and friends that I鈥檝e made, just in this community,鈥� Coleman recounted.
鈥淓ven those who don鈥檛 like, or who are opposed to you, they usually treat you with respect and you can have a decent conversation with them.鈥�
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Being an opposition party politician has been quite different from being part of the government of the day makes the decisions, Coleman related.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like you come to a skidding stop,鈥� is how he described the switch from government to opposition benches following the defeat of the BC Liberals 鈥� led by Christy Clark 鈥� and his temporary stint as acting party leader.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the 70 hours a week [you put in] when you鈥檙e a cabinet minister. From morning to night, you鈥檙e on the go.鈥�
He has learned how to use Facebook and Twitter and email blasts to get his message across, but he isn鈥檛 convinced social media can truly substitute for sitting down and actually talking to people, face-to-face.
鈥淵ou lose that connection with people [when] it鈥檚 all done electronically,鈥� Coleman believes.
He may be leaving politics, but he isn鈥檛 giving up public life, he stressed.
鈥淚鈥檓 not done. I鈥檝e got some ideas for some other adventures,鈥� Coleman declared, without going into detail.
鈥淎s far as I鈥檓 concerned, I have one more career left in me.鈥�
His health is good.
At 66, Coleman is 85 pounds lighter than he was in 2013, a fact that has allowed him to better manage his Type 2 diabetes.
He got his weight down by drinking lots of water and walking.
His intention is to keep working as MLA until the next election, one he thinks the Liberals have a shot at taking.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a 50-50 chance that we can win that election,鈥� Coleman predicted.
Appreciated the confidence of voters
He would like the people who voted for him to know that he is grateful.
鈥淭hey gave me a real privilege,鈥� Coleman said.
鈥淭hey gave me the most enriching opportunity anybody could ask for. I hope when they look back on me, that they鈥檒l look at me and say, well, he did what he thought was the best for the community and people he served.鈥�
鈥淭here just is no better community,鈥� he said of Langley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a real caring place.鈥�
Preparing for his so-called retirement, he said he is definitely looking forward to having more time for family.
鈥淚 have been so lucky,鈥� he said of his 45-year marriage, his two children, and seven grandchildren.
BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson issued the following statement in response to Rich Coleman鈥檚 announcement that he will not seek re-election:
鈥淒uring his 24 years in provincial politics and six terms in the Legislative Assembly, Rich was instrumental in the landmark accomplishments of successive BC Liberal governments. Among many achievements as a cabinet minister, he oversaw the delivery of a record number of new housing units for vulnerable British Columbians, stickhandled the softwood lumber file through challenging times, and laid the foundation for an LNG industry that will support British Columbia鈥檚 prosperity for generations to come鈥� helping to improve the lives of people all over BC.
鈥淩ich has also been an articulate and consistent voice for the unity of our free enterprise coalition 鈥� always stepping up to support his BC Liberal colleagues through numerous campaigns, including as provincial campaign co-chair. During the last BC Liberal leadership contest, he stepped up to serve in a critical role as Interim Leader of the Official Opposition 鈥� keeping our team of MLAs united, focused, and effective.鈥淣early a quarter-century in public life requires significant personal sacrifices. In addition to recognizing Rich for his years of service to the people of Fort Langley-Aldergrove, Langley East, and all of British Columbia,we thank his wife Michele, and their children and grandchildren, for generously sharing Rich with our team.鈥�
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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