Local members of the Alberta Liberal party are rallying behind leader David Swann who has been the target of blunt criticism from departed Calgary MLA Dave Taylor.
Taylor announced Monday that his lack of confidence in Swann’s leadership was prompting him to quit the party and sit as an independent.
Local Liberals made it clear whose corner they’re in.
“Dave Taylor’s got the biggest ego on the planet,” said party member Pauline McCormick. “He didn’t get what he wanted and he’s been sulking ever since.”
Taylor lost the party leadership to Swann in 2008.
McCormick thinks Swann is a good leader.
“I like his style of politics. I think he’s a very honest man,” she said.
Former St. Albert Liberal MLA Jack Flaherty, who is the current head of the local constituency association, had little to say about the Taylor-Swann situation.
“I’ll put it this way — knowing David Taylor, this kind of thing doesn’t surprise me and I’ll leave it at that,” said Flaherty, who was an organizer with Swann’s leadership campaign.
Local member Wilf Borgstede said the Alberta Liberal party is suffering from a lack of interest and participation at the grassroots level and people have to step up.
“The Liberals generally have got to shake their heads and say, look, we as members have to start supporting the person we’ve elected as the leader. I just don’t see that happening,” Borgstede said.
Borgstede thinks Swann needs more time to win people over.
“The more you get to know David Swann, the more convinced you are that he has a great deal to offer this province,” Borgstede said.
Taylor levelled scathing criticism at Swann in interviews and on his website.
“I told Dr. Swann in my letter of resignation that I lost confidence in his abilities as a leader,” Taylor wrote.
Rather than positioning itself as a clear alternative to the government or the other opposition parties, the Liberals are “adrift” and “lacking a coherent vision,” Taylor wrote.
“As leader, [Swann] has failed to address these significant issues,” he wrote.
Swann said that the party is strong and it’s been clear for some time that Taylor was unhappy.
“While I thoroughly reject his characterization of my leadership and the potential of the Alberta Liberals, I respect his right to make his opinion known,” Swann said.
Taylor’s resignation and criticism of Swann appear to be negatives for the Alberta Liberals but they are also an opportunity for the party to reassess its leadership and message, said political scientist Chaldeans Mensah. The party has ceded the limelight to the Wildrose Alliance and failed to boost its support in a political climate that provides an obvious opportunity.
“I think [Taylor] actually did hit home the importance of the party to really convey the message that it’s interested in moving beyond its traditional support base,” Mensah said.
