Lorna Jean Edmonds worked in and around politics all of her career, but it was her first foray into provincial politics when she ran for the Liberal Party.
And it was a a short campaign, to boot, in Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes and across Ontario, after Doug Ford called a snap election back in January.
“The riding has a lot of issues. So I really wanted to create the conversation about the issues and I wanted people to get out to vote.
“And we succeeded at both and we moved the needle.”
Conservative Steve Clark won re-election by 12,715 votes. Edmonds took pride in receiving 27 per cent of the vote in her riding, up from 18 per cent two years ago.
Edmonds said “no one knew me at all” when she started campaigning.
Edmonds, who goes by LJ, said she has worked in relationship management her whole life including stints in healthcare administration and as a university executive.
Edmonds said she looks forward to seeing what Clark can deliver in the riding. Healthcare in the riding, she noted, and across the province, is in a “terrible state”, not enough people have a family doctor and emergency rooms are a mess.
Clark has held the Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes riding since 2010.
In other results last week, Chris Wilson of the NDP picked up 9.8 per cent of the vote and Green Party candidate Fiona Jager, 4.6 per cent.
The Conservatives took 80 seats at Queen’s Park, followed by the NDP (27), Liberals (14) and the Green Party (2).
Bobbi Ann Brady was elected as an independent in Haldimand-Norfolk.
