Alberta Liberal Edmonton-Meadowlark AGM

Welcoming Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann to Edmonton-Meadowlark.

Over forty people turned out for the Alberta Liberal Edmonton-Meadowlark Constituency Association tonight to hear motivational remarks from Leader David Swann and Edmonton-Meadowlark MLA Raj Sherman. As the executive's secretary - at least for one more night - I was on hand to take the minutes. And while I'm not going to bore my regular readers with something as dry as meeting minutes, I will say that I was thrilled by the turnout, the largest Edmonton-Meadowlark has seen for years, thanks in great part to Raj Sherman's organizational skills and personal charisma. Sometime later this summer we'll hold our nomination meeting, and I'm sure Raj will be elected as the constituency's candidate for the general election to be held (more than likely) in the spring of 2012.

Alberta Liberal Party Executive Director Corey Hogan chaired the meeting; it's traditional for someone outside the constituency to chair AGMs. I dutifully took notes in my own inimitable illegible scrawl.

In his brief remarks, David noted that party supporters have doubled in the last three weeks, thanks in great part to our new registered supporter initiative, which I blogged about last month. Paid memberships alone are up an encouraging 20 percent, and the Alberta Liberal leadership race has barely begun. These are encouraging signs - not just for the ALP, but for democracy in general.

I'm further encouraged by the fact that we acclaimed or elected a brand new slate of executive board members that includes old veterans and fresh young blood. The wider board has also been considerably beefed up; it now includes sixteen at-large members, including Sylvia and me, meaning that of all the people that showed up, about half have decided to take an active role in the constituency's business. Edmonton-Meadowlark hasn't been this energized since before the last election, and I'm pumped by the enthusiasm shown tonight. Now comes the real job: convincing the people of the community that Raj and the Alberta Liberals are the best choice for Edmonton-Meadowlark. Whatever they ultimately choose, I'm gratified to see such an enthusiastic crowd taking part in direct democracy tonight.

EDITED TO ADD:

Here's the new executive: President Ed Butler, Vice-President Nicholas Monfries, Secretary Sharon MacLean, Treasurer Priya Swamy.