Last updated: February 23, 2011 12:57 pm
Olivia Nightingale — The Cord (Wilfrid Laurier University)
WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — As an individual with an extensive background in the field of political science, the decision to run for provincial government was not as obvious for Rob Leone as one might assume.
“If you had asked me six months ago if I would be running for provincial government, I would have said no,” the Wilfrid Laurier University professor explained.
Yet on April 16, Leone is hoping to win the vote that would secure his nomination as the Conservative party representative for Cambridge, Ont. in the upcoming provincial election.
The decision to campaign for the Conservative nomination in Cambridge, where he has lived his entire life, was one that Leone described as “a progression that took plenty of convincing from others.”
Indeed, he already has quite a bit on his plate. In addition to being an assistant professor in political science at Laurier’s Waterloo campus and in leadership and journalism at the Brantford campus, Leone launched Viewpoint Policy Consultants Inc. in 2005. The firm, he explained, “Specializes in public opinion research and political consulting.”
With a background in public policy, he has also served on several committees, including a recent stint as a member of the City of Kitchener’s Accountability and Transparency committee. In addition to his work on local government committees, Leone is the president of the Cambridge federal Conservative electoral district association.
Working with a wide variety of political actors in all levels of government, Leone said he has learned first-hand about the process of running for political office.
“This experience has been invaluable to running for the nomination,” he said.
Leone will be up against two former Cambridge mayoral candidates. Gerry Martiniuk, who currently represents the riding, is set to retire.
If successful, Leone will have to go on hiatus from his teaching duties at Laurier, at least for the fall semester. After that he hopes to be able to return in some capacity. For Leone, this sacrifice will be the greatest of his burgeoning political career, as he noted, “Teaching is my main passion.”
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