On withdrawal

Needless to say, Ryan Meili's withdrawal from the Saskatoon Sutherland nomination race makes for a disappointment for many within the Saskatchewan NDP - not to mention a shock coming less than a week away from the riding's nomination meeting. But let's take a closer look at what his departure figures to mean both for Meili and the party.

From Meili's perspective, the nomination race looks to have gone wrong in nearly every way that last year's leadership race went right. Instead of starting out as a virtual unknown who was able to make a positive impression without facing a lot of opponents' potshots, Meili began the nomination race as the front-runner - and the obvious target for the other candidates (with going especially negative for a nomination campaign).

What's more, instead of being able to count on broad appeal to boost his candidacy, Meili ran into the realities of local politics where a highly focused effort on a single cultural community by a well-connected candidate can swamp the membership numbers in the balance of a riding. And indeed, the race may raise some reason for wider discussion as to whether the NDP should work on eliminating any perceived barriers to membership in order to facilitate broader decision-making at the riding level.

But while Anwar's impressive membership sales raised questions about whether Meili would be likely to win, they hardly figures to explain his dropping out of the race without even testing whether Anwar's supporters would turn out.

Instead, I have to wonder whether the biggest issue for Meili was his own response to the challenges - including the recent jawing between his camp and Cam Broten (wherever it may have originated). During a sometimes-acrimonious leadership race, Meili did a remarkable job of staying above the fray. But he apparently wasn't quite so successful in the nomination race, and that might explain why he wouldn't want to keep going from a personal standpoint even if there was still a substantial chance of winning the nomination.

If there's any good news, it's an important caveat in Meili's announcement - that he "(intends) to continue to work for a better world, but not by seeking public office". And while many of us hoped to see what he could do as an MLA, there's plenty of reason for optimism that a leader who managed to inspire many an NDP member can still have a substantial impact in venues other than the Legislature.

So what does Meili's departure mean for the party as a whole? By all accounts, Anwar had already managed to achieve front-runner status in the nomination race - so barring a weak turnout among his newly-recruited supporters, it might not affect the immediate chances of taking Saskatoon Sutherland.

Instead, the more obvious potential impact is the prospect that some of Meili's enthusiastic leadership supporters might become similarly disillusioned by the electoral process. And the party would be well served to make sure that both Meili and his grassroots movement are seen to have a voice as it develops its slate of candidates and policies for 2011.

Updates and Events

A few scheduling notes to help Saskatchewan political junkies to plan the rest of their month...

- One NDP nomination race has come and gone sooner than expected, as Serge Leclerc's resignation resulted in an early nomination meeting in Saskatoon Northwest. Congrats to acclaimed candidate Jan Dyky, who will face off against the Sask Party's Gord Wyant in a riding which had seen nothing but nail-biters until the 2007 election.

- Also on the nomination front, I've previously noted the NDP's October 2 nomination meeting for Saskatoon Sutherland. But an equally important date is looming much closer, as the deadline for membership sales is September 18.

- As LRT notes, the events surrounding the NDP's Regina caucus meeting include a fund-raiser tomorrow night for UFCW 1400 members. So for those looking to have a good time for a good cause, now's your chance.

- Finally, the Saskatchewan NDP's policy review process looks to be kicking into high gear, with upcoming meetings scheduled for Regina on September 20 and Saskatoon on September 28.

Upcoming Saskatchewan NDP Nomination Dates - The Battlefords, Saskatoon Sutherland

For those who didn't get enough nomination drama in June or are already looking for their next fix, the Saskatchewan NDP has posted a couple of nomination dates for September and October:

- On September 16, the NDP will hold its nomination meeting for The Battlefords riding held by Len Taylor.

- And October 2 will be the date of the Saskatoon Sutherland nomination meeting, featuring a hotly contested race among Ryan Meili, Naveed Anwar, Rob Dobrohoczki and Scott Stelmaschuk.

Neither of the event listings yet includes locations or times - but I'll post those once they're available.

Meanwhile, for those looking for a dose of politics in the meantime, Michael Medby's Northwest Rebellion is worth a listen.

And it's official

One of the worst-kept secrets in Saskatchewan politics was confirmed today as Ryan Meili announced his intention to seek the NDP's nomination in Saskatoon Sutherland. And I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing Ryan back in the political ring after his impressive leadership run last year.

But to make matters more interesting, the Star Phoenix notes that there are two more candidates in the mix as well beyond Meili and Scott Stelmaschuk:

Tax consultant Naveed Anwar and Saskatoon lawyer Rob Dobrohoczki, who works at the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, also will seek the Saskatoon-Sutherland nomination.

Needless to say, there shouldn't be any lack of activity in the riding with such a strong field of candidates pursuing the NDP's nomination - meaning that whoever emerges victorious should have a solid base to build from in the general election.