Rich Coleman says he乌鸦传媒檒l miss the people the most.

After 24 years in politics, the Langley MLA is retiring, timing his announcement for Saturday to coincide with the anniversary of his first nomination on Feb. 29, 1996. He was elected for the first time on May 28, 1996.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 time to hang up the skates,乌鸦传媒� Coleman said.

Coleman explained he was making the announcement now out of consideration for his party colleagues, who need to be ready for the next provincial election.

It wasn乌鸦传媒檛 an easy decision.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 gut-wrenching, actually,乌鸦传媒� Coleman told the Langley Advance Times during an interview in his office at the Langley Events Centre (LEC) shortly before making it public.

He started seriously considering retirement after a friend told him he was 乌鸦传媒渁t the very edge of having stayed too long,乌鸦传媒� then made his decision after talking it over with his wife, Michele.

On the day of the interview, he was using a large desk in his LEC office meeting room to fill out birthday cards for constituents, cards that were hand-made by Michele and her scrapbooking group.

乌鸦传媒淎 lot of these go out to some cool people,乌鸦传媒� he commented.

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He乌鸦传媒檚 enjoyed his time in politics, especially the opportunity to go places and meet people.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e been in probably every dam in British Columbia, most mines 乌鸦传媒� underground and above ground 乌鸦传媒� [and] through mills and pulp mills.乌鸦传媒�

His personal highlights list includes four years as provincial Solicitor-General 乌鸦传媒� where Coleman, a former RCMP officer, oversaw a communications overhaul that allowed different police forces and RCMP detachments in B.C. to directly share information.

He also cited his part in negotiating a settlement to the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. that he felt gave the B.C. forest industry nine years of peace and stability.

In addition, he recounted his tour of duty as minister in charge of housing, travelling abroad to educate the world about B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 considerable reserves of natural gas, getting the Pacific Autism Centre in Richmond built, and the opportunity to talk with actor Martin Sheen at an event where Sheen spoke out about the personal impact of addiction.

People make the job rewarding

It is the people part of politics Coleman likes the best, calling it 乌鸦传媒渙ne of the most rewarding parts of the job.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e got such great stories and friends that I乌鸦传媒檝e made, just in this community,乌鸦传媒� Coleman recounted.

乌鸦传媒淓ven those who don乌鸦传媒檛 like, or who are opposed to you, they usually treat you with respect and you can have a decent conversation with them.乌鸦传媒�

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Being an opposition party politician has been quite different from being part of the government of the day makes the decisions, Coleman related.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 almost like you come to a skidding stop,乌鸦传媒� is how he described the switch from government to opposition benches following the defeat of the BC Liberals 乌鸦传媒� led by Christy Clark 乌鸦传媒� and his temporary stint as acting party leader.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 not the 70 hours a week [you put in] when you乌鸦传媒檙e a cabinet minister. From morning to night, you乌鸦传媒檙e on the go.乌鸦传媒�

He has learned how to use Facebook and Twitter and email blasts to get his message across, but he isn乌鸦传媒檛 convinced social media can truly substitute for sitting down and actually talking to people, face-to-face.

乌鸦传媒淵ou lose that connection with people [when] it乌鸦传媒檚 all done electronically,乌鸦传媒� Coleman believes.

He may be leaving politics, but he isn乌鸦传媒檛 giving up public life, he stressed.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not done. I乌鸦传媒檝e got some ideas for some other adventures,乌鸦传媒� Coleman declared, without going into detail.

乌鸦传媒淎s far as I乌鸦传媒檓 concerned, I have one more career left in me.乌鸦传媒�

His health is good.

At 66, Coleman is 85 pounds lighter than he was in 2013, a fact that has allowed him to better manage his Type 2 diabetes.

He got his weight down by drinking lots of water and walking.

His intention is to keep working as MLA until the next election, one he thinks the Liberals have a shot at taking.

乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a 50-50 chance that we can win that election,乌鸦传媒� Coleman predicted.

Appreciated the confidence of voters

He would like the people who voted for him to know that he is grateful.

乌鸦传媒淭hey gave me a real privilege,乌鸦传媒� Coleman said.

乌鸦传媒淭hey gave me the most enriching opportunity anybody could ask for. I hope when they look back on me, that they乌鸦传媒檒l look at me and say, well, he did what he thought was the best for the community and people he served.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淭here just is no better community,乌鸦传媒� he said of Langley. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just a real caring place.乌鸦传媒�

Preparing for his so-called retirement, he said he is definitely looking forward to having more time for family.

乌鸦传媒淚 have been so lucky,乌鸦传媒� he said of his 45-year marriage, his two children, and seven grandchildren.

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson issued the following statement in response to Rich Coleman乌鸦传媒檚 announcement that he will not seek re-election:

乌鸦传媒淒uring his 24 years in provincial politics and six terms in the Legislative Assembly, Rich was instrumental in the landmark accomplishments of successive BC Liberal governments. Among many achievements as a cabinet minister, he oversaw the delivery of a record number of new housing units for vulnerable British Columbians, stickhandled the softwood lumber file through challenging times, and laid the foundation for an LNG industry that will support British Columbia乌鸦传媒檚 prosperity for generations to come乌鸦传媒� helping to improve the lives of people all over BC.

乌鸦传媒淩ich has also been an articulate and consistent voice for the unity of our free enterprise coalition 乌鸦传媒� always stepping up to support his BC Liberal colleagues through numerous campaigns, including as provincial campaign co-chair. During the last BC Liberal leadership contest, he stepped up to serve in a critical role as Interim Leader of the Official Opposition 乌鸦传媒� keeping our team of MLAs united, focused, and effective.乌鸦传媒淣early a quarter-century in public life requires significant personal sacrifices. In addition to recognizing Rich for his years of service to the people of Fort Langley-Aldergrove, Langley East, and all of British Columbia,we thank his wife Michele, and their children and grandchildren, for generously sharing Rich with our team.乌鸦传媒�

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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