Albertans 'not overly' engaged in UCP leadership race, says would-be candidate Paul Hinman

A would-be candidate in the United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership race has failed to raise the necessary deposit by the deadline of 5 p.m.Tuesday.

Former Alberta Alliance and WildroseMLA Paul Hinmanwas a late entry to the contest, which he says put him at a disadvantage to raise the "exorbitant" entrance fee, which in totaladds up to $95,000.

"We're not going to make it, I won't be heading over there with a cheque,"Hinmantold CBC Tuesday afternoon.

Hinmansaidhis last-minute campaign raised more than half of the required deposit, but the arrival of three grandchildren over the summerfocusedhis priorities on his family, not politics.

"I'm passionate about good government, but you know I certainly enjoy my private life better," Hinmansaid.

As he campaigned, Hinman saidhe discovered Albertanswere"not overly, at this point" engaged in the contest to choose the first leader for the recently amalgamated Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties.

The lack of public engagement is symptomatic of the overall attitude with politics and politicians, he suggested.

"There's just a lot of apathy when it comes to politics in general," Hinman said.

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Hinman won two elections as an MLA,in the ridings of Cardston-Taber-Warnerand Calgary-Glenmore, for the defunct Alberta Allianceand the Wildrose parties. He is a former leader of the Wildrose party.

Hinmansaid he is alarmed but not surprised by what he hears on the doorstep.

"Most people, when I talk to them if you ask them the question, 'You think it makes any difference who you elect?', the answer is usually 'No,' " he said.

Hinmansaid he believes the level of interest would increase if voters had power to "fire" their elected officials, alluding to the mechanism whereby constituents could seek togather enough names on a petition to have their MLA recalled from office.

"We need to engage and be accountable to the public," he added.

The campaign deposit needed by Tuesday amounted tohalf of the total $75,000 entrance fee, plus a $20,000 refundable compliance fee for following leadership-race rules set out by the party. Hinman says he raised about half the required amount.

'Fire'politicians

But Hinman said being in the race, albeit for a short time, allowed him to raise issues, such as MLA recall which he feels hasbeen overlooked or ignored.

"We need to be able to fire our politicians in between elections, and I don't know that it's a high enough priority with the other leadership candidates," he said.

The other late entry into the leadership campaign, former Wildrose president Jeff Callaway, was initially concerned about the expensive entry fee, but his campaign says it is pleasantly surprised by the reception the candidate is getting.

"Jeff, having been party president for several years, was able to develop an expansive network of individuals who support out-of-the-box ideas," campaign co chair Cameron Davies said.

The other three candidates in the leadership campaign Jason Kenney, Brian Jeanand Doug Schweitzer all say they have paid the entry fee.

TheJean campaign issued a statement Tuesdaysuggesting that,because of the strong support from members, they have already paid the "full $95,000 entrance fee" for the leadership campaign. The statement saidJeanwas the first to declareintentions to enter the race in July, and the first to gain access to the official party membership list a few weeks ago.

In a statement, Blaise Boehmer, a campaign spokeman for Jason Kenney,said thatteam is "quite engaged," with 4,000 registered volunteers across Alberta.

Party members will vote for the new leaderover three days starting Oct. 26. The winner will be announced Oct. 28 in Calgary.