EXCLUSIVE: And the Liberals' new exec director is...
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ABOVE THE FOLD
Lots of action on the Science Centre and LCBO fronts — but before we dig in: the Grits have picked their new executive director, and it’s a familiar face.
SCOOP — TRUE GRIT — SIMON TUNSTALL will take up the mantle from MANDY MOORE, who, as I first reported earlier this week, has stepped down after two years in the gig — and at a crucial time for the party as it ramps up for a (possibly early) election and a candidate nomination blitz.
Tunstall to the rescue: Regular readers will recall Tunstall as the party’s longtime chief returning officer for leadership contests. It’s also not his first rodeo as exec director. While some insiders worried Moore’s departure would leave the party in a lurch during candidate crunch time, Tunstall is seen as a steady hand — and the Grits are letting out a sigh of relief.
He’s “battle tested and calm in a storm, who the party has turned to in the past to do big things on tight deadlines,” texted one senior Liberal.
Tunstall officially took the helm Thursday and is plunging right into the thick of it: The Grits have major ground to make up when it comes to nominating a full 124-candidate ticket for the next election, which could happen as soon as next spring. They’ve also got an annual general meeting in London in September where Leader BONNIE CROMBIE will rally the troops and begin to hammer out platform policy.
Candidates incoming: New Democrats have also kicked off their nominations, but sources told me the PCs won’t get started until the fall — so don’t expect any election call until that months-long process wraps up. And we could see more MPPs jump ship around that time a la PARM GILL, which would be another clue that the PCs are getting their ducks in a row for a snap vote in the spring.