Emotional night for incumbent

By Nadine Armstrong There was no attempt to disguise the tears; it was an emotional night for incumbent Chuck Porter June 9.

Supporters of all ages were on hand at Tommy Gun's Speakeasy anxiously awaiting results from the provincial election. Porter held a steady if marginal lead against contender Paula Lunn until a 309 span identified Porter as MLA for Hants West. “This community is number one, never forget that,” he said, before picking up the guitar and accepting his win with a country tune.

But even after a grueling 35-day campaign and celebratory win, Porter was back on the streets of Windsor ready to face the challenge of a PC riding under NDP governance.

One of his first stops was The Hants Journal office, where he sat down with this reporter to give the scoop on how it will all play out, post-election. His primary objective is to continue to serve the people of West Hants as he has for the past three years. “I'm just back to work as usual,” he said. “I can't tell you what a great honour it is to represent the people of Hants West and I will continue to work hard for this community on all levels.”

However, with his party taking a nosedive in an historic election, Porter said it will be interesting to see just where West Hants fits in the big picture. “It's going to be a real test to the NDP government to see if they will support their own ridings, or all Nova Scotians,” he said.

Either way, he says he will fight just as hard to provide the support this area is owed.

To-do list “What people need to understand is that I had to fight for every dollar we brought to this area. It may have looked easy, but it wasn't. You have to make your case no matter who is in power and I will do the same and work just as hard with any majority government.”

Porter still has a concise list of “to-do” projects for West Hants he says will not be abandoned. “We still have the same needs as we did last week and I am still here to ensure the people of Hants West get what they deserve.”

One of the greatest challenges he faced during the campaign was to see public support for his party and leader founder by the day. “It was a tough go keeping up campaign momentum, but we knew we had to keep going for the people of Hants West.” In that respect, he said constituents were torn. “What I heard on a lot of doorsteps were people saying they wanted to vote for me, but not the PC party.”

In the end, Porter won out. “I was really amazed by the level of support shown for me in Hants West during this election. We've had people in the street come up to me and offer to help.”

When the final tally was announced election night, a confident Porter surrounded by family, friends and supporters broke into tears of relief. His opening words were to his hard-working team. “It was a hard-fought battle, but you guys have been there every step of the way. We could not have done this without your hard work.”

Family first

And it was family first when the electorate acknowledged him in Hants West. A tackle-hug by his four young daughters reminded constituents this was a win for all families in West Hants. “Bottom line, this election was all about the right choice for families in this riding; yours and mine. We are all in this together. “My children have been there for me every step of the way and have given up a lot of one-on-one time with Dad, but they've been my biggest supporters and I'm very proud of them. This is what it's all about; family comes first.”