'We have a way to go'

Kevin O'Brien proved to be a trendsetter Tuesday night. Within 20 minutes of the polls closing in last week's provincial election, the Progressive Conservative candidate for Gander became the first MHA confirmed as re-elected across the province.

That was a trend that would continue throughout the night as one-by-one Conservative candidates recaptured their seats, while a few new candidates nabbed seats from the Liberals.

The end result was an even stronger Danny Williams-led government with 43 seats backed by an electorate that reduced an already decimated Liberal party to three seats, just one more than the number held by the NDP for most of the past four years.

When he finally arrived at the suites booked at Hotel Gander, Mr. O'Brien went through all the normal celebratory motions, thanking supporters for their help, who, in turn, hugged, congratulated and shook the hand of the man who will represent the Gander district for the next four years.

The celebrations were mostly for show, however, as there was little doubt in the minds of the dozens of people who filled the room who would form the next government and who would win the district.

At 8:21 p.m., one minute after television reporters declared Mr. O'Brien the night's first victor, the television station projected a PC majority government. The announcement was met with laughter from a few confident supporters who made tongue-in-cheek remarks about how such a prediction could be made so early.

Mr. O'Brien won the district handily, receiving more than three times the vote total of Liberal challenger Stephanie Winsor. The victory came to no surprise to the supporters who turned out to celebrate the victory and expressed their confident in their re-elected MHA.

"I think for the next four years Kevin is going to do a lot for the district," said supporter Patsy Vey.

"There is a lot of things in Gander that need to be taken care of right now, especially with the airport ... and also with the hospital and with a lot of our public health workers.

"I'm sure Kevin is the man to take care of that, right now. That's what we want him to do, and that's why we elected him. We want him to take care of these issues, and he has a lot of power behind him with a majority government."

Next four years

Finally at the podium, Mr. O'Brien thanked his supporters for their dedication over the previous three weeks, reflected on his first four years as MHA and expressed his confidence in the next four years.

"I will work as hard as I have worked for the last four years. As a matter of fact, I probably will try to work even harder because we have come a long way, but we have a way to go and we have a lot to accomplish," said Mr. O'Brien.

The former pharmacist said he took pride in his accessibility since being elected in 2003, and urged constituents to continue contact him when issues rise.

"We'll be totally accessible. Our phones are open, my door is open, and we work together."

He also touched on Premier Williams' quest to bring the province into its "rightful place in the federation of Canada" and achieving the most with the province's natural resources.

"The next four years allows us to capitalize on those investments and then move forward and grow the economy and make this place a better place to live, work and play," he said.

Following his victory speech, Mr. O'Brien told The Beacon residents in the district should expect more of the same from their MHA over the next four years

"We've seen a lot of accomplishments over the last four years," he said. "All you have to do is look at the list. We've accomplished a lot in regards to infrastructure, roads, lights over by (the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Cooper Boulevard), the James Paton Memorial Hospital, water treatment plant, and sewer treatment plant."

Positive in defeat

Despite the Conservative wave rolling across the province, Ms. Winsor was quite satisfied with what she saw in her first foray into provincial politics.

"I only had 14 days to campaign, to meet the voters and hear their concerns," said Ms. Winsor, a rookie candidate in the provincial election process, whose only other political experience was running in Gander's 2005 municipal election.

"And to come up with the support I received, I think it was a very successful first attempt."

With 1,193 votes compared to Mr. O'Brien's 3,599, Ms. Winsor was one of a handful of Liberal contenders to stir the PC waters that swept the province. In an election that saw PC candidates dominate the ballot box, Ms. Winsor was able to garner nearly 25 per cent of the votes in the Gander district.

"There weren't many (Liberal candidates) that were able to accomplish this, and this shows that I have established a base of supporters for the next time," she said, strongly indicating she will be looking to represent the district the next time voters step up to the provincial election ballot boxes.

"It was a very rewarding experience, and I do not regret it one bit at all. I think I would have regretted it if I didn't run. Hopefully, in the future I can serve the people of this district in a larger role."

With such a strong majority government, Ms. Winsor said it's now time for the Conservatives to step forward and fulfill the mandate they put forth in their campaign.

"The people have spoken and given the (Williams') government an opportunity. Now, it's government's time to follow through."