While media reports have petered out over beleaguered Sea to Sky MP Blair Wilson since his announced resignation from the Liberal party Oct. 29, the public hasn't been so demure.
Wilson has made no public comments regarding allegations of campaign misspending since announcing he would resign from the Liberal caucus. And Guilio Villas, the campaign manager who came in partway into the election race and raised eyebrows among Wilson aids, has quietly removed himself from his subsequent position as the MP's Chief of Staff.
But blogs and letters to editors all over the riding quite loudly show many voters have reacted with disdain to Wilson since the allegation came to light - some going so far as to demand he step down as MP.
"I think it is to Wilson's credit that he resigned from the appointment and from the Liberal caucus," stated Donald Mosta of Powell River in a letter to The Chief. "However, he has done a huge disservice to the people of this riding who voted him into office under a veil of deceit. I believe he should also resign his seat as an MP."
"Wilson's resignation from caucus was perhaps not as gracious as it was first seen," wrote Lauri Pearce of Sechelt. "His resignation had to happen, in view of the catastrophic circumstances in which he now finds himself. I would however concede 'graciousness' to him if he were to voluntarily resign his seat in Parliamentat once. I do not want this person sitting even as an independent MP."
Although Wilson continues to make appearances in his riding - he briefly turned up in Squamish during Remembrance Day ceremonies - as well as in the House of Commons, he's kept a low profile since a citizen's challenge was brought to Elections Canada regarding his list of campaign expenses.
Calls to his constituency office in West Vancouver were answered informally with a simple "hello" by the now part-time secretary, who said Wilson was unavailable and directed calls to his Ottawa office.The secretary at Wilson's Ottawa office said the MP could not be reached since he was traveling. But she did confirm that Guilio Villas - Wilson's campaign manager and subsequent Chief of Staff - is no longer linked to Wilson's office.
In earlier reports on comments from Wilson campaign aids, "things went strange" when Villas came onboard. Joanne Polman Tuin was Wilson's campaign manager in Powell River.
"Things went strange during the campaign," she said. "Guilio Villas came onboard and it seemed to me he was running the show. Somehow he was totally attached to Blair; they were attached at the hip."
Wilson brought in a new team, headed by Villas, to run the campaign in 2006.Working on the campaign became "not fun anymore," Polman Tuin added. "We were happy that we won the seat for the Liberals, but it didn't feel right."
Wilson is alleged to have run part of his 2006 election campaign with cash payments and no supporting receipts, and a citizen's challenge was sent to Elections Canada Commissioner William Corbett to investigate Wilson's campaign expenditures. Elections Canada does not comment on, nor does it acknowledge on-going investigations. And spokesperson John Enright said there is no timeline for investigations. Enright did say, however, that Election Canada penalties range from $1,000 to $5,000 fine, to prison sentences of one to five years. And some offences are serious enough to prevent an individual from sitting in the House of Commons.
