Bob Russell (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
Bob Russell is a politician in Alberta
, a former leader of the Liberal Party of Alberta, and a former municipal councillor in St. Albert, Alberta
.
A realtor by profession, Russell first came to prominence by running for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1966. He was defeated by Calgary
lawyer Adrian Berry, but nevertheless ran in the 1967 provincial election
as a Liberal in the riding of St. Albert
. He finished second of four candidates, 527 votes behind Keith Everitt
of Social Credit
. In 1969 he ran for the party's leadership again, losing this time to another Calgarian, John T. Lowery. The party had no seats in the legislature
at this point, and Lowery responded by exploring coalition options with Social Credit. These explorations were opposed by much of the party's membership, including Russell, and Lowery resigned from the leadership without contesting an election. This time, Russell was successful in becoming Liberal leader.
He led the party in the 1971 election
, in which it was unsuccessful in winning any seats. Russell himself finished third in St. Albert. Two years later, in a Calgary-Foothills by-election resulting from the death of Len Werry
, Russell placed a distant fourth. Following this defeat, he resigned the party leadership in 1974 and was succeeded by Nick Taylor
. After leaving provincial politics, Russell became the President of the Liberal Party of Canada
in Alberta.
During the 1984 federal election
, Russell ran as a Liberal
in the riding of Pembina
. He finished third, as Progressive Conservative
Peter Elzinga
received more than seventy percent of the vote.
In 1986, Russell turned his attention to municipal politics and ran for St. Albert City Council
. He finished ninth of thirteen candidates (the top six were elected), which prompted him to comment that he might be finished with politics. However, he ran again in 1989, and was this time elected. In 1992, he ran against incumbent Anita Ratchinsky for mayor. He was defeated, but returned to city council as an alderman in 1995, and was re-elected in 1998.
During the 2000 federal election
, Russell ran as a Liberal
in the riding of St. Albert. He finished a distant second to incumbent Canadian Alliance
Member of Parliament
John G. Williams
, receiving fewer than half the number of votes that Williams did.
During his second stint on city council, Russell reversed himself on the West Regional Road debate
. While he had previously supported the so-called "west bypass" alignment that would have seen a bridge cross the Sturgeon River
near the mouth of Big Lake, an eleven thousand name petition opposing the alignment apparently convinced him to support the alternative Ray Gibbon Drive
alignment, which crossed the river further from the mouth of the lake and was the recommendation of the CityPlan process, a months long municipal planning initiative initiated by council in part in response to the petition. This incurred the wrath of S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice
, a lobby group that publicly endorsed a set of pro-bypass candidates in the 2001 election; Russell, along with fellow pro-Ray Gibbon incumbents Paul Chalifoux
, Penny Reeves, and Jim Starko, was defeated. He sought unsuccessfully to return to city council in the 2004 municipal election, and has announced that he intends to run again in the 2007 election.
Since leaving municipal politics, Russell has held a number of community and political positions, including president of the Liberal riding association in Edmonton—St. Albert
, Director of the St. Albert Senior Citizens Club, co-chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture of the Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta, and President of the Big Lake Environmental Support Society.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, a former leader of the Liberal Party of Alberta, and a former municipal councillor in St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...
.
A realtor by profession, Russell first came to prominence by running for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1966. He was defeated by Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
lawyer Adrian Berry, but nevertheless ran in the 1967 provincial election
Alberta general election, 1967
The Alberta general election of 1967 was the sixteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 23, 1967 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
as a Liberal in the riding of St. Albert
St. Albert (provincial electoral district)
St. Albert formally styled Saint Albert is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 83 current districts mandate to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta of Alberta, Canada....
. He finished second of four candidates, 527 votes behind Keith Everitt
Keith Everitt
Keith Everitt was a politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and county councillor in Sturgeon County, Alberta.-Biography:Everitt first ran for provincial office in the 1959 election, representing the Social Credit Party of Alberta in the riding of St. Albert. He unseated...
of Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
. In 1969 he ran for the party's leadership again, losing this time to another Calgarian, John T. Lowery. The party had no seats in the legislature
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
at this point, and Lowery responded by exploring coalition options with Social Credit. These explorations were opposed by much of the party's membership, including Russell, and Lowery resigned from the leadership without contesting an election. This time, Russell was successful in becoming Liberal leader.
He led the party in the 1971 election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, in which it was unsuccessful in winning any seats. Russell himself finished third in St. Albert. Two years later, in a Calgary-Foothills by-election resulting from the death of Len Werry
Len Werry
Len F. Werry was a provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1967 to his death in 1973 and a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Alberta of Premier Peter Lougheed from 1971 to 1973.-Political career:Werry ran as a...
, Russell placed a distant fourth. Following this defeat, he resigned the party leadership in 1974 and was succeeded by Nick Taylor
Nicholas Taylor
Nicholas "Nick" William Taylor is a retired geologist, businessman and politician and former Canadian Senator from Alberta, Canada....
. After leaving provincial politics, Russell became the President of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in Alberta.
During the 1984 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, Russell ran as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the riding of Pembina
Pembina (Alberta electoral district)
Pembina was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1988.This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Athabaska, Edmonton West, Jasper—Edson and Vegreville ridings....
. He finished third, as Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Peter Elzinga
Peter Elzinga
Peter Elzinga was the executive director of the Progressive Conservative Party in Alberta, Canada, a former Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons and former cabinet minister in Alberta....
received more than seventy percent of the vote.
In 1986, Russell turned his attention to municipal politics and ran for St. Albert City Council
St. Albert City Council
The St. Albert City Council is the governing body of the City of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. It is composed of a mayor and six councillors, aldermen prior to 2001...
. He finished ninth of thirteen candidates (the top six were elected), which prompted him to comment that he might be finished with politics. However, he ran again in 1989, and was this time elected. In 1992, he ran against incumbent Anita Ratchinsky for mayor. He was defeated, but returned to city council as an alderman in 1995, and was re-elected in 1998.
During the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, Russell ran as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the riding of St. Albert. He finished a distant second to incumbent Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
John G. Williams
John G. Williams
John G. Williams was a Conservative MP representing Edmonton—St. Albert in the Canadian parliament from 1993 to 2008. He was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
, receiving fewer than half the number of votes that Williams did.
During his second stint on city council, Russell reversed himself on the West Regional Road debate
Ray Gibbon Drive
Ray Gibbon Drive, referred to as the West Regional Road during proposal and planning stages, is a developing freeway in west St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. Except for the Edmonton portion, it is only partially constructed as a two-lane road, it will form part of a future realigned Highway 2. Once...
. While he had previously supported the so-called "west bypass" alignment that would have seen a bridge cross the Sturgeon River
Sturgeon River (Alberta)
Sturgeon River is a 260 km long river located in central Alberta, Canada. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. The stream crosses Sturgeon County, which was named for this river....
near the mouth of Big Lake, an eleven thousand name petition opposing the alignment apparently convinced him to support the alternative Ray Gibbon Drive
Ray Gibbon Drive
Ray Gibbon Drive, referred to as the West Regional Road during proposal and planning stages, is a developing freeway in west St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. Except for the Edmonton portion, it is only partially constructed as a two-lane road, it will form part of a future realigned Highway 2. Once...
alignment, which crossed the river further from the mouth of the lake and was the recommendation of the CityPlan process, a months long municipal planning initiative initiated by council in part in response to the petition. This incurred the wrath of S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice
S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice
S.E.N.S.I.B.L.E. Choice was a lobby group in St. Albert, Alberta that ran newspaper advertisements supporting a specific alignment for the West Regional Road and endorsed candidates for election to St. Albert City Council during the 2001 municipal election...
, a lobby group that publicly endorsed a set of pro-bypass candidates in the 2001 election; Russell, along with fellow pro-Ray Gibbon incumbents Paul Chalifoux
Paul Chalifoux
Paul Chalifoux is a politician and the former mayor of St. Albert, Alberta, He has served two terms as mayor, first one having taken place from 1998 to 2001 and the second from 2004 to 2007....
, Penny Reeves, and Jim Starko, was defeated. He sought unsuccessfully to return to city council in the 2004 municipal election, and has announced that he intends to run again in the 2007 election.
Since leaving municipal politics, Russell has held a number of community and political positions, including president of the Liberal riding association in Edmonton—St. Albert
Edmonton—St. Albert
Edmonton—St. Albert is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.-Geography:The riding includes the city of St...
, Director of the St. Albert Senior Citizens Club, co-chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture of the Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta, and President of the Big Lake Environmental Support Society.