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BYELECTION12: Dennis Marsden - B.C. Liberal

It might have been as easy as scoring on an empty net when Dennis Marsden launched his bid for the job of MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam.

It might have been as easy as scoring on an empty net when Dennis Marsden launched his bid for the job of MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam.

The articulate former athlete and hockey ref with business cred as a Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce president should have cut through the on-ice traffic like Ryan Kesler en route to a win in a riding long held by the BC Liberals.

But in politics, as in sport, things don't always go as planned.

Instead, Marsden and the BC Liberals are battling it out in the corners and taking some sharp body blows from the BC Conservatives while the NDP's offensive game, although more subdued, is just as formidable with the scrappy Joe Trasolini in the playmaker position.

Does Marsden think he's an underdog?

No.

"From a name-recognition perspective, I have an opponent who has a little more name recognition," Marsden said of Trasolini, the former Port Moody mayor. But he said he's confident of keeping the riding formerly represented by Iain Black - and, previously, Christy Clark - firmly in the Liberal camp.

Marsden, who lives in the riding with his wife and two children, said his years working in banking have given him an understanding of people's concerns and he believes the BC Liberals are the best party to represent voters who are struggling with increased costs, high debt loads and an uncertain global economy.

"We have a blueprint for what direction we're going to go," he said. "We are the only party that is coming out and saying, 'Here's what it is and this is how to pay for it.'" He referred to the provincial budget, which aims to post a $154-million surplus next year by keeping spending increases to 2% and selling off $706 million in assets. But in that same budget, this year, B.C. is in a deficit position - short $968 million, which has raised derision in some quarters, most notably the BC Conservatives.

But Marsden said under Premier Clark, the governing BC Liberals are getting the economy on track and the Jobs Plan will be a key driver. Admitting it's hard for people to see how roads and infrastructure development in B.C.'s north and the marine and port industries will help the local economy, Marsden said there will be spin-offs for local suppliers and high tech businesses that will result in more jobs here.

When it comes to education - always a hot topic in the Tri-Cities - Marsden said he believes that it's possible to get past the current labour dispute and the province's Learning Improvement Fund, which was boosted by $30 million in strike savings, is the way to do it.

Larger classes aren't as great an issue as class composition, he said, adding he believes more support in the classroom will go along way to resolving teachers' concerns.

He said he also respects teachers who choose not to volunteer for extra curricular activities because of concerns about Bill 22, saying volunteering is a personal and private decision, but he would hope they wouldn't withdraw from their coaching and other volunteer duties until the end of the year. "That way, you are not leaving the children in an untenable position."

As for the future of TransLink and funding for roads and transit in B.C., Marsden wouldn't specify whether tolls, fare hikes, property taxes or other fees are the best way to pay for infrastructure and he seems satisfied with the current structure of the transportation authority.

But he said he believes that TransLink should be audited before taxpayers and commuters are asked to shell out any more cash. "It's looking at our internal house and saying, 'Are we getting the best bang for our buck before we get a couple more bucks?'"

Asked what topics voters talk to him about when he's campaigning, Marsden said he has heard issues ranging from concerns about jobs and the economy to sputtering streetlights. He promises to not only keep an open door if he's an MLA, but to get out of the office to speak to his constituents, a policy he said he's maintained as a Westminster Savings Credit Union manager.

"It's about identifying where the challenges are and helping to create a solution," he said about the job of MLA.

Meanwhile, Marsden isn't diverting much from Clark's playbook but it remains to be seen whether he can capitalize on his home ice advantage to post a win for the governing party in the April 19 byelection.

For more information go to www.dennismarsden.ca.