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Premier should reconsider Chief Electoral Officer appointment May 4, 2007 Opposition Leader Gerry Reid says Premier Williams should take the weekend to reconsider the appointment of Paul Reynolds as Chief Electoral Officer and Commissioner of Members interests given the appointee’s recent political activities. "I have some real concerns given the information that has come forward indicating that Mr. Reynolds had been actively involved in the PC Party up until a few days ago," said Mr. Reid. "Traditionally, this position has been filled by a senior civil servant who is independent and impartial. I stated publicly several times that the person appointed to this position should be an individual who has no direct or immediate involvement in political parties or political activity." The appointment of Paul Reynolds, which has to be approved by the House of Assembly, was delayed on Thursday as the Official Opposition put forward an amendment requiring Mr. Reynolds to meet the requirements equivalent to the appointment of a Deputy Returning Office (DRO) under section 21 of the Elections Act. "I believe it is reasonable for the Chief Electoral Officer to meet the same standards as other election officials outlined in the Elections Act. Under section 21 of the Act, an individual who has been involved with a political party or candidate within the past 60 days cannot be appointed as a DRO, special ballot officer, special ballot administrator or poll clerk." Reid says that if the premier refuses to reconsider his decision to appoint Reynolds, the Opposition may consider bringing forth other amendments to demonstrate that the approach taken by government is unreasonable and damages confidence in the democratic process. Mr. Reynolds is a former President of the PC party and has held high level positions within PC Party campaigns at both the federal and provincial level. It was also revealed in media reports that Mr. Reynolds was an active member of an executive of a PC party district association and only resigned the position after the public announcement about his appointment was made by Premier Williams.
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