When Airdrie alderman Kelly Hegg won the PC nomination for the new Airdrie riding Jan. 28, we asked current MLA for Airdrie/Chestermere, Rob Anderson for his thoughts on the outcome and his new challenger for the position when the next election is called. Anderson says he's ready.

Anderson says he hopes the campaign is built on ideas and not fear mongering and extortion. He says an MLA should be loyal to the residents of a riding, not to a political party. Feedback he's received from knocking on "two or three thousand doors over the last two or three months" has left no doubt in Anderson's mind that residents, "by and large, are ready for a change and they're looking at the Wild Rose".

Anderson's "crossing the floor" to the Wild Rose Party from the PC's in 2010 was bound to come up at last week's PC candidates debate. All 3 prospects hoping to represent Airdrie in the next election denounced Anderson's party switch, saying they'd be loyal to the Conservatives. Anderson says that's part of the problem: getting stuck in the old way of politics in being more loyal to the PC Party than to the citizens of Airdrie.

Anderson says he's not taking anything for granted leading up to the next election. He'll host as many town hall meetings and talk to as many people as he can to convey his message that it's time for change. "The PC' s after 41 years have become old, tired and corrupt. They need to be replaced. We need to fix our health care system; we need to de-politicize education in this province; we need to balance our budget and we need to return to the democratic principles that made this province the strongest in Canada".