Ontario Liberals Blocking By-election Nomination in Niagara Falls

NIAGARA FALLS, ON, Nov. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Well known Niagara Falls area engineer, classic car club vice-president and alternative energy expert Frank Raso has been advised by Karen Gansel, President of the Ontario Liberal Niagara Falls Riding Association that they will not consider Mr. Raso for the nomination because he doesn't have any political experience.  Raso was told that this is necessary because they claim they can't get him elected without it and that they already have qualified candidates for the nomination.

The Niagara Falls Ontario Provincial Liberal Riding Association established a candidate search committee and Mr. Raso advised the Association President of his intention to run for the nomination last month after speaking to former MPP Kim Craitor. After being told he could not run last Friday Raso immediately advised the riding president he did not accept the decision and appealed to Ontario Liberal Party leader and Premier Kathleen Wynne to intervene. The nomination became open after the surprise resignation of former Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitor on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013.

The St. Catharines Standard reported a tour of the riding by Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and prospective candidate Niagara Falls Councillor Wayne Gates on October 18, 2013, and that the Ontario Progressive Conservative party had already nominated Niagara Regional Councillor Bart Maves.

Mr. Raso grew up in Welland, and is a member of the Welland Hungarian Self Culture Society. After graduating from the University of Ottawa in 1987, he worked in Niagara Falls with WP London & Associates. Married in 1993, he moved to Stevensville and subsequently built a house on a 24 acre parcel of vacant farmland along the Niagara Parkway where he and his family have lived since 2000. They are currently in the process of restoring the property to a Carolinian forest and are planting 239 trees this month with the help of the Niagara Restoration Council. Since 1980 Frank has been a member of the  Antique & Classic Car Club of Canada (Rainbow Region) and President from 2008 to 2013, and a member of Rods & Relics of Fort Erie and Chairman of their Niagara Car Show since 2008. Frank operates an alternative energy business, Raso Enterprises (http://www.rasoenterprises.com), and is also the Chief Scientist at Mississauga Ontario based Hydrofuel Inc. (http://nh3fuel.com)

SOURCE: Frank Raso

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