ADAM OLSEN -- I may have started in politics because someone asked me to put my name on that ballot – now I run for public office because good public policy is important to me
This coming week, I am speaking at a couple of sessions about running for public office. It gets me to thinking about my own path to the British Columbia legislature. I grew up on Tsartlip First Nation . Our family property on Stelly's is right across the street from the municipality of Central Saanich . While I'm a Central Saanich kid, there is an important distinction. I live on the reserve. It's always been my home and we still live there. I went to school in Central Saanich, I played baseball in Central Saanich, but my politics were reserve politics. It's a completely different world living under the Indian Act. Walk before you run In the fall of 2007, both my sister Joni and I were nominated for Tsartlip council elections. Emily was in her third trimester with Silas and he was due on the day of the election. So, my first wise political decision was to withdraw my name from the ballot. I didn't think I should start a family and politica...