St. John’s Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary is poised for yet another run at provincial politics following a false start last year and a loss in 2014.
O’Leary announced yesterday her plan to seek the NDP nomination in the district of Mount Scio, the seat currently held by Liberal Service NL Minister Sarah Stoodley.
O’Leary had planned to challenge then-NDP leader Lorraine Michael for the nomination in St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi in 2019. But she was blindsided by Michael’s retirement and new leader Alison Coffin’s decision to run in that district.
That led a surprised and disappointed O’Leary to put her provincial aspirations on hold altogether.
O’Leary did run for the NDP in the 2014 Virginia Waters byelection but placed a distant third behind the winner, Liberal Cathy Bennett, and the PC’s Danny Breen, the current mayor of St. John’s.
There is widespread speculation that a provincial election will be called before April, although by law it doesn’t have to happen until August.
