As of this week, five candidates have been nominated in the West Vancouver-Garibaldi riding for the May 28 provincial election. Jim Mercier, a chartered accountant, was acclaimed as the B.C. Reform candidate at a nomination meeting last week. A former alderman in Burnaby, Mercier has lived in West Vancouver for the past 20 years. Other candidates include Whistler Mayor Ted Nebbeling, who won the Liberal nomination unopposed 18 months ago, Lions Bay Mayor Brenda Broughton, who was acclaimed as the NDP candidate in March, Peggy Stortz of the Green Party and Mike Becker of Social Credit. West Vancouver-Garibaldi is currently without an MLA as former independent MLA David Mitchell resigned his seat at the end of March to become conflict of interest commissioner. Mitchell later resigned as commissioner when Ted Hughes said he had been forced from the office by Premier Glen Clark.
