Former Windsor MPP considering a run for Liberal party leader
A former Windsor cabinet minister said she's being flooded by calls to run for the leadership of Ontario Liberal Party.
Sandra Pupatello was the MPP for Windsor-West for 16 years and served as Minister of Economic Development and Trade.
She told CBC News the idea of being leader didn't occur to her until McGuinty resigned on Monday night.
"The opportunity was certainly not there, so no one would have been thinking about it," she said.
McGuinty will continue to serve as premier until a new leader is chosen by the party.
Windsor-West MPP Teresa Piruzza said that process might take a while. She told CBC Windsor that it might take until February or March of next year for the party to find a replacement.
The other prominent Liberal in Windsor is current Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.
University of Windsor political science professor Lydia Miljan said if Duncan was interested in eventually becoming leader then McGuinty's timing wasn't helpful.
"It's almost as if Dalton McGuinty's choice and decision to resign the way he has really undercut any aspirations for Dwight Duncan. This isn't the way you promote your minister of finance," Miljan said.
Running for the leadership is a "huge and weighty decision," said Pupatello.
However, she said in a short period of time she's fielded a lot of calls.
"Clearly there are people in my party, and in the public, and in the business community who feel that's something I should do. And they've certainly made that case to me today," said said.
Pupatello said it's hard not to think about running for the job after being contacted so many times, but for now, she's not saying yes or no.
