FCAD alumni cross the floor into politics

Faculty of Communication and Design alumni might have dreamed about covering politics, but now three alumni are on the other side of the scrum. These alumni have run for office.

Chris Turner, a Ryerson School of Journalism class of 1998 grad, ran for the Green party in the 2012 Calgary Centre byelection (external link) . 

Turner went with his wife to a Calgary Stampede breakfast then-Green party leader Elizabeth May was hosting. They started talking about the Calgary Centre byelection. 

“Some people from the mayor’s campaign, my wife, and Elizabeth got to talking about wouldn’t I be the most prominent person they could think of who could fit the bill,” said Turner. “And so it kind of got put on me.” 

He has written for numerous news outlets and has published a few non-fiction books. Turner had been involved with civic issues in Calgary, including some participation in Mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi’s first campaign. 

The seat in Calgary Centre opened up after Conservative party MP Lee Richardson resigned (external link)  to become principal secretary to then-Alberta premier Alison Redford. 

Turner said the Greens had done well in Calgary Centre because if people could not bring themselves to vote for the Conservatives and hated the Liberals, they would choose the Greens. 

He had an easy campaign for a first-time candidate. The election he was competing in was not during a typical cycle, which meant the Greens’ resources could be more focused on his riding. He had people involved with Nenshi’s campaign working with him, so he was surrounded by those with experience. 

Turner said while many people might think because he was running as a Green in Calgary, he would be chased with sticks and torches, but that did not happen. People were respectful when he knocked on their doors. 

RSJ prepared him for this campaign by allowing him to understand what media interviews would be like. He had the media training he needed. 

Turner received 25.65 per cent of the vote, coming in third place. Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt won, and Liberal candidate Harvey Locke came in second place. But the Greens gained 15.74 per cent support from their previous result in Calgary Centre in the 2011 federal election. 

“There are Liberals in this town who to this day mentally spit when they hear my name, because they feel I denied the Liberals a seat,” said Turner. 

Marci Ien, a Radio and Television Arts class of 1991 grad, is running for the Liberal party in the 2020 Toronto Centre byelection (external link)  to be held on Oct. 26. 

Ien said she is running because she wants to address community-based issues. 

“I realized that in order to make real change, I had to stop talking about it and I decided to take immediate action when the opportunity to run for public office presented itself,” said Ien. “Being born in St. James Town, I understand many of the issues and concerns that surround Toronto Centre and I want to give back to the community that gave so much to my family and I.”    

She said running for office has been an exciting, unique journey. Ien said it has been an honour for her to speak and hear from people in Toronto Centre and understand how they can work together to create change in the community. 

The CTV anchor and reporter said the skills she learned at FCAD taught her how to have her voice heard in the most effective way. Despite being limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, FCAD taught her creative ways to communicate a message in all of its forms. 

Ien said her time at Ryerson has been beneficial when it comes to running for office. 

“Democracy succeeds in Canada when it’s diverse and inclusive at all levels of government,” she said. “Being an FCAD alumni, I believe my unique set of skills and background will be an asset in the decision-making process in Ottawa.”  

Tracy Culligan, an RSJ JRAD class of 1995 grad, has been serving as village councillor for Belledune, N.B., from 2012 to the present. 

Culligan said she ran for councillor because she enjoys taking on new challenges. 

“My mom had been one of the first female councillors in the 80s, and it felt right to be following in her footsteps,” said Culligan. “I’ve always been one to volunteer in my community, so stepping up this way gave me an official voice to help make changes and better my village.” 

She was first elected in the 2012 New Brunswick municipal elections for a four-year term, and she was acclaimed for another term in 2016. There was a municipal election scheduled for May 2020, but COVID-19 has delayed it until May 2021. 

She is serving a third non-consecutive year as deputy mayor. 

She said the RSJ assisted her with her political career by teaching her to be skilled in research and objectivity, which enabled her to learn as much as possible about an issue before making an unbiased decision. 

Culligan said running for office is scary, exciting, frantic, and gratifying. She had many people supportive of her runs for office, especially her husband and children.  

She said campaigning is a busy time, so having her family on board is helpful. Campaigning for her involves going door to door, attending meetings, talking and listening with voters, finding out what the issues are, doing research, and engaging in public relations. 

The accomplishments she is most proud of are having the Pride flag flown in her community for the first time in history and obtaining gender neutral washrooms for their municipal building. 

Culligan said RSJ graduates should run for office because they have distinct skills to offer to the world of politics. 

“They have the critical thinking and way of observing the world around them that lends itself well to the world of politics,” she said. “It’s like doing all the research for an article or story, but instead of actually writing that story, you put all that information into making policies and decisions, which you hope will advance the interests of your community and residents.”