All hail King Eddie? How a tight election could mean a big role for estranged Liberal
Purple Eddie Joyce campaign signs crowding the landscape in Humber-Bay of Islands
Estranged Liberal Eddie Joyce says he's not even thinking about it, but the prospect of a tight election race next week between the Liberals and the PCs could thrust him into the spotlight as a possible kingmaker.
Recent public opinion polls suggest the two big parties are within striking distance of each other as the May 16 provincial election looms, which means every vote will count in all 40 districts.
And that could set the stage for a very uncomfortable circumstance between Joyce, a wildly popular politician who's running as an independent after being cast off by his old party, and his former political boss, Liberal Leader Dwight Ball.
Imagine a scenario where the Liberals fall one seat short of a majority government, and Joyce is solidly returned — as many observers believe will happen — as the MHA for Humber-Bay of Islands?
Would Joyce put aside his feud with Ball and help the Liberals return to power for a second term?
After all, Joyce has been proudly waving the Liberal banner since first being elected in 1989, says his party values are as strong as ever, and he's still very tight with some members of the Liberal caucus.
"It's a fracture between me and Dwight Ball," says Joyce.
So what would he do if the Liberals need him again? He won't say.
"The only maker I want to be is for the people of Humber-Bay of Islands," Joyce says during an interview Thursday at his campaign headquarters.
Once close friends
Once close friends, Joyce and Ball had a bitter falling-out last year amid a harassment and bullying scandal in the House of Assembly that crossed party lines and eventually put an end to Joyce's role as a cabinet minister and his position in the Liberal caucus.
Joyce has been cleared of most allegations, though he was found to have violated the MHA code of conduct by lobbying to have a friend awarded a government job.
Joyce strongly denies any wrongdoing, has openly criticized Ball for his handling of the scandal, and hinted Thursday that the whole affair, including his fractured relationship with Placentia-St. Mary's MHA Sherry Gambin-Walsh, is far from over.
He hopes the Liberals win, but won't say if he wants it bad enough to mend fences with Dwight Ball.
"If there's some scenario that comes out later, we'll deal with that as a group, ourselves here. I will get input if that ever happens," Joyce says.
An intriguing subplot
This latest subplot has emerged as Joyce attempts to win yet another term as the MHA for Humber-Bay of Islands, a district that includes part of Corner Brook and a collection of small communities along the north and south shores of the Bay of Islands.
Joyce's most serious opponent is Liberal candidate Brian Dicks, who has been receiving the full support of the party and, in a surprising twist, fish processing mogul Bill Barry.
Barry has come full circle politically, after flirting briefly with a bid for for the PC party leadership in 2014.
He's overtly thrown his influence and resources solidly behind Dicks, with Liberal signage plastered around his sprawling business on Griffin Drive. There's even an RV parked outside the Barry fish plant featuring Brian Dicks and Liberal red lettering.
Barry could not be reached Thursday, but there's a real question about whether his involvement will help turn the tide against Joyce.
"Bill Barry is a voter in the district. He can do what he like," says Joyce.
Purple Eddie Joyce campaign signs have popped up throughout the district like the hairs on a startled cat's back, with most planted firmly in the front yards of private homes, which is a strong signal of support.
Nearly 1,800, at last count, and growing, far outpacing Dicks' signs, and those of PC candidate Michael Holden and NDPer Shawn Hodder.
'Eddie Joyce is not going nowhere'
I spent some time with Joyce outside his campaign office Thursday and the reaction from passersby was eye-opening. Nearly every vehicle either stopped to chat with the candidate, or honked and waved in a show of support.
Joyce has a way of connecting with people. Always smiling and joking. Never making promises or commitments he can't keep. Says his No. 1 rule is honesty.
If he didn't write the book on being a good constituency man, he certainly has the tools to write a bestseller.
He's homegrown, knows everyone by their first names, attends funerals, card games and festivals, coaches youth basketball, and is even known to clear snow from his neighbour's driveway.
And when disaster strikes, like it did last year in Lark Harbour and York Harbour, he'll pick up a shovel to help open a drain on a swamped road, or fly in Mary Brown's fried chicken to those cut off by the flooding.
In most cases, running as an independent is a long shot. Just a name on a ballot.
But not if you're Eddie Joyce.
"I will support him as long as he's running. I'm not a party man. I'm a man's man," says William Park of Corner Brook, a retired construction worker.
"I think he was done dirty by Dwight Ball. However it turns out I'm going to vote for Eddie Joyce," adds Mount Moriah resident Harley Bellows.
But like any politician, support is not universal.
"Eddie Joyce is not going nowhere. So what do you got? You got nobody," says Bill Drodge, who likely won't vote.
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