VETERAN politician Ralph Sultan celebrated his fourth re-election Wednesday afternoon by taking two of his assistants out for lunch and splurging on a pricey bottle of sauvignon blanc at West Vancouver's La Cucina.
"We are indulging ourselves with a $44 bottle of wine," Sultan said.
After topping the polls - once again - by pulling almost 68 per cent of the vote in his West Vancouver-Capilano riding, Sultan had reason to celebrate.
Sultan said he's grateful for the local support, but also "enough of a realist" to acknowledge factors running in his favour.
"The demographics of this riding favour whoever is running under a Liberal banner," he said. And after 12 years as MLA "we have figured out this riding quite well."
Those factors may also be on the minds of party strategists as they consider which safe Liberal seats may be an option for leader Christy Clark to pick for a byelection, after Clark lost her own seat in Vancouver-Point Grey to the NDP's David Eby by a provisional 785 votes Tuesday night.
Clark has said she won't make any decisions about who might be asked to step aside until final vote results are in for her riding at the end of the month.
But West Vancouver-Capilano, one of the safest Liberal seats in B.C., has been suggested as one Clark's team may be eyeing - along with several others in the Vancouver area.
Sultan said Wednesday he hasn't been approached about the possibility of stepping
down to make way for Clark. Currently, "It's all speculation," he said. He acknowledged, however, "As a party, we must find a seat for Christy."
Sultan said until Clark or a member of her team approaches him, he plans to concentrate on getting ready for another term of serving his constituents.
Sultan, who turns 80 next month, added he's not personally convinced his age will be a deciding factor in the choice. "I think I'm quite capable of doing this job," he said. "A quarter of the entire community is 65 or older, and that's even higher for the percentage of people who actually voted."
"I've been elected for the fourth time by a lot of people who seem to have a fair amount of faith in me," he said. "Right now that's my intention."
Sultan, who called it a night and went to bed by 11 p.m. Tuesday, said he's still surprised by the Liberal comeback province-wide. At one point early in the evening he was watching results on the TV screen and convinced himself he had the colours mixed up when watching the party fortunes.
"You have to pinch yourself," he said. "It was so unexpected."
