Bill Bonko is a Canadian politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He was first elected in the 2004 election as a Liberal in Edmonton Decore, but was defeated in his 2008 re-election bid by Progressive Conservative Janice Sarich.
Bill Bonko Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta | |
| In office November 22, 2004 – March 3, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | New district |
| Succeeded by | Janice Sarich |
| Constituency | Edmonton-Decore |
| Trustee on Edmonton Public School Board (Ward A) | |
| In office October 16, 1995 – October 18, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | New ward |
| Succeeded by | Bev Esslinger |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Michele |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Edmonton |
| Occupation | Circulation manager |
Early life edit
Bill Bonko graduated from Queen Elizabeth High School.[1] He worked for fifteen years as the circulation manager for the Edmonton Journal.[1]
Political career edit
Bonko first sought political office in the 1995 municipal election, when he was elected to the Board of Edmonton Public Schools as trustee for Ward A.[2] He was re-elected in the 1998 and 2001 elections.[3][4] He did not seek re-election at the conclusion of his third term. Instead, he ran for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in Edmonton Decore in the 2004 provincial election as a Liberal.[5] He won 44.63% of the vote and defeated his opponents, who included former MLA Walter Szwender who was running for the Progressive Conservatives and Gary Masyk, an incumbent MLA whose riding had been abolished and who had crossed the floor to become the Alberta Alliance's first MLA after being elected as PC.[5][6] He did not sponsor any bills during his time in the legislature,[7] and was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Janice Sarich in the 2008 election.[8]
Personal life edit
Bonko is married to Michele;[1] the pair has two children,[1] including Bill Jr. who ran as a Liberal candidate in Athabasca-Redwater in the 2008 provincial election.[9]
Election results edit
| 2008 Election Results (Edmonton Decore) | Turnout 35.1% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Progressive Conservative | Janice Sarich | 4,602 | 45.93% | |
| Liberal | Bill Bonko | 3,879 | 38.72% | |
| NDP | Sidney Sadik | 1,295 | 12.93% | |
| Green | Trey Capenhurst | 243 | 2.43% | |
| 2004 Election Results (Edmonton Decore) | Turnout 43.4% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Liberal | Bill Bonko | 4,418 | 44.63% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Walter Szwender | 3,033 | 30.63% | |
| NDP | Shirley Barg | 1,524 | 15.40% | |
| Alberta Alliance | Gary Masyk | 830 | 8.39% | |
| Social Credit | Geoffrey Chevrier | 94 | 0.95% | |
| 2001 Edmonton municipal election results (Public School Trustee, Ward A) | ||||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Bill Bonko | 6,769 | 62.1% | ||
| Bev Esslinger | 4,136 | 37.9% | ||
| 1998 Edmonton municipal election results (Public School Trustee, Ward A) | ||||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Bill Bonko | 4,867 | 48.3% | ||
| Bev Esslinger | 3,325 | 33.0% | ||
| Lynette Young | 1,883 | 18.7% | ||
| 1995 Edmonton municipal election results (Public School Trustee, Ward A) | ||||
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Bill Bonko | 4,480 | 33.5% | ||
| Maureen Ford | 2,441 | 18.2% | ||
| Cathy Kutryk | 2,175 | 16.3% | ||
| Joe Hak | 1,933 | 14.5% | ||
| Larry Phillips | 800 | 6.0% | ||
| Perry Dane | 565 | 4.2% | ||
| Victor Varvis | 559 | 4.2% | ||
| Dan McAra | 428 | 3.2% | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c d [1] Bonko's legislature biography
- ^ "Edmonton 1995 municipal election results" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Edmonton 1998 municipal election results" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Edmonton 2001 municipal election results" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-23.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "2004 Alberta provincial election results, Edmonton Decore". Retrieved 2008-03-23. [dead link]
- ^ "Alberta lawmaker defects from Klein's Conservatives". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 30, 2004. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ^ "Bills moved in Alberta legislature, 1989-present". Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "2008 Alberta provincial election results, Edmonton Decore". Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "Both Bonkos go down after Tory knockout". CTV.ca. Retrieved 2008-03-23.