Delta councillor defeats municipality's former top cop for Liberal nomination

The B.C. Liberals have chosen their candidate for Delta South for the 2017 provincial election. 

In a battle between two high-profile candidates, sitting councillor Ian Paton defeated Jim Cessford, Delta's longtime former police chief, to win the nomination.

"It's been one heck of a hectic summer," said Paton to supporters at the end of the candidate selection meeting.

"Let's keep focused for May of 2017, and let's get this riding back in the Liberal camp."

Paton, who was first elected as a councillor in 2010, looks to take the riding from independent MLA Vicki Huntington, who has said she will run for a third term.

Huntington, a former Delta councillor herself, defeated former Attorney-General Wally Oppal by just 33 votes to first win the riding in 2009, but expanded her margin of victory to over 2,600 votes in 2013. 

"We've got a team of people that really love Vicki Huntington, and we've got to get out there," said Paton.

Prior to Huntington's win, the Liberal Party had held Delta South since the riding was created prior to the 1991 election.

The NDP have not selected a candidate yet, and nobody has publicly declared their interest.  

The election is scheduled to be held on May 9, 2017.