A veteran party organizer who enjoyed Premier Doug Ford’s support won the presidency of the Progressive Conservatives on Sunday, defeating a grassroots activist who made his name battling former leader Patrick Brown.A majority of party delegates cast ballots for Brian Patterson at a weekend convention in Etobicoke, where members from across Ontario celebrated the PC victory in the wake of more recent sex scandals and controversial cuts in the government’s fall economic statement.Patterson has worked with every leader dating to former premier Bill Davis in the early 1980s, played key roles in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, then helped rebuild the party after its 2003 drubbing by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals. “I look forward to working with each of you to keep our party strong and ready to win again in 2022!” Ford said on Twitter, congratulating Patterson and the new party executive.Patterson, who avoids the limelight and was elected to a two-year volunteer term, could not be reached for comment.His opponent was Jim Karahalios, a lawyer and husband of backbench Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios. Read more:Ontario Tories pile on against Justin Trudeau at party conventionFord rallies Tory faithful to celebrate electoral victory as incendiary book by former PC leader Patrick Brown appearsSocial conservatives say their voice is being ignored at Ontario Tory conventionInstrumental in exposing problems in Tory candidate nomination votes under Brown and in fighting the former leader’s promise of a carbon tax, Karahalios campaigned on bringing “a higher standard of integrity” to the party.Karahalios did not return a request for comment but former party president Ken Zeise tweeted “Jim’s take no prisoners, scorched earth campaign triggered an endorsement of his opponent by @fordnation.”The convention, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates to the Toronto Congress Centre on Dixon Rd., was rife ...
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