Don't expect Premier Campbell to rush to appoint a backbencher to cabinet to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Sandy Santori. The Minister of State for Resort Development took a $14,000 a year pay cut when he was demoted from Minister of Management Services in the January 26, 2004, cabinet shuffle. Full Ministers receive an extra $39,000, but lesser Ministers of State receive an extra $25,000 on top of their MLA salary. Demotions don't promote loyalty to the Premier.

Santori may have perfectly good personal reasons for abandoning the good ship Campbell, but his timing stinks. Since Campbell made the January shuffle and announced the cabinet he thought he was taking into May's election he lost Christy Clark in September 2004, Gary Collins in December, and now Santori. Collins and Santori both resigned their seats as MLAs as well as their cabinet positions, meaning their constituents will go unrepresented and without an MLA's office to provide advocacy on their personal complaints. Since it is less than six months until the general election, Campbell doesn't have to call a by-election to replace Collins or Santori. It is widely expected that Attorney General Geoff Plant, probably the most respected member of Campbell's cabinet, will soon announce that he is not seeking re-election.

There could be further cabinet resignations or announcements of minds that have changed about seeking reelection. It is not unusual for people to decide to get out of politics, but waiting until four months before the election is not helpful for the government. Rumours are bound to persist over what discussions are going on behind the closed doors of caucus or cabinet that have encouraged last minute changes in commitments that were supposed to be final a year ago.