3 Liberals pay $10K entry fee to contest provincial leadership

Two Calgary MLAs anda formerMLAfrom Edmontonhave each paid $10,000 to enter the race to replace Kevin Taft as leader of the Alberta Liberals.

Calgary-Currie MLA Dave Taylor, Calgary-Mountain View MLA David Swann and Mo Elsalhy, who was defeated in Edmonton-McClung in the March election, filed nomination papers before the Tuesday noon deadline.

"We're very happy with the number and we think it's a real race.All three of them are working hard and all three of them want the job," said Kieran LeBlanc, executive director of the Alberta Liberal Party.

The hefty entry fee will cover the administration costs of the leadership process, she said. The party is reported to be$600,000 in debt.

"It's more expensive than the last time we ran a leadership, but we're in a position financially as a party where we need the money, and the leadership process needs to be self-sustaining. In other words, it has to pay for itself," she told CBC News.

The new leader will be chosen by preferential ballot, wherepeople rank the candidate in order of preference. The ballotswill be mailed out to party members.

The winner will be announced in December.

Taft announced in June that he was stepping down after the Alberta Liberal Partylost seven of its 16 seats in the March 3 provincial election.