UNION boss Kevin Harkins hopes it’s a case of third time lucky, announcing that he will run again for public office.
Despite disastrous bids for federal seats in 2007 and 2009, he confirmed to the Sunday Tasmanian last week that he would stand as an independent in next month’s Clarence City Council election.
Mr Harkins, who lives at Acton Park, was tempted to run with the campaign slogan “Kevin11” but said the reference to his nemesis Kevin Rudd was still too raw.
“The last two tilts [at politics] should have been successful,” Mr Harkins said.
“If it wasn’t for Kevin Rudd they would have been.”
Pressure from the federal Labor leader saw Mr Harkins pull out of the race for the seat of Franklin in 2007 in the wake of controversies over a $100,000 campaign donation from the Electrical Trades Union, which he had headed, and charges for authorising an illegal strike.
In 2009 he was given the nod by state Labor figures to run for the Senate only for Mr Rudd to quash his bid again.
A year ago Mr Harkins was elected secretary of Unions Tasmania and his political aspirations are now focused closer to home.
“I think as you get a bit older you start to think about things and give things in your life a different priority,” he said.
“You have grandiose plans of being a member of Federal Parliament but at the end of the day, if I can make a difference at a local level then I’ll be just as happy to do that.”
Mr Harkins said he stood for “old Labor values”.
