Politicians should mind their own business.

Based on current political winds, neither Jack Hillson nor David Karwacki can expect to become premier in the near term, but there's one thing about the Liberal Party leadership race that has been absent for a long, long time in this province.

That new facet is David Karwacki. Not only

The last businessperson to actually head a political party in Saskatchewan was Dick Culver who presided over the Tories in the late '70s and then had that brain cramp with the ill-fated, goofy Unionist Party. He never made it to the premier's office but is largely credited with paving the road for Grant Devine's 1982 landslide. Before Culver, the last business figures to lead a provincial party were Ross Thatcher and Davey Steuart. That was nearly 30 years ago.

The intervening years have featured names such as Allan Blakeney and Roy Romanow. Both are lawyers. There was Devine, an academic and farmer. Lawyer Ralph Goodale headed the Liberals for a while as did lawyer Ted Malone and psychologist Lynda Haverstock. Farmer Bill Boyd did a short stint at the top of the Tory party and farmer Elwin Hermanson now heads Saskatchewan Party while doctor Jim Melenchuk spent his time at the head of the Liberal party. And, of course, there's Reverend Lorne Calvert in the top slot right now.

In very simple terms, the business community has not been all that well represented in the political process. Organized labor, the legal community and teaching professions have done a far better job of having their people sit in the Assembly. And the lawyers have been especially good at finding their way to the leadership roles in the political process.

That's what makes David Karwacki's arrival on the scene so interesting. What is it that he knows that the rest of the business community doesn't?

For the most part, business people have eschewed political office. The consensus-building and bureaucracy that are facts of life in the political arena are anathema to business people who are used to the top-down, rapid decision-making process of the corporate world. In business you make decisions and live with them. In politics, you never make decisions, you spread responsibility around and CYA.

Perhaps that's the reason business people avoid the political process even though they spend a large part of their time following politics, complaining about politicians, and lobbying for their own interests. And therein lies the problem.

Businesspeople complain about politics but are not willing to do anything about it. In other words, run for office. Is it any surprise then, that business and economic issues are not at the top of provincial agenda? Should we be surprised when business gets a polite hearing but little action follows?

Obviously, there's the issue of money. Pay levels for politicians suck and it's a deterrent to quality, successful people giving up their private endeavors in favor of public service. Yet, you don't have to go very far in the Legislative Assembly to find someone who is there because they do need the money. It begs the question: do you want people who can't make $50,000 a year in the real world presiding over a multi-billion dollar operation, or do you want some folks with a proven track record at the tiller?

The provincial chamber has prepared an economic strategy that calls for policies dedicated to creating significant economic growth. A recent economic analysis examining rural Saskatchewan said we will not see growth in rural areas until overall provincial growth exceeds six per cent. These are the most important and profound issues of the day in Saskatchewan. And they're business issues. Do we see a sense of urgency or a plan to stem the decline of rural communities? Not.

Karwacki, a young family man with a flourishing business operating through North America, is not your typical political wannabe. While he's a dream candidate for a political party -- a young, photogenic, former star athlete, successful business owner and family man -- he is attempting something that hasn't been done since Culver and Thatcher.

If nothing else, he deserves credit for standing up to be counted.