The Cardston-Taber Warner riding will have a new MLA some time in 2012.
That was assured when the incumbent MLA, Broyce Jacobs of the Progressive Conservatives, fell in his party’s nomination vote Saturday.
Carrying the banner for the P.C. party here will now be Pat Shimbashi, who had attempted in the past to gain the party’s nomination for this riding.
So far, Shimbashi has competitors from the Wildrose Alliance in Gary Bikman, and the New Democratic Party in Barbara Eng-Bonthoux.
How the next election will go is anyone’s guess, especially considering this riding was one of the few that was once captured by the Wildrose Alliance, when Paul Hinman pulled off an upset of P.C. incumbent Jacobs.
How the election will play out in this riding will therefore likely be of provincial interest, especially considering it features one of the few times in recent history when a sitting MLA was defeated, before he or she even had a chance to run again provincially.
It happened in 2004 when Leduc’s sitting MLA was ousted in the nomination stage, and again in 2008 in the Drayton Valley-Calmar riding. This year, the Calgary-Hays MLA also lost the P.C. party nomination election.
For Taber, however, Shimbashi’s win represents another historical rarity — an opportunity for a homegrown MLA.
Surprisingly, it has not happened often in the history of this riding, although the riding has experienced serious alterations over the years.
Bob Bogle held power in Taber-Warner from 1975-1993, and gave way to Ron Hierath, whose run lasted until 2001, when Jacobs took over. Hinman’s run lasted one term, from 2004-2008.
Has a lack of a Taber-area MLA impacted the town and M.D. of Taber drastically over those years?
That is certainly hard to determine, but Saturday’s vote indicated local voters were determined to see that trend come to an end in 2012.
This riding is certainly a large one, with a variety of different municipalities within it. The number of interests which must be represented are varied and diverse.
The new MLA will need to come to grips with this fact, and as Shimbashi already stated in this week’s article, that is his intention, should he be elected.
But make no mistake, there is a feeling a Taber-area MLA has been long overdue. The fact Shimbashi received over 1,000 votes, and the P.C. turnout was higher than when members voted for a new premier, is proof of that.