Garth Rowswell is being projected as the new MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright. As of Tuesday night, the UCP candidate sat at 1453 votes out of 1928 with 19 0f 91 polls reported once his unofficial win was announced. The unofficial results show Rowswell potentially winning by the largest margin in the province.
“I started working at it and planning for it two years ago and this was the result I wanted and here we are. So, I am happy and now the real work starts. We got to get busy, there is a lot of work to do so I am looking forward to it.” says Rowswell at the UCP Headquarter in Vermilion.
As the unofficial results flowed in, NDP Candidate Ryan Clarke was a far second in the constituency. Rowswell says the amount of time he’s been working at his campaign compared to other candidates may be a factor in the results. He says he hopes to speak to the candidates in the future and use them as a possible resource.
“We looked after each other’s signs when they got vandalized or taken down. So I really want to put it out, and they phoned us when we had trouble with ours. It was a very respectful campaign.”
Rowswells says his immediate plans for the riding are exactly what he rode for, which includes working for a balanced budget, pushing back regulations and the war on fossil fuels. Beyond these issues that fit in Jason Kenney’s platform, Rowswell says he has sat down with Lloydminster residents to speak about problems and potential resolutions within the community.
“Because it’s not just the big issues, you got to help people through the local issues and help solve problems for people. That’s what an MLA’s job is really.”
Election results won’t be made official before April 17th, when all ballots have been counted. Across Alberta, the UCP is projected by media outlets to unofficially win the majority.