Incumbent floor-crosser Rod Fox could not hold onto the Progressive Conservative nomination in the Lacombe-Ponoka constituency.
Instead Peter DeWit, a Gull Lake-area businessman, is the PC’s choice.
DeWit defeated Fox along with challengers Larry Henkelman and Wayne Rempel in the four-candidate contest on Saturday.
Fox was one of 11 Wildrose MLAs who defected to the PCs late last year. DeWit said his campaign team worked very hard and he is pleased with the support and the results. He owns Nova Media Inc, a consulting company, and is a contract instructor at the Donald School of Business.
“Lacombe-Ponoka is fast growing,” said DeWit, 49. “There’s a lot of projects that need to happen. Infrastructure, schools need to be built. I see that is going to be very important election issues when the election is called.”
DeWit said he will bring his strong business background and agricultural roots to the table. The 49-year-old grew up on a dairy farm in The Netherlands and worked in the Information Technology sector before moving to Canada in 1993.
“My nomination campaign was run on common-sense leadership and that describes my qualifications and my experience,” said DeWit.
He said as in business, there are areas in the government where efficiencies can be made. DeWit said he looks forward to campaigning on the PC platform when the writ is dropped.
DeWit is the president of the Lacombe Rotary Club, director of the Lacombe Chamber of Commerce, board chair of the Central Alberta Christian High School and a minor soccer coach. In 1998, he was awarded the Lacombe Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.
DeWit and his wife Lidy, have lived in Lacombe area for more than 20 years. His wife is a homecare worker.
They have three children between 16 and 20.
Also running in the Lacombe-Ponoka constituency is Doug Hart under the New Democratic Party banner.
The Alberta PCs hosted its sixth and final Super Saturday. Now the party has 83 of its 87 candidates in place for the still-to-be announced general election.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com