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MLA election win a “dream come true” for Goudy

Mar 2, 2018 | 7:01 AM

Melfort’s Todd Goudy will succeed the late Kevin Phillips as the MLA for the Melfort constituency.

The seat became vacant due to Phillip’s tragic passing in November, and a byelection was held Thursday to replace the long time SaskParty member. Goudy collected 3270 votes, or 78.5 per cent. The lifelong Melfort resident and pastor said he learned a lot about his community while door-knocking during his campaign.

“The most enjoyable part was going door-to-door and meeting new people and just getting to know people in towns around Melfort,” Goudy said after the ballots were counted.

New Democratic Party candidate Lorne Schroeder collected 809 votes, or 19.4 per cent; Shawn Setyo of the Green Party received 77 votes, equalling 1.8 per cent of the 4168 ballots. Goudy said despite his relatively low profile outside the city of Melfort, the Saskatchewan Party’s beliefs helped launch him to victory.

“The people don’t know me so well in the other communities, but they know me as a SaskParty guy, so the voters knew what I represent,” Goudy said. “They voted for the policies and actions of the party, the voters provided a clear message to Regina.”

Goudy said he has eyed provincial politics for several years, saying he planned to succeed Phillips in the legislature after the MLA’s eventual retirement. The long-time MLA passed away unexpently in late November, and Phillips’ wife April presented Goudy with one of Kevin’s green ties after hearing of his resounding win. As a result, Goudy said he was left with mixed emotions.

“This wasn’t the way I pictured getting into politics,” he said. “I’m going to wear [the tie] with pride every day I’m in Regina.”

Voter turnout was low during the byelection, with just 34.2 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots, though the numbers will remain unofficial until after a final count March 13. 

LeRoy area farmer Lorne Schroeder, who represented the New Democratic Party in the election, said he wasn’t discouraged by the result.

“I’m taking so many positives out of this,” he told northeastNOW. “I met a lot of people and built a lot of relationships to build on for the next election. We didn’t go backwards.”

 

clark.stork@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ClarkStork