WEYBURN - Weyburn lawyer Mike Weger has a new job as of Monday night, as he took the riding of Weyburn-Bengough easily in his first election for the Sask Party.
With all 31 voting stations reporting, Weger brought in 5,595 votes, with Seth Lendrum of the NDP in second place, garnering 1,490 votes; Rose McInnes of the Sask United Party was third with 1,067 votes; North Hunter of the Green Party received 110 votes, and Andrew Shanaida of the Buffalo Party received 88 votes.
In an interview at McKenna Hall, where he and his supporters gathered to watch the election results, Weger said he learned a lot for his first campaign.
“I just never took anything for granted. We ran the campaign like we were 10 points behind,” he said, adding that even while he was out door-knocking, he kept wondering who else was out door-knocking and what conversations they were having.
“I’m really impressed with the turnout of voters and the support for the Sask Party in this riding,” he said. “I stepped up my game big-time, being a new candidate.”
He said he felt he could not rely on what former MLA Dustin Duncan had done in his last campaign, because Duncan had big name recognition in the riding, while this time the riding boundaries changed somewhat to add areas like Kronau, Sedley and Bengough to it.
The first communities he visited once he was nominated as a candidate was to hit every door in Kronau and Sedley, and many expressed surprise that this was the first time they had a political candidate come to their door.
Earlier, before he addressed his supporters, he was introduced by his middle daughter Meaghan, who pointed out when her parents turn their minds to do something, “they absolutely do it. We’ve seen it with cystic fibrosis fundraising, and now they’ve turned to politics, making our constituency and province a better place to live and raise a family and do business.
“Now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce my dad, the MLA for Weyburn-Bengough constituency.”
Weger pointed out his kids are the ones who keep him grounded and realistic, while his wife Cara is his eyes and ears in the political realm, keeping in touch with the pulse of political developments each day.
“This is my chance to give back to my community, and the constituency and the province. That’s really why I put my name forward and why I want to do this. I’m feeling like my work and professional experience has given me skills I need to hopefully make me a good MLA,” said Weger.
