DIDSBURY - Erhard Poggemiller, a Didsbury town councillor, has been elected president of the Red Deer-Mountain View electoral district association for the Conservative Party of Canada.
The riding includes all of Mountain View County and is currently held by Member of Parliament Earl Dreeshen.
Poggemiller was elected by the association executive at the recent annual general meeting. He previously served as a board member.
As president, Poggemiller and his fellow executive members of the association are involved in a number of ongoing activities related to the riding and the preparation for the next election.
“We are involved big time if there is an election call,” said Poggemiller, 69. “We do the organization as far as the campaign goes and we are the association that raises the money for running the campaign.
“And we help with fundraisers and getting the information, the literature, out for our candidate.”
If there is an election for the party candidate, the association also spearheads that, he said.
Dreeshen has not announced whether he plans to seek re-election, he said.
“As far as we know he is running again but he hasn’t officially said that. All indicators are that he is,” he said.
Although an election has not been called, the association is prepared should a vote be called this spring, he said.
The association executive holds regular meetings with MP Dreeshen, he said.
“We bring up concerns and issues from the constituency to the MP,” he said. “We can give him information. He runs his own show as far as his work in the House.”
Poggemiller’s election is for one year, with a maximum of three terms permitted.
Poggemiller served two terms as president of the Conservative association in the federal riding of Kindersley, Saskatchewan in the 1980s.
He remains on Didsbury council, and has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election as a councillor in October.
