Cochrane and Rocky View County both witnessed major political upheavals during the 2017 general municipal elections.

Here in Cochrane, Ivan Brooker failed to be re-elected to a second term after a landslide victory by former two-term town councillor Jeff Genung. Thomas Hardy, the first and youngest declared mayoral candidate, finished a distant third.

Two of the three incumbents seeking re-election were returned and long-time town councillor Ross Watson missed the cut. As suspected, it was Morgan Nagel who topped the polls, followed by fellow incumbent Tara McFadden. Marni Fedeyko topped the list of newcomers, followed by Susan Flowers, Patrick Wilson and Alex Reed.

Two-time candidate Dan Cunin came closer this time, finishing just eight votes shy of a seat. In both the 2013 and 2017 election he was the first declared candidate and conducted a vigorous door-to-door campaign. Also missing the mark were former town councillor Miles Chester, Patrick Price, Vivian Cox, Scott Gibson-Craig, Jason Phillips, Bella Fallis and Kent Liang.

With the rise in popularity of social media, it became a battleground for many of the candidates, connecting with people through Facebook and airing video clips and streaming live events. Local media also utilized social media to broadcast live coverage of several of the forums and attracted respectable numbers.

Just what impact this had on individual campaigns is hard to measure, but what it didn't do is stir much more interest at the polls. Only 38 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots and while it was a five per cent climb, it clearly reflects even with constant exposure and convenient advance polls, the vast majority of eligible voters don't care that much about who forms their town council.

RVC Council sees Sweeping Changes

In Rocky View County a message was clearly delivered by electors, or at least the 30 per cent who cast ballots. Several incumbents didn't run but of those who did only county reeve Greg Boehlke was re-elected. All RVC councillors in the Cochrane area are new and three of the four saw incumbents lose.

In Division 2 (Springbank area), Jerry Arshinoff lost in a squeaker that required a recount to newcomer Kim McKylor. Only 16 votes separated the two. Division 1 (Bragg Creek and Jumping Pound)  saw incumbent Liz Breakey step back, believing two terms was enough. Mark Kamachi declared early and trounced Enrique Massot.

In Division 8 (Bearspaw), it was a rematch between incumbent Eric Lowther, who came in on a byelection, and Samanntha Wright. Wright won this time around. In Division 9 (Cochrane north), it was a three-way race that saw incumbent Bruce Kendall fall to Crystal Kissel. He placed third in a race that also included former Rocky View Schools board chair Colleen Munro.

Boehlke was selected to remain in the reeve by his council and was a likely candidate. He is optimistic of what can be achieved by the new council after a tension-charged atmosphere of the last four years.

"I'm very happy that council selected me to help them," says Boehlke. "This is a very encouraging group and I'm really optimistic about the good things we'll get done with this council. I believe we'll have a lighter atmosphere and an atmosphere we can trust and work together in."

New Battlelines Draw for Next Provincial Election

New electoral boundaries for the next provincial election were made official in the fall and Cochrane will be part of a new, largely suburban riding.

The new Cochrane-Airdrie riding includes Cochrane and a westerly portion of Airdrie in addition to Cochrane Lake and Balzac. It also includes Bearspaw, which is currently part of the Chestermere-Rocky View constituency of Leela Aheer.

Excluded is the Bragg Creek home of Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead. Instead, he will be a resident of the new Banff-Kananaskis riding, where he intends to run for re-election when the writ is dropped. Rural outreaches west of Cochrane would also form part of that new constituency, including Benchlands, the Ghost Valley and the Stoney Nakoda Nation. It also includes Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows, Priddis and Millarville in its southeast.

The next election will take place on or before May 31, 2019, when the unification of conservative parties under the United Conservative Party leadership of Jason Kenney will be tested.

NEXT: New Town Council Setting New Direction