Greg Garbula is hoping his next career involves representing the Nelson-Creston constituency in a Liberal provincial government.
Garbula, whose lengthy tenure as vice-president and general manager at Kokanee Springs Golf Resort recently ended when the company was sold, has been active in the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Kootenay Rockies Tourist Association.
Not surprisingly, his biggest concern is the economy, specifically jobs.
In Creston to find an office to run his local provincial election campaign from, Garbula said his focus on creating employment opportunities.
“Everybody wants to create jobs and have economic benefits,” he said. “We need to have a better presence in Victoria and a representative to help our region specifically.”
Supporting local industries is one key, he said.
“The job shortage is really hard on young families and we need to involve young people in finding solutions.”
With his experience in the hospitality industry, Garbula said he had a lot of people pushing him to challenge incumbent MLA Michelle Mungall, and both are running against Green Sjeng Derkx.
“I had lots of encouragement to get involved,” he laughed, “and lo and behold, here I am! Everyone has been very supportive and encouraging.”
Getting out and meeting people by knocking on doors will be important to his campaign, he said.
“I can’t possibly know every issue in every community,” said Garbula, who now lives in Nelson. “I’m talking to everyone I can.”
His campaign office will be up and running on Canyon Street in the next few weeks, he said.