Langley Township politics has taken a new and quite unexpected turn, with the pending resignation of Councillor Jordan Bateman. He is resigning officially next Monday, to take up a new post as B.C. communications director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Bateman is very well-suited for this new post. He is a good writer and communicator, who understands new means of communication very well. He has, for many years, authored (with his friend Sam Kirk) a political blog and is very adept at using Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools to communicate. For the CTF, this is a vital skill.
If its concerns about the mounting taxation burden are to really resonate, the federation needs to find ways to get its message through to working people between the ages of 25 and 40, who are facing the toughest challenges. Most of them have massive mortgages, are already paying high levels of tax, and see no relief in sight.
Agencies like TransLink, Metro Vancouver, local governments and the B.C. government, through agencies like the Medical Services Plan and BC Hydro, to name just two, take more and more of their after-tax income.
In addition to his communication skills, Bateman has actual government experience. He knows how challenging it is for local governments to raise funds, and how their services are needed. He also is very familiar with the generous wages, working conditions, immunity to layoffs,and pensions that government employees receive.
In my opinion, employee compensation is the single biggest factor driving municipal tax increases. At a time when those in the private sector are lucky to receive any pay increases, public sector wages must at the very least be frozen. Municipal governments must also start digging deeply into all other employment-related costs.
Pensions are also a key issue. As columnist Tom Fletcher points out on page 10, 2011 marks the first year when the majority of those with employer pension plans are government workers. This number will only increase as private pension plans continue to dwindle. More and more employees are left to look out for themselves when it comes to saving for retirement, and once again, it is younger workers who will pay the biggest price.
On the political front, Bateman has been a key player in the council majority, whom some call the “gang of six.” He has been the most direct link between Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman and council, as he has served on Coleman’s riding executive, including a term as president. While he is officially resigning from the BC Liberal Party as well, he has many deep ties there that won’t disappear.
With him gone from council, the “gang of six” becomes the “gang of five.” Of those five, Councillor Charlie Fox becomes the most natural leader for the others to coalesce around.
Now that Mayor Rick Green has come up with his own “gang of seven,” it will be much more difficult for independent candidates, incumbent or not, to compete in what will likely be a nasty and expensive election battle.
Bateman’s move significantly changes the landscape.
