Voters in Langley, and particularly in the Township, will be looking at some very long ballots this year.
There are 27 candidates running for the eight positions on Langley Township council, about twice the usual number. Six of those are independent incumbents, another seven are running with Mayor Rick Green’s Vote Langley Now slate and the remaining 14 are also independents. Of the independents, only four have run before.
Between the independents and the VLN slate, there are 15 newcomers seeking a seat on council, which has to be close to a record.
In Langley City, there are 12 candidates seeking the six councillor seats. All six incumbents are running again, as is former longtime councillor Ted Schaffer. Darrell Krell ran in the 2008 election, and the other four are newcomers to the Langley City council scene.
There will be a hotly-contested race for mayor in the Township, with longtime councillor Mel Kositsky and political newcomer Jack Froese, who has the support of a significant number of Langley decision-makers, taking on one-term mayor Green.
I’ve been frequently asked who is likely to win that race. My response is this: I don’t know. All three candidates have a committed voter base, and the ultimate winner will be determined by voter turnout. The candidate who is best able to get his supporters to the polls will win.
The City mayor‘s race is a repeat of 2008, with outsider Ron Abgrall running against two-term incumbent Peter Fassbender. Three years ago, Abgrall spent no money on his campaign, and it isn’t likely he will do things differently this year.
His candidacy may benefit from the fact that Randy Caine is running for council. Caine has become well-known for his medicinal marijuana clinic, and Abgrall is another advocate of medicinal marijuana.
There is less interest in the board of education this year, as compared to the hotly-contested 2008 race. There will be at least one new trustee on the board, as trustee Steve Burton is stepping aside after 12 years on the board. There are 11 candidates for the five Township seats, and three for the two City seats.
Burton deserves thanks for his service to the community on both the board of education, and in the 1990s, as a Township councillor.
I hope that voter turnout will be much higher than the usual 18 to 20 per cent in both the Township and City. There are real issues — what direction will the new Township council go; what will happen to Langley City’s medicinal marijuana clinic; what will happen with property tax rates in both jurisdictions and what to do about increasing traffic congestion and lack of transit? And there are many others.
The Times is assisting potential voters to get more candidate information. We are running candidate videos on our website, and will also be posting more information from them in the newspaper and online closer to election day.
For those who are thinking of voting, perhaps for the first time, but are daunted by the sheer number of candidates, it is important to make this point. You don’t have to make eight selections just because there are eight Township council seats.
You can vote for only one person if you wish, and that applies to all boards and councils.
