The upcoming municipal election in the two Langleys will be interesting, but perhaps not as lively as many other contests in the region.
One reason is that there is not really much of a contest for mayor in Langley Township. Incumbent Jack Froese has two challengers, but neither is well-known and it is unlikely he will get less than 70 per cent of the vote.
Seven of the eight councillors are running for re-election.
Only Charlie Fox is retiring.
As two of the challengers are former councillors, it is quite likely that the next council will bear a close resemblance to current council, perhaps with an added touch of the 2011-14 version.
It is possible that a newcomer may secure a seat, but given the challenge of campaigning without much funding (due to the new campaign finance rules), that is a steep hill to climb. There are some solid new candidates in the race, but getting enough of the people who actually vote to check out their credentials is a tough assignment in a spread-out and growing community. A total of 23 people are seeking the eight councillor positions.
There are few pressing issues that have fired up large segments of the voting population. In 2014 the Brookswood-Fernridge plan was highly controversial, and that was a key reason the Unelection Campaign was set up.
It targeted Froese and most members of council, and was a major factor in three incumbents being defeated.
Incidentally, that was the first time an incumbent councillor had lost a seat in Langley Township since 2002.
Meanwhile in Langley City, three-term mayor Peter Fassbender, who left civic politics behind to serve a term in the provincial legislature, wants his old job back. He is taking on one-term councillor Val van den Broek, and Serena Oh, who ran for mayor of Langley Township in 2014.
It will not be a cakewalk, as Fassbender’s record with the BC Liberals will be a factor, but he was a popular mayor and van den Broek is taking on a major challenge. She’s game to do so, and it may be that the residents of the City (very few of whom actually vote) are ready for someone different.
Firing up voters in the City is always difficult.
There are 16 candidates for councillor. Five are incumbents, and two others are former councillors.
The major issues in the City are housing, transportation and dealing with the growing homelessness issue. All of these involve other levels of government, but the City can take strong positions and influence decision-makers.
The transit line to Langley City has become a major issue in the Surrey election, with former mayor (and candidate) Doug McCallum saying a SkyTrain line along Fraser Highway to the City needs to be a much higher priority than an LRT line between Newton and Guildford.
A number of City candidates also agree that SkyTrain to the City makes sense, as part of a longer-term plan to get rapid transit further up the Fraser Valley.
The City must be vigilant to ensure that the lower-rent apartments which form a big part of its housing stock are not torn down to make way for higher-end condos.
People on low and fixed incomes need housing, and if the stock is diminished (as is happening in Metrotown) it leads to a great number of social problems, including homelessness.
Meanwhile, the race for seats on Langley Board of Education will be very quiet.
There are seven candidates seeking the five Township seats, and five running for two City seats.
Three incumbent trustees in the Township are running again, while long-time trustee Alison McVeigh is stepping aside.
In the City, former trustee Candy Ashdown is running, and three newcomers have also filed. Incumbent Shelley Coburn, is also running.
Those who would like to vote will now have a month to check out the candidates.
It is likely there will be significantly less advertising, due to new campaign finance rules, but every candidate should have information available on their websites.
There is also a lot of information available on the Times’ website.
Frank Bucholtz is a retired editor-turned political blogger. His thoughts on issues affecting the South Fraser region can be found on his Frankly Speaking blog.
