As the days wind down to nomination day (Friday, Oct. 14), more people are starting to think about this fall’s municipal election.
Three years ago, much of the attention was on the candidates running for the Langley Board of Education. There had been a controversial decision to turn H.D. Stafford into a middle school, and several of the players in that drama ran for trustee.
At the time of the election, members of the public had no knowledge of the school district’s accumulated deficit of $13 million. Had that been an issue, it is likely few of the incumbents would have survived.
Fast forward three years, and there is little to no interest in the board of education, despite the deficit that will weigh it down for several more years. Thus far, just one candidate has officially announced that she plans to ruin, and one other isn’t far behind. The Times has heard nothing from any of the seven incumbents on the board, although most are expected to run again.
Public interest in school issues seems to be quite low, despite ongoing B.C. Teachers Federation job action and the decision to sell a school site in the Routley area of Willoughby.
There was less attention three years ago to the race for Township council, although incumbent mayor Kurt Alberts was facing his stiffest challenge since first winning office in 1999. Some of that was due to challenger Rick Green’s behind the scenes campaign, and some was due to the assumption that many people (including me) made, that all the incumbents would breeze back in.
All the incumbent councillors did get back in, but Alberts lost by more than 1,200 votes. Since Green assumed office in December, 2008, he and many councillors have been at odds over a number of issues, and the personal animosity is obvious.
That is the backdrop to this year’s election. Green has recruited a slate of seven council candidates under the Vote Langley Now banner. They are the most formal slate to run in Langley since the 2002 election, when the Langley Leadership Team attempted a comeback, but was shut out completely.
Many people tell me that Langley voters won’t back candidates that are part of a slate. The 2002 election certainly demonstrated that, but that was nine years ago. The animosity at council has angered many voters, and the sense I have is that they blame both Green and incumbent councillors.
There may be a “let’s get rid of them all” mood among some voters. Whether Green’s slate mates will benefit from this, or be punished at the polls, remains to be seen.
There are many independents (who have not been on council) also set to run in the Township. Voters will have a lot to choose from.
The winner of the mayor’s chair will benefit greatly from the fact that there are three candidates. Councillor Mel Kositsky and newcomer Jack Froese will each take a significant number of votes, and the battle against Green may come down to just a few votes in the end. That alone should be a good motivator to vote.
The Times will post videos of candidates to help potential voters gain more information. Look for those on our website, starting this week.
