Nine candidates have sparked more interest in Langley City byelection
The byelection to select a new councillor in the City of Langley takes place this Saturday. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Douglas Recreation Centre. The byelection is to fill the seat of the late councillor Dave Hall, who resigned in November due to a battle with cancer. Sadly, he passed away in January.
Normally, byelections attract little interest from voters. When a byelection takes place in the City of Langley (a rarity), a municipality where there is rarely more than 20 per cent turnout in general elections, chances are it will be doubly ignored by most people. Such may not be the case this time.
What has made the difference? Simply the fact that there are nine candidates seeking office, far more than any observer had expected. Each brings supporters with them, and the number of candidates (and signs) has many people in the City talking.
I served as moderator at the lone all-candidates meeting, held Monday at Langley Seniors Resource Centre. After hearing all of them speak, I suggested to the 75 people or so in attendance that if it were possible to combine all their attributes in one candidate, the City would have a super-councillor.
In addition to the number of candidates, several issues may help drive turnout. There are significant concerns in the City about the extent of the homelessness issue, and how best to deal with it. Downtown viability and attractiveness is also an issue. The need for significant infrastructure improvements, starting with sidewalks, was also brought up a number of times. Crime did not come up as much, but the issue of people feeling safe did.
All of these issues and others could bring many more people to the polls than expected. There has been a significant turnout at advance polls so far - another advance poll takes place Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Douglas Rec Centre.
Here's a brief summary of the candidates, in alphabetical order:
Shelley Coburn is an experienced political newcomer. She was elected to the Langley Board of Education in one of the two City seats in November, 2014, defeating incumbent Candy Ashdown. It was her first election. She plans to hold down both jobs if elected to City council.
Carol Gran served as executive assistant to longtime Langley Social Credit MLA Bob McClelland in the 1970s and 1980s. She served on Langley Township council before being elected as one of Langley's two Social Credit MLAs in 1986. She has since moved to a number of cities, and served a term on Kelowna council, before moving back to Langley City in the past year.
Kiernan Hillan has a lot of experience working in municipal government in Richmond. Now retired, he is a longtime Langley City resident and has been very active in the St. Joseph's Church response to helping homeless people.
Mel Kositsky is a former Fraser Valley News Herald and Langley Times reporter and editor, and served 18 years on Langley Township council., He came close to winning the mayor's seat in the 2011 election, but was beaten by current mayor Jack Froese.
Rae Maj is a longtime City resident with experience in many community groups and in architectural work. She is an active City volunteer.
Sharon Newbery is a longtime Langley resident who lives and operates a business in Langley City. She has been involved with the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations. She ran for council in the 2014 election, finishing eighth out of 12 candidates.
Serena Oh ran for mayor in Langley Township in 2014, and now lives in Langley City.
Nathan Pachal is the youngest candidate, but has been involved in a number of City committees for years. He also has a strong interest in transportation issues. He finished seventh out of 12 council candidates in the 2014 election.
George Roman is a longtime City resident and an accountant, with expertise in analyzing complex financial statements. He has been involved in a number of community organizations as well, and is also an active volunteer in the City.
Detailed stories from the all-candidates meetings will be in both the Langley Times and Langley Advance this week, which will detail more of the topics that came up at Monday's meeting. Langley City residents should not miss this opportunity to elect a new member of council.
Normally, byelections attract little interest from voters. When a byelection takes place in the City of Langley (a rarity), a municipality where there is rarely more than 20 per cent turnout in general elections, chances are it will be doubly ignored by most people. Such may not be the case this time.
What has made the difference? Simply the fact that there are nine candidates seeking office, far more than any observer had expected. Each brings supporters with them, and the number of candidates (and signs) has many people in the City talking.
I served as moderator at the lone all-candidates meeting, held Monday at Langley Seniors Resource Centre. After hearing all of them speak, I suggested to the 75 people or so in attendance that if it were possible to combine all their attributes in one candidate, the City would have a super-councillor.
In addition to the number of candidates, several issues may help drive turnout. There are significant concerns in the City about the extent of the homelessness issue, and how best to deal with it. Downtown viability and attractiveness is also an issue. The need for significant infrastructure improvements, starting with sidewalks, was also brought up a number of times. Crime did not come up as much, but the issue of people feeling safe did.
All of these issues and others could bring many more people to the polls than expected. There has been a significant turnout at advance polls so far - another advance poll takes place Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Douglas Rec Centre.
Here's a brief summary of the candidates, in alphabetical order:
Shelley Coburn is an experienced political newcomer. She was elected to the Langley Board of Education in one of the two City seats in November, 2014, defeating incumbent Candy Ashdown. It was her first election. She plans to hold down both jobs if elected to City council.
Carol Gran served as executive assistant to longtime Langley Social Credit MLA Bob McClelland in the 1970s and 1980s. She served on Langley Township council before being elected as one of Langley's two Social Credit MLAs in 1986. She has since moved to a number of cities, and served a term on Kelowna council, before moving back to Langley City in the past year.
Kiernan Hillan has a lot of experience working in municipal government in Richmond. Now retired, he is a longtime Langley City resident and has been very active in the St. Joseph's Church response to helping homeless people.
Mel Kositsky is a former Fraser Valley News Herald and Langley Times reporter and editor, and served 18 years on Langley Township council., He came close to winning the mayor's seat in the 2011 election, but was beaten by current mayor Jack Froese.
Rae Maj is a longtime City resident with experience in many community groups and in architectural work. She is an active City volunteer.
Sharon Newbery is a longtime Langley resident who lives and operates a business in Langley City. She has been involved with the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations. She ran for council in the 2014 election, finishing eighth out of 12 candidates.
Serena Oh ran for mayor in Langley Township in 2014, and now lives in Langley City.
Nathan Pachal is the youngest candidate, but has been involved in a number of City committees for years. He also has a strong interest in transportation issues. He finished seventh out of 12 council candidates in the 2014 election.
George Roman is a longtime City resident and an accountant, with expertise in analyzing complex financial statements. He has been involved in a number of community organizations as well, and is also an active volunteer in the City.
Detailed stories from the all-candidates meetings will be in both the Langley Times and Langley Advance this week, which will detail more of the topics that came up at Monday's meeting. Langley City residents should not miss this opportunity to elect a new member of council.
It will be a tough decision for a lot of Langley City voters. I thought there were at least two leaders who emerged in yesterday's debate.
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