Election time in Langley
Saturday, November 19, 2011 is general voting day for the Township of Langley. Candidates will be elected for the positions of Mayor, Councillor, and School Trustee. Any Canadian citizen over the age of 18 who has been living in BC for 6 months and in Langley for over 30 days is eligible to vote, which allows many Trinity Western University students to participate in this local democratic process.
Photo credit: Tim Andries
The Township of Langley comprises Aldergrove, Walnut Grove, Fort Langley, Brookswood/Fernridge, Murrayville, and Willoughby/Willowbrook, giving the office of the mayor immense responsibility to oversee any diverse districts.
Running for mayoral election is Jack Froese, a local Langley business owner who prides himself on serving as the director of the Fraser Valley and BC Egg Producers Association and volunteering on several soccer clubs in the local area. Froese is aiming to promote better communication between the mayor and council members as well as accountability between the mayoral office and the voters. On his website, Froese admits the impossibility of lowering taxes currently, but states he will look for effective measures to combat Langley’s financial challenges.
Running against Froese is Mel Kositsky, a member of the Langley Council for the past 18 years. Previously a journalist and the president of Big Brothers Big Sisters Langley, Kositsky became engaged in politics, where he is now the current Council Representative for the Community Safety Advisory and Agricultural Advisory Committees and sits on the board of directors of the BC Recreation and Parks Association. Kositsky claims he will instigate management programs for road and transit in addition to municipal taxes, as well as promote agriculture and horse industries and protect Langley’s environment and greenspace.
Up for re-election is the current Mayor, Rick Green, who has been serving since October 2008. Green’s platform continues to be based around being the voice for he protection of farmland and sustainable agriculture in the Langley Area. Green organized a group of independents together under the organization Vote Langley Now. The group’s aim is to “bring back the democratic process to the Township of Langley” by fighting against the current council’s “tax and spend approach”. Although he faced a series of allegations earlier in the summer, no charges were pressed and the Mayor was deemed to possess a clean record. The actual content of the allegations were never released to the public.
Many others will be running in the eight council positions as well as the five school trustee spots. Students are encouraged to research these candidates and vote in the upcoming election, as the results will have lasting effects on TWU’s campus. The Township of Langley makes many important decisions with regard to TWU, including determining whether to allow the University to expand its campus onto the farmland located across Glover Road.
The closest voting stations are Fort Langley Elementary School on Bartlett Street and James Kennedy Elementary School on 212 Street. They will be open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Advance voting will be held at Willowbrook Recreation Centre on 65 Avenue on November 5, 9, and 16. Students can register at the voting stations, and do not need to register if they already did so for the last provincial election. For more information, visit: tol.ca/AbouttheTownship/MunicipalGovernment/Elections.aspx
Clayton Andres
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