Jump to content

      



























Photo

Langford and West Shore | 2022-2026 municipal term discussion


  • Please log in to reply
673 replies to this topic

#1 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,173 posts

Posted 11 May 2022 - 08:14 AM

Please discuss the candidates and news/issues pertaining to the 2022 election in this thread.

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#2 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 17 June 2022 - 03:47 AM

When Colby Harder looks at Langford council, she sees people who have been “entrenched” at the table longer than she has been alive.

That has to change, said the 25-year-old, who announced Thursday she plans to run for council in the Oct. 15 civic election.

Langford, Harder said, needs new faces around the council table as the city grows and the demographic swings to younger residents.

“Now is the time to bring in new voices and perspectives,” she said. “I want to hear from Langford residents and work with them to make sure Langford is the kind of community we all want to live in.”

She and fellow council candidate Mary Wagner, 45, are being endorsed by Langford Now, a grassroots group that has been frustrated by the rapid development in the area, along with what they see as a lack of environmental balance and limited public consultation from Mayor Stew Young and other longtime councillors.

https://www.timescol...council-5489170






Langford, Harder said, needs new faces around the council table as the city grows and the demographic swings to younger residents.

^ is there any evidence at all this is accurate? Is Langford becoming younger?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 June 2022 - 03:48 AM.


#3 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 17 June 2022 - 03:53 AM

3E6BB756-0787-41D5-971C-B212FF6FAD74.jpeg



https://www.langford...file/lifestyle/


Answer: no. Why would the author write that?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 June 2022 - 03:53 AM.


#4 spanky123

spanky123
  • Member
  • 20,976 posts

Posted 17 June 2022 - 04:18 AM

I think the only stats that matter in Langford right now are Stu’s polling of the likelihood of a 4-2 slate aligned against him.

If so, my guess is he announces he isn’t running.

#5 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 17 June 2022 - 04:23 AM

He has a very high approval rating, why not spearhead his own state and say “these are the councillors we need with me to get it done”? Apart from sharing mailing costs etc. the gang has never really been official. Maybe this time they need to work a bit.


Typically the first two candidates Langford Now promotes are UVic / local government workers. Always on the public dime.

The younger candidate is into active transport for older people. But it’s an ideology, not a reality. Sure, some tiny sliver of seniors might bike into their 70’s, but the philosophy is not consistent with reality.

Look at the CRD stats on how people get around. Barely changed over 30 or 40 years, despite the ideology that CRD just tries to will on people. It’s out of touch.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 June 2022 - 04:32 AM.


#6 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 22 June 2022 - 12:52 AM

Hey, Langford voters, don’t be too hasty

 

I read with interest that a group is forming to challenge the current Mayor Stew Young and the councillors that support him. I would advise the electorate to be careful what you wish for.

 

Choosing and electing a “woke” council that emulates Victoria and Saanich will lead to a council that sees the electors as a piggy bank to fund their progressive pet ideas. Instead of a cost-benefit analysis, decisions will be based on current feel-good projects.

 

Langford will end up with dead-end streets with ping pong tables, separated bike lanes that are underused and the equivalent of the Richardson Street fiasco, not to mention Clover Point.

 

Saanich recently redesigned Shelbourne, which with all the housing going up the area will turn the street into a giant parking lot as traffic piles up and side streets will be inundated with diverted cars. Saanich is also planning additional headcount in staff.

 

I suspect the council is paid by how many staff they can add.

 

The current Langford mayor may be brusque, but infrastructure has improved, sports facilities have been added, affordable housing has been added and, importantly, taxes have been contained.

 

The old adage “better the devil you know” is apt.

 

Chris Sheldon
Victoria

 

 

https://www.timescol...didates-5500827


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 June 2022 - 12:53 AM.

  • martini likes this

#7 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 24 June 2022 - 11:51 AM

Good.  I hope he wins and gets that guy out that's there now.

 

 

 

 

 

Colwood councillor Doug Kobayashi has announced he will be taking a run at the mayor’s chair in the coming election. The following is a press release from the campaign:
After topping the polls in the 2018 municipal election and serving as a councilor through the last few years of local and global upheaval, Doug Kobayashi has announced his bid to become the next Mayor of Colwood. Kobayashi’s combination of deep local roots, military, and international leadership experience, uniquely equip him to help lead Colwood through the complex changes currently bearing down on the seaside community.
From the environment, transportation, and housing to healthcare and how the city is being governed, Kobayashi is hearing a lot from citizens who are troubled by the disconnect growing between the people and a municipality that’s rapidly changing. And by far, the loudest voices are taking aim at the city’s spending priorities and the urgent need to become more innovative in driving economic diversification to support the influx of new residents.
“We can’t continue to expect the people of Colwood to shoulder the burden of increased taxes without a conversation about debt reduction or balancing our spending with our revenue streams - especially with inflation at record highs and the cost of living becoming untenable for many families in our community”, said Kobayashi, who also previously served as the President of the WestShore Chamber of Commerce.

  • Nparker likes this

#8 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 29 June 2022 - 05:25 AM

Councillor challenges Colwood mayor for top job

Coun. Doug Kobayashi will challenge incumbent Rob Martin for mayor's job
 
 
 
Martin said one of his key priorities is to continue to work on rapid-bus infrastructure as well as his passion project — a West Shore passenger ferry from Royal Bay to Ship Point in downtown Victoria.
 

“I think we’re really close to getting that full feasibility study done,” he said, noting he has been in constant communication with the province, Royal Bay developers and the Royal Canadian Navy about the possibility.

 

Martin said one of his frustrations with local governments is not taking on projects that will pay off 10 to 30 years down the line.

 

He said people will one day ask why Colwood didn’t capture the land to make it possible when it had the chance and it was more affordable. “I see that that’s where we’re going to be in 30 years,” he said. “We will have Royal Beach in Royal Bay completely built out and we’re not going to have the land available to have a ferry system.”

 

Kobayashi, who was first elected to council in 2018, said that kind of project shows the difference between him and Martin.

 

“This is about getting back to what we’re supposed to be doing at our core services and making sure we are doing it really well,” said Kobayashi, a self-described fiscal conservative.

 

“We can vision all we want, but we must bring some realities to some of these what I call ill-conceived vanity projects.

 

_________________________

 

Kobayashi, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent 20 years with the Royal Canadian Air Force, worked another 27 years as a professional engineer and senior executive in the aerospace industry with a number of firms, including CAE Aviation and Conair Aviation.

 

He said Colwood needs to dial back the current building pace and ensure council is listening to what the community needs.


Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 June 2022 - 05:27 AM.


#9 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 15 August 2022 - 05:44 AM

Capital Daily:

Andy MacKinnon, a three-term Metchosin councillor, has decided not to run for re-election this fall. Metchosin Mayor John Ranns, in power since 1987, has also announced he will not seek reelection. This leaves just three council seats with incumbents running.

Nick Dickinson-Wilde, a Sooke business owner and East Sooke resident, has announced he will run for Sooke council.

#10 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 20 August 2022 - 10:39 PM

Trevor Paul, who is one of the over 70 per cent of Sooke residents who commute to work every day in Victoria or the Westshore, believes that council needs to put more of a priority on providing solutions to alleviate traffic congestion.

“We need solutions to congestion today, not 10 or 20 years from now,” said Paul, a public servant with the provincial government.

Paul is against the paving of John Phillips Memorial Park or any other park in Sooke.

“Sooke is a small community with limited green space, and we need to preserve what we have for future generations. We owe them an opportunity to shape our parks into special community places,” he said.

Other council candidates declared to run in Sooke include Nick Dickinson-Wilde and incumbents Jeff Bateman, Al Beddows and Tony St-Pierre. Maja Tait is seeking a third term as mayor.

https://www.vicnews....andidates-list/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 August 2022 - 10:39 PM.


#11 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 22 August 2022 - 06:14 AM

Cap Daily:

Colwood:

Council pay increase recommended
Council will also review recommendations for a significant pay increase in 2023. If approved, mayor and council would see their salaries nearly double.

Election update: Langford, Colwood, Highlands, and Metchosin will not offer mail-in balloting. Last week, the Westshore looked at why.

A handful of readers were alarmed when they learned Langford wasn’t planning to offer mail-in voting, but it’s not a practice many voters take part in at the municipal level. In 2018, 22 people asked for a mail voting ballot in Sooke—but only 14 came back. The last election was the first time View Royal opted to offer mail voting, and only eight people took advantage. View Royal’s chief election officer Ken Schaalje expects to see a few more this year because COVID has changed the way we participate in public, but even he was surprised to see how few votes were cast by post.

Highlands and Metchosin both say they’re too small to make the mail-in option worthwhile—that, and the fact that no one has asked. (In 2018 the entire Highlands council was uncontested, so literally no one needed to vote.)

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 August 2022 - 06:16 AM.


#12 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,173 posts

Posted 23 August 2022 - 02:21 PM

Wowzers. Colwood councillor and mayoral candidate Doug Kobayashi is not happy here:

 

85% Council Raise a Shock to City of Colwood Taxpayers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Colwood, BC] August 23, 2022

 

“It’s about as tone deaf as you can get,” declared Colwood Councillor Doug Kobayashi considering last night’s Committee of the Whole vote to recommend adoption of what amounts to an 85% pay hike for mayor and council.

At about 9:30 p.m. on Monday, August 22nd as the last item on a late summer Committee of the Whole agenda, with zero members of the public in the gallery, Colwood council voted by a 5-2 margin (Councillors Doug Kobayashi and Cynthia Day dissenting) to award the city’s mayor and council the raise, effective January 1, 2023.

 

“We’re seeing families struggling with rising inflation and rafts of back-to-school expenses. We need to read the room when we consider such changes,” said Kobayashi. “And if you’re going to hit reset on salaries, the approach for making your changes should be based on solid precedents established through the Union of BC Municipalities. You should also make sure to include all the financial inputs, including what the Capital Regional District pays in salary to municipal council members who attend a variety of regional committee meetings. Most folks believe we are all attending these meetings as volunteers when that is not always the case.”

 

And in 2020 for Mayor Rob Martin, that meant an additional $26,000 in CRD salary and expenses on top of the $32,000 he earned through the City of Colwood. Yet these important metrics were not included in the report from Colwood’s Council Remuneration Committee, despite the committee using such council time commitments as partial justification for the proposed salary reset.

 

If passed at the August 29th meeting of Colwood Council, the city’s taxpayers will be taking on a further financial burden of $112,249 annually. And that won’t be the only uptick in costs for a municipality of only 19,000 residents, because Colwood staff salaries are also up for review in 2023.

 

“I’ve visited over 800 homes so far in my election campaign. Most of the people I meet are concerned about rising inflation and being able to maintain their quality of life without having to cut too many more corners,” continued Kobayashi. “How can we ask Colwood citizens to absorb more costs to pay for a council that still hasn’t delivered on vital community social planning objectives that were originally outlined in 2008? It’s just not fair and folks are fed up.”

 

No one disputes that it was time for the City of Colwood to initiate a review of council remuneration, and it was a good choice to have a committee of qualified Colwood citizens lead the process. But the committee didn’t know what they didn’t know and delivered a report which does not paint a full picture of the facts required to conduct a meaningful salary review on behalf of the Colwood taxpayers who pay all the bills.

 

“I don’t disagree with the need for this review, and I value the work of the Colwood citizens who did a good job with the direction they received. But they were missing key data points, which wasn’t their fault,” said the Councillor now running to replace the incumbent mayor. “That’s why I want to see this committee re-convened on an urgent basis to re-work the proposed new pay rates and present them again before the fall election, using salary templates established through a thoughtful process by the Union of BC Municipalities and all the remuneration inputs, including salary paid to elected officials by the CRD. Then I want to see our current council reconsider what they did last night and hopefully adopt a more reasoned approach to any salary increases that are recommended, rolling them out over four years instead of all at once, to demonstrate our respect for the challenging times that we’re living in and our need to lead by example for our community.”

 

Learn more about Doug and get his take on some of the important issues he’s been hearing about from community members at Kobayashi4Mayor.ca


Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#13 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 23 August 2022 - 02:24 PM

Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria

Aug. 23, 2022

PRESS RELEASE 

 

 

Have mercy on the Colwood taxpayer!

 

 

Proposed raise of 100% for mayor,

council up for decision Aug. 29

 

 

A proposed 100 per cent raise for mayor and council is more than a little rich, it's tone deaf, says the municipal watchdog Grumpy Taxpayer$.

 

The committee-of-the-whole proposal, if approved by council on Aug. 29, would bring the mayors' salary to $61,054 and council salary to $30,527. The mayor is also paid $14,000 as a director for sitting on the CRD, plus $7,000 in an annual expense allowance.

 

"With 93 local politicians in the Capital region we are the most over-governed jurisdiction in the world," says Stan Bartlett, vice chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.

 

"We challenge council to come up with anyone else in BC, in the private or public sector, that's looking at a 100 per cent raise this year."

 

"A huge wage increase just before an election, in the middle of the summer during holidays when there's less media and public scrutiny, would be unfortunate. A huge wage increase is also unfortunate when taxpayers are coping with a major hike in inflation and wages that are not keeping pace."

 

At 4.3 per cent, Colwood had the third highest increase in municipal. taxes of all 13 municipalities in 2022.

 

"We urge council to consider phasing in a more realistic wage increase over five years, which was one of the options presented in the Council Remuneration Review," says Bartlett.

 

Colwood is to be commended for establishing an independent citizen committee to study the question of council remuneration and to make recommendations. Any approved hikes would be effective for the incoming council.

 

Finally, the growing municipality is also encouraged to improve transparency.

 

Taxpayers should have regular access to the remuneration and expenses paid out to council on its website. It's been done by Saanich and Victoria for years. As well,  it's recommended that financial disclosure statements for council be posted annually for taxpayer review.

 

 



#14 Nparker

Nparker
  • Member
  • 40,401 posts

Posted 23 August 2022 - 03:14 PM

Hopefully Colwood taxpayers will remember this come October 15 and vote accordingly.

The motto of all 13 municipalities in the CRD: 

 

Plus regitur et sub servivit



#15 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 08 September 2022 - 04:16 PM

Langford is set for a municipal election battle unlike any it has seen in recent years.

A slate comprised of five of the seven current council members will square off against Langford Now as well as independent candidates.

Community First Langford is led by Mayor Stew Young and includes Couns. Lanny Seaton, Matt Sahlstrom, Roger Wade and Norma Stewart. They are joined by newcomers Shirley Ackland and Shannon Russell Willing. Ackland was formerly the mayor in Port McNeill from 2014 to 2018. Russell Willing has served on various committees with the city including the Langford Supports Ukraine Committee, which Ackland also served on.

_________

The other two current councillors, Denise Blackwell and Lillian Szpak, are also seeking re-election.

https://www.vicnews....lection-battle/

“We must all work hard as a team to continue the great success of Langford, where being resilient is part of our state of being. Community First Langford has the experience and the vision for our community. This is the best team I’ve seen in 30 years to represent you,” said Young at the slate announcement on Thursday (Sept. 8).

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 September 2022 - 04:18 PM.


#16 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 08 September 2022 - 04:19 PM

^ that indeed might be interesting.

#17 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 09 September 2022 - 12:22 PM

Several candidates have put their names forward for Langford council, a far cry from the 2018 election where nine people ran for seven seats.

In 2018, seven people ran for six council seats and two ran for mayor. This time, so far, the pool of candidates is more crowded.

The South Island’s longest-serving mayor, Stew Young, has announced he will once again be seeking re-election in the upcoming municipal election alongside a slate of six council candidates, four of which are incumbent councillors.

Additionally, a group has endorsed five names put forward to run for council.

Outside of the slate and the group, two incumbent councillors have announced they will seek re-election.


https://www.cheknews...ection-1089412/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 September 2022 - 12:22 PM.


#18 Victoria Watcher

Victoria Watcher

    Old White Man On A Canadian Island

  • Member
  • 52,322 posts

Posted 10 September 2022 - 03:50 AM

Four candidates are running for mayor in the District of Sooke, where current mayor Maja Tait is seeking a third term.

Mick Rhodes is attempting a second run at the mayor’s chair after gaining just 135 votes in the 2018 civic election.

Political newcomers John Knops and Williams Wallace are also running for mayor.

The list of people running for council in the District of Sooke is extensive – the largest slate ever at 23. Incumbents Jeff Bateman, Al Beddows, Dana Lajeunesse, Megan McMath and Tony St-Pierre are running for re-election. So are former district councillors Herb Haldane, Kevin Pearson and Jeff Stewart.

Others on the ballot include Rob Anderson, Steve Anderson, Lorien Arnold, Susan Belford, Karine Bordua, Owen H. Brandon, Nick Dickinson-Wilde, Robin Holm, Sean Millard, Adam Noseworthy, Trevor Paul, Maria Powers, Anna Russell, Britt Santowski, and Stephanie Welters.

Not on the ballot this time is retiring Coun. Ebony Logins, who will seek a trustee’s seat on the Sooke School Board.


https://www.vicnews....2-whos-running/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 September 2022 - 03:51 AM.


#19 Mike K.

Mike K.
  • Administrator
  • 83,173 posts

Posted 10 September 2022 - 06:55 AM

Ebony Logins, who joked that she didn’t attend a lot of meetings as a Sooke councillor because of a cocaine addiction, is wanting to become a school trustee?

Know it all.
Citified.ca is Victoria's most comprehensive research resource for new-build homes and commercial spaces.


#20 Nparker

Nparker
  • Member
  • 40,401 posts

Posted 10 September 2022 - 07:01 AM

She'll make an excellent role model for the students in her district.

You're not quite at the end of this discussion topic!

Use the page links at the lower-left to go to the next page to read additional posts.
 



0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users