Langford council sweeps election

Langford’s sitting council swept to victory in what's been labeled one of the nastiest elections in the city’s history.

Long-time councillors Denise Blackwell, Lillian Szpak, Lanny Seaton, Winnie Sifert, Matt Sahlstrom and council’s endorsed candidate Roger Wade will re-join acclaimed Mayor Stew Young on council for another three years.

“The people of Langford said they appreciate what we do,” Blackwell said. “People of Langford trust us despite what people coming from the outside try and tell them.”

Langford councillors largely ran on their record of keeping taxes low while bringing in developer-funded amenities such as City Centre Park.

Similar to the 2005 election, about 21 per cent of eligible Langford electors voted.

The sitting council faced a vocal and well-organized competition from “Team Langford,” lead by Steven Hurdle who came in a distant seventh behind Wade.

The election was marked by constant vandalism and theft of signs from Team Langford and from councillors seeking re-election. Hurdle said about 80 per cent of their campaign signs disappeared outright. On the other side, Seaton, in his fifth Langford council election, said about 40 to 50 per cent of his signs were vandalized or stolen.

“This is the worst election for signs I’ve ever seen,” Seaton said,”I had 95 signs. I doubt I’ll see 50 come back.”

Blackwell said council’s priorities will be continuing to build recreation in Langford and to make sure the city retains the jobs in the face of the worldwide economic downturn.

“It’s got to be steady as she goes,” she said. “We’ve got to make sure jobs created in Langford stay in Langford. We ran on our record and the people of Langford responded for us to keep going in the direction we are going.”

Blackwell said Langford council doesn’t bicker and fight, and she expects Wade to fit in well with the team.

Wade said he’s excited an ready to learn the ropes of sitting on council. “I know I have a huge learning curve,” he said. “It’s great the people of Langford showed their support for the incumbent councillors and me by such a wide margin.”

From Team Langford, Hurdle said he more disappointed with the low voter turnout than with not gaining a council seat. Hostility toward his team from some quarters in Langford was disappointing too, he noted.

“We tried to run a positive campaign that raised concerns but offered alternatives,” he said. “It wasn’t a big complain campaign.”

Saunders mayor of Colwood

Surrounded by friends and family Saturday night, Coun. David Saunders celebrated his new job title as mayor of Colwood.

Each with one term of council experience, Saunders beat out competition Coun. Carol Hamilton 1,608 votes to 1,309 votes.

"This is great. I'm really excited," Saunders said shortly after the votes were announced.

Garnering the most votes out of anyone, Judith Cullington was awarded a council seat.

"I think I have the double combination of having been in the community for a long time and plus the advantage of being a new candidate (when people were looking for a change)," she said of her success. "We have three new faces (on council), a new mayor ... I think we are ready to take off in some exciting new directions."

Incumbents Gordie Logan, Cynthia Day and Ernie Roberston are back, joined by first-time councillors Shaun Wyseicki and Brian Tucknott.

"I'm very pleased with council," Saunders said, noting the addition of 23-year-old Wyseicki is a positive thing. "He's young, he's passionate. It just brings a different enthusiasm to council."

On the campaign trail, incumbents and challengers acknowledged a need to diversify the city's tax base. Primarily residential, the focus needs to be placed on designated commercial areas, such as Colwood Corners.

How to keep the City growing and environmentally friendly was also heavily discussed.

As the new council settles in, top priority will be on getting green industry into the city, Saunders said. Being open to new ideas and technologies is key, he added. Ensuring the official community plan is upheld is also important, Cullington said. Under that document, a lot of the focus will be on sustainable initiatives.

Getting more people in council chambers and involved is a top priority for Wyseicki who captured the third highest number of votes after Logan.

"I am going to keep my website up and running. It's going to be converted into an open forum (for discussion)," Wyseicki said, adding he will continue to use Facebook, a social networking site, to connect with people.

The economy is going to have a big influence on what council is able to do this term, Hamilton said. The new council has a diverse group of personalities, she noted, and hopefully that will be productive for the city.

While she won't be at the council table this term, her involvement in the community isn't going to stop, she said. There are several community projects she is committed to, including the teaching garden at West Shore Centre for Learning and Training.

"It's time to roll up my sleeves and see what I can do from the other side," she said.

This election 11,164 residents voted, accounting for 27 per cent of the population. In the 2005 election, 24 per cent of Colwood residents cast their votes.

Colwood voters also passed the referendum question:

"Are you in favour of the Government of British Columbia in partnership with the Federal Government, providing funding to improve the rail infrastructure on Vancouver Islan E&N railway and having BC Transit provide commuter rail passenger service from Langford to Victoria as an alternate mode of Public Transportation to bus service?"

Colwood mayor candidates/votes:

1. David Saunders 1,608

2. Carol Hamilton 1,309

Colwood council candidates/votes

Elected   

1. Judith Cullington 1,775

2. Gordie Logan 1,767

3. Shaun Wysiecki 1,734

4. Cynthia Day 1,701

5. Ernie Robertson 1,696

6. Brian Tucknott 1,365

Not elected

7. Connie Harrigan 1,309

8. Sarah Galbraith 983

9. Paul McCallum 531

10. Vick (Wai Ki) Siu 440

One new face on View Royal council

There is one new face on View Royal council this term.

First-time candidate Heidi Rast was elected to council, along with incumbents Andrew Britton, David Screech and John Rogers. Mayor Graham Hill was acclaimed to his third term.

During the campaign, a slate of seven hopefuls discussed how to unify a town divided by major transportation corridors. While most of the motorists traveling through View Royal do not live in the town, a top issue was also how to address increasing congestion on the roadways.

At an all-candidates meeting, Rast highlighted the fact the town has a solid Transportation Master Plan in place. That document will allow staff to apply for grants and keep infrastructure costs off of residents.

"I want to continue working on improving public transportation," Britton said, noting sidewalks and bike lanes still need work. "We have a pretty good sewage and drainage system now so we can rest on that a bit."

Candidates also focused on how to diversify the town's tax base through businesses, while preserving its natural setting. While other communities grapple with an economic downturn, View Royal continues to be in relatively good shape, said Screech at the Nov. 6 all-candidates meeting.

"The reality is View Royal is in exceptional financial shape," he said at the meeting. "Our debt is the envy of the region"

This election, 1,506 out of 6,477 residents voted, accounting for 23 per cent of the population.

View Royal mayor

Graham Hill (acclaimed)

View Royal council candidates/votes:

Elected:

1. Andrew Britton 1,103

2. John Rogers 1,088

3. David Screech 1,031

4. Heidi Rast 765

Not elected:

5. Barb Fetherstonhaugh 689

6. Trevor Van Dykhuizen 414

7. Christian Hauer 168