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.
The group has not yet fielded a candidate for mayor, but told those who attended a Thursday’s press conference to “stay tuned.”
Langford Now aims to shake up a council where many have been ensconced since incorporation three decades ago, saying rapid development in the Island’s fastest-growing community needs to be balanced with social, transportation and environmental needs.
Both Harder and Wagner, who grew up in Langford and teaches biology at the University of Victoria, are running on an agenda of change, hoping to bring “sustainable development” to Langford by creating more natural areas and recreation opportunities, and meaningful engagement in the community.
Harder has a keen interest in transportation issues and recreation access, while Wagner wants improved public consultation and transparent government.
Young has been criticized for how he runs council meetings and public hearings, and for his ties with developers. The mayor’s detractors say people expressing concerns at public hearings about mega-projects such as high rises in Langford’s downtown, construction noise, lack of tree protection and a new code of conduct for councillors have been curtly dismissed and even criticized by the mayor for bringing up the issues.
Several Langford councillors follow Young’s lead, though he has often clashed with longtime councillors Lillian Szpak and Denise Blackwell.
Toppling Young would be a tough job. He has been elected or acclaimed as mayor for the past seven municipal elections — winning the 2018 campaign with 82% of the vote — and is credited with turning Langford into a regional powerhouse for housing and business development and a sporting and recreational mecca.
Young, who was first elected a councillor in 1992, still hasn’t announced whether he will stand for an eighth consecutive term as mayor this fall, but he’s hinted that he will.
Last week, he told the Times Colonist there is still work to do. “We have a housing crisis, not a tree crisis,” he said.
Young is also set to embark on a trip to the Ukraine this month after raising money from the development and business community to help feed refugees and develop Langford’s first sister-city partnership within an undisclosed area of the war-torn country.
Young said he will announce his intentions in mid-August.
Blackwell and Szpak told the Times Colonist this week both will run for re-election.
Szpak initially announced in April she wasn’t running again, but has had a change of heart.
“I received an outpouring from the community asking me to run, to be their voice, to work alongside new councillors who will hopefully be taking their seat to represent Langford,” Szpak said. “I believe I have received my mandate [from] our residents and because of their overwhelming response, I reconsidered my decision and I am happy to say that I am planning to run again for Langford after all.”
Long-time councillors Lanny Seaton and Roger Wade as well as Norma Stewart say they are undecided.
The Times Colonist did not hear back from Matt Sahlstrom by press time.
Harder attended Willway Elementary, École John Stubbs and Belmont Secondary. She commuted to the University of Victoria to earn a BSc in geography, after which she began working for the Capital Regional District in environmental outreach and transportation planning. Currently, she is a master’s student at UVic researching transportation equity in aging communities.
Wagner grew up in Langford and has lived in the community for several years. She attended Savory Elementary and then Spencer Middle School. She has a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Victoria and has been raising her family in Langford for the past 15 years.
“Langford’s success as it matures will depend on prioritizing sustainable growth and the environment, while giving space to hear the voices of the people who live in this expanding, vibrant community,” said Wagner.
