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ELECTION: Langley City council candidate David Stingl

A Voter’s Guide to key election questions.
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David Stingl

David Stingl

Running for a seat on council in the City of Langley

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Local business owner, 45

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• Have you held office in past? If so, please specify: No.

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Candidate provided bio: Do you mind if I start by admitting that I’m a little frustrated? Maybe even a tiny bit angry. It’s the main reason that I’m running for Langley City Council. As a small business owner in the heart of downtown Langley City, it was losing the Good Times Cruise-In that finally pushed me into the realization that I needed to get involved. I’m glad you’re still reading this, it means you care. In a bio this small all I can do is let you know that I care too. I’m not looking to become the next career politician and I’m fully aware that being on City Council is kind of a thankless job. I will represent you. Please connect with all the candidates including the current council members hoping to get re-elected. Make an informed decision and vote for whomever you believe will best represent you and all of Langley City.

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Facebook: David Stingl

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Website: DavidStingl.com

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Phone: 778-552-5504

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• Who is your favourite superhero, and why? Original Aquaman. He endures whatever life throws at him with dignity and grace and continues to do what he does best; helping people.

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There are 16 candidates running for six councillor seats with the City of Langley. The following arequestions asked of each candidate hopeful. They were directed to provide a minimum of a Yes, No, or Don’t Know answer, and given an option to expand on one answer in print (to a maximum of 100 words per question). They could expand on all questions online, if they wished to do so. The following are their replies.

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Questions and Answers:

1. What neighbourhood of Langley do you live in?

Answer: My retail business is on the one way section of downtown Langley City.

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2. How many years have you lived in Langley?

Answer: 32

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3. How many Langley City council meetings have you attended in the past year?

Answer: Two

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4: Should the City be directly funding social housing to reduce homelessness?

Answer: Yes. Langley City residents are not at all happy with the current situation surrounding the Gateway of Hope, and its impact on local crime statistics. We do, however, need to provide non-denominational assistance in an inclusive setting to the most vulnerable members of our community.

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5. Do you support elevated rail over light rapid transit from Surrey to Langley?

Answer: Yes. An elevated rail system seems preferable to me for many reasons including that it will cause less of an impact on the existing infrastructure.

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6. Should the City’s industrial area be phased out in favour of residential and commercial development?

Answer: No.

For a community to succeed, we need a wide mix of employment and not force people to move away from Langley City to find work. Many members of our community continue to work in or have worked in industrial positions.

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7. Would you vote to raise taxes to hire more police?

Answer: No. While nothing should be taken off the table, I would want to see more information on both the benefits of additional police, and the toll a tax increase would have on those in our community already struggling under their tax burden.

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8. Do you agree with the growth estimates for Langley City in its new Nexus of Community strategic plan?

Answer: No. While parts of the plan are excellent and forward thinking, it is important to recognize that Langley City is unique in many ways. The plan in its current form aims to drastically change Langley City and does not leave enough room to ensure that local business can survive the gentrification. We need to ensure that both the history and the uniqueness of our community are not lost in the shuffle.

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9. Should Langley have its own municipal police force, replacing the RCMP?

Answer: No. Langley City should continue to work closely with the RCMP to protect our community. I would like to know more about the pros and cons of this kind of system before exploring an alternative. Many cities nearby have tried this, we should reach out to them to learn from their experiences.

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10. Should the City fund an arts centre?

Answer: No. While an arts centre would be an asset and would bring more visitors into the City who would eat, drink, and pay for other services, I believe that there are far more important projects to fund first. I do not believe that gentrification such as this is the right move for Langley City right now.

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11. Does Langley City need an indoor swimming pool?

Answer: No.While having our own indoor swimming pool would be great, the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre is not far away and there are more important projects to fund first.

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12. Should Langley City lobby for its own urgent care centre?

Answer: Yes. Many residents have expressed dissatisfaction with Langley Memorial. As such, having a second centre would be an asset for our community. I believe that having an additional urgent care centre would save lives and I believe this should be a priority. I would also like to see such a centre offer free parking.

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13. Do you think residential property taxes are too high?

Answer: Yes. Due to the meteoric rise in property values in the lower mainland, house taxes, which are based on a percentage, have similarly increased dramatically. The costs of city provided services which property taxes pay for, have not increased to the same degree.

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14. Should the City amalgamate with the Township?

Answer: No. While I believe that amalgamation in the long run would help us to save money through economies of scale, and by removing some duplication of positions, the current economical state of the Township would entail the City of Langley taking on significant debt which I feel would be a millstone, especially in the short term.

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15. Should the municipality offer tax breaks, incentives, or rebates to companies looking to set up shop here?

Answer: Yes. Additional businesses allow for us to drive more tourism and visitors into Langley City to create a varied and vibrant downtown. New businesses also provide more varied select for employment. I believe that with properly planning we can welcome these businesses with a package that is very front loaded to enable them to settle in fast and then pay their fair share afterwards.

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16. Is Langley City being pushed to grow too fast?

Answer: No. I believe Langley City is currently facing some reticence to grow. I believe with the proper planning we could grow the city at a far quicker place in a stable, sustainable, and environmentally wise manner.

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17. Should Langley City take more direct action to combat the opioid crisis locally?

Answer: Yes. We cannot in good conscience stand by while so many are overdosing and dying; we need to do more! Since the closure of Riverview we have seen an increased number of people suffering from addiction based mental health issues. I believe we should provide training and emergency support kits especially providing naloxone.

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18. Should the City encourage the creation of more rental and low-income housing?

Answer: Yes. We are currently in the middle of an affordability housing crisis, we need more houses available for rent, and we need to help low income families find secure long term homes.

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19. Should the City taxes be cut by cutting services?

Answer: No. While nothing should be taken off the table, I feel that the city should be finding cost efficient ways to provide additional services to its citizens, not exploring how to reduce the services it already offers.

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20. Should there be a limit to the number of consecutive terms a member of council can serve?

Answer: Yes. Term limits are an excellent tool to motivate a politician to effect change during their tenure. Public services of this type should be a sacrifice and a politician should then move out of the way to allow for the next generation to make their mark. Term limits allow for change and modernization, rather than stagnation; they also help provide an excellent protection against monopolies and corruption.