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ELECTION: Langley Township council candidate Kerri Ross

A Voter’s Guide to key election questions.
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Kerri Ross

Kerri Ross

Running for council in Langley Township

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Production/manufacturing manager, 39

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

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Candidate provided bio: I am a mother of two who lives in Willoughby with my husband Jason and sons Nathan (11) and Noah (nine). I moved here with my family after having had businesses in Langley since the early 1990s.

Being active in the community is not only important to me but has been a focus of my family for generations.

It is my time engaging with the families and residents in Langley Township that has made me realize we need to be more proactive and less reactive to community needs.

My family has had businesses in Langley for over 20 years and we want to continue contributing to its growth, so our children, your children, can be a part of Langley’s future.

With a background in science, planning, resource management, and business, I know I can bring a balanced and impactful perspective to Township council. Vote Kerri.

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Website: www.langleyelection2018.com

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Facebook: @kerri.ross.79

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Phone: 778-242-3349

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Twitter: Kerri_Ross_

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• Who is your favourite superhero, and why? Captain Marvel – Her uniform is the most normal and wouldn’t get in her way while she is being awesome. She has an apartment in the Statue of Liberty.

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There are 23 candidates running for eight Langley Township council seats. The following are questions 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: Willoughby

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2. How many years have you lived in Langley?

Answer: 11 years

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

Answer: 5/6

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

Answer: No, I believe that any funds provided should be contributed to a group or society that may be able add contributions to other grants / funding whereby having a further reach. I also believe that there are foundations and groups better suited to providing these services.

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

Answer: Yes, there are many studies that show street level rail can be additionally problematic to rural street infrastructure.

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6. Should the municipality fund an arts centre?

Answer: Yes, or work with an established Arts group, as a study should identify. We would want to look at what approach will ultimately meet all needs effectively.

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

Answer: No, but I take issue with the idea that tax increases are directly attributed to one group or set of services. There are set ratios to address safety services and one would think that as the population grows the residents and development.

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8. Does Langley need a new or second hospital to serve the growing population?

Answer: No, the existing hospital needs to be renovated and upgraded to extend the funding available as far as possible.

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9. Does Willoughby need its own dedicated library?

Answer: Yes, but closer to the completion of the neighborhood plans so it’s location and accessibility to the greatest number of residents can be assured.

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10. Is there enough effort being made to preserve farmland?

Answer: No, we need to do everything possible to balance the preservation of farmland with the growth we need to be a competitive and vibrant community. Food security and the industry that comes with farming are a core part of Langley’s history and present financial infrastructure.

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11. Should Langley allow construction of residential towers?

Answer: Yes, since we already are. We should make sure that all amenities keep pace with the residents coming to live in them. We also need to stand by the density and types of structures that were a part of the original community plans so we do not over load the infrastructure surrounding them.

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

Answer: No, I personally think the RCMP have been doing great work in Langley. My father-in-law was with the New Westminster Police as well as the RCMP and based on discussions we have had the RCMP are a good fit.

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

Answer: Yes. We need to look at how and what we are spending them on and any alternate streams of revenue to off set future projected increases.

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14. Do you support the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline?

Answer: No, not with the present track record. I am aware that the existing pipeline needs repair and upgrading but the idea that twinning it is necessary to fund the repairs sounds like poor planning. If you have been reporting profits year after year, a fund for maintenance should be set aside. Improve the track record on spills and respons

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

Answer: Yes, but not at the cost of residents.

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16. Is Langley being pushed to grow too fast?

Answer: No, it’s a matter of how the plan is executed as people moving here are primarily the ones driving it. How we accommodate and shape the communities they are moving to is up to us as a community collectively (or should be).

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17. Do you support redevelopment of Fort Langley’s downtown?

Answer: Yes, but with the agreement and consultation with the locals. All interested parties should be able to add their thoughts on this and feel represented in the outcome.

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18. Should development of Brookswood be phased in?

Answer: Yes, but not with amendments, changes and variances to the neighborhood plans as each one is phased in. There should be strong wording and adherence so people can feel they trust what the community will look like.

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19. Should the Township set a deadline to finish widening 208th Street in Willoughby?

Answer: Yes, and stick to it.

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

Answer: Yes and there should be consultation on it with the community.