Ted Schaffer announced Friday that he wants to turn the title “acting mayor” into the real thing.
Schaffer, who has served for 21 years on Langley City council, was named acting mayor by council after former mayor Peter Fassbender was elected to the provincial legislature in May, 2013. Fassbender did not formally resign until January, in order to dispense with a byelection.
Schaffer believes he has the dedication and experience to work effectively for the citizens and the community, making the City of Langley “the place to be.”
“As a long-time Langley City council member and resident, I believe in fostering growth and prosperity while preserving our sense of community.
“The most important issues I see facing our City in the next four years are managing expectations. We need to balance the need to retain competitive taxation levels with enhanced public safety, enhancing the quality of life in our community, and infrastructure renewal.”
His focus on keeping Langley City a thriving, safe community includes encouraging business growth in the downtown core and working with the RCMP to allocate sufficient resources to such programs as undercover operations and bike patrols.
Schaffer recognizes that crime issues are important to residents and business owners. The City has hired two reserve RCMP officers, who have full police powers, to patrol the downtown area, on varied shifts. City bylaw enforcement staff also now work evenings and weekends, and just recently, the RCMP canine unit has begun training exercises in the city, both to sniff out drug caches and to add to the police presence.
The City also has security cameras up at McBurney Plaza, Innes Corners and Douglas Park. It is negotiating with TransLink about installing a security camera at the Logan Avenue bus stop.
“We want to look at crime and policing in a sensible manner,” he said.
He also wants to have a full range of community resources for youth and seniors, including commitment to the Langley Seniors Resource Centre, the new Timms Community Centreº, and ensuring available, affordable sports and recreation opportunities.
He said he will work collaboratively with other levels of government, social agencies and the community to deal with issues such as the troubled and the homeless, and ensuring the environment and green space receive the proper stewardship he feels they deserve. The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation has an ambitious but practical transportation vision for the future for which he also plans to work on.
He and his wife Jean have lived in Langley City for 34 years, and have two daughters and four grandchildren.
He is a past member and director of the Rotary Club of Langley, former representative to the Langley Senior Resource Centre, representative to the Lower Mainland Treaty Association, and former president, coach and umpire of the Langley Girls Softball Association. He is a director on the board of the Fraser Valley Regional Library, a member of the Metro Vancouver Transportation Committee, a member of the Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Committee, and serves on the Mayors’ Council on Transportation.