Langley Township Mayor Jack Froese announced Monday that he plans to seek a second term in the Nov. 15 municipal election.
“Over the past three years of my term, I have immensely enjoyed working with the residents of Langley as we continue to build a vibrant community to meet the needs of today and future generations.
“I’m very pleased with the progress council and I have made during this term.”
We have faced many challenges as we worked together with our community towards lasting solutions.
I look forward to working with council as we complete the last few months of this term and, if successful in the upcoming election, am excited to work with the newly-elected council.”
Froese said one of the major items council will have to deal with is neighbourhood and community plans. Council turned down a proposal to change the Brookswood/Fernridge Official Community Plan, in light of fierce opposition, and he says much more consultation with the community is required. The same applies to the Griffiths and Latimer neighourhood plans.
“We need to do a better job of consultation,” he said.
Another area he will be focusing on in the next term (which will be for four years, as the province has lengthened the terms of municipal officials) will be transportation. The Mayors’ Council has come up with a 30-year vision and a 10-year working plan, and there will be a referendum on funding options within the next year. Froese supports the vision of the plan, noting it calls for major improvements to transit in Langley, but he wants to see what the referendum question will be.
“It’s a good proposal — but how do we pay for it?”
He has concerns about the call for a regional carbon tax, and if that is part of the referendum question, may not be able to support it. Froese points out that there are other options for funding other than gas tax, and he is supportive of road pricing, which the mayors have endorsed in the longer term.
Froese said he also wants to continue working on getting a recreation centre in Aldergrove., Council is working towards providing a new centre on the former Aldergrove Elementary site, but needs to raise funds to pay for it, with some of that coming through land sales.
He said the school district and Township are working together well through a liaison committee, and will continue to speak about the need for additional schools in the Willoughby area.
Froese said council has shown it listens when people have concerns, citing the Glen Valley land sale which initially caused a furore, but ended with a portion of municipal land being declared a park, and another portion sold to Trinity Western University, and set aside as a conservation area.
He would like to continue to chair a council that is open to what the community has to say.