In the Langleys and across B.C., mayors and councillors will be up for election on Monday, Oct. 20, 2018.
But with almost a year until the vote, Langley has already seen the start of some campaigning and major announcements.
In Langley City, Mayor Ted Schaffer has said he will retire and will not seek re-election next year.
In the Township of Langley, Councillor Kim Richter announced in November that she plans to run for the position of mayor in 2018. Sitting Mayor Jack Froese said he plans to run for re-election, which means the mayoral race has unofficially begun.
We asked all the other City and Township councillors to respond to two questions:
• Have you decided whether or not to run again?
• Is it too early to be discussing the next civic election?
Below are the responses we received from a number of City and Township councillors:
Langley Township:
• Coun. Petrina Arnason: “The short answer is yes, I definitely intend to run in the 2018 election.”
• Coun. Charlie Fox: No definitive decision. “I expect to know by February what my plans are.”
• Coun. Bob Long: “There is still a lot of work ahead for councils before the next election, so the key is for sitting members to continue to focus on good decision making regardless of their plans beyond 2018,” Long said. “For myself, It’s an honour and privilege to serve on Township of Langley council and I look forward to seeking another term next October.”
• Coun. Angie Quaale: “Can we just get through Christmas before we change our focus to the election?”
• Coun. Blair Whitmarsh: “It does seem quite early to be talking about the 2018 election. I don’t remember being it an important story 10 months before the 2014 election. Does there seem to be a lot of interest at this early stage?”
Langley City:
• Coun. Paul Albrecht: “I do plan on running in the next year’s election. That said I haven’t really put too much thought into it yet as my focus has been on the holiday season.”
• Coun. Jack Arnold: “I usually decide by Labour Day Weekend. With the election being earlier this time, I plan to let you know around the middle of August.”
• Coun. Nathan Pachal: “I will not be making an decision until the new year.”
• Coun. Rudy Storteboom: “I won’t be deciding about whether or not to run again until well into the New Year.”
• Coun. Val van den Broek: “I’ll be running again for council but definitely not for the mayors position. I don’t think it’s too early to start discussing as it’s less than a year away.”