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Langley Record Acquired

Many months ago we reported negotiations between the Editorial Board of the Langley Record and an unnamed news organization to acquire us. We can now confirm that a deal was reached earlier this month for the Langley Record to be taken over. The official handover occurred last Friday and we will soon be providing a link to the new site. Stay tuned!

Time For A Full BC Law Society Investigation

The Law Society of BC
Annotated Professional Conduct Handbook CHAPTER 2 - INTEGRITY

Dishonourable conduct

1. A lawyer must not, in private life, extra-professional activities or professional practice, engage in dishonourable or questionable conduct that casts doubt on the lawyer's professional integrity or competence, or reflects adversely on the integrity of the legal profession or the administration of justice.

Last week it was suggested by Mayor Rick Green that the brown enveloped discussed in our previous post came to him anonymously in his mailbox. But after Green's press conference the regional media did some digging and found that this could be yet another false witness from Mayor Green. People named in the corporate documents know that a single person accessed those real estate documents, and that there are specific rules around how they are accessed.

Is Mayor Green misleading the citizens of the Township of Langley in an attempt to protect a campaign supporter and local real estate lawyer? We've been connecting those dots and something just doesn't add up when Green tried to whitewash this whole incident and place the blame solely on Township Council. How can we trust a man that has been proven to mislead lawyers and Council for about 10 months?

It is high time that the folks in the know expose this local lawyer and file a formal complaint with the Law Society of BC so that this individual is fully investigated. If wrongdoing is found to be true and he perpetrated this act to smear people in our community, then the book needs to be thrown at him.

It is high time that Mayor Green stop protecting his friends and starts telling us how he really came to receive the documents in question and what the purpose and intent was. It is high time to bring this lawyer to justice. We call on the Law Society of BC to investigate the matter now and not wait any longer.

Was Mayor Green's Brown Envelope Really Anonymous?

Examining the whole official release of information on the censuring of Mayor Rick Green, one wonders if Council may have ceased the investigation only to the point where censure was recommended, in order to save taxpayers the additional legal expenses. It's apparently that for many months the mayor frustrated the councillors and caused this issue to drag on in camera. Of course Green could later suggested that they wasted money on the legal bill. How convenient.

After Mayor Green's press conference, Cllr. Charlie Fox indicated that perhaps the mayor's receipt of the anonymous brown envelope wasn't so anonymous. Fox suggested that it may be profitable for the media to examine how the Corporate Share Registry data released by Green was officially obtained in the first instance.

The Vancouver Sun came close to the issue in this article that included an interview with Brownshak's sole Director, Mr. Joel Schacter, a Langley realtor and developer. The Vancouver Sun reports:

"Schacter, who has been involved with Brownshak on and off since 1983 and now uses it as a shell company for when he buys new properties, said the only person who has asked him in the last year for Brownshak's corporate records is an associate of the mayor's. He alleges Green dredged up the old, "non-story" for political gain"

"I'm quite disturbed. It's totally political gamesmanship going on. People were trying to embarrass people and I don't know why," Schacter said"

None of the main stream media have investigated this issue, further to identify who this "associate of the mayor's" really is. Connecting the dots a bit here, we all know there was a legal beagle who served prominently in Green's campaign. Interesting enough, this lawyer in fact practices real estate law. Maybe our local newspapers or the regional media as a whole should ask Mayor Rick Green flat out where he obtained the Corporate Share Registry documents. This answer may yield greater knowledge of the concerns that Township Council, and that may be way beyond what was released when they censured the mayor.

Joan Bech Resigns

BREAKING NEWS

At 10:00am this morning Langley School Board Chair Joan Bech resigned. Despite our previous post about her moving to the Sunshine Coast, Bech claims that some School Board Trustees asked her to resign. She states that although she didn't agree with them, she tendered her resignation so as to not make waves. Instead of stating the true reason, her move.

Was the Langley Record instrumental in getting Joan Bech or other Trustees to see the light? Only the insiders know.

One Langley Newspaper Understands The Green Saga

Word for word from Langley Advance Editor Bob Groeneveld, except for the document links he provided on his blog. He understands the issue well. Read all his posts here.

On a happier note, I was able to file a story from Mayor Green's surreal press conference at the Advance home page (click here), which includes last night's story about the censure, plus related council motions and resolutions.

And I spent much of the day speaking to outside news media, who seemed to think that I might have some special insights to help guide them through this incredibly convoluted story.

You can click here for the press release Mayor Green read out at the press conference. He makes it all seem so simple. But it's not. It doesn't look like there's anything factually wrong with it… but his interpretation of events doesn't perfectly match with the reality as interpreted by any other individuals in the known universe.

I have not included the "anonymous" letter or the Brownshak Developments Ltd. central securities register that the mayor included in his press packets. The allegations related to that information were nonsense 10 years ago, they're still nonsense today, and I will not be a party to promulgating them further.

Councillor Charlie Fox, who sat in the gallery with Coun. Grant Ward during the mayor's accounting of the events leading up to his censure, summed it all up nicely in a single word: credibility.

The Langley Times Finally Reports

The Langley Times has finally reported on Langley's biggest story of the past 24 hours here. The regional media has not bought into Green's claims. That same regional media is reporting the facts....Green misled Council and has been censured for his wrongdoing. Again, how could these men and women AND us citizens ever trust him?

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Right now we have the biggest news story in Langley - Mayor Green censured. It started at 6:00pm last night. The Advance ran the story front page almost immediate. The Times? Have a look. See what we have been saying all along? --Ed

Mayor Green Misled Council and Township Lawyers

Even More BREAKING NEWS

A shocking release late yesterday from the Township of Langley Council perhaps provides the proof as to why Township Council has been unable to work with this mayor and for good reason. Mayor Green apologized verbally and in writing to Council and Township lawyers for misleading them! Beforehand, Green was trying to accuse two innocent Township residents and a municipal employee of "improper or unlawful conduct".

This press release details that facts that include 1) Green misled Council in calling an Emergency Meeting of Council back on October 29, 2009 and then "The Mayor misrepresented his knowledge of the true facts and failed to disclose to Council true facts". Click on this press release here:

This was partly related to an anonymous letter that Green alleged supported allegations of improper or unlawful conduct on the part of two Township residents and a municipal employee. A claim that apparently has be judged unfounded by Council in affirming confidence in the employee.

Council has apparently been giving Mayor Green the benefit of due process by keeping these incidents in-camera for almost a year. We are told that at today's Special Meeting of Council men identified as lawyers had been seen rushing in and out of the meeting and bring Township Chief Administrative Office (CAO) Mark Bakken behind closed doors for at least 4 discussions. Council finally moved decisively to censure Mayor Green today and to remove him from committees. Here is the motion approved by Township Council with Mayor Green opposed. Click document to enlarge:

Mayor Green has called a press conference at the Township's Municipal Facility for 10:00am on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 to explain himself. This should be a very tall tail after all the apparent shenanigans over the past year. Now we see why Council could not work with this mayor and why Green tried at all cost to paint Council as the black hearts. A large crack in Green's armour has occurred and it will be interesting to see if he can now humble himself a bit and face the facts.

Note that this was not the "Council Six-Pack" leading the charge here, as Cllr. Kim Richter is the councillor that put forth the motion to censure and apply punishment.

HST REFERENDUM

MORE BREAKING NEWS

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that a Liberal-dominated legislative committee has voted today to hold a province-wide referendum to determine the fate of the anti-HST petition. The referendum will be held on September 24, 2011 and could cost as much as $30M.

Break News - Another School Board Fiasco?

BREAKING NEWS

Just a few days after news of this scathing Auditor's report on the Langley School financial situation and a stern rebuke for the School Board to work together, now a news flash.

Calls rang out loud in our newsroom and we have confirmed that School Board Chair Joan Bech has sold her property in Langley and is moving her family to the Sunshine Coast. That would be fine in and of itself, as it should prompt a resignation and by-election.

However, sources tell us that Beck will offer to step down as School Board Chair, but wishes to stay on as a regular Board Member and commute from the Sunshine Coast to Langley for the meetings. In all this mess, does Langley need an absentee School Board Chair? We think not. What about you?

Green Bullies His Way Onto UDI Agenda

As you compare the new announcement above to this old one we posted last week, you can see who was added. Yes, Mayor Green's bullying has paid off, they gave in an invited Green.

We have it on good authority within the development community that Rick Green called a senior executive within one of the largest development firms in our region and began the call by stating word to the effect that, several large hot pokers had been placed up his (Green's) backside. Our source says the mayor quite use such polite language in his call.

This very unprofessional exchange has made Mayor Green and the Township of Langley the laughing stock of the development world. Some opined it will be hard to look at him in council next time they are there on official business. Apparently Mayor Green will have no problem attending the event now (one to which he was never originally invited to) and speak as if there was never a problem. But, an overwhelming majority of the people attending this UDI event are aware of the call and subsequent invitation. The emperor will have no clothes on September 16th, but his gracious hosts will not let him know.

Taking this all in will be the real respected leader of the Langley's and that is Mayor Peter Fassbender. Mayor Fassbender is the man who enjoys great respect and admiration of his peers and constituents alike. He has the skills and speaking ability to run circles around Rick Green and perhaps that is why the rookie mayor despises Fassbender so much. You've seen it here folks, the bully has gotten his way once again!

What The Mainstream Media Missed About Bateman

OPINION

By now you've all seen the press regarding Langley Township Councillor Jordan Bateman and his blog post. It is the buzz of all the regional newspapers and media outlets and was the headline story for Global BC and several others. You can find the newspaper accounts here and here. We won't re-hash was transpired, but our Editorial Board has several points to draw from all the facts:

1. Bateman had the guts to speak his mind. For several years he has been accused of being a puppet for the BC Liberal government and Rich Coleman. Obviously he didn't call Coleman or anyone before his blog post and that should be recognized.
2. Bateman has been known to read all the reports and materials that come before Township Council. He has surprised more than his share of news reporters by knowing about material buried deep inside a long report. In this instance he took the press at their word and blogged comments based on them.
   
3. After reading the released documents and speaking directly with Finance Minister Colin Hansen, Bateman apologized to the finance minister for his call for Hansen's resignation.
4. Unlike the main stream media news accounts may suggest, Bateman did not "retract" everything he said. Bateman surely does not agree with the way the HST was rolled out and he did not sugar coat that fact.

As we pointed out here on this blog before, a certain mayor, when presented with facts (airport lease rates, impossibility of a 0-0-0 tax increase, non-viability of a land trust system, et al), always sticks to his guns to the end like a stubborn child.

Cllr. Jordan Bateman at least is man enough to apologize for the resignation comments that the facts (documents) didn't support. Bateman did the same shortly after taking his first term in office when he realized there was little fat to cut in the ToL budget.

Interesting to note that well-respected veteran Global political correspondent Keith Baldrey commented this evening that Jordan Bateman is not an "insignificant person". He also said Bateman's blog, Langleypolitics.com is well-read by lots of media types, including Keith Baldrey himself!

Bateman had the guts to speak out on the way the roll out of the HST happened. He was man enough to review the facts related to Hansen, HST foreknowledge and the resignation call and deal with it. You can say what you want, but Bateman was not being a "yes man" today. Our Board members have it on good sources that Bateman was not "ordered" to do anything. He did what he felt was the right thing to do based on the facts and clarification from Hansen.
We say Bravo to Jordan Bateman!

On The Job Sighting - Again

Another Rick Green "On The Job" photo appeared on the net. During the campaign and after the election Green was famous for fishing up old photographs of himself for the press and official Township photos of himself. If Green Isn't somewhere under the tractor, then he has managed to dig up a very old photo of himself this time around!

Mayor Rick Green Really On The Job?

UPDATE: SEPT. 1, 2010 @ 1:10PM: LANGLEY TIMES REPORTS JUST OVER 250 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE ALC MEETING. Guess we were being generous :)
This picture surfaced on the Internet with a caption that says Rick Green is on the job. Is this mayor really on the job sitting around in the back row of an empty room? Could this picture be any fuzzier? Great quality Rick!

Oh and a side note. With all this talk of Rick Green being "on the job", he'd better check out the UK meaning of this phrase.

Belly Flop - ALC Meeting

Last night the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) held a public meeting at the Langley Events Centre (LEC) to hear from residents on the proposed 64th & Mufford overpass. Several of our Board members attended and had varying degrees of reaction.

There was much rallying, emails, threats, and the promotion of this input session by the Farmland Defence League, the Fraser Valley Conservation Coalition, the NDP, Gateway 40 Citizens Network (which purports to represents more than 50 organizations, including labour, environmental, faith, academic and community organizations across the Lower Mainland). Despite all that, roughly 300 people attended this meeting, many of whom do not live in Langley. But they say this is a regional issue. Is this turnout significant? We don't believe so.

According to 2007 figures, some 2,524,113 people call the Lower Mainland home and is supposed to be the geographic area that all these groups claim to represent. Approximately 104,000 live in the Township of Langley and about 25,000 call the City of Langley their home. Additionally, many people attending last night's session were from even outside the Lower Mainland such as Vancouver Island.

The event was complete with the presence of that elected official from the Fraser Valley that purports to represent farmers and agricultural land singlehandedly. Township Council candidate Sonya Paterson was riding the wave, passing out cards with the names of those Township Councillors that voted in favour of the overpass.

One person close to this blog considered the meeting to be mostly respectful and commented that he/she was happy to see farmers from old farm families there. Another respected community leader attended and called the meeting the "Save Our Farmland Disney Episode". He/she said it was "totally negative" and commented that "with not one person with a viable option".

So, here are a couple of perspectives on the meeting. Our Board members point out that there wasn't much respect as some members of the public singled out 3 members of council for special whipping and that was not very respectful whatsoever.

We also hear that during the discussion someone was promoting a certain "corruption" blog that has been dormant for a very long time. It was run by a person in the community with an extensive and very violent criminal past. Interesting that that was being promoted and perhaps some people take that seriously?

Our overall evaluation of the meeting that it was a complete belly flop and Mayor Rick Green and council candidate Sonya Paterson had better count these numbers and pay attention. The backlash from the silent majority that support the overpass could be severe come the next election. Remember who was passing out those cards! Remember that ALR defender that has voted for more non-farm ALR exclusion applications than any other Township politician. 129,000 people live in Langley City and Langley Township. A total of about 300 people attended this meeting. 40 people spoke against the proposal. No point for those supporting the overpass to show up, as they weren't respected in the past. You do the math.

With friends Like Rick Green Agriculture Doesn't Need Enemies!

This Facebook page recently went up for Township Mayor Rick Green. It says that Mayor Rick Green is on the job and fighting to protect farmers and agriculture. Is Rick Green really a friend of farmers and agriculture? We say that with friends like Rick Green, Agriculture doesn't need any enemies.

Ask anyone in Delta about then Councillor Rick Green and they will tell you that his voting record and statements were far from the protection of agriculture and farming. Green had a track record all right and it would not a good one whatsoever for agriculture. So, has Rick Green gotten religion since moving to the Township of Langley and buying a small hobby farm where he keeps his horses? NO! Not at all!

Since taking office as mayor, Mayor Rick Green has voted for several Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) exclusions that were NOT agriculture related. In other words he voted to approve and send to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) several applications to exclude land from the ALR and these properties would NOT be used at all for agricultural purposes. Specifically:

1. Lands across from the Gloucester Industrial Estate
2. Lands in Aldergrove
3. Tuscan Farms
4. Land belonging to Green's campaign donors, the Omelaniecs

These are just a few of the ALR exclusions for non-farming purposes that we recall, Mayor Green recently voted to approve them. Understand that we are not judging the merits good or bad of the property owners or their applications. We just question the true nature of this "agricultural agenda" of Mayor Green. What is it exactly? All this voting was going on while he is supposed to be busy protecting farm lands on our behalf. Moreover, why hasn't our local media questioned Mayor Green's voting for all these non-farm exclusions?

Just this past week, Mr. Lee Lockwood of Aldergrove (a staunch supporter of Mayor Rick Green) filed this Letter to the Editor of the Langley Advance. In this letter Mr. Lockwood says:

"The only reason I can see the need for east/west connectivity is for the eventual development of the Salmon River Uplands, once GVRD water hits that area. This might prove the real economic “prize” for the developers, and this is a subtle way to get fast access built."

Doesn't Mr. Lockwood realize that if Mayor Rick Green's agenda was really to protect the Salmon River Uplands from development, then perhaps he would not have voted for Tuscan Farms, the Omelaniecs and perhaps even the water pipes? Doesn't the "J" Option that Mayor Green and Mr. Lockwood support include the crossing of salmon bearing streams as the "J" is created?

Clearly Mayor Rick Green is not for farmers or agriculture. Check out his voting record and ignore the rhetoric and his campaigns about "fighting" this or that. Mayor Green's voting record speaks volumes to the fact that once again he says one thing and votes another. Shame on those that will believe the rhetoric and ignore the facts.

Mayor Rick Green - More Proof of Our Regional Shame

Yet more proof that rookie Township Mayor Rick Green has shamed our lovely community in the eyes of the region. The Urban Development Institute (UDI) is holding a luncheon and Regional Mayor's Forum to discuss all the growth in Langley, Abbotsford and Coquitlam.

As you know, the Township of Langley has about 104,000 residents, while the City of Langley has only about 20-25,000 residents. Yet UDI, in its search for real mayors to speak at this forum decided to invite Mayor Peter Fassbender of the City of Langley to speak. This is yet another sign that even private industry are shying away from our raging bull mayor.

See for yourself right here folks in this UDI flyer announcing the event. Emails have circulated around the planet and Mayor Rick Green does not appear anywhere on it. This all despite the fact that the Township of Langley has over 3 times the growth of that of the City of Langley. As we have pointed out before, Mayor Peter Fassbender is a well-respected public official in ALL of Metro Vancouver. Mayor Rick Green can only dream of obtaining half of that respect.

One has to ask themselves why such a respected organization such as UDI would shun Mayor Rick Green. Examine the facts. Examine his record of not getting anything done since elected. Examine his methods of operation and all those "fight" announcement from him on the various issues. Examine his alienation from the various professional boards and commissions, MLAs and other orders of government. You could also point to the fact that unless Mayor Green is reading word-for-word from a pre-prepared statement, the man is NOT a very good public speaker, while Fassbender waxes eloquent EVERY time, no mater what the topic.

Now can you understand why Mayor Peter Fassbender was selected over Green to represent Langley in a professional manner? Stay tuned for more news on this story. Late today our Editorial Board got a news flash from our friends in the development community. Apparently Mayor Green was VERY enraged by this event flyer and some phone lines were burnt in the process. More news to follow soon.

Rick Green Wasting Taxpayers Dollars on This Blog

The Long Arm of The Law

Perhaps Mayor Green doesn't know it, but through our tracking systems we can tell when a major company, ISP or law firm accesses our site. This tracking information tells us when the firm visited, how they came to us (search engine, direct, etc.), what web pages they read and how long they stayed on the site.

We have now confirmed that once again Bull Housser & Tupper LLC, the law firm representing the Township of Langley, has accessed our website. This is now the ninth (9th) time that Bull Housser & Tupper has perused the site. Each of the nine visits directly followed our posting of an article that was unfavourable to Mayor Rick Green. The mayor really has a BIG problem with us exposing the truth!

Bull Housser & Tupper LLC (BHT) is a very good law firm. As they work for municipal governments, they are not a cheap firm to engage. Check out that website with the leather furniture and prime offices hanging sky high above Vancouver. The firm bill out to the Township at hundreds of dollars per hour for a little look at this website and the resulting report to the municipal official that ordered the legal opinion. With nine BHT visits to our site just this year, Mayor Green is foolishly wasting our tax dollars to chase this blog. In our opinion the mayor should really get himself some thicker skin and stop wasting our tax dollars.

Our investigation shows further that Mayor Green has wasted far more tax dollars for legal opinions than that of his predecessor, former Mayor Kurt Alberts. Just how much money has Green's insecurity, thin skin and easily bruised ego cost us taxpayers? Mr. Mayor - Thicken your skin and stop wasting our hard earned tax dollars. The Township lawyers are not your private consigliere. They are for official Township business to consult on matters of special interest and protection of our residents rights. All of these legal fees are coming from budgets that you Mayor Green have never voted to approve in the 2+ years you have been in office.

Mayor Green, if you are so tender and delicate then you don't belong in politics. You can't bully ever news editor around like you do to one particular local editor that you have in your pocket.

It is high time that Mayor Rick Green grows up and stops the folly of chasing an anonymous blog!

Green Still Doesn't Get It

Mayor Green is still a rookie mayor, but since taking office in December of 2008 he is yet to learn what the job entails and how to be an effective leader. Unlike councillors, mayors take an oath to uphold the "Will of Council". Several times, Mayor Green has blatantly ignored the will of council and forged ahead with his own agenda. A classic example of this was the Mufford Overpass.

Green dragged council through the mud and forced them to vote on the issue twice. Despite the overpass receiving majority approval, Green refused to vote for the usual funding allocations for it during the budget process and continued to rally the ALC and others. Green said he was doing so as I "private citizen", just as he has done several times. But each time his correspondence has made it clear that he is writing as mayor.

Now within the past week, Mayor Green has once again clobbered people over the head. People that he should be diplomatic with in order to work with them. The ALC did something highly unusual by agreeing to meet with Mufford area farmers on the overpass application. The ALC is not required to meet with the public, but they did. The Commission also decided to hold a public open house on the Mufford Overpass in late August. They notified stakeholders and took out advertising in local newspapers well in advance.

Many public bodies such as Metro Vancouver and TransLink hold public input sessions over the summer months. But Mayor Green feels these meetings should be scheduled when he feels they should. Green sent this very unprofessional e-mail to the ALC (clearly as Mayor of the Township). An e-mail that has now been circulated around the planet by a VERY left-leaning loose cannon. Here is what Green said to Tony Pellett, Registered Planner for the ALC:

Tony: I am in total disbelief of the notice I just received from your office regarding the scheduling of a public information / input meeting for Monday August 30^th 7:00pm – 9:30pm regarding the Mufford / 64^th Overpass proposal. This project has been under consideration and in limbo for the past 18 months and in 1 month during the summer we have now received the notice of two meetings, one for direct land owners and farmers (just held during their busiest time of year) and the second for the public during the last week of the summer (many people taking advantage of their last week of summer holidays), and “we wonder why people are skeptical of decisions made by government or their agencies”? I must send my strongest opposition to the timing of this proposed meeting. IF, due to holidays by staff at the ALC, I am asking for it to be rescheduled for later in September.

Please advise at your earliest convenience.

Rick Green

Mayor

Langley Township

Again, Mayor Green is keenly aware of the Will of Council on this issue. This is just one of MANY examples why this council does not feel they can trust Mayor Rick Green. Regardless of whether you are for or against the Mufford Overpass, the mayor has been given very clear responsibilities by the Community Charter and the oath he has taken. Yet he continues to act out as a raging bull.

The Two Faces of Mayor Rick Green

Since Mayor Rick Green took office, he has NEVER voted to approve a budget that among other things, would fund our Township Fire Department. In fact, shortly after taking office Mayor Green realized that significant tax dollars go to fund police and fire services, or "Protective Services".

Green commenced putting pressure on several department heads to make cost-cutting recommendations. One of the department heads who faced heat and pressure from Green was Township Fire Chief Doug Wade. Wade did as requested and presented what could be done to reduce the fire budget and that was to put off the planned full-time hall in Walnut Grove. This at the same time the Golden Ears Bridge was about to open. But Wade only did as directed and that was to detail what COULD be done. A majority of Council voted to fund the fire hall.

The following budget year under the same pressure, Wade again complied with other recommendations. Mayor Green would tell you as he did in the campaign that his son-in-law is a firefighter elsewhere and that he fully supports the Township Fire Department. But in Council through budget votes and demands, his actions have spoken louder than his rhetoric.

Then there was the 2009 Canada Day celebrations where Mayor Green got frustrated from a lack of parking available to him. Green ordered a Township Firefighter to remove his official fire vehicle so that he could park his personal vehicle at the site. All with a total lack of concern for public safety.

Not long ago Mayor Green ran into some firefighters who were on duty. They were purchasing food for the meals they are entitled to eat while on duty and the fire apparatus was parked outside as they made a quick stop. Mayor Green quickly made a call to a fire official asking why the fire truck and these fire fighters were at the market. The response was that they are allowed to eat their dinners.

Now comes word through this Langley Advance article and a similar article in the Langley Times that last week's brush fire was a little too close for comfort for Mayor Green and his acreage.

Another resident grateful to the firefighters is Township Mayor Rick Green.

"That was a couple of hundred yards from my place," the mayor said. He was considering trying to evacuate his five horses and other livestock before the fire was brought under control.

"This has been my worst nightmare," Green said. He examined the extent of the damage from the two fires on Sunday and was amazed at how much land had been scorched. "The fire department did an outstanding job," Green said.

Now we don't wish fire on anyone and that certainly would include Mayor Rick Green. But this love-hate relationship of Green with the Township firefighters is odd at best. Will Mayor Green's gratefulness cause him to finally approve a budget to pay for the fire department next time around? Green's relationship with the fire department is as dysfunctional as his relationship with our two Langley MLA's.

You can't have it both ways Mayor Green. Either you show leadership by supporting and paying for these vital services with your budget vote, or you step aside because of some very weak leadership. Which will it be? Fire is everyone's "worst nightmare" Mayor Green. This is why we fund a fire department and proper equipment.

The Priviledged?

The phone lines of our Editorial Board was abuzz the past few days with news of yet another insight into Mayor Rick Green's ego. We first tried to ignore this one, as we did not want it to be seen as just some personal attack on Rick Green. We often beat out the mainstream press on the story, if they report these things at all. But, Langley Advance Editor Bob Groeneveld was significantly offended with Mayor Green at this past week's BC Summer Games, that he wrote what we had received a ton of calls about:

"Because the food service was running behind, we were herded into reasonably comfortable quarters at Christian Life Assembly, where we cooled our heels for about 45 minutes, and then were ushered into the now-rapidly-dwindling line of kids — who had been waiting that same amount of time, but out in the hot sun.

Then an amazing thing happened. Instead of waiting in line, His Worship Mayor Rick Green managed to wangle a spot ahead of the last batch of kids.

We ”VIPs” were all invited to join him ahead of the kids. All but a very few declined. I was NOT going to eat while those kids – most of whom had come great distances to experience Langley’s hospitality — continued to wait for their supper. In the end, when we got our food, after the kids had had theirs, I found (and others concurred) that it was worth the wait.

I wonder if Green and the handful of bigshots who joined him — while some of the kids were still waiting to be fed — enjoyed their meals as much as we did.

Just wondering, that’s all. Since it’s really supposed to be all about the kids, that is."

-- Bob Groeneveld

The BC Summer Games are all about the kids. Groeneveld and many others in our community understood that clearly. Apparently Mayor Rick Green did not. Back in April of this year we reported on the Township's Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Mayor Green was co-MC with a very well spoken high school gal. At one point during the program this young girl apparently started speaking a paragraph that was meant to be read by Mayor Green. It was nothing noteworthy or earth shattering, but Mayor Green quickly started to speak and boom loudly over this poor your girl. In shock, this young girl stepped back from the microphone and gasped. The audience of several hundred people did much the same and looked at each other in amazement.

These events give clear insight into the mindset and ego of Mayor Rick Green. We are extremely pleased that the mainstream media is starting to catch on. Apparently Green and his buddies feel a sense of "entitlement" and this entitlement allows them to trample on our youth if required. Are they insignificant in comparison to His Worship? Apparently Editor Bob Groeneveld is wondering the very same thing.

A Case For Privacy - What Do You Think?

Our Editorial Board received this article written by The Hon. Tony Clement, Federal Industry Minister. We tend to agree with Clement. Like telemarketers, selling our personal information to marketing firms only invades the privacy of Canadians. We've all either received a long form or had friends that have. Stats Can is very aggressive with people that ignore the first notice and basically they FORCE Canadians to answer very personal questions over the phone with them under threat of law. In our opinion it is high time with policy CEASE. We wonder how you feel? Please post your comments.

Do you believe that the government should be asking you what time you leave for work in the morning? Whether your house needs renovations? Or how many bedrooms you have?

What if you discovered that the federal government requires Canadians to divulge this private information under the threat of fines or jail time, only to turn around and sell it to marketing firms looking to sell you their products?

Until recently, this was the case in Canada.

Every five years the federal government conducts a national census. It is made up of two parts — the short-form and the long-form. The short-form census is a mandatory eight-question survey. It is sent to all Canadians and asks questions such as date of birth, gender, marital status and mother tongue.

The long-form census is a 47-question survey sent to 20 per cent of households. It asks a number of personal and intrusive questions such as the number of bedrooms in your house, and the size of your utility bill.

Until last month, completion of the long-form census was mandatory. Canadians who refused to fill it out risked prosecution. During the last census the long-form portion was sent to approximately 2.5 million households. More than 160,000 Canadian refused to fill it out, a five-fold increase over 1981. More than sixty of those who refused were referred by the government for prosecution.

There are some people, including the leader of the Liberal party, Michael Ignatieff, who believe that Canadians should be forced to divulge intimate, private details about their personal lives to the federal government. We disagree. We believe Canadians should be free to choose whether they share the private details of their lives with federal government. Acting on this belief, the government recently announced that the long-form version of the 2011 Census will be voluntary.

Canadians will still be required to complete the standard short-form census that provides basic, necessary information that every government needs. The only substantive change is that the long-form will now be voluntary. Statistics Canada will continue to conduct and oversee the census process. And its employees will maintain the same rigorous methods and standards used for all of its surveys.

We believe this new approach strikes a fair and reasonable balance between ensuring the federal government has the basic information every government requires, and protecting the privacy of Canadian citizens.

Another Credibility Issue For Mayor Rick Green

In a July 5, 2010 meeting of Township Council, Mayor Rick Green was asked by councillors how he would be voting at the Metro Vancouver Board regarding the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. Green stated that there would be a final Metro Vancouver public hearing on the plan on July 14, 2010. Mayor Green stated that after this meeting he would have enough information to vote at Metro.

The Metro Vancouver public hearing did in fact take place this past Wednesday, July 14, 2010. The meeting was well-attended and we hear those attending this meeting actually exceeded capacity of the Metro boardroom.

We received several reports and have now confirmed that Mayor Rick Green was not present at this very important meeting. The Township of Langley had no official representative sitting at the table for this public hearing and Cllr. Grant Ward was seen in the audience. But where was Mayor Green??

Once again Mayor Green makes statements in open Council (and now on webcast) pontificating about "serious issues" and the numerous "questions" he has about various proposals such as this Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. But as with this one, Green fails to attend the important meeting that he claimed would help him decided and vote. How can anyone take this mayor at face value?

The Editorial Board of the Langley Record does hope that someone on Township Council will note this inconsistency and take the mayor to task. It was irresponsible of him to miss this meeting, especially after his pontification at the council table.

Credibility Lacking?

Recently some Metro Vancouver issues have caught the attention of Township Council. Mayor Rick Green is the Township's Metro Vancouver representative for the five votes the Township has at the Metro table. Therefore, Council must query Green as to how he anticipates he will vote on these very important Metro issues.

First there was the expansion proposal for the U-Pass (see article here). Presently only students at UBC and SFU are allowed to purchase the $30 transit pass that allowed them unlimited transit for the month. Metro's proposal is to expand the pass to cover all post-secondary institutions. When Council asked Green how he would vote on the U-Pass, Green indicated he would need to receive his Metro agenda packet and information before he could decide. After some discussion Green then stated that Council could pass a motion to instruct the mayor how to vote (which they did). As you can see from the article, Green's credibility came into question as the discussion with Council progressed.

The next Metro issue is the Waste to Energy proposal that is before Metro. Again Mayor Green was questioned as to how he would vote at the Metro table. At the July 5, 2010 Council meeting Green stated once again that there were issues of concern and he did not have enough information to vote on the issue and was awaiting more details from the July 14th Metro meeting.


One again we must also question Green's credibility, as this article was published on Straight.com on July 8th (just 3 days after the Council meeting) where Green states he was inclined to vote against the Waste to Energy proposal. The article says Green put forth his intentions in a "recent interview". So, did he give this interview before or after the July 5th meeting of council? It appears that the information coming forward today July 14th is immaterial.

Two issues and two times this mayor suddenly comes to a realization as to how he will vote. Isn't that interesting.....

They Had Him Surrounded

We received word this morning from those in the know that after the 7:00PM Township of Langley Council meeting on July 5th, Mayor Green and two Township Councillors violated the Public Hearing Bylaw by engaging in conversations with Fort Langley residents. It was a clear Bylaw violation, as Council had 3 nights of public hearings that ended before Canada Day.

Mayor and Council was not to receive any more input or information on Park Lane's Bedford Landing development, but Mayor Green invited a large group discussion in the foyer just after the Council meeting by opponents to the plan. Mayor Green also previously violated the Public Hearing Notice Bylaw by sending letters to all residents of Fort Langley. He blatantly spoke about it in his Mayor's Report as if it was something to take pride in. But he doesn't understand the implications of his actions and the fact that unlike the Bylaw Notification that the developer pays for, his actions caused costs to be incurred by ALL Township taxpayers, as the extra notices are not billable to the developer. All paid for from a budget that Mayor Green did not vote for.

Previous to this second meeting in the foyer, Council voted (Richter opposed) to refer the matter to staff and asked that they examine things in detail and report back to council in September. Thinking this was like a Mayor's Drop-In Forum, Green engaged the crowd expecting to win favour, failing to advise the public that had gathered about the Bylaw. Green was seen exchanging contact details with at least one resident so that the Bylaw could be violated once again no doubt!

We hope that Park Lane takes notice of this second violation of the Bylaw and the addition of two councillors that violated the Bylaw with the mayor. Perhaps Park Lane can now pursue legal action against these folks? Both councillors are long-time members of council and should have known better! It was also amazing to see Councillor Kim Richter do another BIG flip-flop by now supporting the Interfor plan that she once voted against. You know what they say....politics makes strange bedfellows.

Unlike the Mayor's Forum, we are told that this crowd turned on the mayor as he tried to squirm his way around the issues. They obviously had not picked up on his biased advances during this process (like the first Notification Bylaw violation). This meeting in the foyer lasted longer than the regular meeting of council we are told. Maybe Mayor Green will learn that you can't turn everything into a political game? Probably not, he's bad at learning lessons.

Will Park Lane now take legal action for the bias process this was? After all, mayor and some members of council did clearly stack the deck against Park Lane. If you skirt Bylaws then indemnification should not follow you and these council members should be forced to pay their own legal expenses as Park Lane gets some justice here.

More importantly, this sends a clear message to the development community. This Mayor is NOT in favour of economic development in the Township of Langley. Mayor Green will use developers or anyone else to further his political ambitions and if you want a fair process, better go see Mayor Watts in Surrey. Under Mayor Rick Green the Township will take your development and change the goal posts in mid-stream if they see a political advantage. Developers, take note!

An Unappreciated Mentor

Once again, Mayor Peter Fassbender (at the Langley Canada Day Celebrations' Official Ceremony at McLeod Athletic Park), revealed the expected and proper etiquette of a mayor by acknowledging his Council Members by name in his address at this ceremony. This was in stark contrast to that of his neighbour, Township of Langley Mayor Rick Green who used Canada Day to make a political statement and jab by saying that there are still "issues" in the ToL. No mention of the Township Council Members present, as it is all about him (Rick Green).

Mayor Fassbender at least mentioned the members of his City Council that included Councillors Rudy Storteboom and Rosemary Wallace, who had taken the time to attend this neighbouring community's annual Canada Day event. Fass.bender truly is an unappreciated mentor by Mayor Rick Green

While Mayor Rick Green was on his own turf at the McLeod Athletic Park (MAC) which is located in the Township of Langley, Green once again failed (inadvertently or deliberately) in his address to the hometown crowd, to mention by name any of his own Councillors who were present for this very special and important community building occasion. The Langley Canada Day celebration was founded and chaired five years by one of Green's own Council members, Councillor Grant Ward. Ward has been a ten year member of the Langley Canada Day Celebrations Society. He was also instrumental in acquiring major sustainable funding for this important annual community event after he was elected to Township Council. Shame on Rick Green for not understanding the history of our community and its people. Shame on Mayor Green for using Canada Day to further his political ambitions by stating that the Township still has "issues".

It is very interesting to note that Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender has been asked to MC the Canada Day event three times on this Township turf (McLeod Park). A production and Flash Mob for the home crowd was performed by the Township's very own Maria Martini's "Keep the Pride Alive" volunteers and was filmed for later upload to the website, so keep watching.

The important question has to be asked is, 'Why was Mayor Green not asked to be MC instead of Mayor Fassbender?" After all, this production was being filmed and performed in the Township and not the City of Langley. Could it be that this community has figured out the true character of Mayor Rick Green? Is this community now concerned with the "issues" brought on by this larger than life ego? Mayor Rick Green has three very fatal flaws....

1. In his mind he never makes any mistakes
2. When confronted with inconsistencies, bully and blame others (staff, Council, etc.)
   
3. Never admit to any mistakes

Keep watching Mayor Rick Green and these "issues" as time goes on. You will be enlightened.

Finally - A Current Photo

We were shocked and in disbelief when we saw this current photo of Mayor Rick Green (in the Langley Times no less) not looking too happy after a grilling on his expenses that we reported on here earlier.

No one that we spoke with believes that the Township just doles out cheques without approvals and all 15 of the people that voted here believe that Mayor Green had to know about this money. It is very interesting to see that each time Mayor Green is confronted by facts, he chooses to blame staff and tries to shift the responsibility to them.

Remember This One?

Mayor's Drop-In Forum Advertising - Green claims he circled only the title wanted it larger, but this is not what was circled. Green blames staff for the size, saying he had no input into the design or authorizing it, despite his initials and a quote from him.

Or How About:

Letters Sent With Council Member Names On Letterhead - When questioned by Cllrs. Fox and Richter about letters sent to various government departments without Council approval, Mayor Green tried to place the blame on Township Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mark Bakken.

Or Better Yet:

Secret Meetings of Mayor's Committee On Finance - 25 firefighters and members of the press and community turned up for a meeting of the Finance Committee. Mayor Green claimed that this was a "workshop of the committee" and staff had approved of this form of meeting that did not get advertised as per Township Bylaw.

It is NO secret that Mayor Rick Green blames his ineffectiveness as a mayor on Council, the CAO, municipal staff, or anyone but himself. It seems that he is not responsible for anything and the problem is with anyone other than him! Can it be that despite not being able to get along with Council, staff, other mayors and community leaders, the problem is not Rick Green?

Mayor Green is actively campaigning to have the public vote this current Council out and elect his slate of candidates that he started to build within a week of the last election. Township voters better not get suckered into this ploy, as one must examine who really is responsible for all this mess. Examine the facts and see for yourself. Even The Langley Times may be starting to get it.

Public Input - Continuing The Discussion

This week Editor Bob Groeneveld of The Langley Advance published this Opinion piece. He makes it clear that even if all the seats of the Municipal Facility are fully for a public hearing, those 160 - 200 seats are still but a fraction of the now 104,000 people that call Langley Township home.

If council's final decision agrees with those numbers, the "winners" will applaud the triumph of democracy - and the "losers" will point out that a simple head-count at a public hearing is meaningless, in the final analysis, because even well-attended hearings, like the one concerning much of Fort Langley over the past two weeks, attracts only a small minority of the total population of the area affected.

At the end of the day, the rule of municipal democracy still comes down to the council table, and the weight that council members put on the votes they need to get re-elected, the contributions they'll need for their next election campaign, and - if democracy really, truly is working well - the facts of the issue, as they pertain to the greater good of the entire community.

-- Bob Groeneveld

We highlighted "entire community" because this is what we see is lacking in the current process and the politicking of a few council members (including Mayor Green). Instead of relying on the facts and greater good of the entire community, Green and company use this group of vocal residents to solidify their political futures. Or so they think...

The 208th Street Open House attracted approximately 750 people and that included many who do not live anywhere near 208th Street. Then look at how many people came out from Walnut Grove as compared with Willoughby. Are these numbers as substantial as The Langley Times (or Green Times) made them out to be?

Most new developments on 208th have added 1,000 - 1,500 people per development. If we took five developments along 208th alone, that would conservatively be 5,000 residents. Is 750 out of 5,000 and overwhelming response? Enough people for council to throw away all plans and leave things as they are? How many people live in Fort Langley? 91 people spoke for or against and that includes many repeat speakers (people who spoke more than once). Why wasn't it reported that a substantial group of silent and respectable people wore "Support The Plan" stickers in support of Parklane?

Good on Groeneveld for being well-balanced, rational and accurate. Now if more rational people in the community look at facts and operate from them (in place of emotions), Langley will be a better place for it.

Is Rick Green Worth The Expense?

Council recently released the annual report of mayor and council expenses in the Township. We have remained silent, but some serious questions need to be investigated and answered. Primarily the controversy centers around Mayor Rick Green's expenses.

Kurt Alberts was on a self-imposed salary of roughly $40K and donated all his automatic salary increases. I had said $58K at one time and was corrected. Rick Green makes $93K per year and with his Metro Vancouver pay he is at $120K ++ I was able to locate expenses for Former Mayor Kurt Alberts for 2007. Here is the comparison:

Former Mayor Kurt Alberts 2007 Expenses = $ 2,419

Mayor Rick Green's 2008 Expenses = $ 12,620

Why do you suppose that for the same work and meetings, Mayor Rick Green has managed to spend 10 times more than Former Mayor Kurt Alberts? How does that happen? We watched the webcast of the Special Meeting of Council on Monday and when questioned by Council members, Green stated that he received the money "automatically". He claims to have not had to submit receipts or sign anything for the expenses. He stressed this 4 times during the discussion, cutting Council members off to do so.

The Langley Record is investigating this claim, but so far Green's statements do not add up. We checked with several municipal experts and thus far, all say that Mayor Green would have to sign to approve these expenses. It is routine and a required municipal accounting practice and process. Stay tuned. If the local newspapers don't do their homework, we will do a Freedom of Information Request to get you the facts.

What do you think about this 10 fold increase in the mayor's expenses, despite Mayor Green getting a salary more than 5 times that of his predecessor and getting 1/3 of that tax free by statute?

Wisdom On Public Input Sessions

As one of the Editorial Board members, I had an opportunity this week to meet with someone I consider to be a very wise and practical man. For many years he has quietly served our Township in a volunteer capacity and with little recognition. He has no special interests, and is TRULY only concerned with our community. He has been distressed at our state of affairs and the fact that our community pride has been tarnished with the current political climate.

At one point during our conversations we talked about public open houses and public input sessions. We agreed that public input is necessary and good for our community. But it seems that our current system is flawed in a BIG way. Lately some political leaders are using "public input" as a divisive tool that seeks nothing but to advance their political agendas. The results of these sessions create an "us and them" mentality in the minds of the participants. Even though the groups that turn out represent a minuscule fraction of the real population of a neighbourhood or the ToL as a whole, these people feel they are the majority. This has intimidated many residents that may have opposing views and has resulted in the non-militant people quietly listening to these groups and not speaking publicly. After all, what's the point when it is clear that a couple of politicians are against you and are pandering to the crowd.

This wise man that I know and trust made a very good point. He has observed many of these public processes as have I and has come to roughly the same conclusions. Many of the people that attend do so out of an emotional drive because of some proposed development that will impact their immediate area. They do not read the staff reports or details of the issue and claim to have no time to do so. They rely on their neighbours to provide "the facts" over the fence. Before attending the public input session, they are determined to defeat this development at all cost and believe that Township staff and some politicians have tried to "push this through" or in some way conspired to make their lives miserable.

At the public sessions they bite a donut and drink the coffee. Some may take a cursory look at the story boards, but most would rather give staff hell, ask questions and then not allow staff to answer. But, the bite of the donut and a sip of coffee has suddenly made them "experts" on the issue and they know far more than the engineers and planners. They appear at the council meeting where some politicians smile and glow.

The meeting begins with the sideshow kicking into high gear. Pandering to the crowd now takes priority over any real and meaningful care for our community. Despite the fact that mayor and council are meant to speak with each other during the meeting, that is scrapped in favour of public speeches and the putting down of other councillors that oppose them. The crowd goes wild and cheerful political smiles abound. The Grand Finale is a passionate opposition vote for the subject at hand. Major pandering to the crowd, vocal opposition to those councillors in favour of the issue, etc. Is this community better for all this? You be the judge.

How Not To Obtain Public Input

Opinion

When the Township of Langley lost former Mayor Kurt Alberts, in the opinion of our Editorial Board, we lost a significant piece of what is Langley. Under Mayor Alberts everyone was treated with respect and everyone's voice was heard. People weren't always content with the outcome of the council vote, but most felt their opinions mattered and were taken into account. Of course there will always be the fringe of malcontents that even Mother Theresa could not please, but for the most part community pride and unity was evident.

Public input sessions and open houses are now being used by some Township politicians as a clear device to stir citizen anger, distrust and ultimately community disunity. Neighbour is suddenly against neighbour. People are allowed to act out in the public hearings that are an extension of council. Like a sideshow, the Chair (Mayor Rick Green) allows applause and booing. Disrespectful people are allowed to heckle Township Councillors openly. As the Chair despises these men, he allows this. Anyone wishing to speak against what the pack wants, must now think twice if they wish to speak publicly. After all, who wants to be publicly humiliated when the mayor and some council members condone this behaviour?

Although 160-175 people show up for these Public Hearings, like elections these numbers are far from the majority of Township residents that now number over 100,000. It is VERY clear that the Township of Langley desperately needs a return to civility and tolerance. It is mandatory that Public Hearings not be used to further the political ambitions of a couple and be divisive tools that will divide our community for the long-term.

Public input and involvement is critical to a municipal government. We elect officials to provide governance and direction to staff. We entrust these men and women with decision-making authority. Yet with far too many decisions to call a public hearing on everything, we need to be reasonable people. We need to express our opinion while respecting our neighbours. We need to inform and encourage those around us to make proper decisions, but we must do so without threats and disrespectful intolerance.

The Township of Langley is in desperate need of a new system of public input that draws the majority of residents into the mix and allows for a more complete public input process. The Township of Langley needs leadership that is not divisive and self-serving.

Rick Green Spends Money That Is Not His

The Township of Langley has Bylaws that guide how our government operates. Bylaws make things fair for all and seek to serve all equally. On Monday, June 14th Township Council will have a Public Hearing night and one of the subjects will be the final phase of Bedford Landing in Fort Langley.

In accordance with the Township Bylaw, staff mail notices to households within a stated area of the proposed development along with advertising in the local newspapers and a sign on the proposed site. All who are affected thereby receive legal notice of the meeting and can attend the Public Hearing.

The Public Hearing notification Bylaw more importantly establishes cost recovery for these mailed notices and such. The Township processes the mailing and then bills the developer for the costs of said notification.

About a week ago, Mayor Rick Green short-circuited the Public Hearing Bylaw and ordered a letter that was drafted by him to be distributed to all Fort Langley residents. Because the mayor's notification was outside the Bylaw, all Township taxpayers are now stuck with the bill for the mayor's letter. Are all Township residents happy to fund Mayor Green's re-election campaign? More importantly, now that the Bylaw has apparently been violated, will this now mean that the Township will have to notify all residents of all affected communities moving forward and in order to be fair to all? How much is this going to cost us taxpayers?

Mayor Rick Green did not vote for the budget in 2009 and also in 2010. How is it that he is allowed to circumvent the Bylaw and cause ToL taxpayers to incur these expenses? All Township residents should be outraged by this flagrant abuse of power.

Interesting Statistics

We thought we would switch gears for a minute and look at a provincial issue - taxation. The anti-HST people are geared up and ready for a fight. They speak as if the NDP is our savior. Here are some interesting Tax Facts comparing taxation today vs. the NDP yester-year:

Your Provincial Income Taxes

Under the NDP in 1996 vs. Today

Example B.C. Household	Taxes in 1996	Taxes Today	Savings
Two Income Family of Four - $90,000 Income	$6,935	$3,195	$3,740
Two Income Family of Four - $60,000 Income	$3,290	$1,320	$1,970
Two Income Family of Four - $30,000 Income	$1,284	$0	$1,284
Unattached Individual - $25,000 Income	$1,402	$376	$1,026
Unattached Individual - $80,000 Income	$8,881	$4,080	$4,801
Senior Couple, Equal Pensions - $30,000 Income	$718	$0	$718

Small Business Income Tax Reductions

Your local neighbourhood small businesses are the driving force behind B.C.'s economy. In fact, small businesses account for nearly 98 per cent of all businesses in British Columbia - which is why the BC Liberals targeted tax reduction to ensure they can reach their full potential.

Example Neighbourhood Business	Taxes in 1996	Taxes Today	Savings
Neighbourhood Pizzeria - $200,000 income	$18,000	$5,000	$13,000
Independent Pet Store - $400,000 income	$51,000	$10,000	$41,000
Local Produce Store - $750,000 income	$108,750	$38,750	$70,000

And More Than 120 Additional Tax Decreases

Since taking office in 2001, the BC Liberals made over 120 tax cuts, helping B.C. thrive during good times, and weather bad economic times better than almost any other jurisdiction in the western world.

Our other tax cuts and tax credits include:

• New Northern and Rural Homeowner Benefit
• Enhanced Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) Program
• New Low Income Climate Action Tax Credit
• Eliminated Corporate Capital Tax
• Enhanced BC Mining Flow-Through Share Tax Credit
• Enhanced Small Business Venture Capital Tax Credit

Battle For Your Mind

This week there were more messages sent to you through the local newspapers to get you to believe that a whole bunch of people are wrong and only one certain local mayor is right. Just as we presented to you in this article and others, a re-election campaign was announced two months ago and a letter writing campaign have never ceased since the election. The latest smokescreen are presented here.

1. This usual trash talk against Township Council by Big Greenie, Robert Moats. A man that is never happy and sees it his duty to complain about everything. Notice the tone, personal insults and condescending arrogance of a man relegated to writing chain letters for his hero. Yes, that same old "victim" that we hear so much about. The world is wrong and his man is right. Go figure. You might find Moats on the Green Slate that is being organized as we speak. They may try to hide the names, or they may just publicly bring it all out of the closet. But they do prefer to operate in secret and assume that the electorate are fools. The arrogance that someone as unskilled as Mayor Green is supposed to boss around and tell engineers and other well-qualified professionals "what to do"? This guy doesn't realize that it is staff holding the boat together and they have no personal interest in the outcomes of decisions. Get a life and stop breathing the wrong end of those horses doctor.
2. Next up is this gem from a City of Langley resident that is always trying to tell the Township what to do. Riddled with inaccurate statements and once again a Greenie Weenie at work. See the trend yet? See that mayor "victim"?
3. Several Fill Site letters (yes, another "fight" issue for his troops) were published again this week by The Langley Times of course. Hell, Bucholtz could just fire all the reporters and simply publish letters from the Greenie Weenies. He may as well, as we have evidence that on several occasions The Times had to re-print online articles and editorials, editing upcoming print editions after a call from the mayor's office.
   

Greenie Weenie Issues to Watch:

• Fill Sites
• Aquifers
• Salmon River Uplands
  
• 208th Street
• Bedford Landing
• Mufford/64th Overpass
• Fill in the blank of anything where a group of people rise up to challenge. Forget the facts, as for this mayor, facts just get in the way of a good story and more support for the campaign already announced. Stay tuned for more issues!

What the local rags won't tell you is that many of this week's letter writers DO NOT live in Fort Langley. Also, the guy who bitches the loudest about the Salmon River Uplands is one of the few people that were allowed to develop and live in that area and now he wants to prevent everyone else from doing anything up there. Go figure!

Rick For Ruler?

Several interesting bits in today's news and of note to Township residents. Our Editorial Board was working late to verify all the facts. These news stories only serve to validate our last posting about Mayor Rick Green's behind-the-scenes and out-front publicity campaign and his ability to attach himself to Township resident concerns without providing any concrete solutions.

First is Green's Letter Writing organization and their ability to get this silly letter published in The Times (where else?). Are you in favour of throwing the Community Charter out and allowing the mayor to become your Dictator or Ruler? Interesting that Candidate Green suggested that former Mayor Kurt Alberts had a stronghold on power in the Township, but Green's supporters now suggest that we give Green ultimate rule. Again this letter writer suggests that 8 Council members are all wrong and Green is the victim. See the theme? See these letters? Most people including the Township Council simply ignore them now. But hey, it keeps Times Editor Frank Bucholtz employed in between taking jabs at politicians family members.

Next we have another Rick Green "Fight" article about the 208th Major Road Network and Truck Route. Green is on your side folks and he has been listening and will VOTE AGAINST IT FOR YOU. But why did Green allow this to become a political issue? Cllr. Mel Kositsky, Steve Ferguson, Kim Richter and others took the high road to provide a compromise solutions that if approved by TransLink would be a Win-Win for all. It's because Mayor Green simply wants attention, attachments to issues and a fan club. He is incapable of providing intelligent solutions as witnessed with 208th Street and many other issues before Council.

Today Mayor Green was guest on CBC Radio's "On The Coast" radio show. The topic of discussion? 208th Street. Mayor Green spouted off about not wanting a truck route and suggested on this show that the developers will bear the costs of upgrading 208th Street. Green had better read the Community Charter and provincial laws before suggesting that Developer Cost Charges (DCC's) will pay for this costly endeavor.

Besides the costly upgrading of the 208th and Highway 1 overpass ($up to $30M?), land must be secured along 208th for lane widening. Despite popular belief, developments along 208th that provided dedications are not adequate for the upgrading. This project could cost well over $100M when completed. Green simply doesn't get this.

The CBC Radio host did and Green was grilled about the costs of upgrades and who would pay. As per his usual, Green spouted off some vague, bull-confident statements about no truck and getting road upgrades despite that. Nothing in the way of concrete plans or intelligent recommendations.

Read the last post here and you will see the pattern emerging. Rick Green is simply not mayor material and the man is scratching to get his head around the real issues apart from politicking and running a campaign. It is high time that this mayor cease trying to paint himself as the victim (that's like beating a dead horse now) and get on with putting forth smart solutions to the Township's growing complexity and issues. Stop the politicking and get on with doing what you were elected to do Mayor Rick Green. Stop blaming everyone else for your inadequacies and failures. And they are many.

Issues Without Solutions

Langley politics is a strange mix of good and evil. Manipulation is at ever turn and lately residents seem to feel a conspiracy exists at every turn. Why are so many of our residents negative and angry?

Attend any public session or delegation to Township Council and one will hear the accusations and innuendos. As one recent blog commentator suggested, much of the talk is directed at Township staff and is very disrespectful. People tend to think they know more than the well-qualified engineers and true experts. Why is that?

Former Township Mayor Kurt Alberts had a slogan... "Working Together". Mr. Alberts did nothing short of that when he opened communications with the federal and provincial governments. He lived out "Working Together" when citizens contacted him about concerns. There was respectful discussions and sometimes respectful disagreements. Not everyone may have left Mayor Alberts office 100% satisfied, but they were shown respect and most returned that respect. At the Council table, Mayor Alberts showed that spirit of Working Together with his fellow councillors. One, two or more might have disagreed with Alberts on one issue or another, but there was much mutual respect across the table. Cllr. Kim Richter disagreed often with Alberts, but Mayor Alberts treated Richter with respect at all times. It was all a part of his Working Together philosophy.

Mayor Rick Green on the other hand talks often about "fighting" other orders of government and others. He has managed to set a precedent for disrespecting staff at every turn. During the Mufford Overpass debates, Green routinely questioned staff's integrity and expertise of several members of Township staff. It was obvious after his first two months in office that Green would not be Working Together with anyone other than insiders with vested interests.

One particular local newspaper editor gives lip service to peace, harmony and cooperation. Yet he helped get this "fighter" elected! Now how hypocritical was that? And now that Mayor Green's true colours are out, this local editor continues to polish the brass knob in an attempt to make it look better and more appealing.

Our Township community is now more divided than it ever was. Extremely qualified staff are abused with accusations and loud arguments. Staff did not sign up for combat duty and these are fine people with impeccable qualifications. Working Together has sadly given way to Every Man for Himself. For his part, Mayor Green continues to gather with groups opposed to something. People that have some issue in the Township. He strokes their egos and puts down the expert data to win their trust.

Green very manipulatively never brings about any intelligent solutions that could resolve these people's problems. Though he has access to all the expert reports, and within them many times contain room for good compromise solutions. Certainly never any MIDDLE GROUND is offered by Mayor Green. He simply vows to "fight" and then allows the fallout to hit fellow councillors and staff.

Much of Council have to "wear" Green's shrapnel. Wise Township residents see that its all fodder for the next election. One which Green has already announced his candidacy for. Green's pals in the media can't help but invoke his name and write stories about the big bad Township Council members who just can't work with this mayor. They gush with praises for this rookie mayor that has managed to alienate all but a few. The fact that Mayor Rick Green cannot get along with Cllrs. Ferguson, Fox, Kositsky, Long, Bateman, Richter and Ward should clue these media types and others in on a fatal flaw here. Can all these councillors be big and bad? When all of them at one time or another Worked Together with former Mayor Alberts for the good of our community, one has to question what Mayor Green is doing behind the scenes.

Our fellow Township residents should really examine this pattern of political maneuvering by Mayor Rick Green. Watch the media comments. Watch the public meetings that turn into a circus sideshow because he can't chair a meeting. Listen to the soundbites. Watch him appear in the driveways of those with issues. Listen for any hint of wise solutions that should come from someone holding the office of the mayor. You certainly won't find any intelligent middle ground coming from this mayor who wishes to FIGHT everyone. You will find strife, division and and personality conflicts that come from a divisive agenda that is the hallmark of Mayor Green's administration. An agenda that was clearly evident during his campaign with an issue here and another issue there.

It's very interesting that the day after the election, Mayor-Elect Rick Green removed his website from the Internet, including all of the sound bites and promises. Cllrs. Richter and Bateman have maintained their websites on a consistent basis. Their promises and statements are there for all to see. Yet if you go to this link of Green's campaign website, you will not be able to connect. It simply vanished from the face of the internet the very next day after Rick Green was elected Mayor of the Township of Langley. Now why is that?