Talk of the Town

Talk of the Township of Langley this week included more overt attempts by the media to shape public opinon. First a local editor controlled by the slate focused his laser on people the slate love to hate as he covered the campaign financial disclosures. Instead of praising their honesty, he singled them out....no surprise. What was shocking was this man's inability to resist dragging an older pillar of our community into the whole campaign donation discussions. What was his motive for this? Clearly it was to discredit this person. Shameful.

Next, a Vancouver-based princess complained that that bootlickers were required to be dispatched from her centre of the universe media palace, because the ToL requires people to appear in person to review the campaign financial data. A commendable smart data security feature that requires people who wish to view the data to sign a register. Apparently the princess objected to having to work for her story.

Again the editor of the Langley Mimes could not resist another opportunity to take a cheap shot at slate opposition councillors, so his Friday edition included another round of campaign finance attacks that now included some inuendos about the ALC and a former mayor. The silliness reached a zenith when a long 1997 development story was weaved, only to find that the candidate receiving the money wasn't even on council in 1997! What was his point with all this nonsense?  Again, discredit people and drive public opinion against them. The slate was left untouched and even praised by Friday. One member of the slate insinuated that donations were not solicited. Well, we have proof that people were contacted and a run for mayor was seriously entertained by this person who failed in the attempt to raise the booty.  

Our Editorial Board has been talking to many members of our community this week (as always) and we can tell you that a certain editor and his newspaper may suffer greatly for their partisan press tactics. It is now very apparent that the South Asian community is VERY upset that in the campaign finance reporting,  they feel their developers have been singled out. Also, some big advertisers are reconsidering their budgets to this particular rag and changes may be afoot. If this editor and his paper continues down this trail, we may see him and his newspaper online next to the Langley Record, imagine that!  

The True Costs of Public Engagement

The Editorial Board of the Langley Record had to chuckle at the latest musings of Fred the Horny Toad. This guy is ranting and raving over a professional poll that was commissioned by the Township to query the community on the Mufford/64th Avenue Overpass. A whole $9,500!

Rick Green and Kim Richter have just cost the Township of Langley a whole lot more. First, they got their Standing Committee on Finance to conduct a witch hunt that wasted many hours of staff overtime. All for nothing. No evidence of wrongdoing, bad financial practices, etc. were uncovered. Worse yet, no one will tell the public how much this 9 week witch hunt cost the taxpayers in staff time and overtime. How much was that Rick and Kim? 

Next, despite public engagement in 2004 & 2005 on the overpass, as well as ALC documented receipts of input from the local community as outlined in a memo, Rick Green and Kim Richter once again squandered taxpayers dollars to hold two open houses and a public input session with council. Next, the mayor vowed to bring this all back up again in the next council meeting of 23 March so that the slate's NDP buddy can grandstand to the love fest, along with the usual cast of unhappy Green-Richter Slate supporters. 

Pre-event work, advertising, story boards, hall rental, staff time and more. How much did all that cost the taxpayers of the Township of Langley? Mayor Green and Councillor Richter need to fess up and tell us very clearly how much that financial witch hunt and the extra public engagements cost us, and they need to do so now. 

As for the two open house events, they were hi-jacked by VALTAC and therefore the ToL should be charging all those costs back to VALTAC and the Green-Richter slate insiders that it benefitted. The general public was squeezed out of this process because of the hijacking. VALTAC and the malcontents should be made to pay for these expenses.  We are all for democracy, but we are not in support of programs benefitting only friends and insiders. The motley crew live in the mayor's office many times per week and the slate is clearly trying their best to manipulate this overpass outcome. All for the benefit of friends and insiders. 

The local publicists are silent and you won't read it anywhere else folks. In fact, they are trying their best to shut us down and silence democracy with idle threats of investigations, law suits, wrongful accusations of libel and slander and a host of other very dirty tricks. But this is the way that slate operates. It's OK to attack Ferguson, Ward, Fox, Bateman and others, just don't reveal the truth about their slate members and bootlickers, as that is pushing the democratic process. How hypocritical!  But what else would one expect from NDP supporters and loving sympathizers? 

Vancouver Sun Reporter Latest Publicist For Green-Richter Slate

Earlier this week we identified the local publicist for the Green-Richter Slate. Today, the Vancouver Sun's Daphne Bramham step forward again. This reporter has previously been known to write glowing articles about Councillor Kim Richter. Then another Green-Richter slate candidate that lost received another publicity piece from this same Sun reporter.

Earlier this year following the same slate loser's RCMP complaint, The Langley Record provided documents to the RCMP that clearly showed this losing candidate used a BC Society for political purposes (also known as an "Elector Organization"). Although Daphne Bramham, Matthew Claxton and Al Irwin were copied on the message and received the document, no reporters followed up on this part of the story.

It is very clear that Daphne Bramham is not interested in all sides of her stories. She simply jumps to requests from the Gren-Richter slate. Remember this when you read The Vancouver Sun and most especially any articles from Daphne Bramham. Maybe NDP roots run deep, eh?

P.S.
Did you catch the local Langley Mimes rag?

The local slate publicist wrote much of the campaign financing articles and made sure he injected a few good jabs to folks like Dan Sheel. Did you read the cheap shot about Dan putting $4 into his campaign? I guess in the publicist's opinion, candidates can't open bank accounts! Then there is all the talk about who got money from whom. But you notice that there was no mention of Richter and very little about Green. Imagine that? The other slate loser was also left out of much of the conversations. This is now the Green-Richter Slate Happy Rag. We think we would rather read the realtor ads than their version of local journalism.

Fudgit Budgets

We have been looking into the candidate filings on expenses and we have heard some interesting testimony concerning what is behind all the numbers. A certain candidate used another slate member as the printer for this candidate's handbills. Hence the printing work was done for far less than market rates. Now this candidate is busy assailing others for spending soo much. Just imagine!

Next, we have another candidate who declared around $12K in campaign expenses. The problem here is that a large prop was used extensively during this particular unsuccessful campaign, and it appears that it was not disclosed. We were told by an elder of the community in the known that this prop cost the candidate some $15K. So, a losing $27K campaign was written up as just $12K. We will be checking to see if an addendum is filed. If not, the authorities and CRA will be alerted. All from the same slate and all attacking certain other candidates. Imagine that.

Reason 488 Why Kim Richter Cannot Be Mayor of Langley Township

Kim Richter was only able to raise $3,968 to launch a campaign for Township Council. There were no informative mailings to the residents and very little details about her platform, except for a poor quality handbill.

We never see what Kim Richter considers to be her "accomplishments" while on Township Council all these years. Could it be that she has only accomplished providing an opposing vote and many, many motions that go without a seconder?

Kim believes the $3,968 is something to be proud of. But during the election she called out beyond the borders of the ToL frantically trying to collect $20K to make a run for mayor. Now her and Editor Ogre lash out at people that had been able to raise much more than Kim Richter had.

We think she needs to fire the campaign manager and get a professional if she intends to try and walk in a certain female's shoes and eventually get a library named after her. The Kim Richter Memorial Bookmobile or something.

Ogre Alert - Editor Ogre Lies

Ogre Sighted Near ToL Municipal Facility

*** 8:00pm Update *** See Below
Just a short while ago one of our reporters spotted a librarian bun entering the Township facility with a hunch-backed ogre following very close behind. The ogre had the look of a kid heading into a candy store, no doubt to view the reports on campaign financing.

Of course the ogre will very soon be typing his little heart out. Is it anyone's guess that the object of the crass comments will be aimed squarely at Councillor Jordan Bateman? Of course Bateman will be the focus of his silliness, as the ogre cannot comprehend the financing of a professional campaign that engages people who usually don't get out to vote and udually go unreached.

The ogre is not very skilled in basic math nor the use of Excel, as his numbers today just don't add up to the facts. You can double-check his pack of lies with The Langley Times numbers that were reported by Editor Frank Bucholts himself. Perhaps a certain politico took good care of yet another pal? Maybe the ogre should stick to videography? But then again if you are just zooming in and making poor quality videos, you can't be a very good liar now, can you?

*** Update ***
Anatomy of a Liar

From Editor Ogre:


From The Langley Times:
We rest our case. Editor Ogre is a big liar. The deception from Cllr. Richter deserves an apology to Cllr. Jordan Bateman pronto. The ogre has done it again, showing that Councillor Kim Richter and her website cannot be trusted to report the facts. The ogre is once again a HUGE political liability for the Green/Richter slate. This is why the ogre must accuse others of deception, as he is the real liar, but in total denial!

An Open Letter to Fred M***

We will not tolerate the reports of libel, slander, etc. and all the other garbage that has come from the real "dark side", most often directly from a particular "editor" on behalf of his politico spouse. 

To Fred M. (the real "Horny Toad" of Glen Valley) we stand 100% behind our Co-Op story and we take exception to anyone slandering and making libelous statements against one of our special editors. If anyone wishes to file their legal claims now, please do so. Bring it on! We welcome it, as we have had someone on retainer for some time now documenting items that are very interesting. We have done so because we know some politicos and their boot lickers like to make idle threats constantly and not do their homework here in Langley. That is why they were sued in 2001.  They should just act and not flap the jaw. Get on with it, or just be silent silly side show.  

Fred (Mr. Horny Toad) posted his own brand of snake oil and venom constantly on this blog day and night. Then his masters jerked his tight leash and he had to hang it up. We obliged Mr. HT by answering his numerous questions and gibberish. We are very pleased to see him go, as it frees up all kinds of time for our editors to do what we intended to do with this blog in the first place, and that is research. We research events and issues in the Township and post the results here. 

We provide another side of the story that people weren't getting in the past. As for people who comment, we know many of them. The are smart and decent folks and we respect them. We allow the malcontents to post on the other site with their cohorts, as they find comfort and therapy there. Birds of a feather and all that. Get a crowd of them together and you will find every sour puss in the ToL - one big frown! The group should really become the "happy meds" crowd along with their leader, the unemployed Pied Piper with tripod. 

Caught in the Cross Hairs

It has come to our attention that the Otter Co-op was caught in the cross hairs this past weekend and it has made many members quite uneasy and unhappy. As some of you who shopped there this past Saturday/Sunday will know, there was a presence of commonly known boo birds and local pseudo want-to-be politicians (and politicians including Cllr. Richter), who strong-armed unsuspecting shoppers in to signing a petition or letter to the ALC regarding the Mufford overpass proposal.

Upon investigation, this intrepid reporter found out that initially the General Manager of the Co-op denied the group from having the tables outside and following through with the information and signing. Apparently feeling the denial was based on the fact that the Co-op, a very community minded organization, felt this was too politically charged of an issue and they wanted nothing to do with it.

This was a very smart move on their part except, that an unnamed female and male (who were front and centre at the tables) phoned several Co-op Board members and complained that they were being denied and if they were no allowed to do so, they would picket the Co-op on public property along 248^th St.. Feeling the pinch, the Co-Op Board overruled the General Manager and allowed the two day love fest/ signing to go forward.

This can only be viewed as corporate blackmail. Is this not bullying of the highest magnitude? These folks are all working in a clandestine way for the Green slate camp. So, Green and Richter must know of, and support, their activities evidencing and confirming a typical Green/Richter tactic….if I don’t get my way I will threaten or bully until I do.

This is a disgusting example of how the Green slate camp works and a true embarrassment for the Co-op Board and Management who now have to regroup and hopefully this week deal with the situation so next weekend shoppers can truly go to the Co-op and enjoy the shopping experience without having to feel harassed and uncomfortable.

It is of note that there are at least five members of Council who are members of the Co-op, Green, Richter, Fox, Dornan and Ferguson. Three supported the overpass and two voted against it. I wonder if the opposing view will have equal access to the Co-op shoppers next weekend?

This mayor simply doesn’t know how to lead. He is like a little boy in the sand box. If he doesn’t get HIS WAY, he throws sand in to the other boys face. He can’t compromise or work to consensus, nor does he have any desire to. I guess the question one asks is if the vote to reconsider fails, what will be his next tactic, hopefully it won’t involve bullying another business like his troops did with the Co-op that up until now has been a community leader! These Green-Richter strong arm tactics will do nothing but tear our community apart. It is very apparent that in the pursuit of taking good care of friends and insiders, the slate just does not care about the overall good of our community.

-- By Special Editor # 2

Overpass Opponents Are Few

The Editorial Board of the Langley Record has been busy checking facts related to the various local blogs and what people were searching for to get to them.

It is interesting that the average Langley resident has not searched any words on Google or Yahoo related to the overpass, in order to find their way to these local sites. We will keep confidential the other findings (and our sources), so here are the top searches that brought people to the Langley Record over the past 5 days. There were more, but here are the top ones:

Google Top 20:

Yahoo - There were 20 people that used it over the past 5 days to get to us:

VALTAC
In other news, VALTAC has now become a political organization, despite a recent public presentation where spokesman Peter Holt said they were truly independent and non-partisan and they have expelled their political member. Take a look at these statements. Not very political, eh?

A few friends of the Record have opined that perhaps VALTAC's main mission was the Mufford overpass, and not passenger rail and transportation. This past week, even Sonya Paterson went at VALTAC for not speaking about passenger rail in the area. Of course Paterson is wrong with an assumption that passenger rail is now not possible according to the engineers that have studied the subject. But the point here is that VALTAC has departed from passenger rail and is now a political group that is very focused on the Mufford Overpass.