An Open Letter to Kathleen Stephany

*** Update *** 

Council Agenda and documents posted tomorrow

Check out the fire post below for an update

Recently, Langley NDP candidate Kathleen Stephany has made several YouTube videos talking about crime and rail service in the Valley. We have now reviewed the statements by Ms. Stephany on this and other subjects and we are puzzled.

1. Langley MLA's Rich Coleman and Mary Polak both supported more police and more prosecutors and we got them and are getting more. The BC Liberals delivered on that promise in short order. With that in mind, how many more police and how many prosecutors will BC need to satisfy her needs, and allow her to walk the streets of Langley once again? Please tell us how many and how much that will cost in hard dollars please.

2. It seems that the official NDP platform does not address rail in the Valley whatsoever. Are you telling us that you will go against official NDP policy and move to immediately build train service throughout the Fraser Valley and out to Vancouver as the group that you protested with advocates? Please tell us clearly if you will move against official NDP policy and also let us know when we can expect the trains to operate (assuming you are elected), and also how much in hard dollars that train service will cost the taxpayers of BC.

We look forward to receiving feedback from Ms. Stephany and also from the Valley's NDP spokesperson as to their position on candidates and official platforms.

Pot Calls The Kettle....

After all these years of Kim & Bob Richter bashing ToL Councillor Jordan Bateman for his support of the BC Liberal Party, once again they do exactly what they accuse others of doing. 

Everyone is well aware of the fact that Kim Richter ran with Glen Clark's BC NDP's and always comes back around to supporting her treasured NDP friends. This provincial campaign is no exception, as Kim Richter's website started pre-election with full video coverage of Langley NDP candidate Kathleen Stephany's delegation to Township Council. An event that Stephany termed as "non-political". Stephany used this "non-political" (wink) event to grandstand against the BC Liberals and all that jazz. We'll leave it at that, as we hear the NDP camp fully knows they will loose Langley and would rather fund law suits than campaigns.  

Stephany and the Browns Pitt group all remained silent (and refrained from any letters to editors and blog posts) after the provincial government, with significant Rich Coleman advocacy, reviewed the ecological impact of using the old gravel pit. As Transportation Minister Falcon promised,  the Liberals decided to preserve the pit and not risk impact to the aquifer. Thanks Rich, its a thankless job sometimes, especially with fair weather constituents, eh?

The full press court is now viable on the Richter website with video after video of the NDP candidate and events. A loyal Richter insider held his meet & greet for the NDP candidate as well, this past weekend. Interesting that we don't see the photos or videos of Richter shmoozing with the NDP candidate as of yet.  But rest assured as evident with the website work, Richter is right there to lend her support.

Of course its fine for council members to support whichever party they wish. By why bash Bateman and others, and be a hypocrite about it all? This is an old Richter game and it just goes on and on. Her vocal (few) supporters don't see any problems with it, just as long as it is Richter and not Bateman. Wink. Wink.

So folks, The Langley Record is your ONLY independent blog in Langley Township... just kidding. We all know that MLA Rich Coleman and Mary Polak are the best darn MLA's and Ministers that Langley has ever seen and we don't intend to let them stand alone after all their hard work for this community. Certainly no rookie with twisted ethics, nor any candidate-for-hire could come anywhere close to filling the shoes of Rich and Mary. 

Keep BC Strong.  Keep loudmouth opposition politicians at bay. The NDP likes to order off the extensive provincial menus to and just like their local Political Whip, they always seem to skip out on that darn bill.    

Langley Township Fire Department

*** UPDATE *** Saturday, April 18, 2009 - ToL 2008 Fire Report Released

This Monday Township Council Receives this 2008 Fire Department Report for Fire Chief Doug Wade. The report contains a wealth of information related to our fire/first responders service to the community. 

Report Highlights:

• Call Volumes were up by 25% over 2007
• They met their commitment to respond within 8 minutes 90% of the time to areas served by fulltime firefighters.
• At the end of 2008 there were 132 paid-call firefighters and 51 career personnel
• In 2008 paid-call firefighters continued to provide the majority of emergency response to Fort Langley, Walnut Grove, Murrayville, Brookswood and Otter. Traditionally there has been a turnover rate of 10-15% within the paid-call ranks.
• In 2008 Emergency Response was a major focus of department operations with nearly 56% of calls related to medical and/or motor vehicle accidents. 
• Fire calls increased slightly from 2007. 
• Overall, the department responded to 5,083 requests for assistance in 2008, a 25% increase since 2007 and a 53% increase since 2006. 
• In the past 5 years since 2004, call volumes have increased 68%

Two Interesting Charts From This 2008 Report:

  

From Previous Post:

FIRST RESPONDERS NOT ONLY TO FIRES - As you can see from our last post, there are many opinions offered on our fire department program. In an effort to allow for more public input, we are putting up this post for all your fire department comments. 

Please be respectful in your comments and those you may disagree with. Please try to stick to facts and not speculation or rumor. We would also like to comment that although some fire fighters may have offered their personal (off-duty) time to posting some candidate signage, we see no evidence of any fire apparatus or on-duty personnel being used for this task. Unless you have pictures and evidence to prove otherwise, please refrain from any speculation.

Now with these ground rules in place, please post your comments on our fire service in the Township of Langley. Also, it would be great to hear from some full-time fire chiefs (or retired chiefs) on these issues. Commenters may want to list any qualifications they may have in this field. Post away!

Watch Those Closed Door Municipal Meetings

Recently, the Township of Langley held several closed-door meetings for the Mayor's Standing Committee on Finance. Mayor Rick Green spoke to the Bylaw/Terms of Reference that created the committee and although the Bylaw talked about all meetings being opened to the public, Green invoked a Community Charter section to substantiate the closed door meetings. 

Unlike Council that must disclose in a public meeting the broad item headings discussed (Land, Legal or Labour), the Finance Committee never did this in any public meeting thereafter. The mayor flip-flopped by calling these meetings workshops and meetings interchangeably. But we cannot be certain if ANY closed door meetings by this committee were in fact legal. The Green-Richter slate talked extensively during their campaigns about open and transparent government. These back alley meetings are not very open and transparent, are they?

Now word out of Seattle (great Seattle Times article here) is that municipalities had better be VERY careful about closed door meetings in the future. Seattle is facing a $43M shortfall in this year's budget and the mayor's office decided they should have a closed meeting with mayor and council to discuss how to deal with it. They planned to skirt quorum rules (that would then require an open public meeting) by limiting council participants to four at any one time.

"City Attorney Tom Carr said he sent an e-mail to the City Council on Friday morning. Citing attorney-client confidentiality, he declined to share the contents of his e-mail. However, the day before, he told The Seattle Times he had concerns that the meetings might violate state law.

Carr said Friday that he didn't know why council members decided to stop the private meetings, adding, "It might have been your article. It does show their commitment to try to adhere to both the letter and the spirit of the law," he said.

The state's Open Public Meetings Act requires that meetings of public governing bodies be open. The law applies to their votes — and discussions and deliberations leading up to votes.

The mayor's office and the city council defended the meetings this week, saying it was important to them to be able to speak privately about budget decisions out of the public eye."

                    -- The Seattle Times

You can read more damage control from Seattle here. Maybe we need an "Open Government group" in the Township of Langley? Perhaps the Green-Richter slate should come clean as to what was discussed at their secret budget meetings and how their proposed .93% tax increase is nothing less than acting irresponsibly with their fiduciary responsibilities to the Township of Langley and the taxpayers? 

The Green-Richter Slate Is Irresponsible

Talk on the street from the everyday Township citizen is that Mayor Rick Green and Councillor Kim Richter have been deemed by informed residents to be irresponsible. 

A Witch Hunt commenced at the direction of the Green-Richter slate. This Witch Hunt was named the Mayor's Standing Committee on Finance. Mayor Green ruled as Chair of this committee, with Cllr. Richter being appointed as Vice Chair by the mayor (sort of a King and Queen of the finance ball). 

After 10 weeks of work, this Finance Committee (with questionable qualifications) proposed nothing concrete that one could immediately implement to drastically impact the budget, taxes, nor produce any significant savings. The report is an absolute joke to anyone with prior business and budgeting experience. Any finance professional would be ashamed to put their name to it, especially when the conclusions don't align with the spreadsheets. We've checked with some reputable accountants that said they would never put their names to such political nonsense. 

Both Green and Richter have very clear fiduciary responsibilities to all the residents of the Township of Langley. Both have ignored the needs of the municipality, in favour of political posturing and rhetoric. Kim Richter has never voted to approve any Township budget, so it is no surprise that she would reject this one and cast the finger of blame squarely at her council colleagues. This is the same Kim Richter that spoke on council inauguration night about working together with these same colleagues. 

Shame on you Rick Green and Kim Richter for your reckless and irresponsible behaviour in council. As the picture well states, no single rain drop believes it is to blame for the flood. But your rhetoric is catching up with you and the lies are being dispelled weekly. Council did not abdicate their fiduciary responsibilities nor their concern for the long-term viability of this Township. Shame-shame on you two for being irresponsible with our finances.  

The Green Richter-Slate Can't Fool All of The People All of The Time

By Special Features Editor Reed Fraser

It was a bad week for the credibility of Township council’s minority of two, the Green-Richter team, and it started with 3rd reading of the 2009 budget, which contains a five per cent tax hike, with no speakers coming to the microphone at the 4 p.m. council meeting, one of the last opportunities for the public to complain about a tax hike that adds about $65 a year to the average homeowners tax bill.

An at the 7 p.m. session, only one person answered the call for submissions, a man who wondered whether or not a $50,000 ceramic tile item was listed in the right place under recreation. Not exactly the shit-fire storm Richter-Green would have had us all believe would blow up over this budget. But Green launched into his now familiar diatribe about the hard work of his self-appointed “standing committee on finance” three civilians one at least of whom helped run his election campaign.

Green praised the work of this threesome -- one of whom went off on vacation and submitted his ideas via email – as if their hard eight weeks on a steep learning curve required that the duly elected majority on council were obliged to adopt their rather mediocre ideas which included a less than one per cent tax hike, borrowing money from sewer and water funds to prop up general revenue, axing a hybrid vehicle program upon which Township carbon credits rely; and cutting almost $1 million from Township computer maintenance. No mention of the grant money the ToL got for hybrids and can continue to get to pay for the hybrid additions. No mention of Mayor Green himself heard boasting about the fuel performance and saving of his privately-owned hybrid. I guess he'd rather save money personally and not see the Township save anything?

Green seems to rely on the premise that if you say something often enough people will believe it, and both he and Richter have at least convinced themselves that staff raises, a new and expanding full-time fire force, extra police, recreation playing field maintenance and a myriad of other spirally costs can be met with the 0.93 tax hike. Other councilors weren’t buying it, and pointed out that such drastic cuts will gut all capital expenditure, put the Township into a $770,000 deficit in 2010, and run that figure up to $6.4 million by the end of the Five Year Financial Plan. Residents clearly want these services and are willing to pay for them.

Next, airport manager George Miller introduced David Kirk, a professional aviation industry appraiser, who told council lease rates at Langley Airport are very competitive with community airports around the province, and that if the airport starts charging rates to other industrial lands, no one will be using this airport. That ‘s another blow to the credibility of Richter and Green, who campaigned on issues that included airport lease rates being just 25 per cent of market rates. See the full presentation here.

And council released from in-camera a legal opinion obtained four years ago, which says the Township doesn’t have a leg to stand on in an argument, based on a 100 year old Inter Urban rail right of way bylaw, to make the railroad cease or reduce Roberts Bank freight through downtown Langley. Another Green position, that the trains can be rerouted, but the other members of council and senior staff just haven’t been trying hard enough for the past four or five years, shot to tatters. Read the full legal opinion here.

And in a final humiliation, what Green said during the election was one of the worst violations of private property rights he had ever witnessed, the rerouting of a creek in Willoughby, is apparently perfectly legitimate, according to another legal opinion released by council Monday. Green’s stance on this creek got him a stern warning of a pending law suit if an apology was not forthcoming, but the developer, now that Green is in the mayor’s chair, seems to have reconsidered. (It will be interesting to see how many landowners will see Green’s municipal revenue for upzoning their property, as a violation of property rights.)

Yes folks, it was a very humiliating week for the slate, but don't expect to see these details on the other blog, nor reported in such details in your local news. But the facts are here and clear on the Langley Record for you.

This week's revelations are unlikely to fluster the absolute arrogance of Mayor Green or the obstinate smarter than thou attitude of Councillor Richter, but as Abe Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some times, but you can’t fool all the people all the time."

Twisting It

It is very interesting and very predictable that Councillor Kim Richter's website would blame the 5% property tax increase on the rest of council. This after Richter has ordered off the menu many times over and then always votes against budgets in the Township.

BUT, there is another perspective on this budget that one should consider. A Motion for the 5% increase was on the council table for first to third reading. Councillor Charlie Fox proposed an amendment to the Motion to set the increase at 3.95%. Both Councillor Richter and Mayor Green voted against the 3.95% amendment. Therefore, Green and Richter voted for the 5% tax increase. Now they try to lay blame as they said they would.

ONE member of the public spoke during the open microphone and it was related to why a $50K floor tile project came under the parks & rec budget. That's it.

Stay tuned as Special Features Editor Reed Fraser exposes the madness, and significant blows to the credibility of the Green/Richter slate based on campaign statements and recent events. You won't want to miss this one!

Something to Chuckle About

We found this article by The Langley Times on the internet. We can only assume that Sonya Paterson agreed with this assessment during the last election. It indicates that Councillor Kim Richter agrees with her council colleagues and also may be in the process of becoming a BC Liberal:

"I was somewhat surprised at how incumbent Kim Richter seemed to be on the same page with many of her council colleagues at the meeting. Throughout her nine years on council, Richter has often been a voice in the wilderness, decrying the decision of the majority.

I was equally surprised to see Richter and her husband Bob at the Rich Coleman BC Liberal fundraiser on Thursday. Richter is a former NDP member who ran for the federal Liberals in 2004, but to the best of my knowledge has never been active with the BC Liberals. Her attendance at the Coleman dinner indicates that she may be moving more to the right."

Green and Richter Buckle Under Pressure

Monday night's Township Council meeting went as we had blogged. The Green & Richter slate trying to uphold a mere .93% tax increase, with Green's rants of how things could be done differently. No mention of the slim report after 10 weeks of public and secret meetings. No mention of the lack of numbers to support their .93%. It all flies in the face of reality and what a SPIN it is! They had no concrete answers to council questions and this time Green could not defer to staff. What a shame. We think council should have unanimously voted for .93% and then watch as Green & Richter fall flat on their faces. What a sight that would have been, except these councillors care about the ToL and the slate very clearly does not. 

The Langley Times did not disappoint the slate, claiming that the 5% tax increase had nothing to do with municipal funding realities and more about Township residents wanting services and willing to pay for them. The editor's article seems to slam the council members who voted for the increase, makes Green and Richter out to be heros, and then talks of what ToL residents want and expect. Now just how to all those worlds collide Frank? Wow, that is a far stretch indeed.

We also have now confirmed that the other blog has published blatant lies and continues to keep them posted. These accuse some people of living off the "public teat", and that is 100% false. For several years now, Jordan Bateman has been self-employed and continues to develop a very productive business. His campaign finances have been out there for all to see, and there was never any raffle.  

The Real Public Teat

Perhaps rants about the public teat and the other energies of the slate should now be focused on a certain Murrayville B & B that leased their land from the ToL for 99 years at $1? Let's do as with the airport leases and re-open this sweetheart deal and hike the rate up, shall we? Someone needs to investigate how this lease has been allowed to continue. Let's crack the books open on this land lease now!

 

Monday Council Meetings

Monday, April 6, 2009 Township Council Meetings

Get involved in your local Township Council and let your informed voice be heard. This week the evening meeting at 7:00pm will include an open microphone on the proposed budget. Council will then vote on the first three readings in order to approve a budget in accordance with the provincial deadline. Click on items to access documents below.

Special Council Meeting

3:00pm - 5:30pm

Agenda 

Minutes of Special Council Meeting March 23, 2009 here

Minutes of Special Meeting of Council for Budget Purposes March 24, 2009 here

Documents that support Special Agenda items:

Doc 1

Doc 2

Doc 3

Doc 4

Doc 5

Doc 6

Doc 7

Doc 8

Doc 9

Doc 10

Doc 11

Doc 12

Doc 13

Doc 14

Doc 15

Doc 16

Doc 17

Regular Council Meeting (including public input on proposed budget)

7:00pm - ?

Agenda 

Minutes of March 23, 2009 Meeting here

Documents that support Regular Agenda items:

Doc 1

Doc 2

Doc 3

Doc 4

Doc 5

Doc 6

Doc 7

Doc 8

Doc 9

How To Buffalo The Public

*** Saturday Update ***

Word today is that Councillor Kim Richter has done it again on her blog. A fairly sizable group of people are very pissed off that a comment clearly posted by someone close to Richter (guess who?) attacks a group of non-profit community-minded people for using their very own mailing list. 

More political baggage for Richter as she alginates the general public with her blog. Keep up the good work Kim! These people are VERY pissed off at you and it is likely that your slate cohort will be negatively impacted as well because, well you know why.

The budget debate will take place at Monday's Township Council meeting. If you attend, pay close attention to the smokescreens of Mayor Rick Green and Councillor Kim Richter. If you watch carefully you will get one great lesson in how to buffalo the public.

First, you sit back and let council talk about their concerns. After all, what do you care, so let them debate the issues. Next, because you went through the motions by forming a "Finance Committee", you can now use that as an excuse. But wait, wasn't the report very slim and in reality said nothing concrete that would help us? Yes, but why does that matter in politics?

Next, when the vote is taken on the budget, you simply vote NO to everything from 5% to anything but .93%. Councillor Kim Richter is the master of this ploy. Kim loves to go to the expensive Dim Sum buffet and order away at those snow removal buns and the extensive staff study dumplings. But when the bill arrives, the hot mustard is all gone and Cllr. Richter has left the building. It is very easy and actually very cowardly to vote against 4 budgets, but alas, this will be her fifth. Watch Richter in action and watch her take the easy way out with slate cohort Green at her hip.

We've heard that during council meetings Mayor Green and Councillor Richter have been seen many times writing notes on a desk pad and then pointing to the note so that the other could read. My oh my, just little girl school days, eh? They also have a tendency to comment over each others shoulders just like two birds in a mating ritual. Watch the old school days excitement and the head wagging at Council's budget debate meeting. But most importantly, watch the two slate members gingerly extract themselves away from paying the bills of our Township.

Budget Input Reminder

Just a reminder that Township residents should study the proposed ToL budget and comment. A loyal reader just advised us that the form has changed slightly, as the Township would like to have the name and contact info for those who wish to sign their comments or for follow-up. The updated form link appears below. Please disregard the old form and we have updated the link in that article as well.

Here is the public input form that will be available to you at the budget input sessions to take place on the 4th Floor of the Township Municipal Facility on:

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

3 - 8pm

Thursday, April 2, 2009

1 - 6pm

Location: Township Civic Facility

20338 - 65 Avenue

4th Floor Presentation Theatre Foyer

Review the budget details below and pay close attention in the budget input sessions to "Contributions to Capital", which is how much we will invest in our roads, parks, etc. The lower that number, the less we get as taxpayers and citizens in a growing community. The proposed 5% will allow for proper funding to protect our community assets, as well as to help with any emergencies that may pop up.

Wise Words On A Much Needed Overpass

By Guest Editor Patricia Revill

I grew up in the fifties and remember annual treks out to Lulu Island at harvest time to buy our fifty pound bags of veggies for the winter. As everyone knows that farmland is now condos and hotels ad nauseum throughout the roads en route to YVR.

For the naysayers to rant on about saving the farmland in Langley in the area in question is ludicrous. The area in question hosts a small herd of cattle, a waterfowl and tree sanctuary and a couple of tree farms. The time for worrying about the food supply was about forty years ago when Langley was mostly rural. This is not that time. Most of the properties in the rural area east of 216th are not farms either but have small acreages where they keep a few horses in the genre of hobby farms, and once you reach 64th and 232 there is a blueberry farm, hardly what one could call a secure food supply.

There are also several large parcels that haven¹t grown anything other than crab grass for over 25 years. Why haven¹t the naysayers been in an uproar why these "valuable lands" haven't produced anything but weeds all these years? On the southwest side of 216th and 64th there are a few small acreages and then continuing south on 216th, voila, you hit the mighty sports field with the blinding lights adjacent to LSS.

The Green Emperor has no vegetables and no clothes and hopefully before too long he will have no place to sit. One additional thing though, I have thought of a great name for the new overpass: The Veggie Tales Overpass!

100% for the Mufford/Glover Overpass,

Patricia Revill
Langley Township

Township Budget

There has been much talk about the ToL budget and lots of speculation about how any increase in this tough economic time will hurt people. But the truth of the matter is that no Council member wants to vote for a tax increase if it is not needed and we as citizens need to realize that the Township is not a business.

We as a community have assets and needs that require cash. We don't have the corporate options to cut staff, empty inventories, or reduce the number of widgets we manufacture. The decisions we make can impact public safety/lives, health and well being of our residents, and the future quality of life for our children.

ToL Council have looked at the resources and assets we have and have taken into account current economic realities. They have come up with a proposed budget that they feel is reasonable and helps to maintain service levels that are conservative, as compared with other municipalities our size. The proposal is for a 5% tax increase and if you don't use certain user-pay services like water, sewer or ToL trash pickup, you don't pay for it. Here is what 5% looks like from the old 2008 rate and the proposed 2009 rates based on the average home assessed at $473,000. The average household will pay $64.00 more per year and preserve what we hold dear to our Langley Township.

User Pay Utilities:

The biggest thing that Township taxpayers MUST consider and which the local newspaper editors and a certain blog will NOT tell you enough about, is the Contribution to Capital that would be contained in a .93%, 1% or 5% tax increase and how Township Reserves would be depleted to compensate for a lower tax increase. We will publish more on these another time, but wanted to give you this information to digest.

Here is the public input form that will be available to you at the budget input sessions to take place on the 4th Floor of the Township Municipal Facility on:

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

3 - 8pm

Thursday, April 2, 2009

1 - 6pm

Location: Township Civic Facility

20338 - 65 Avenue

4th Floor Presentation Theatre Foyer

Selective Conflict of Interest and Lame Newspapers

We find it very comical that both local newspapers, the mayor and his Disgruntled100 / Slate blog all accuse Councillor Jordan Bateman and others of having conflicts of interest.

Did Langley lawyer Calvin Patterson give Mayor Rick Green a donation of $1,000 during the 2008 campaign? Yes. Did Mayor Rick Green wine and dine Mr. Patterson and others in the mayor's office on inauguration night? Yes. Did Mayor Rick Green appoint Calvin Patterson to the Mayor's Standing Finance Committee most recently? Yes. Mayor Rick Green and his Disgruntled 100 supporters have a very selective view of what conflicts of interest are, and that is putting it kindly.

The Langley Times Hates Blogs

It is very interesting that Langley Times Editor Frank Bucholtz cannot write a single editorial these days without mentioning those darn local blogs. Friday was no exception, with Bucholtz writing this week,

"All those people who profess such concern about municipal spending and operations need to make their views known when open houses on the proposed budget take place next Wednesday and Thursday. They need to let members of council know, in no uncertain terms, where they stand.

It’s one thing to verbally complain about spending, write a letter or make nasty remarks anonymously on a blog. It’s quite another to come out to an open house, listen to what is proposed, and offer an informed opinion about how the Township should spend tax dollars"

While we can certainly agree with Mr. Bucholtz that people should come out and learn about the budget and speak to the Langley they desire to see (which budgets may or may not pay for), there is a place for blogs in our community and Mr. Bucholtz needs to get with the times (no pun intended). Perhaps more and more people are coming to blogs like this one because editors like Bucholtz are failing to allow them a voice. Especially if their opinion say, opposes Mayor Rick Green?

Shortly after taking office, Green was overheard on Douglas Day telling Sonya Paterson that he had the Langley Times editor in his "back pocket". We can therefore understand why we would be hated, as we tend to undo any publicist assistance that is afforded to the good mayor. We gather that reporters of a certain newspaper have been fitted with duck tape, hence our Langley Mimes comments.

Mr. Bucholtz and his Langley Times needs to wake up and realize they are in 2009. The Langley Advance is trying out blogs for their editor and reporters (smart move) at a time when the print news is going the way of the dinosaur...quickly. Many people under 30 have no landline, simply using their cell phones as their only phone. The e-mail address has replaced the physical address for many, many people. The IP address has become more important than the postal code. People are dumping cable TV and watching programming on computers.

People are sick and tired of reading the local fluff. You can only read so many "happily ever after" stories before you long for professional journalism and a healthy dose of investigative reporting. Time for the local rags to grow a pair and quit being lazy. Do your job or go home with your tails between your legs an allow the bloggers to give it to you straight, just as we have done here.

Mayor Green's "I" Problems Continue

Wonder why this mayor just can't seem to work with his council? Is the problem with council or is it with our mayor? We opine that the problem is Mayor Green's constant "I" problems. An ego that constantly needs to be stroked and fed. Here are some examples:

THEN: Corporate letterhead under former Mayor Kurt Alberts (click images to enlarge):


NOW: Corporate letterhead under Mayor Rick Green:


Notice that back then, council was recognized and listed as part of the team. Now, council is not represented at all and this letter sent by Rick Green was to advise this lady of a council decision.

The old Township website also listed Mayor & Council under a Corporate tab. When you clicked on the main tab you would have been greeted by a picture of mayor and council all on the same page. Now this is what you see below and unless you click on the council tab, you will not see anything more than Mayor Rick Green and his various ramblings:

Yes, these are minor issues. BUT, they are part and parcel of a larger systemic problem with this mayor. Mainly, it is his "I" problem that gets him in the way of cooperating and working with our Township council. We wonder what slate cohort Councillor Kim Richter thinks about having her name removed from the corporate letterhead?

The ToL Budget Is Our Future

What kind of Township do you desire for you and your family?

Public input on the ToL budget will take place next Wednesday and Thursday. As was fully expected, Mayor Rick Green and his slate captain, Councillor Kim Richter have put out their spin. The mayor says he put together a "well-qualified finance committee" (qualifications of most members are very questionable).  They came up with the need for a .93% property tax increase and there is much we can cut and new things we can try.

Reality is that the committee's recommendation of a .93% cannot be substantiated and the mayor has been unable to explain it from the beginning. He referred all questions to staff and staff were not present at the private finance committee meetings. Plundering required reserves and leaving scores of infrastructure items UNFUNDED is not a proper budget Mr. Mayor. 

Bob Long's 5% proposal is sound and follows all of the studies that have been done, including a 2004 report that involved over 500 ToL residents and a bunch more for the second half of the study. They determined in 2004 that the ToL would have to raise 4% per year and that was without full-time fire. 5% would fund our roads and keep our assets from crumbling. 5% will fund much-needed projects during a time where lots of provincial and federal dollars are there to help us, if we can pay our share. A 5% increase will prevent the ToL from quickly turning into a crumbling, deteriorating welfare state of desperation. 

Councillor Kim Richter is dyed in the wool NDP, and you know what the NDP does with fudge-it budgets and terrible financial decisions that run communities into the ground on the fast-track. Mayor Rick Green is attached at the hip with Richter and YOU cannot allow them to destroy OUR Langley Township. Those two have cooked up this plot for a long time now. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy for them to blame council for ANY tax increase. 

Council was generally prepared to compromise with Green on a 3.95% tax increase that would still provide challenges in future years. But the mayor's arrogant statement that he would not support a 5% nor even a 3.95% increase (when he knows reality full well), caused council to vote to take a proposed 5% out to the people for comment and input, for the good of our community. It was a very prudent decision. At 5%, that would add $64.18 to the average household (based on a home valued at $478K). 

The future is yours Langley. You can pay a reasonable amount now, or you can be sacked later with the need for huge tax increases of up to 15% or more to play catch-up. The later is simply NOT an option. Don't let Mayor Rick Green and Councillor Kim Richter cause our community to crumble.

RCMP Clears Innocent MLAs

The Langley Times reported Breaking News at 4:00pm today (and revised the article at 5:15pm tonight ) that the Langley RCMP has released a statement.

The Langley RCMP in conjunction with the RCMP Commercial Crimes Division has found no grounds to support allegations made by former Langley School Board Trustee and former unsucessful Township Council candidate Sonya Paterson.

Ms. Paterson filed a complaint in December 2008 complaint against MLA's Rich Coleman and Mary Polak. She alleged the two MLA's contravened the Local Government Act and also asked that the RCMP investigate Township Councillor Jordan Bateman. Ms. Paterson accused Bateman of using BC Liberal voter lists to win the 2008 campaign. Bateman has denied the allegations and the RCMP is stil investigating other aaspects of this case. Perhaps those aspects include information provided to the RCMP by the Editorial Board of the Langley Record.

It will be interesting to see if Vancouver Sun reporter Daphne Bramham will publish the results of the investigation and the clearance of these innocent elected officials. It should be easy for her to do so because she won't have to send a bootlicker "all the way" to Langley like The Sun had to do for the Township's Campaign Finance Reports. Isn't that a shame?

The Green-Richter Slate Turns The Channel

An old axioms in politics is when things go bad, a politician must turn the channel. Rick Green and a small number of the Vocal 150 were on teewee last night trying to turn the channel after their crushing and humiliating defeat with the Mufford Overpass vote and are now stating they will "fight" over Brown Pit gravel extraction. We wish them much luck, and are glad to see them channeling their energies into an issue that the whole community can agree upon. Of course this doesn't seem to be much of a fight as all the locals agree that Brown Pit should not be mined. Every current member of council had issue with it when the provincial government released the plan, and it seems like the BC government is leaning towards not using Brown Pit. This article on a letter from MLA Rich Coleman clearly states that fact. We are certain that the minister is working very hard to nix the Brown Pit plan. Clearly it will NOT be through any efforts of the Green-Richter slate whatsoever.

It is very interesting to note that although Mr. Moats attacked Township Councillor Jordan Bateman on the Mufford overpass, Mr. Moats would be wise to note that Councillor Bateman has been one of the biggest supporters of nixing the Brown Pit extraction. In our opinion, the residents surrounding Brown Pit would be wise to distance themselves from Mayor Rick Green, Councillor Kim Richter, the overpass Vocal 150 and others of that elk.

The majority of Brown Pit residents have clearly and calmny articulated the facts, figures and potential impacts of this extraction, and they have gained the respect and attention of the provincial government. Remain sane and stay the course as a respectable group and we believe good things will come of it.

The Nasty Budget Politics of Two

By Special Editor Dr. S.

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."

-- Groucho Marx

In December 2006 Councillor Kim Richter wrote this letter to her own website entitled, “Don’t Dare Blame Tax Hikes On Firefighters” which was posted on her website. She made some very valid points on the need for full-time Fire Fighters, calling it “a service that we all rely on in this community, especially the elderly and anyone needing emergency services.”

Richter also explains the lengthy process that council, the Fire Department and an independent consultant went through, in order to make the commitment to move to a full time system. She speaks to it here:

“They determined that the cost of full time firefighters in the Township would equal a 2% increase in the Township’s base tax rate for each fire hall that was brought onto full time status. They put together a plan of how many halls should be full-time and when they should go “online”. They then took this plan and brought it to the public, Richter explained the “very public process” as:

“They went to malls throughout the Township with complete information on costs, timelines, and budget implications. They had flip charts and questionnaires. They asked Township taxpayers if this was something they wanted and something they could financially support. They spent many hours talking to many people from all walks of life and from all corners in this community.”

And as we all now know, the answer was… Yes. As Richter says, “The answer that came back to Council from this very public process was a resounding “Yes – Do it”. In fact, the independent consultant that assisted the Township’s Fire Department throughout the public consultation process commented in his final written report (which is a matter of public record) that he has never seen stronger or more unified public support for an initiative like this. He said it was abundantly clear that this community supported the proposed graduated move to full-time fire service.”

We applaud the fact that Richter had such concern over the efforts of all the people involved in the process, “I think your editorial (The Langley Times) belittles these efforts because all of the people involved in this process, whether firefighter or taxpayer, genuinely care about their community and are genuinely concerned about this important aspect of public safety.” She also acknowledges “They know it’s not free.”

We also applaud all of council as they “decided to listen to the Fire Department, to the Consultant, and to the public. As a group, they decided to move in a graduated manner towards fulltime fire service.” They made this choice knowing the facts and having their eyes wide open to the fact that, as Richter put it, “This clearly meant a 2% tax increase in each year that a new fire hall was brought into fulltime service.”

We applaud Kim Richter's VERBAL support for the Full Time Fire department. And the fact that Richter even went so far to VERBALLY commit to a tax increase, to ensure the growth of this department, as she said: “This is definitely a tax increase that I and the taxpaying public support. I have never disputed that.”

BUT, Councillor Kim Richter voted against the budget that year. The same budget that would provide for fill-time fire services and that THE PEOPLE overwhelmingly supported.

Once again, we are now left with the question of where Councillor Kim Richter's verbal support for community needs has gone? It seemed clear, yet we see Kim Richter voting to entertain the idea of lengthening the full-time fire fighter expansion in Walnut Grove, to as much as a six year window. We see the finance committee she is he Vice Chair of putting forward recommendations for a .93% tax increase that cannot lead to anything but a budget deficit (which you cannot do under the Community Charter) in the first year of a 3 year plan. Where did the 2% go that Richter was willing to pay in order to properly fund the Fire Department? Is not the newly proposed “review” of the Fire Department that Richter personally recommended to the new finance committee and then to council, not just another attempt to pull out of the original commitment she had made? Is her wish that the outcome would be to put off full-time fire expansion indefinitely? There is not a review of the RCMP suggested, so why has the Township Fire Department been singled out?

From the rhetoric and her recent website post we can see that this new budget will not be approved by Councillor Kim Richter. To post a statement that a 5% tax increase has been approved by Township Council is unethical at best.

We leave you with some words of wisdom from Councillor Kim Richter herself...

“It is wrong to blame the financial problems currently faced by the Township on the firefighters. They have done nothing to deserve to be the scapegoats. All they ever wanted was to provide a safer community and they took a very reasonable and affordable approach to doing so.”

-- Councillor Kim Richter

“Yes, fulltime fire fighting is a significant cost driver in the Township’s budget. We all knew that it would be.”

-- Councillor Kim Richter

“The enemy here is not each other - it's inaction. We need to get on the same page fast or the Township will suffer."

-- Councillor Kim Richter

Really Kim? So then why this inaccurate rant that was posted at 4:57pm on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 and transcribed from your cellphone call from the 2nd floor of the Township Facility's parking area DIRECTLY after the budget meeting had ended? And why wouldn't you put your name on it as the author who provided the transcription? Who are the true enemies here? Once again you are ordering from the menu, but you are refusing to pay the bill.