Langley Election: With SkyTrain on the horizon, voters will choose between continuity or change

Voters in Langley City and Township will see big changes as SkyTrain brings rapid transit to their doorstep, but whether they will choose a change in leadership to oversee the expected regional boom is less certain.

In both cities, an incumbent mayor, who has led a sometimes fractious council, is facing a challenge from a new candidate hoping to tap into some of the financial worries on residents’ minds.

In the Township, Mayor Eric Woodward is running on the idea of “growth paying for growth,” with a focus on improving roads, parks and facilities to keep pace with housing development. Another four years would allow his Progress For Langley slate to “continue the catch-up,” he said.

But Woodward’s opponent, business executive Jay Lundgren, said the current approach has led to soaring municipal debt as population growth begins to slow.

“That concept of ‘growth paying for growth’ is not the reality now,” he said. “It’s not a plan that’s working.”

Lundgren and his Langley Strong slate want to bring down the debt while continuing to build infrastructure by “widening the tax base” through better support for businesses.

In response, Woodward claimed his opponent was struggling to find an issue to run on because “we’ve governed so well.” He described capital debt as a tool, adding that without it, the municipality would not have been able to expand its arena complex. If granted another term, he plans to complete a community centre in Willoughby, he said.

But Lundgren said the current council has accrued more than just fiscal debt, and community groups and individuals are feeling “dismissed” and unheard.

“There is also a debt of respect,” he said. “We need to fix that.”

One area where both candidates agree is that the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension, with a station under construction in Willowbrook, will bring both economic opportunity and challenges around public safety to the Langley region.

That is also a concern in Langley City.

Mayor Nathan Pachal said the current council has been preparing for the new Langley City station with plans for a transit police office and bus exchange with space to expand fire and police services. Voters are “generally excited” about the new rapid transit line, although increased homelessness and crime are on many minds.

Delaney Mack, a city councillor who is running against Pachal, said the city needs to improve public safety while also being more fiscally responsible. Her Achieving For Langley City slate wants a line-by-line review of the budget to find ways to address steep tax increases.

The current council’s budget has looked the same from year to year, plus expensive “add-ons,” she said.

Mack also wants to “turn down the temperature” on recent talk about amalgamating the two Langleys. The city must be “independent, but not isolated.”