Wednesday February 14, 2024 [Updated Feb 15, 2024]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
=====
A bombshell announcement by Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson this morning has the new mayor asking the previous mayor to take action against what appears to be stalking behavior of a member of Langford council at their home at night.
The recent incident has clearly been upsetting to members of council. At a press conference in council chambers Goodmanson was flanked by four of his six councilors: Kimberley Guiry and Lillian Szpak on one side, Colby Harder and Mary Wagner on the other. Councilors Mark Morley and Keith Yacucha were not in attendance.
Several members of the mainstream media showed up thinking the announcement would be about Starlight Stadium expansion or Budget 2024 deliberations. The room was quiet and the questions less organized than usual under the sudden circumstances of this revelation.
There has been a lot of rough and tumble political pushback against Goodmanson and his council since they took office in November 2022. After 30 years of the previous mayor leading the fast growing Langford municipality it’s not unlikely that supporters of the previous council are still miffed at the near clean sweep that occurred in the October 15, 2022 election (only Lillian Szpak was reelected). But in a society where the ballot box is the final arbiter, most people get on with business as usual after a reasonable period of time.
There has been a steady political pushback at council meetings, and even this week a protest about tax increases. Ironically it’s precisely because the previous mayor orchestrated artificially low tax increases that the new council has had to rachett up the tax increases to start catching up to municipal needs.
If this council does less than they’ve done already in the way of tax increases and less than proposed for 2024-2026, the level of municipal services will fall behind. If they keep applying significant tax increases they face the risk of allowing the old guard some political momentum for the 2026 election.
For the current mayor to ask a former mayor to step in and control the unsavory political activity of the past year is almost bluntly painting some association between the alleged recent stalking and former mayor Stew Young. Today Goodmanson said the person trying to take photos through a residential window at night is known and identified.
But so far neither the name of the affected councillor nor the alleged stalker have been stated by the City.
Goodmanson was asked today if constant niggling around Langford issues by a regular crowd of protesters and participants at public meetings has been exacerbated by a local radio host who frequently generates heated commentary about Langford politics. That sort of media handling is not helpful, was Goodmanson’s sentiment.
Goodmanson was also asked if this sort of activity of being harassed at home lends to some people not running for political office; he acknowledged that such decisions are disappointing.
The incident was reported to West Shore RCMP by the person to whom the incident happened. The City says it will not comment on what action, if any, is being taken by the RCMP.
Later in the day West Shore RCMP issued a statement: “West Shore RCMP can confirm we received a report from a City of Langford Council Member regarding concerns with respect to a disgruntled citizen attending their home. West Shore RCMP has investigated this incident and determined, although the behaviour displayed by the citizen was concerning, no criminal act had been committed. The complainant was updated and the file is now concluded,” said Nancy Saggar, Media Relations Officer, West Shore RCMP.
In a news release at 1 pm today (after the 11 am news conference) Mayor Goodmanson is quotes as saying that “the City of Langford is at its most divided today”.
Goodmanson says that in the October 2022 election “there was a very clear call for change”.
“Unfortunately, a small minority of residents have been unable to accept this and have indulged in behaviour that creates an atmosphere of fear, mistrust, anger and hostility,” said Goodmanson today.
“Some people are behaving in a way that is contrary to the City’s respectful workplace policy and therefore thr City has an obligation to take action to ensure that Council, staff and the public feel safe,” it was stated in the news release.
“This could include, where necessary, banning individuals who behave inappropriately from in person attendance at Council and Committee meetings or seeking stronger remedies through the courts,” the City stated.
“It is time for current and former leaders in our community, including former Mayor Stewart Young, to strongly denounce this inappropriate and troubling behaviour which erodes the foundation of the community. We must work together to create a City we can all be proud of and feel safe in,” said Goodmanson.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke has been reporting on politics of the west shore since 2014. She now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery as well as covering local and regional news highlights.