Steven Hurdle - Langford B.C.

Archive for 2008

Thank You

In Press Releases on November 17, 2008 at 2:16 am

Links to election results and articles from local media on the results are available on Inside Langford.

Thank you to everyone who ran and did their bit in giving voters choice, no matter what that choice they offered voters was, and thank you to all those who supported my campaign however you did (volunteering, donating, or voting for me).

I believe the challenge for our newly elected Council is to engage the public in such a way that three years from now we have a lot more than 20% of people voting. Had I won and about 20% voted I wouldn’t be any much happier than having lost and about 20% of people voting. My goal was to reach out to that approximately 80% of voters that didn’t vote last time, and that 80% not voting again is my failure, and it’s a failure shared amongst all the candidates. Is it the fault of the candidates? The electoral system? The media? The way campaigns are run? Was it too nasty and it turned people off, or was it the reverse and people weren’t concerned enough to get out to the polls? This is the question I am asking myself, and this is the question we must all wrestle with I believe. Our democracy will not be healthy if every local government election is fought over trying to win a majority of 20% of voters.

Website down for election day

In Press Releases on November 15, 2008 at 8:23 am

In accordance with the restrictions on Election Day advertising in the Local Government Act, this website has been temporarily shut down for Election Day. All partisan information has been removed, but information on where, when, and how to vote is available here.

Why I’m Running

In Press Releases on November 11, 2008 at 7:35 am

Remembrance Day for me is about remembering the horrors of war, suffered by both combatants and civilians. It’s also a time to reflect on the freedoms that were secured for us in those times of strife. As many Canadians do, given a total of 1.8 million Canadian soldiers served in the two world wars, I have a personal connection to them in my family tree. This connection is part of why I find myself running for office in this election.

My great grandfather served in Canada’s military in the first World War. I never had the opportunity to know him, unfortunatley, he died shortly before I was born. I’m told he would never talk about his experiences after he came back and, given he served as a medic in horrific battles such as Passchendaele, who could blame him. Even though I’m generally a pacifist, I was proud to know he was willing to put himself in harm’s way to help others, and he was decorated for his bravery.

My grandfather was in Canada’s Read the rest of this entry »

Municipal Candidates for STV

In Press Releases on November 10, 2008 at 11:12 am

There is a province-wide movement afoot amongst candidates for local government to endorse the forthcoming referendum next may on reforming the provincial voting system, by adopting the BC-STV proportional voting system. I’m pleased to support this movement as I approving BC-STV is the best thing we could do for improving accountability at the provincial level. STV is used at the local level in many parts of the world (Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and elsewhere) and is worth looking at as an alternative voting system for municipal elections in the future, too.

For Immediate Release
November 6, 2008

12 municipal candidates declare support for B.C. electoral reform

Vancouver, BC – Twelve civic candidates from across British Columbia have publicly declared their support for electoral reform, Read the rest of this entry »

T-C Article on Langford

In Media Coverage on November 8, 2008 at 12:18 pm

The Times Colonist article on the Langford election is available on their web site, for those who didn’t read it when it hit news stands. It’s worth a read, and I get a few mentions as does our mayor. I’m not perfectly happy with it, and neither will the mayor be I expect, so I guess that means T-C reporter Bill Cleverley did his job well.

Manufactured Home Parks

In Press Releases on October 28, 2008 at 11:33 am

The following letter was requested by Michael McCormick of the Hidden Valley Seniors Manufactured Home Park Residents Association. I’m providing here my response here, for anyone it’s of interest to.

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Hi Michael, thank you for taking the time to contacting me.

I have a deep history in Langford, having resided here for 19 years, starting when I moved here with my family when I was 16. Shortly after I Read the rest of this entry »

Three Things I’d Work Towards

In Press Releases on October 22, 2008 at 9:00 pm


Below are some of the things I intend to work towards as a member of Langford Council. They are broken down into three sub-categories. I will add more content as the campaign goes on. If you have any questions, please email me at steven.hurdle@gmail.com.

Opening the Doors to City Hall:

I believe that more citizens would get involved in their local government if they knew enough about the issues facing their community, and to that end I would advocate for a collection of reforms, including:

Read the rest of this entry »

Bio Updated

In Site Updates on October 21, 2008 at 9:41 pm


I have updated my bio, adding some additional detail that people had requested that is relevant to the campaign and will be of interest to people. You can read it here. In the days and weeks to come I will begin talking a bit more about policy, ideas, where I’d like to see Langford, how Langford might better communicate with its citizens, and how City Hall could encourage residents to get involved in their community.

The Gazette on the Elections

In Media Coverage on October 16, 2008 at 8:58 pm

The Goldstream Gazette has posted an article on the upcoming Nov. 15th elections. Here is the section related to my candidacy:

All current councillors except Coun. John Goudy are seeking re-election. Throwing their hats in the ring too are Steven Hurdle, Herman Surkis and Michael Mortimore, all who took Langford to task on its new official community plan earlier this year.

Hurdle in particular squared off against council when he organized a petition calling for a referendum on borrowing money for the Spencer interchange. Hurdle collected 2,250 signatures from Langford residents.

Many residents in Langford say council doesn’t listen to citizen concerns and often appears to make decisions with little public discussion, Hurdle said.

“Since (the petition) many people have asked me to run. Almost every day somebody mentions it,” Hurdle said. “What I discovered a lot feel ignored, a lot don’t feel listened to

“I think the public is ready for discussion and debate at Langford council,” he said. “I think people are willing to vote for that.”

T-C Coverage

In Media Coverage on October 12, 2008 at 8:00 pm

The following is the Langford portion of an article from the Times Colonist about the forthcoming local government election.

John Goudy is the only councillor not seeking re-election in Langford, where Mayor Stew Young runs a no-bones about it, pro-development municipality.

The popular Young has been acclaimed.

While condos are still being built and ribbons of red interlocking brick sidewalk continue to spread throughout the municipality, not everybody is happy with the pace of growth in Langford. The municipality had to call in extra RCMP this spring to clear out protesters taking to the treetops in opposition to the Spencer Road interchange now under construction.

And Langford’s plans to borrow money on behalf of private landowners wanting the interchange sparked a mock counter-petition led by Steven Hurdle. Hurdle, an active council watcher for months, is among 14 looking to get elected to one of six council positions.

CFAX Coverage

In Media Coverage on October 12, 2008 at 7:47 pm

CFAX was running my press release on the news yesterday. Here is the transcript as it appeared on their web site.

LANGFORD BLOGGER TO RUN FOR COUNCIL
Oct 11, 2008

A LANGFORD BLOGGER HAS ANNOUNCED HE’S RUNNING FOR A SEAT ON COUNCIL IN NEXT MONTH’S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

STEVEN HURDLE SAYS HE’S BEEN CALLED THE “LANGFORD WATCHDOG” FOR HIS EFFORTS IN CHRONICLING THE ISSUES IN THE LANGFORD AREA ON HIS BLOG.

HURDLE STARTED A PETITION CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE MUNICIPALITY’S DECISION TO BORROW MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON BEHALF OF DEVELOPERS FOR THE BEAR MOUNTAIN INTERCHANGE.

HURDLE SAYS HE FEELS THERE IS A NEED FOR MORE Read the rest of this entry »

A Crowded Field

In News on October 11, 2008 at 7:12 pm


There is a crowded field running for Langford Council this year, with 14 candidates running for 6 positions. Five of the incumbents are running, one candidate who is on record as having unconditional support for the incumbents, and 8 challengers of which I am one. There are seven days for people to withdraw after filing, so it will be interesting to see whether the field thins our or not. We may find there were candidates who put their name in, thinking no one else would (it’s been a quiet summer on the local election front), and seeing a crowded field might elect to bow out.

So far, only two candidates (Ryan Hinton last month, and now myself) appear to have issued a press release about their candidacy and given the public an idea of what they stand for. It is likely the others will in the coming days.

Campaign Announcement

In Press Releases on October 11, 2008 at 10:58 am


Steven Hurdle running for Langford Council

STEVEN HURDLE, THE “LANGFORD WATCHDOG”, RUNNING FOR LANGFORD COUNCIL

For immediate release
Date: October 11, 2008

LANGFORD – Steven Hurdle, nicknamed the “Langford Watchdog” by a local media outlet for his efforts at bringing the events of Langford Council and committee meetings to residents through the “Inside Langford” news blog, is running for election as a Langford city councilor in the November 15th municipal election. He first moved to Langford 19 years ago, and both lives and works in the community.

“I believe there’s an appetite for more community consultation, and for a renewed commitment to democratic accountability in our community,” said Hurdle. “I have time and again witnessed people leaving Langford’s Council Chambers feeling that they were heard, but not truly listened to. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment Guidelines

In Uncategorized on September 18, 2008 at 11:27 pm

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