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.

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.

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 »

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 »

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.

======================================

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 »

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 »

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 »