LangleyAdvance Your community newspaper since 1931
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Breaking news, sports, and entertainment: www.langleyadvance.com
Audited circulation: 40,026 – XX pages
LIMITED EDITION
LANGLEY
#1-19638 Fraser Hwy.
604-530-7501
SOUTH SURREY
View More with
#600-15355 24th Ave.
604-531-7614
www.biggarysvacuums.com
thousands of hanging baskets in stock Politics
Polak’s campaign manager quits Mary Polak’s campaign manager has resigned after saying Liberal supporters don’t support gay rights.
prices starting at $12.98ea. while supplies last www.cedarrim.com
BC’s #1 POWERSTROKE SPECIALIST RIGHT HERE IN LANGLEY To Book Your Appointment Scan With
604-532-9445 5957 - 206A St., Langley www.bernhausendiesel.com
by Matthew Claxton
mclaxton@langleyadvance.com
The manager of Langley Liberal incumbent Mary Polak has announced he quit because of lack of support by voters and politicians for gay rights. Todd Hauptman, who has been active in politics in Langley since he was a teenager, sent an open letter to Polak Tuesday morning announcing his resignation. Hauptman, who is gay, wrote that the base of Liberal voters in the Langley riding holds “hateful attitudes towards the community I am a part of.” While Polak has always been a supportive friend and shown him respect and love, he he could not continue to support a campaign made up of people who think of him as less of a person because of his sexual orientation, Hauptman wrote. Polak appeared shocked by the sudden resignation. She had met with Hauptman on Monday morning about the campaign of Andrew Mercier, her NDP opponent. “It had come to my attention that there was information disclosed to the other campaign,”
said Polak, saying that Hauptman approved curriculum. had a close friend working on the Polak moved the motion to NDP campaign. keep the books, including Asha’s She said she had wanted to Mums and One Dad, Two Dad, keep him on as manager, and Brown Dad, Blue Dad, out of believes he did nothing with ill classroom. will or the intent to hurt her camA lengthy court battle over the paign. books ended in 2002, with the Polak would not disclose what Supreme Court of Canada ruling information she believed had that the board had to reconsider been passed or how it came to the books “on the proper basis.” her attention. Ultimately Surrey decided not to She then heard about his letter keep the books in its curriculum through the media. as the board reviewed them and The Mercier campaign found them wanting in has flatly denied that any terms of grammar and information was leaked spelling. View by Hauptman. Both camHauptman had video paigns knew that Hauptman wanted her to answer with was friends with Piotr a question about the Majkowski, said Alec issue more fully, Polak Stromdahl, Mercier’s mansaid. or online ager. On gay rights, Polak Majkowski is the former said that she is a federal NDP candidate in Catholic, but she is Langley. supportive of individAsked if there had been uals in all walks of life. any issues with intolerance “It’s not for me to from Liberal supporters, Polak judge what somebody else does,” said she hadn’t witnessed any. she said. “It certainly has not come “I remain his friend,” she said from members of the campaign,” of Hauptman. Polaks said. In his letter, Hauptman called She said that a question about on politicians of all stripes to her early political career had been speak up for the gay community, the only issue Hauptman had and wrote that he was tired of recently brought up with her. being marginalized. Polak’s political career began “While I can say without hesitaon the Surrey School Board, tion that Mary has always shown where she was involved with me respect and love, and was a the controversy over whether a source of strength and encouragegroup of children’s books includment when I ‘came-out,’ I have ing gay parents should be on the been conflicted beyond words
www.langleyadvance.com
makes a great gift for mother’s day
these past weeks. You see, the very base of voters who will likely help Mary get re-elected in just one-week’s time are made up of individuals who hold hateful attitudes towards the community I am a part of,” Hauptman wrote. “It is knowing this that I simply cannot in good conscience support a campaign made-up of people who think of me as less of a person because I am gay. It is for these reasons that – after considerable thought and deliberation – I have decided to step-down from Mary’s campaign effective immediately.” The letter was released on Tuesday morning. As recently as Monday, Hauptman was contacting local media to inform them about local campaign events. The deputy campaign manager will now take over running the campaign. Hauptman has been known locally for his involvement primarily with Polak’s constituency office, for his advocacy for organ transplantation programs – he is the recipient of a kidney transplant – and for working with Fort Langley’s recent Miss Canada Tara Teng on combatting human trafficking. He has worked for Polak for several years. He was politically active as far back as high school, when he spoke to the local school board about bullying policies.
• The full contents of the letter can be viewed online at www.langleyadvance.com.