LangleyAdvance Your community newspaper since 1931
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Breaking news, sports, and entertainment: www.langleyadvance.com
Audited circulation: 40,026 – 44 pages
we have brazzelberries
raspberry shortcake $29.98 ea. 2 gal. pot size while supplies last www.cedarrim.com
Re-elected Langley MLA Mary Polak celebrated her convincing victory with her supporters at Townhall Public House pub in Willowbrook on Tuesday evening. Troy Landreville/Langley Advance
B.C. provincial election
Polak celebrates landslide victory
by Troy Landreville and Matthew Claxton
news@langleyadvance.com
10 OFF
$
with this ad
Buy one Dinner Entree & Receive $10 off your second entree*
Open for Dinner 7 days a week 5:00pm - 9:00 pm We accept Parties up to 50 people! *Not combined with other offers. Expires May 31, 2013
604-534-2104 20598 Fraser Hwy. www.sonomagrill.ca
The road to re-election for Liberal MLA Mary Polak appeared to be rocky at times, but by 9 p.m. Tuesday, it was smooth sailing – she was celebrating a one-sided victory over her opponents at a local pub in Willowbrook. Polak, the BC Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, learned early on that she had been re-elected for a third term as Langley MLA, taking 51.89 per cent of the vote. Her tally almost doubled that of second-place NDP candidate Andrew Mercier, at 26.87 per cent and was nearly five times greater than BC Conservative leader John Cummins, who took 11.84 per cent. “I think the win is particularly satisfying because when you’ve been in the role for two terms, it’s much more personal than
when people aren’t familiar with you,” Polak said. “It says something to me about the relationship I have with people in the community, and that’s very gratifying.” Polak’s win may not have been surprising in a solid Liberal seat, but it came amid a province-wide upset, as every poll taken during the election proved to be wrong. Instead of heading into a role in opposition, Polak will rejoin a Liberal majority government, Rich Coleman one headed Re-elected as MLA for into its fourth Fort Langley-Aldergrove term. Polak will be rejoined by several familiar faces from Langley. Rich Coleman, the veteran MLA of Fort Langley-Aldergrove, also easily won re-election. In addition, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender won a surprise victory against an NDP incumbent in a Surrey riding, and will be
stepping down from civic politics to head to Victoria. Also switching jobs will be Amrik Virk, a longtime senior officer with the Langley RCMP, who claimed victory under the Liberal banner in another Surrey riding. Provincially, the Liberals took 50 seats, the NDP 33, the Greens took their first win, and a single independent was elected. Voter View turnout was video around 52 per with cent. Heading into the election, Polak and her or online supporters faced some adversity. On May 7 Polak’s campaign manager Todd Hauptman resigned because of lack of support by voters and politicians for gay rights. In an open letter a week before the election, 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.”
www.langleyadvance.com
Liberal incumbent Mary Polak defeated her opponents in decisive fashion.
As well, this was the first time a BC Conservative leader has run in the Langley riding, and Polak admitted “that was a question mark for us.” Going forward, Polak said the province has to take advantage of all the opportunities it has in the resource sector. “We need to take that revenue and we need to put it quite directly into infrastructure in British Columbia,” Polak said. “And by that, I mean in the most broad terms, education infrastructure, health infrastructure, road and transit infrastructure… all of the things that keep British Columbia going, the services we depend on.” This will come from harnessing B.C.’s ability to trade with other countries around the world, she said. On a personal level, Polak is pleased to be serving Langley for another term. “My daughter and I moved here in 2005… and we have been welcomed,” she said. “What is so heartening to me is the relationship that we have been able to build with all the different leaders of the different not-for-profits and community groups in Langley.”