Meet the candidates running for Langley Township council

The Langley civic election is set for Oct. 17. The Langley Advance Times asked every candidate to complete a basic profile for readers. Candidates are grouped as mayoral hopefuls, council candidates and school trustee candidates. Two people are vying for mayor, and voters will choose one. In Langley Township, 20 candidates are competing for eight council seats; in Langley City, 16 are competing for six. Township voters will elect five of the seven Langley Board of Education trustees, while City voters will elect the other two. There are 15 trustee candidates in the Township and five in the City. The newspaper said it hopes the guide will help voters decide whom to support in the 2026 civic election.

The following are the 20 candidates for Langley Township council and their stated reasons for running:

**TIM BAILLIE** is running with Progress for Langley and is a councillor (2022 to present). A public servant and retired firefighter with 27 years of service, he is 71 and has lived in Langley for 11 years. He lives in South Langley. Contact: 604-762-6061. He said he is seeking re-election to strengthen public safety by providing more resources and to keep investing in services and spaces that bring the community together.

**LAUREN CHALUS** is running with Langley Strong. She is a project engagement and relationship lead at BC Hydro, 31, and has lived in Langley for 11 years. She lives in the Salmon River/rural area. Contact: laurenchalus@langleystrong.ca or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lauren.chalus. She said she wants to restore respect, bring transparent and accountable leadership, protect what makes Langley special and ensure every community has a voice. She said her experience delivering complex projects would help build a stronger Township.

**STEVE FERGUSON** is running with Progress for Langley and has served on Township council for several terms. He is a small business owner and teacher, lives in Brookswood/Fernridge and has lived in Langley for 40 years. He said he wants to continue building the province’s most liveable community. He cited Progress for Langley’s achievements: fire halls, three arenas for ice sports, two dry rinks for ball hockey and lacrosse, a soccer training facility, more fields and road improvements for 208.

**SHUMAIL JAVED** is running with Langley Strong. He is a software quality assurance executive and CEO, 35, and has lived in Langley for six years. He lives in Willoughby. Contact: ShumailJaved@langleystrong.ca or 236-866-0868. He said he decided to run after seeing rapid growth outpace infrastructure and amenities, alongside a lack of meaningful community engagement. He wants to restore respect for residents and put them at the centre of every council decision.

**MARGARET KUNST** is running with Langley Strong after completing her second term on council. A small business owner and non-profit operations director, she is 59, was born in Langley and lives in Brookswood. Contact: Margaretkunst@langleystrong.ca. She said she believes there is more work to do and that local government works best when people listen, work together and find common ground. She wants to continue bringing a positive, collaborative and practical approach. The source response ends with an ellipsis at this point.

**BARB MARTENS** is running with Langley Strong and is a Township councillor for 2022 to 2026. A retired Vancouver Police officer, she is 32 years into living in Langley and lives in Walnut Grove. Contact: BarbMartens@langleystrong.ca or www.langleystrong.ca. She said she is seeking re-election because she cares deeply about Langley. She believes public service means showing up, doing the work, asking hard questions, making responsible decisions and putting people first.

**BENJAMIN NEFF** is running as an independent. The 34-year-old public affairs consultant lives in Murrayville and has lived in Langley for 11 years. Contact: benjamin@benjaminneff.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminNeffToLCouncil. He said he wants his son to grow up in a Langley that is affordable for families, financially responsible, growing thoughtfully and protective of the community’s uniqueness. He and his wife chose Langley because he believes it is worth getting right.

**JUNE PARK** is running with Progress for Langley. The 37-year-old business executive and community leader lives in Willoughby and has lived in Langley for six years. Contact: june@koreansocietybc.ca or june@nrbia.ca. She said she wants to help build safer neighbourhoods with reliable infrastructure and bring a fresh perspective to council as a business owner, community leader and father, supporting the community’s economic growth and vibrancy.

**MIKE PARKER** is running as an independent. The 36-year-old accountant and business owner lives in Willoughby and has lived in Langley for 12 years. Contact: mike@mikeparker.ca or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586758732991. He said he started breaking down Township spending on Facebook because nobody else was doing so. He is running because Langley needs neighbourhoods where people can walk to a grocery store, rather than more grandiose projects while spending discipline and everyday liveability are ignored.

**MICHAEL PRATT** is running with Progress for Langley and is a councillor (2022 to present). The 29-year-old public servant and urban planner lives in Murrayville and says he has lived in Langley all his life. Contact: m.vf.pratt@gmail.com or 604-376-6343. He said he is seeking re-election to ensure infrastructure and amenities keep pace with growth. As a lifelong resident and urban planner, he wants to bring a local perspective to building complete, connected communities for generations to come.

**SARB RAI** is running with Progress for Langley and is a school trustee (2022 to present). The 51-year-old CBSA officer lives in Brookswood and has lived in Langley for 25 years. Contact: sarbrai1239@gmail.com or 604-724-7883. He said that, as a school trustee and public servant for nearly three decades, he wants to bring his experience and perspective to council. He said he would listen, work hard and help build a community where every family feels supported.

**KIM RICHTER** is running with Langley Strong and has been elected councillor for eight consecutive terms, from 1999 to the present. She is a business management instructor and educator at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, lives in Salmon River Uplands and has lived in Langley for 40 years. Contact: KimRichter@langleystrong.ca or 778-979-0839. She said Langley faces three crises: financial, governance and community well-being. She called for renewed respect for taxpayers, communities, businesses, people and the environment, and said all voices must count.

**ROB RINDT** is running with Progress for Langley and is a councillor (2022 to present). The 42-year-old farmer and public servant lives in rural Langley and says he has lived in Langley all his life. Contact: 778-238-0943 or rrindt@tol.ca. He said his farming background helps him understand the rural and agricultural community, and that he would continue to bring a practical voice to council. He is seeking re-election to protect what makes Langley special while preparing responsibly for its future.

**TESS ROUSE** is running with Progress for Langley. The 36-year-old senior director in a provincial ministry and small business owner lives in Murrayville and has lived in Langley for 18 years. Contact: tessbrouse@gmail.com. She said she would draw on more than 16 years of government experience and deep knowledge of Langley to focus on practical transportation solutions, parks and recreation, and growth that creates liveable communities for Langley families.

**RESHA SABTI** is running as an independent and ran in the 2025 Township council byelection. She is an insurance and investment adviser, lives in Walnut Grove and has lived in Langley for more than 15 years. Contact: reshasabti4langley@gmail.com, 778-725-9288 or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/share/1RhUZjpMTs/?mibextid=wwXIfr. She said Langley deserves independent leadership that listens, prepares and puts residents first. She wants to bring fresh perspectives, responsible growth, honest decision-making and stronger community connections, while protecting what residents value and building a resilient future for generations to come.

**ANDY SHEN** is running as an independent. He works in communications, marketing and member services, is 37, and lives in Willoughby. He has lived in Langley for five years. Contact: elect@andyshen.ca or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/andyshen4tol. He said Langley is growing quickly but infrastructure is not keeping up, and residents are feeling it in their tax bills. He is running to ensure every tax dollar is spent wisely on the roads, services and safety improvements the community needs.

**MICHELE ST. GERMAIN** is running with Progress for Langley. The 64-year-old small business owner and farmer lives in Willoughby and has lived in Langley for 51 years. Contact: thesaintmichele@gmail.com. She said she wants to bring a practical, community-focused voice to decisions shaping Langley’s future. As a business owner and second-generation farmer, she would advocate for manageable growth, fiscal responsibility and communities that work for everyone.

**TERESA TOWNSLEY** is running with Langley Strong. She was elected a school trustee in Delta in 2005, ran federally in 2008 and ran in the Township in 2022. She is a former registered emergency room nurse and sexual assault examiner, and is currently a farmer in South Langley and owner of Festina Lente Estate Winery. Asked her age, she replied that she was old enough to know that taking on debt without a repayment plan is a good way to go bankrupt. She lives in Campbell Vally/Fernridge and has lived in Langley since 2010. Contact: 604-928-2959 or TeresaTownsley@Langleystrong.ca. She said Township hall has maxed out its credit cards and left taxpayers with the debt. She argued taxes cannot keep rising when people, especially families and seniors on fixed incomes, are already struggling, and said she wants every tax dollar respected.

**LEITH WHITE** is running as an independent and is serving a first term as a Langley City councillor. A retired pastor of 25 years and former retail executive at IKEA and Staples, he is 63, lives in Willoughby and has lived in Langley for 30 years. Contact: leith@leithwhite.ca or @leithwhite.4.tol. He said good leadership listens and works together. He described today’s 5-4 slate as passing decisions with little scrutiny or collaboration. He is running as an independent because, he said, balanced decisions come from a balanced council that keeps residents at the centre. He added that residents deserve better.

**BLAIR WHITMARSH** is running with Langley Strong. He served as a Township councillor from 2014 to 2022 and from November 2025 to the present. The 59-year-old dean and professor of human kinetics and athletics at Trinity Western University lives in Brookswood and has lived in Langley since 1996. Contact: Blair@blairwhitmarsh.com or BlairWhitmarsh@langleystrong.ca. He said he is seeking re-election so Langley remains a great place for all residents to live, work and play. He said residents deserve a council that respects everyone through transparency, effective decision-making, financial stewardship and a clear vision for the future.