Ok... here we go!

Well it seems like it was a long road to get here... how did I get here?!? Oh yes, it’s all coming back to me. Anna R, David Chambers and Scott Thompson started this little thing called "Leave Brookswood Alone" and I joined in. We had just moved to Langley from New Westminster and it seemed that what they were asking for was reasonable, and the Mayor and the majority of Council were anything but - so here I am!

I then started watching the Monday night TOL Council Meetings on my computer at home. Very quickly I was in disbelief at what I was seeing and felt I had to start attending the meetings in person. I just could not for the life of me figure out how they thought that all this chaotic development that was happening all over Langley, was not just ok, but great? Township Staff and Manager - Mark Bakken just kept on keeping on pushing these development applications through.

Quite often I would be the only person to get up and speak against yet another Willoughby development - which of course would pass. Why would my lone voice count for anything? I don't even live up there. Where were the residents of Willoughby the ones I know are unhappy about parking, crime, lack of school seats and roads that are less than functional? I quickly figured out that most of them have young families. Council Meetings are long and drawn out and quite often boring - they had lives to live.

My outrage grew with every Council meeting. At times I felt like giving up because the election was too far away and too much damage was being done. Then something shifted in me and I refused to give up hope - there had to be hope, even with those seated around me telling that there was none.

The Township of Langley is a beautiful and amazing place to live with an opportunity to do something great and we only get one shot, once it's developed there will be no going back. Let's get this right TOL, let's stop, elect a new Mayor and Council and make some better and different decisions going forward that work for the Community. These better and different decisions should be made at the expense of the developers, not on the backs of TOL Taxpayers!!

~ Michelle