Most expensive mayor's race in Langley Township history - We now understand why...

Why spend so much unless it is to derive some personal (financial) benefit?

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Most expensive mayor's race in Langley Township history

By FRANK BUCHOLTZ
March 22, 2012 · Updated 9:30 AM
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The three candidates for mayor of Langley Township collectively spent more than $240,000 during the campaign which was the most expensive in the municipality's history. / FILE PHOTOS

The 2011 three-way race for the mayor’s chair on Langley Township council was the most expensive mayor’s race in Township history.

Among them, the three candidates spent more than $240,000. That total includes the $87,569 spent by the Vote Langley Now slate put together by incumbent Rick Green, which also ran seven candidates for council. Green’s own campaign cost an additional $8,800. He came third with 4,466 votes

Jack Froese, the newcomer who won the election with 7,706 votes, spent $79,533,  while longtime councillor Mel Kositsky, who finished second with 6,522 votes, spent $70,246.

More details about their campaign contributions will be published in Tuesday’s Times, but all three candidates received a large number of donations from developers, realtors, wealthy individuals and businesses. Both Froese, through his business JD Turkey Farms, and Kositsky also spent a substantial amount of their own funds on their campaigns.

The two most expensive mayor’s campaigns in the past were in 1999 and 2002. In 1999, when incumbent John Scholtens was defeated by Kurt Alberts, it was a four-way race.

Also running for mayor were Steve Ferguson and Heather McMullan. Scholtens and his Langley Leadership Team slate also spent a significant amount in 2002, when he attempted to unseat Alberts.

The LLT also spent a great deal in the 1996 campaign when Scholtens was re-elected for his second term as mayor, but much of that money was used to support candidates for council and school board.

More details about campaign contributions and spending for Langley Township council, Langley City council and the Langley Board of Education appears in other stories on this website.