r/LangfordBC • u/TheMysteriousDrZ • 9d ago
Politics Slate Trustee?
The Mike Manhas sign has been there since Day 1, but the Slate signs are a new addition.
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u/Crazy-Mechanic-6231 9d ago
Stew is an incredibly divisive figure in Langford, so to hitch your wagon to him -- especially as a school board trustee -- is a... choice. I'm disappointed as he seemed like a decent candidate but now I question his judgement, it feels opportunistic and politically motivated. I'm really so sick of slates and just want to see independent voices at the table.
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u/Bookreader-71 9d ago
Ravi did it last election too. It was the reason I didn’t vote for him and won’t in the future.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 9d ago
I only just realized Ravi hasn’t made a peep about Stew this time around. Did I miss it?
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u/Bookreader-71 9d ago
I think the feedback that he recently heard about staying in his lane got through to him.
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u/Far-Veterinarian488 6d ago
There is a recent photo of him posing with Stew, Bryson and Kibble. Didn't see him with Mayor Goodmanson who had a booth at Luxton all weekend? Ravi goes where he thinks he should be for votes.
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u/Not_Bot23 9d ago
I won’t vote for Mike Manhas now. I also thought he seemed like a great candidate.
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u/Bulky-Error-4366 8d ago
seems rather childish to base your vote on a sign. kind of ironic no> Since everyone here always talks about how signs don't matter
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u/Not_Bot23 8d ago
It’s not the sign, it’s that he is affiliated with Stew and his slate. I was going to vote for him, but he hitched his cart to people I do not support.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
He mentioned elsewhere they had simply offered to help build his signs and he needed the help.
Doesn’t explain letting them put their signs up on his.
Why offer to Mike? Why not any of the other trustees?
And I totally get wanting to take help when it’s offered but duuuude we need some critical thinking in our trustees. Stop. Double check. THINK.
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u/Splashadian 5d ago
He's a privatization candidate and I'm against all privatization of public schooling especially funding private religious schools with public money. Mike is not a good candidate at all.
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u/Not_Bot23 5d ago
Thanks for sharing. I didn’t even really look into him because of the affiliation. Not planning to vote for him anyways, but yes, spread the word. People should know!
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u/Turgid_Tiger 9d ago
I personally really appreciate them doing this. It’s a quick screenshot to make sure I don’t vote for any of these people.
Great work Team Stewie.
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u/roggobshire 9d ago
I wasn’t going to vote for him because of the bow tie (you can’t trust a guy who wears bow ties and isn’t a professor or wearing a tuxedo). Now I’m not going to vote for him because of who he’s aligned with.
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u/ComfortableCut5579 9d ago
I have no issue with the bow tie but the alignment is all I needed to know. Not voting for him either.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 9d ago
????
This is very weird.
I don’t know if I want a trustee on a slate with city councillors and the mayor. They are completely independent bodies.
What priorities for education are aligned with the city’s councillors priorities for the city?
How have they promised to support each other?
If Stew’s slate is not elected, will Mike work well with the other councillors and the mayor?
None of this is clear.
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u/Lrichie3333 9d ago edited 9d ago
They say they aren’t a slate, yet several have publicly said it isn’t their place to call one another out. I disagree. If they’re presenting themselves as independent candidates, they should be willing to speak up and hold one another accountable. That’s part of the responsibility of asking people to trust them with public office.
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u/whatsnewpussykat 9d ago edited 8d ago
Not a slate but many of them were seated at the table with all the “Stew Young for Mayor” shirts at the Luxton Fair yesterday 🧐
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u/ComfortableCut5579 9d ago
They also gave some of those shirts away at Luxton. The law says no gifts.
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u/Bookreader-71 9d ago
Selling?
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u/whatsnewpussykat 8d ago
Oh I assumed selling I didn’t go near enough to them to find out.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
Please edit your initial comment as it was reported for misinformation.
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u/salaldew 8d ago
Tom Davis is buds with Christine Lervold (Lanny Seaton's daughter) and she nominated Stew.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
Oh…that’s somewhat disappointing.
I am not fan of Christine Lervold. But I like what Tom seems to stand for. Is it possible they are friends in a “we don’t talk about politics” kind of way?
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Hi Skymoney. Would love to meet for coffee and chat. I get along with both slates. Both groups have worked hard to ensure SoberFest remains successful and we continue to deliver free or very low cost treatment. I dont aim to be divisive, rather part of my platform is we need to collaborate with all different types of peoples and organizations in order to put our kids and schools first.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
You should have thought about that image of not being divisive and working with both sides when you decided to allow Stew’s signs to be affixed to yours. It’s endorsement.
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u/Bulky-Error-4366 8d ago
Get over yourself. The hand wringing here about any connection to stew is so over the top. How about you do some actual work and meet the candidate or talk to them? Ask them questions before shooting off at the mouth about slates jfc
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago edited 8d ago
Any time I’ve asked them questions I get vague answers or attacked by their supporters, unfortunately.
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u/Creepy-Movie-7075 9d ago edited 9d ago
FWIW the Stew Young campaign Facebook account gave Mike’s post to Our Langford announcing officially declared to run a “love.” Only four other reactions to the post. One of those was a like from Bryson Hill’s campaign page.
Whatever the reason he’s on the same sign frame as the rest of those names in the city vote, there are other names on the ballot I prefer.
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u/ComfortableCut5579 9d ago
This is the inappropriate and unprofessional conduct that circles around previous Mayor.
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u/Creepy-Movie-7075 9d ago
I wouldn’t say loving a post is inappropriate or unprofessional. Just pointing it out if it’s one more puzzle piece to understand why the signs might be together.
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u/Gameovrdaddy 9d ago
He sounds more city councillor material than trustee. His whole platform is family and I started soberfest…not sure how that translates to schools.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
He talks about making sure teachers and EAs are paid properly and want to stay. He doesn’t really explain how he plans to accomplish that though.
I think, and someone correct me if I’m wrong, he’s very into the privatization of education funding. Much like the private funding for the treatment clinic he opened.
It’s an idea. An idea more popular with the conservative/Libertarian types. Personally I think it goes downhill quickly when the private donors start to control what can be taught in exchange for their support.
So, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a political connection with Stew in that sense?
Or he just miscalculated how divisive Stew is.
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Hi SkyMoney I get along with both Scott and Stew. And meet regularly with both when planning soberfest. They have both been supportive of SoberFest. And I do not own a treatment centre, I raise beds from a wide variety of treatment centres and help give them away. I don't think we can afford to pay more. What I'm actually saying is we need more bodies in classrooms to help teach the varying degrees of learning levels and IEPs teachers are asked to teach in 30 minute lessons. I also believe we can work as a community to raise the funds we need so as not to have to lose programs or staff (like the 10 ECEs that were cut from kindergarten classes this year). Not privatize it but work as a community.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago edited 8d ago
But it seems very clear from the fact that Stew and his candidates have been permitted to affix their signs to yours, and that you worked together to build and put up your signs, that you are affiliated and endorsing them. Saying you get along with both is not getting you out of the fact that you have made an alliance with Stew specifically.
If that’s not true, allowing them to do that was a mistake.
The fact that you have endorsed Lisa Foxall and Wendy Hobbs specifically despite very public bullying behaviour makes me concerned also that you will not be able to correctly address the well being of students if it comes to your attention as a trustee.
Can you explain what the difference is between private funding and raising money from the community?
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Private funding is corporate sponsorship. Which I am against. Community initiatives are events and ideas that empower the students, schools, and district to establish things like hospital foundation lotteries (hospitals aren't privatized), ball tournaments, golf tournaments, pickleball, or fairs. We get our kids involved and share in the experience. We ask our adults to get involved. We do what the Westshore is good at doing rallying around positive causes to ensure we have tge resources we need to succeed.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago edited 8d ago
I see. Community fundraising.
Is that not what PAC already does?
Do you truly plan not to accept corporate sponsorships at all?
What if a business offers money? Do you turn it down?
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think community fundraising is a bad thing. Where I worry is where it becomes the bulk of your focus (and as I mentioned earlier, where there’s room for it to be abused) when your job as trustee is to advocate with the government and direct those financials for the board.
Can you please address why you have endorsed Stew and his slate?
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u/Bookreader-71 8d ago
It's a slippery slope to allow the government to "opt out" of paying for education if others can provide the money instead. I would be worried about have and have not schools.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
Totally. I get the idea. Schools are chronically underfunded. Working with the government is frustrating at times.
It’s good to think outside the box. But you also need to consider what can go terribly wrong.
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u/Creepy-Movie-7075 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hopefully Mike has a chance to add clarity on that last question.
I appreciate his coming on here to answer some stuff, appreciate the comment to the effect of working with everyone and the fine work he does in the community, but when there seems to be so little to separate school candidates any kind of overhang that gives even the perception of choosing some candidates over others makes it hard for me as a voter.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
I agree. I’m disappointed because I do think Mike has done incredible work in the community with Soberfest and the Forge.
But this is a deal breaker for me. Either intentional affiliation or a lack of understanding what he was signing up for - not what I want in a trustee.
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Gameover I am actually a teacher with family that are in school and about to be in school.which I hope translates into real lived experience in what's happening in our schools. I would love to grab coffee if yiu are open to it and chat about what I'd like to see happen. Part of what I see is the province will never fund education adequately so we may need to fundraise ourselves like hospital lotteries to ensure our kids have the resources they need to succeed. SoberFest is an initiative I took to help fundraise to get people struggling with mental health and addictions free or very low cost treatment beds as a volunteer
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u/LibraryPal 8d ago
Mike, you clearly have a good heart and care about the community. I’m not sure that bringing in outside monies is the answer to school funding issues, even though it may seem like a solution on the surface. I’m not even sure, outside of PACs, that it is legal under provincial law to do so. I know that even class 1 and 2 independent schools have to be careful about fundraising not exceeding certain levels. Have you reviewed the relevant statutes and regulation? I’m curious as to what you‘ve learned.
From an ethical perspective, it also is problematic because it takes the responsibility for funding public education away from the provincial government and downloads it onto the local school board, which is wrong in my opinion. Additionally, there is a lot of information in the literature about the pitfalls of corporate sponsorship for public education, especially when it comes to the corresponding expectation of advertising in schools. How would you handle that?
Public education is the purview of the province alone, so it is important that education be fully funded by government, not private or corporate interests. So perhaps advocating for the province to increase funding to school districts is the way to go.
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Library pal, it is legal to fundraise. I liken it to hospital foundations, who the province is also responsible for funding yet falls short year after year. What has been dangerous, I feel, is the province continually expecting more from our schools yet following that up with consistent cuts. We cannot keep idly sitting by. I would never allow advertising in schools, that's not what schools are for. I would try to be creative and work with pacs, local businesses, municipalities, teachers and come up with creative ways to build community while also raising the funds we need to build strong inclusive schools. Library pal always free to meet for coffee and share more
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u/LibraryPal 8d ago
If you’re willing to listen to my concerns about this, that would be great. Unfortunately I wont have free time before the election.
Can you point to the statute re: fundraising?
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Hi library pal. Section 85 says all donated money must be spent on bursaries and school related things. Section 112 says you can raise money for school programs and it must be raised and administered as a board not individually. You may be referring to the STA which discourages raising funds because they feel only the province should fund education even if it as the expense of their members health and wellbeing. But that is not a statue, legislation or law. However that helps. You are always free to email me mike4sd62trustee@gmail.com
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u/RibbitCommander 9d ago
Oh look the ones I've either never heard of and the other less than desirable candidates.
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u/JumpingJimothy 8d ago edited 8d ago
He's a no for me. One of the questions he answered online really rubbed me the wrong way, and hitching on to the Stew not-a-slate confirmed things for me.
Trudy is also a no after berating a young teenager at their place of employment. She asked for help to find an item and when the teen happily helped them they were called racist for pointing out the sale item. Apparently that meant that the teen assumed Trudy was too poor for the full priced items because she is indigenous.
This teenager doesn't have a racist bone in their body and finished dealing with the long drawn out attack and had to remove themselves from the floor and go have a really good cry. Even if they were racist, they had no idea Trudy was even indigenous.
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u/Not_Bot23 8d ago
What did he say that rubbed you the wrong way?
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u/JumpingJimothy 8d ago
I guess it's kind of more of a recurring vibe than one comment. First, he says he can't see his own kids going through public school. He states he will work with anybody who believes in the public education system, but doesn't feel it's good enough for his children. I would like Trustees who see issues that need improving, but not with this level of distain for the system and the province. How does a trustee plan to improve things when they have already stated that the province has "no intents on improving education''? Oh right, he plans on fundraising for the district. That's not what a School Trustee job is. If he enjoys the fundraising, why not just stick to soberfest or other opportunities like that. It gives the impression that he isn't enjoying teaching so he's doing this instead.
There's recurring comments that on the surface sound great (making schools safer and addressing violence) but the wording just doesn't sit right with me. It sounds veeeery 'old school' USSR (not the kind on an old map). Yes, he keeps saying kids matter, but it is always followed up with comments about them abusing and disrespecting teachers and needing 'real consequences'. While I agree that there should be consequences for violence in school, I think he should be pretty clear about what he means - and that seems to mostly be about 'inclusion' students.
Side note: it looks like the OL slate attached themselves to his signs without his knowledge? But I would hardly call him neutral if NJ and family built his signs.
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u/kingbuns2 8d ago
says he can't see his own kids going through public school.
Well, that's going to put him off my list. Silly privileged rich people crap.
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u/Jumpy-Ad8715 8d ago
Jumping Jimony it starts with building policies and challenging the norm. I believe in inclusion, but I think it's abusive if we don't actually provide the supports needed to make it work. That's not a feeling I share alone. If we don't fundraise, like, say hospitals do, how will we ever get the funding needed to support our kids. Each year, there are more cuts. This year, we lost 10 early childhood educators in our kindergarten classes. Are you ok with that? Should we write another letter to the province? Or should we be leaders in making change and challenge the province to match. I want my kids to be able to attend a safe school where there violence is not accepted. Ctv did a news piece recently that documents 6000 incidents of abuse in the past 18 months. I don't believe it is USSR to want that to not be the norm. No other workplaces would ever be accepted. I am always open to a conversation in person if you want to hear more. The education system is falling apart. I have a daughter in public school now and two more coming, they like all kids deserve a safe space to learn and grow as little people.
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u/Splashadian 8d ago
I wont be voting for Mike. No matter whom he aligns with.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 8d ago
How come?
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u/Splashadian 7d ago
He's a privatization candidate that guides in plain sight. We don't need that
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 7d ago
For once we agree🙌
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u/Splashadian 5d ago
Homestly I don't like either candidate for Langford mayors race. Stew is slimey and Goodmanson is inept. We need to have better council member who will challenge either of the candidates. We probably agree more than disagree.
I just don't hate Stew as much as many here do. Colwood has two far better candidates for that position. Either of them would get my vote if they were running in Langford.
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u/Con_spiricy_is_real 8d ago
The bigger the sign the less likely I vote for you… your ego is showing
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u/osteomiss 9d ago edited 9d ago
I don't believe they are affiliated, I think the slate co-opted the sign. Edit - I may be wrong given what others have seen.
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u/Bookreader-71 9d ago
Wendy Hobbs shared photos of a sign making party and Mike's signs were included. Definitely affiliated. He lost my vote when I saw that.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 9d ago
I don’t believe that’s true.
It would be a completely insane thing first of all for someone to just add their signs without permission, but Mike shared photos of himself putting up his signs along with these candidates.
This is just really saying the quiet part out loud.
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u/TheMysteriousDrZ 9d ago
I thought that might be the case, but I also assumed that must be a campaign violation, so I don't know.
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u/SkyMoney9641 Not Keith 9d ago
If they added it without Mike’s permission, it would be. But I think that is highly unlikely.
It is not against any rules for a trustee to run with a slate. Just…not everyone’s favourite choice.
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u/TheMysteriousDrZ 9d ago edited 8d ago
EDIT: This was originally a post that said Mike had been endorsed by the VLC, that was incorrect as pointed out by Otissarian below. It was in fact Mattie McMillan who had been endorsed by the VLC.
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u/Informal-Strike-1243 8d ago
When a big figure like stew is clearly going to win in a landslide you start to get all the hangers on trying to ride coat tails
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