WATCH: It promises to be a frenzied final few hours for many candidates but likely not for Stew Young. He has been in office for 26 years in Langford and as Luisa Alvarez tells us, he strongly favoured to win by a landslide again this year, without spending a single dime. He thinks his reputation for getting it done is enough to keep him in his city’s top job.
Langford Mayor Stew Young is known for doing things a little differently.
“When you’re dealing with me its just simple politics,” said Young.
And he’s been able to keep his job as mayor for the past 26 years, so it should come as no surprise that his approach to an election campaign is also out of the ordinary.
“I don’t spend any money on my election campaign. I don’t put up signs and I don’t do social media so my bill will be zero,” said Young.
He says his way has been and will continue to be old-fashioned.
“You know the way I do things is just getting out face to face talking to people and I deal with issues really head on and that’s how I manage it,” said Young.
It’s a method that’s worked for him for over two decades but Robert Fraser, the only other name on the ballot, is hoping Young’s tactics run their course.
“I’m not a politician. Even though this is a political race I just want to help other people that’s basically what I’m trying to do,” said Fraser.
Fraser ran against Young in 2005 and is trying again this time around advocating for better transportation, and safety improvements but even he knows beating Young will be an uphill battle.
“Stew has got great recognition and hopefully I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping people give me a chance to do it as well,” said Fraser.
So just how important is name recognition?
David Black from the school of communications and culture at Royal Roads University says its imperative.
“Over the last approx twenty years incumbents both mayors and councillor incumbents have won 88 per cent of the time.”
By that measure it means Young has a very good chance of winning Saturday, making him the only mayor Langford’s had for almost thirty years.
Luisa Alvarez
