Local election guide: Langford candidates for mayor and council

This year’s election in Langford will once again see current Mayor Scott Goodmanson face off against former mayor Stew Young. 

Goodmanson was a newcomer when he was last pitted against Young for the mayoral seat of Langford, and managed to win by just 714 votes. 

This year, Young is trying once again to win back the seat he held from 1993 to 2022. 

No one else is challenging the role of mayor. 

As for councillors, four of Langford’s five current councillors are running for re-election as incumbents. This number would be six, but tragically, Lillian Spzak passed away in May 2026. 

In total, there are 16 candidates for Lanford city council. 

Who is seeking re-election?

Incumbent Mayor Goodmanson is running for re-election against former mayor Young.

Among the council candidates, there are four candidates seeking re-election:

• Mary Wagner
• Colby Harder
• Keith Yacucha
• Kimberly Guiry

Candidates for mayor

Scott Goodmanson, incumbent

Scott Goodmanson’s family has lived on Langford Lake since 1927.

The incumbent mayor has since lived in multiple areas of the region and can compare firsthand what he feels works and doesn’t work in other municipalities.  

He says he wants to continue with many of his platform pledges from his 2022 campaign because they remain foundational concepts that Langford should continue to embed into the core function of its operations. 

Goodmanson says he believes that public engagement is not a one-time exercise, but a continual process of learning and responding, reaching out and finding more productive ways to interact with residents.

Furthermore, he says the economy, housing and the environment are not isolated concepts to be dealt with on their own, but in concert with each other to ensure that all remain focused and strong.  

His priorities are to improve public engagement, bring more doctors and medical centres into Langford, deliver more affordable housing and housing for all types of families, improve the local economy, support reconciliation, protect the environment and bolster City partnerships. 

More on Goodmanson can be found online here. 

Stew Young, former mayor

Stew Young is well-known in the community and served as mayor of Langford from 1993 to 2022 when he was defeated by Goodmanson. 

He says that his approach to being Langford’s mayor has been practical—listening to residents, finding solutions, attracting investment, keeping taxes affordable and making sure growth brings benefits back to the community.

Young says the things that matter most are to keep Langford affordable, make sure infrastructure keeps pace with growth, support local businesses, invest in recreation and public safety and get good value for every tax dollar.

He says he is running for mayor because he believes his experience can help Langford move forward with a clear plan and a practical approach.

Find more information on Stew Young online here.

Candidates for Langford council 

Lisa Foxall

Lisa Foxall is a healthcare professional with over 20 years experience, and calls herself a community advocate and volunteer. 

She lives in Langford with her family and says she is inspired by the pride, care and generosity of the city and its residents. 

Foxall says that for the past four years, she has attended Langford council and committee meetings to advocate for stable taxation, responsible spending and practical cost-effective solutions to key priorities and issues identified by residents.

Her priorities include fiscal responsibility and lower taxation, public safety and funding for police, increasing affordable housing supply and improving transportation throughout the region. 

Find more on Foxall online here. 

Mary Wagner, incumbent

Mary Wagner is finishing her first term as an elected Langford city councillor and is seeking re-election. 

She was born and raised in Langford and earned her PhD in Biochemistry at UVic before spending 15 years teaching biology and raising her family in the heart of Langford. 

Wagner calls herself a lifelong learner and community advocate, saying she is known for her dedication to thoughtful planning, sustainability and meaningful community connection.

Her priorities include sustainable growth, public engagement, good governance, environment and climate resilience, safe neighbourhoods and arts, culture and recreation. 

More information is available on Wagner online here. 

Jennifer Dunnett

Jennifer Dunnett is a lifelong Langford resident who works as a public servant. 

She has worked for a decade in the BC provincial government and continues to work with the Province in the Ministry of Health. 

Dunnett also has experience working in an MLA’s office, the premier’s and ministers’ offices as well as the BC Pension Corporation. 

As a lifelong renter who has never owned a home, Dunnett says she knows what affordability means to a family. 

Her priorities for Langford include increasing affordability, improving traffic congestion, free transit for youth, densifying the city’s core, ensuring recreation keeps up with population growth, bringing more services to the city, improving access to childcare and bringing another medical clinic to Langford. 

Find more about Dunnett online here. 

Colby Harder, incumbent

Colby Harder was first elected to Langford council in 2022, and says that she ran because she felt that the heart of the community and the needs of families like hers were being left behind by the growing municipality.

Through her first term she says she prioritized catching up on infrastructure, setting policy for intentional growth, while improving civic governance and engagement.

In seeking re-election, Harder’s vision is to help residents move forward by making Langford a place that’s more affordable, connected and fun.

Her priorities include creating more livable neighbourhoods, building connectivity through improved infrastructure and making services more accessible. 

Find more information on Harder online here. 

Wendy Hobbs

Wendy Hobbs has lived in Langford for over 40 years, working in the insurance industry and serving the community as a Sooke School Board (SD62) trustee for 26 years.

As a trustee she says she held various governance and leadership roles including board chair and vice-chair, and was a member of the Victoria Family and Youth Justice Committee. 

She also served as president of the Vancouver Island School Trustees Association and has volunteered with the Westshore Chamber of Commerce, Westshore Parks and Recreation and Langford Lavender Festival.

Hobbs’ priorities include stabilizing taxes, improving public safety, building functional infrastructure, creating more amenities for all ages, good governance and environmental stewardship. 

Find more on Hobbs online here. 

Michael Mortimore

Micahel Mortimore was born and raised in Langford and has lived in the city for most of his life. 

He has worked as a manufacturer in Canada for years, building furniture, storage systems and mattresses. 

Mortimore has obtained a bachelor of arts from UVic, his master of arts from McMaster University and a computer science degree from the University of Toronto. 

His priorities include greater discipline and transparency in municipal spending, helping infrastructure and essential services keep pace with growth, improving community safety and working with neighbouring municipalities to establish clear regional priorities for improving transportation. 

Find more on Mortimore online here. 

Shawn Blair

Shawn Blair claims that as a first-time candidate, he is not a career politician but rather a neighbour.

He is a construction worker who has lived in Langford for 12 years and is a member of a non-profit men’s support group that focuses on food security and overall wellbeing.

His priorities in this election include improving city council transparency, capping tax increases at inflation, creating pathways to homeownership, public safety and better transportation.

Find more information on Blair online here. 

Bryson Hill

Bryson Hill has lived in Langford for the past five years with his family and has had a 21-year career with the RCMP in regions throughout Canada. 

He has a decade of experience coaching youth baseball and other sports in the West Shore and has also been involved in Cops for Cancer, the Boys and Girls Club and the Sarah Beckett Memorial Run. 

In 2022, he retired from the RCMP and now works as an insurance broker. 

He believes that Langford should strongly support police, firefighters, paramedics and all first responders and that improving access to healthcare should be a priority. 

Hill’s other priorities include streamlining development, improving housing affordability, improving infrastructure and supporting seniors. 

Find more information on Hill online here. 

Keith Yacucha, incumbent

Keith Yacucha was first elected to council in 2022 as part of the electoral slate Langford Now and is now seeking re-election. 

He has worked with the Canadian Armed Forces, for a credit union and in Fort McMurray before completing his master’s in economics at UVic. 

Now, Yacucha works as an instructor at Camosun College, where he continues to instruct the next generation in economics and public administration.

He says his life has been defined by balancing tight budgets, working in the field and analyzing the numbers, which is what he wants to bring to council if re-elected. 

Yacucha’s priorities include locking in stable and predictable tax rates, saving where possible to invest in future infrastructure, auditing City contracts to get the best value, expanding recreation facilities, expanding local medical clinics, accountable public safety spending and advocating for better transit and a regional train service. 

Find more on Yacucha online here. 

Matt Sahlstrom

Matt Sahlstrom is a former Langford councillor who served 20 years between 2002 and 2022, when he ran but did not win a seat. 

He is positioning himself as the only veteran former councillor from the previous administration seeking a return to council chambers this election. 

Sahlstrom’s priorities focus heavily on fiscal responsibility, tax stabilization and pedestrian/driver community safety.

Sahlstrom does not have a candidate website. 

Trevor Hinton

Trevor Hinton is a newcomer to this election, running for his first time in Langford. 

Hinton has no public platform or candidate website as of September 29th. 

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson is reportedly a retired financial planner who has lived in Langford for 30 years. 

Jackson has no available candidate website. 

Brandy Gordon

Brandy Gordon is a lifelong Langford resident, mother of three and community advocate. 

She says she is focused on listening to the community and delivering real, everyday results. 

Her priorities include family, community and connections to help guide Langford forward with responsible growth, transparency and a clear focus on what matters most to the people who call it home.

If elected, Gordon wants to focus on youth and recreation, responsible growth, affordability for seniors and increasing accountability. 

Find out more about Gordon online here. 

Tanya Sunshine

Tanya Sunshine is a Langford resident who works at a medical clinic in Sooke. 

She says she has followed council decisions, read staff reports and plans, asked questions and listened to different perspectives in order to develop a deeper understanding of how challenging and rewarding local government can be.

Notably, her mother-in-law, Lillian Szpak, served Langford as a councillor for many years before passing away in May 2026.

Sunshine’s priorities include building up Langford’s arts, culture and parks; making city hall more accessible; creating more healthcare partnerships; working towards predictable taxation; building economic development; increasing affordable housing stock; and advocating for renters. 

More information on Sunshine is available online here. 

Alex McLeod 

Alex McLeod has no publicly available information on their platform or priorities. 

McLeod does not have a candidate website as of September 29th. 

Kimberly Guiry, incumbent

Kimberly Guiry was first elected to Langford council in 2022 and is seeking re-election. 

She moved to Langford after post secondary and earned her Red Seal in joinery before having children and prioritizing family. 

In the 2022 election, Guiry said she wanted to offer a new choice and to champion inclusive policies, safe routes to school and a better city with good planning and design.

She believes there are many tough decisions ahead about how to prioritize what needs to happen next and how to fund the needed changes. 

If elected, Guiry would prioritize building more affordable and family-friendly housing, improving accessibility and traffic infrastructure, supporting community amenities and services, developing a community safety and wellbeing plan, stabilizing taxes and protecting the environment. 

Find out more about Guiry online here.