There may be one more Lang sitting in political office this fall.
Graham Lang, son of territorial minister Archie Lang and nephew of Yukon Senator Dan Lang, said he is “kicking the tires” in the upcoming municipal election.
And he won’t be alone.
Lang has been soliciting three other candidates to run with him on a slate.
The Municipal Act doesn’t bar slates, but they are rarely proposed.
“I think there is an appetite out there for a slate,” said Lang.
“There are a couple people that are considering it who share like-minded views with me.”
Members of the slate will be representative of different areas of the city and candidates won’t necessarily be the same age as 30-year-old Lang, he said.
“It’s a wide range of people and it would be more about the sharing of ideas than age.”
But Lang is limited. Not everyone is able to work the demands of city council into their schedules.
“City council is a funny beast,” he said. “It’s not a full-time job so you need people that have time for it.
“But it’s more than just a caretaker position.”
Providing more housing options downtown, especially for young professionals, is something that Lang will be looking at if he chooses to run.
“I’m interested in ways of bringing housing costs down through zoning and development (adjustments),” he said.
“It’s not sweeping changes, but I would try to bring more affordable, single, couple and family units online.”
If elected, Lang will look to carve the city into separate wards with each candidate representing a ward. Currently, candidates are elected on a city-wide basis.
“The city has the power to chop the city into wards. It’s time for the city to take a hard look at the zones in the city and the issues in each area,” he said.
The lack of representation from the Kwanlin Dun First Nation is a prime example of a group that could be better voiced on council, he said.
Having wards would also make candidates more likely to campaign door-to-door, something they’re aren’t doing right now because there is too much city ground to cover, said Lang.
If Lang decides to run, it won’t be his first foray into politics.
The real-estate and corporate lawyer won a nomination from the federal Conservatives in 2005 and expected to run in the fall of that year. When then-Conservative MP Belinda Stronach crossed the floor of the House, the federal election was called off and Lang lost his chance.
“I was a nominee for what seemed like two minutes,” he said. “I was all fired up for the election then it was called off.”
The deadline for city council nominations is September 17 and the municipal election is scheduled for October 15.
Contact Vivian Belik at
vivianb@yukon-news.com