Nine candidates are seeking six Langham Town Council seats in the November 9 civic election. The following profiles are based on information provided by each candidate to the Gazette and/or posted by each candidate on the Langham and Area Community Coffee Talk and News Facebook Group website.Photos of some candidate were not available at press time.
CAREY ZACHARIAS
Carey Zacharias grew up in Langham. At the age of 22, he moved to Hague where he got married and raised four sons. He lived in Hague for 20 years and was very involved in the community’s minor hockey association as a coach and board member. He also served six years on Hague town council and was a member of the Hague volunteer fire department.
He and his youngest son moved back to Langham a year and a half ago. He decided to run for Langham Town Council in order to provide a voice for ratepayers.
Zacharias said his priorities are infrastructure including sewer, water, and streets. He would also like to see “clarification on responsibilities for the town and homeowners.”
Zacharias said while he is in favour of future growth, he believes the town needs to also focus on improving infrastructure in all parts of the community.
“Whether you have an old house, a new house, an old business or a new business in town, everyone is equally important in my eyes.
“There is a lot of upgrading to be done in town from the old sewer lines, water lines and sidewalks.”
Zacharias said he wants to bring more “transparency” to council and improve communication from council to taxpayers.
RANDALL KARY
Randall Kary and his wife are long-time residents of Langham.
He was elected to Langham Town Council in a by-election in 2018 and is seeking re-election.
Kary started working in Langham in 1986 and was employed at Waldner’s Tax and Insurance Service until that business closed in November, 2015.
“In my time at Waldner’s, I gained knowledge in tax preparation and bookkeeping and became a Notary Public,” said Kary, who currently works at Chip Bookkeeping Services Inc.
“In 1996 my wife Kathy and I moved with our two children to Langham and have been residents of the town ever since.
“I am hoping to bring my financial and investment knowledge to help the town.
“I would like to bring more business to town as this is the way that I think we will grow for the future.
“I believe in transparency and letting everyone know what is happening in the town.”
Kary said over the past two years, the town has completed the new lagoon, opened a spray park, started a trail network, begun a crime watch program, worked on attracting new businesses to town, worked with the preschool on the new building on Main Street, put plans in place to attract new residential and commercial businesses, and started working on the replacement of infrastructure.
CAROL EPP
Carol Epp, a life-long resident of Langham, has served on Langham town council for the past 20 years. As the councillor responsible for public works, her main focus is on essential infrastructure including roads, sidewalks, equipment, water, sewer and drainage.
“I am excited about the successful milestones that have happened in our town in the past few years,” said Epp. “These include the new spray park, skate park, River Ridge trails, loading zone cement pad at the Langham Care Home and the community garden.”
She said the recently-completed municipal lagoon is a big step forward that will allow the town to expand. She added that several new businesses including a grocery store, restaurant, fitness centre, pharmacy, dentist, physiotherapist and massage therapist have opened, and other amenities including a preschool, mini-mall and new municipal lift station are slated to be completed soon.
“During the next four years, I look forward to continued growth and planning for the future as well as guiding our community during the pandemic recovery,” said Epp. “Our team of administration, mayor, council and staff have worked together with residents to make Langham a booming community. It has been my honour to work with all of you and I am asking for your support in this election.
“I am ready to continue this great work in the town we all call home.”
DIONE WALL
Dione Wall said she is seeking another term on Langham Town Council because she has found the past four years on council “very rewarding.”
“I have met so many great people in our community and have learned so much more than I ever thought I would,” she said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience and there is so much more work left to complete.”
Wall said she has contributed to the community through her work on council in the following ways:
* started up a new Crimewatch group to help reduce crime;
* developed a trail network to improve physical, mental and economic health in the community;
* advocated for a new pre-school building and location, the first building in the Main Street Revitalization plan;
* contributed to updating archaic policies and bylaws;
* developed a rapport with the local RCMP detachment, resulting in additional time spent by police officers in the community;
* advocated for changes in technology to create efficiency gains and better transparency;
* negotiated with the civic union for a contract that is fair to both employees and ratepayers.
Wall said she wants to keep the momentum of the last four years going and work as part of a team to keep building the community’s future.
BRENDAN PROCTOR
Brendan Proctor moved to Langham in 1998 when he started teaching at Walter W Brown School. He and his wife are raising a family of five, two of which are still living at home. He volunteers as a coach and referee for community and school soccer and basketball leagues, and has worked on the family farm (Cornucopia Honey) in Langham for many years.
Proctor was first elected to Langham Town Council in 2012 and has served as Deputy Mayor since 2016. His portfolio on council since 2012 has been water and sewer. He said the town has made significant progress on several fronts, including completing the new, re-located lagoon that will allow the community to grow, and also completed surface water drainage projects to avoid flooding in wet years.
He spearheaded the ‘Lil Vikings Preschool building on Main Street and supported the development of Lions Park, including the new spray park.
Proctor said the town council has implemented policies encouraging business development, particularly along Main Street in downtown Langham.
He said he is seeking re-election because he wants to foster “responsible, planned growth” in both the residential and business sectors, and expand recreational opportunities for families.
“I feel I bring experience and an analytical perspective to the council table,” he said. “I would like to use my experience and abilities to contribute to the community.”
BRANDON BOOTH
Brandon Booth was raised on a mixed farm near Spiritwood and moved to Langham in 2004. He is married and has two children. He has a diploma in Electronics Systems Engineering Technology and currently works for SaskTel while his wife has a home-based hair salon business in Langham.
Booth said he intends to bring a “serious, business-minded attitude” to the Langham Council table if elected. “I sometimes like to play ‘devil’s advocate’ as I find it can be very beneficial to see both sides of the story prior to making an informed decision,” he said.
Booth said while he feels the current town council has done a good job, he believes improvements can be made in communication and transparency. Among the improvements he suggests are more timely updates to the town’s official website, and a plan developed to repair aging infrastructure. Details of that infrastructure improvement plan should be shared with residents so they can see the allocation of their tax dollars, he said.
TAMMY BERIAULT
Tammy Beriault and her husband moved to Langham a little over eight years ago and immediately began volunteering in the community.
Beriault was elected to town council in 2016. She ran for a council seat because she wanted to find out how and why decisions affecting the community were made.
She said the past four years have been a learning experience.
“The amount of work that goes into running a municipality is huge,” she said.
“Town council works diligently together,” she noted. “However, we are given a portfolio of an area in which we focus, bring back requests to council to discuss and make happen.”
Beriault’s portfolio is Fire Services and Emergency Measures.
“Langham has so much to be thankful for,” she said. “What a remarkable team of volunteers we have that give of their time to keep our residents safe and secure. I have bene advocating for a much-needed fire hall that is better suited” and equipped to handle the growing number of emergency calls.
Beriault said she brings qualities of integrity, honesty and transparency to the council table.
She said the council has worked as a team to complete many projects over the past four years that are designed to better position the town for future growth. She welcomes ratepayer ideas and suggestions to continue that growth.
PETER SROK
Peter Srok was born in Slovakia and graduated with a degree in Automation of Industrial Technologies. His post-graduate education is in management of small and middle-size businesses.
He and his wife moved to Canada in 2012. They have two children and have lived in Langham for the past four years. He has been running a small construction company since 2014.
“During my career I worked in different managing positions in different countries of different cultures,” said Srok. “That gives me an advantage because I can adapt to things quickly and am used to thinking outside the box.”
Srok is a member of the Langham Crime Watch committee and is helping with the Langham pre-school building project.
“During our time in Langham I already recognized some of the problems and issues our residents have,” said Srok. “These include high taxes, rising utility payments, poor quality of water lines and sewer infrastructure, missing sidewalks and terrible conditions of the drainage system.
“I know not everything can be solved right away.”
He said he will work toward attracting new businesses and promoting residential growth in the community.
Srok said if elected, he will be open to residents’ ideas and suggestions, and pledged to keep residents informed on council decisions regularly.
DYLAN SMART
Dylan Smart was raised in Dalmeny and has lived in Langham for the past 12 years. He and his wife have three sons.
He has 20 years of experience in the construction industry. He is also an entrepreneur and inventor. He earned the 2020 Order of Gabriel Dumont Award in the Bronze Medal category for distinguished leadership and community involvement.
His company, SmartPath Safety Systems Ltd, uses recycled rubber to produce quick, simple, safe pathways for use by people working on construction sites.
Smart said he is running for town council in order to “give back” to the community and help build a solid future for the town and its residents.
He said his vision is to build the community through “dedication, persistence and open communication.” He said he is a creative thinker who looks at all the facts before making a decision. He also believes transparency is critical for the functioning of a town council.
He said if elected he will keep a close eye on how taxpayers’ money is spent, while ensuring needed infrastructure is in place for future growth. He wants to bring new, viable businesses to the community, open up lines of communication between ratepayers and council, and provide trusted leadership that ensures the town remains strong as it grows.