Former Langley MLA Rich Coleman joins township's race for mayor

Rich Coleman, then-deputy premier, speaks to media in Victoria on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

A long-time representative of the Langley, B.C., area is joining the race for mayor of the township.

Rich Coleman announced Friday that he'll be running for the Township of Langley's top job under the banner of a new municipal party called Elevate Langley.

He represented Fort Langley-Aldergrove and Langley East at the B.C. Legislature for 24 years, and during that time held a variety of roles including leader of the Opposition BC Liberals, caucus whip, deputy premier and solicitor general.

Coleman also served terms as the minister of public safety, of housing and social development, and of forests.

He was first elected as MLA in 1996, and decided not to seek re-election ahead of the 2020 vote.

During his time in office he was criticized for failing to do enough to keep money laundering out of the province, including for his decision to shut down an RCMP gambling task force. Coleman was one of several people called to testify in the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in B.C., which found in its final report that he "was aware of the concerns … that the province's casinos were being used to launder the proceeds of crime," and that "more could have been done by Mr. Coleman." 

He was also among those blamed for the housing crisis in the province, as he served as minister of housing at a time when foreign ownership took off in the province. At one point, Coleman' solution was to ask the federal government to step in and provide funding for affordable homes, saying in an open letter that the province had already invested $4.8 billion and blaming federal tax changes for a rental shortage. 

On Friday, Coleman's announcement described him as "having the most successful affordable housing strategy in Canada" during his time in that office.

He noted parts of his resume including the creation of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and his work to bring the Langley Events Centre into fruition.

His announcement did not outline a specific platform, but mentioned he wants to "drive an agenda by listening to and working with the community."

Coleman is a former Mountie and has lived in Langley Township for 38 years.

The current mayor, Jack Froese, announced in the spring that he would not be running again.