He opposed adopting a code before the term ended
The February 7, 2022 council minutes, item 12.11, record the defeat of Lillian Szpak’s motion to adopt a code of conduct before the end of the term. The Westshore’s contemporary account2 reports a 4–3 vote, with Young, Lanny Seaton, Matt Sahlstrom, and Roger Wade opposed. Council instead passed a motion to wait for provincial guidance.
The report describes Young blaming Szpak for council’s conflict, objecting to the need for a code, and acknowledging that he might raise his voice. In an earlier exchange about tree protection, Seaton had raised Szpak’s daughter-in-law’s Facebook advocacy. When Szpak objected, Young talked over her and accused her of insulting Seaton in a closed meeting. She denied his account.
His own colleagues said they felt bullied
In October 2022, The Tyee interviewed Szpak and Denise Blackwell3. Both said they felt bullied by Young and said he treated disagreeing members of the public similarly, particularly women. Blackwell described deteriorating relations after she opposed tall downtown towers.
Young denied bullying. He linked the accusations to the councillors losing votes and said: If you want to vote against something, vote against it and move on.
Winning a vote is not an answer to a conduct complaint
A council majority can decide a motion. It cannot make a colleague’s concern about treatment disappear. Young’s reported responses treated dissent as the source of the problem, while the councillors raising it described an increasingly hostile workplace.
Sources
- City of Langford, council minutes, February 7, 2022Item 12.1, page 25: the defeated adoption motion and the decision to wait for provincial guidance.
- The Westshore: To code of conduct or not: Langford debatesOriginally published February 10, 2022; identifies the opposing voters and reports the exchanges.
- Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee: How Langford Turned into a Political BattlegroundOctober 5, 2022 interviews with the councillors and Young, including his denial.