Former Langford mayor considers legal action against city

At a press conference last week, Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson called for calm within the community. This after an alleged incident between a councillor and an unnamed member of the public outside the councillor's home.

“This member of the public was observed staring through the windows and appearing to be taking pictures of the inside of the council member's home,” said Goodmanson.

We now know the councillor was Keith Yacucha.

“It was very alarming to see this individual out behind my house taking photos,” said Yacucha.

Yacucha says he approached the man and spoke with him for 10 to 20 minutes.

That member of the community has been vocal within the Our Langford group, protesting unprecedented property tax increases in Langford.

Langford resident Scott Perry is the man at the centre of it all. He says he was in the neighbourhood to visit a friend.

“I took zero pictures that day,” said Perry on CFAX 1070's Adam Stirling Show.

The events that unfolded on Jan. 29 are disputed by both parties, although Yacucha did report the incident to the West Shore RCMP, who investigated and found no criminal act had been committed. The RCMP did say in a statement that the behaviour displayed by the citizen was concerning.

“There is nothing illegal about it but it is a line crossed,” said Yacucha.

Perry insists he did nothing wrong.

During the press conference, Goodmanson called on community leaders to denounce the alleged incident, including former mayor Stew Young.

When CTV News reached Young by phone on Tuesday, he was on his way into a meeting with his lawyer. He was about to discuss potential legal action against the City of Langford if it didn’t remove his name from a press release about the incident as well as provide a formal apology.

He says he should have never been mentioned in the press conference as it implied he had something to do with the incident and the group protesting property tax increases.

CTV News asked the City of Langford if it was considering offering Young an apology. In a statement, the mayor's office said: "Mayor Young was brought into the conversation in hopes he would denounce the unacceptable behaviour."

The statement did not answer the question about a potential apology.

“I think it was unfortunate that the logistics of contacting him in advance were apparently not able to get worked out,” said Yacucha.

Which has only created more division in an already fractured community.