Robin Adams, an Edgecliff resident who led the opposition group that fought the controversial Langley Passage housing project, said Monday he will run for a seat on the Langley City Council.

Adams said he would run for Position 3 on the council, the seat currently held by Councilwoman Fran Abel. Abel said earlier she would not run for the position.

Adams, a management consultant at CRU Strategies, was one of the four candidates who applied to fill a vacancy on the council late last year that was eventually filled by Hal Seligson. Adams repeated a few themes he used during his quest to win the council seat late last year: improving the city’s economy and allowing responsible growth.

“Langley has a wonderful community and a beautiful environment but our economy has been struggling during this recession. I think it is important that the city council acts sooner rather than later to position Langley for growth as the national and state economy recovers,” Adams said in his announcement for his candidacy.

“I really don’t see a conflict between the growth needed to create an economically sustainable Langley and protection of Langley’s environment. In fact, it is precisely this environment that attracts both residents and the tourists that form a key element in our economy,” he said.

Adams came in a close second during the council’s vote to pick a new council member six months ago. He received two, and almost three, of the votes needed to gain a council seat. (Councilman Robert Gilman and Councilwoman Fran Abel voted to appoint Adams to the position).

Adams is also one of the roughly 70 voters in Langley who signed a petition in April to force a vote on changing Langley from a council-mayor form of government to a council-manager form.

Two other positions on the council will be up for election in November.

Seligson has already announced he will try to retain the Position 2 seat on the council.

Councilman Bob Waterman earlier said he will not seek re-election to Position 4.

Monday marked the official start of the election season, with the first day of Candidate Filing Week. Candidates can file to run for office through Friday, June 10.

Langley Passage, a 20-home subdivision on the city’s northeastern end, was approved by the city council in December. Edgecliff residents bitterly opposed the project, which they claimed would increase landslides along the bluff where many of them own homes. Edgecliff residents later spearheaded a petition drive to change Langley’s form of government and eliminate the position of an elected mayor.

Adams said Monday he had not yet decided how he would vote when the proposed change of government is put to voters in the 2011 Primary Election on Aug. 16.

“I feel that it is reasonable for the voters to have the opportunity to express their opinion on the issue. Langley is a very small town. The size and cost of government needs to be commensurate with our limited resources. As a general principle, I like the separation of powers, but I want to understand whether the council-manager approach will deliver a lower-cost solution,” Adams said.

“I will be announcing my decision about this matter at the end of July when the primary ballots are mailed out, so people know where I stand,” he added.