AKLAVIK - Aklavik residents have three choices when it comes time to select their new mayor: Billy Archie, Robert Buckle and acting mayor Billy Storr have all put their names on the ballot for the two-year term.

Voters will also elect five councillors from eight candidates, as well as seven district education authority representatives and four recreation committee members.

Billy Archie, who served as mayor from 2004 to 2006, said he's running again partly to continue the work he did in getting outbreaks of the stomach bacteria H. Pylori studied in the community.

"The biggest concern I have right now is pinpointing the source," he said, adding his major concerns as mayor would be the health of the community, developing job opportunities and gathering funding.

Archie also wants to help Aklavik prepare for the pipeline with infrastructure and training, push for a more local curriculum in school - with lessons on things like land claims and harvesting rights - and focus on how climate change is affecting the community.

"We need to justify what impacts climate change has on the community and put in (funding) proposals," he said. "The power poles are starting to sway and move. That's going to be an issue. That's an issue right now."

He said he believes the community can benefit from his "experience," "education," and the fact that he's "pretty vocal when it comes to issues affecting the community."

Robert Buckle has lived in Aklavik for the past 25 years and has sat on the hamlet council for the past two. If he's elected mayor, he said he would focus on community beautification and sustainability in addition to job training for the pipeline.

"I'd like to see a lot more planning in Aklavik, develop more of a sustainable community," Buckle said. "We have lots of good infrastructure - we have a lot of new buildings and assets to the community so we're getting there. I'd say we're more than halfway there. We just need to have a good design."

Buckle said he would push for Aklavik to have a campground, new trails for hunters and trappers, and public garbage cans to help clean up the community and promote tourism.

"If not for tourism, just for the people here. Just to enjoy going for a walk and not having to look at garbage," he said.

"Local politics are one of those things that you can make a direct change in the way people's lives are. You can make them better in a quick hurry if you've got a good plan," he added.

"I want to see things move."

Acting mayor Billy Storr was out of town and could not be reached for an interview.