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Sachs Harbour hamlet elects new mayor
Katie May Northern News Services Published Monday, December 20, 2010
Teacher and mother Priscilla Haogak defeated incumbent mayor Yvonne Elias and third-place candidate Ryan Lucas for the top hamlet job in the NWT's most northerly island community of about 130.
Hamlets in the Beaufort Delta, Deh Cho and South Slave regions had scheduled elections last week, but Sachs Harbour was the only community in the Delta region to have the mayor's position on the ballot, as other mayors still have remaining time to serve. Most other communities didn't have to go to the polls because they had already acclaimed enough councillors. Haogak, who had been elected for a term on hamlet council a number of years ago, said she entered the race because she felt it was time for her to fill a greater leadership role within the community, although she didn't really expect to win. Haogak thanked her supporters after the results were announced. "My only hope is that I can do them justice," she said. "I'd just like to keep on working with our hamlet staff along with the community. I'm not here to move mountains or change people's whole outlook on the life and times in Sachs Harbour." "If there needs to be change, well, let's work through it," Haogak added. "But I'm not here to say, 'OK, let's put Sachs Harbour on the map and let's be the top of the world.' I'm here to lead." Despite its small population, the hamlet and its residents have been busy in the past year, including constructing a brand new community centre, named Ajgaliaq Centre in honour of recently deceased and well-respected elder Andy Carpenter, and continuing to push for greater accessibility to education as all of their high school-aged youth must move away to attend school in Inuvik. Haogak's swearing-in as mayor in January coincides with the end of her maternity leave, so she said she will have to balance serving the needs of the community with teaching aboriginal languages at the elementary school as well as raising a family. "It's going to be a very interesting year."
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