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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Election signs have popped up everywhere in the city - except in Yellowknife South, where Bob McLeod could cake walk his way to a seat in the legislative assembly and a bid for the premier's job.

McLeod's campaign team, led by his son Warren, was holding off planting their candidate's signs Wednesday afternoon, waiting to see if a rumoured challenge would materialize.

If no one steps up before nominations close at 2 p.m. today, McLeod might become the third premier in a row to win his seat by acclamation, following a trend set by Joe Handley and Floyd Roland.

The minister of Industry, Tourism and Development in the last government wants back into cabinet and is seriously considering a bid for the top job.

"I will certainly consider a run at the premiership," said McLeod, who has been canvassing colleagues for their support.

The trend has some voters and MLAs talking about taking the choice of premier out of the hands of elected politicians, but McLeod says a month before the territorial election is not the time to make changes.

"If people don't like it and want to see real change, they have to start earlier rather than wait for the writ to be dropped in an election," he said.

McLeod, a former career public servant with a solid record of community involvement, came though the tumultuous days of the final legislative session unscathed by the uproar over the Wildlife Act and devolution.

There will be no ducking those issues when the next government picks up where it last left off.

"I don't think we can get away from those issues," McLeod said.

"When I look at the forecast for economic development in the North, the future looks very bright, but together we need to find a way to make devolution happen; we need to find a way to get more involvement."

Devolution also holds the key to fixing the territory's precarious financial position, McLeod believes.

The government is within $75 million of its $575 million borrowing cap, and faces a renovation of Stanton Territorial Hospital that will likely cost more than $200 million.

The best immediate fix is persuading the federal government to remove self-liquidating debt like the NWT Power Corporation and the Deh Cho Bridge off the territory's books, said McLeod, "but even doing that we need a better way and that is devolution."

Despite some contentious moments, "the 16th assembly was able to accomplish quite a bit," McLeod said, looking back and listing what he sees as its main accomplishments.

"The improved approach to capital planning and spending, the electricity review was a good thing, the work on official languages, children's issues, economic programs, the foundation for change.

"The initiatives on improving and strengthening service delivery, improving human resource management, and there was some work on the governance side, some investment to improve consultation, education and environmental stewardship on water and climate change."

Asked to name just one, McLeod said without hesitation, "diversification of the economy. We've taken the steps to promote development and diversification in every region and the 33 communities."

Before he was elected in 2007, McLeod had almost 30 years as a federal and territorial public servant, serving as a deputy minister and secretary to cabinet.

He served as the co-chair of the Northern River Basin study, director of the Canadian Tourism Commission and chaired the Canadian Diamond Strategy Working Group and the Mackenzie River Basin Committee.

He is one of only two NWT civilians who have completed national and international studies at the National Defense College in Kingston, Ont.

As part of that program, he travelled to 25 countries and completed a thesis: Aboriginal Self-Government and the Possibilities for Constitutional Reform.

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