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Three Iqalummiut seek mayoral seat City shifts to electronic voting for Oct. 15 electionTim Edwards Northern News Services Published Monday, Sept 17, 2012
Iqalummiut will head to the polls on Oct. 15 to elect a mayor, council and three education authorities. City ratepayers will also vote on whether the city can borrow $40 million to build an aquatic centre. Although the city's last two mayors have been women, the candidates for this term are all men. Here are their arguments for why Iqalummiut should vote for them: John Graham came to Iqaluit when he was 19 with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1976 and has been here since, notably serving as the Iqaluit airport manager since 1996. He retired from that position this past February and, since then, has been working a short-term contract with the Canadian Forces on the Eastern Arctic area air and army cadet program. He told Nunavut News/North though he has no municipal political experience, he would make a good candidate due to his experience at the airport. "The airport is a city within a city, if you will," said Graham. Co-ordinating nearly 150,000 passengers, 25,000 flights and millions of pounds of freight per year has given him the ability to manage a big operation and to deal with numerous interests, both public and private, he said. The big issues that stand out to Graham are infrastructure, such as the need for a new landfill and cemetery sites, which are two big priorities for him. "Lots of terrific work has been done on that but we've got to advance that and come to some resolution on it, and sooner than later," said Graham. He has a wife, five children and two grandchildren. Allen Hayward sat on council two terms ago, but took a break to spend time with his young children. Now he says he wants to jump back in the game. He's been in Iqaluit for 11 years and has held several different jobs, including working in corporate policy for the Government of Nunavut and operating his own paralegal business. He promises that if he is mayor, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, he will find a way to make the proposed aquatic facility a reality. He told Nunavut News/North his experience on council, and as deputy mayor, make him the person for the job. "I know how the committee system works," said Hayward. "Being deputy mayor, I know what's involved in municipal politics and really how to make things work and make things happen." He said his campaign is about fixing infrastructure issues such as the ailing water reservoir and addressing the need for a new landfill. He also wants to concentrate on attracting businesses, big and small, to Iqaluit to increase the tax base and help the community grow, he said. He also noted his involvement in giving back to the community through organizations such as the Rotary Club, Ducks Unlimited, Habitat for Humanity - of which he is co-founder in Iqaluit - and he has served on many boards, including the Iqaluit Housing Authority. He stressed that he is "in tune with the issues" and has a plan. He has a wife and two young daughters. Noah Papatsie has lived in Iqaluit all his life, and spent about 20 years as an executive producer with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation. He left in 2002 after losing his eyesight and has since been volunteering and advocating for people with disabilities. He serves on the board of the Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society. He says he's running because things aren't getting done. Issues like road maintenance, building maintenance, finding a new landfill and getting the new graveyard in place have been put "on the backburner." "The community needs to get together and fix its problems," he said. Opening up more dialogue between the city and its residents, and getting more people involved in what's happening in the city are important to him. He wants to see more people watching and taking part in council meetings. "Everyone needs to be heard, he said. Papatsie has a wife and three children. Voters will be casting their ballot in a different fashion this year. Three electronic tabulators have been rented by the city for the election, according to chief returning officer Kirt Ejesiak. "The change will be minimal," he said. "We'll still go through the same procedure ... but instead of sticking it (the ballot) in a ballot box, they'll feed it through an electronic tabulator, into a secure box." Ejesiak said this will allow results to come in faster and more accurately, as the machines' main purpose is to minimize human error. Iqaluit municipal election candidates Mayor
City council (eight seats)
Iqaluit District Education Authority (five seats)
Apex district education authority (four seats, candidates acclaimed)
Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut (five seats, candidates acclaimed)
Source: Chief returning officer Kirt Ejesiak
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