Sandy Lee Bill Braden Jake Ootes Joe Handley Charles Dent Tony Whitford Brendan Bell Floyd Roland Vince Steen

Roger Allen Jim Antoine Paul Delorey Jane Groenewegen Steve Kakfwi David Krutko Michael McLeod Michael Miltenberger Steven B. Nitah

Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Dec 08/99) - Yellowknifers voted in five new MLAs and two present members to the legislative assembly on Monday.

The city will also see the familiar face of Tony Whitford returning to the legislature. Whitford, who served as MLA between 1988 and 1995, won Yellowknife South by the largest majority of any of Yellowknife winners.

He garnered 80 per cent of the vote with Beaton Mackenzie and Steve Petersen each collecting 10 per cent.

A recount has been ordered in the Yellowknife South riding. Brendan Bell eeked out a 12-vote win by bettering former Yellowknife mayor Pat McMahon 359-347. Mary Beth Levan finished third.

Sandy Lee is the first female immigrant to sit in the legislature.

The Korean-born Lee won a 460-329 battle in Range Lake with Dave Ramsay finishing second.

In Weledeh, long-time deputy minister Joe Handley topped incumbent Roy Erasmus 648-229.

In Frame Lake, Finance Minister Charles Dent kept his seat with a solid 352-288 win over David Wind.

Similarly in Yellowknife Centre, incumbent MLA Jake Ootes was re-elected with a 400-256 win over Bernie Hughes. Bill Braden, won with a 36 per cent lead in votes in Great Slave.

Suzette Montreuil, Marie Coe and Bill Enge were all clustered with 20, 19 and 19 per cent respectively.

Other NWT results include one new MLA each in Inuvik and Hay River.

Roger Allen won the new Inuvik Twin Lakes riding while Floyd Roland hung onto his seat in the new Inuvik Boot Lake with 83 per cent of the vote -- the largest winning percentage of any of the winners.

Paul Delorey won the Hay River North riding while Jane Groenewegen was acclaimed in Hay River South.

In the Deh Cho, Fort Providence mayor Michael McLeod is the new MLA by beating incumbent Sam Gargan.

Aside from Roland, incumbents who kept their seats include David Krutko in Mackenzie Delta, Jim Antoine in Nahendeh, Vince Steen in Nunakput, Stephen Kakfwi in Sahtu and Michael Miltenberger in Thebacha.

Leon Lafferty won in the North Slave, Steven B. Nitah won in Tu Nedhe.

Unofficial results show that voter turnout was down from the 1995 NWT election.

In Yellowknife that turnout was 64 per cent with 5872 of 9131 eligible voters casting ballots. In the territories overall, 70 per cent of voters turned out.