Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat (Jan 12/00) - Arviat Mayor Ralph King has been forced to resign due to ill health.

King's resignation became official on Jan. 10.

Acting deputy mayor Josh Curley said King's poor health was no secret to the community, and his resignation didn't come as a great shock because many felt King couldn't continue as mayor as sick as he was.

King, who suffers from liver problems, left Arviat this past Friday for a Winnipeg hospital.

Arviat's council met for the first time yesterday since King's announcement to discuss the situation.

"Ralph will be remembered as a good mayor who usually got things done according to the people's wishes," said Curley.

"He did a lot for the community, like the community hall extension which is about a million-dollar project and we managed to get that money.

"We're hoping to have that done by April."

Curley said King was able to complete many local projects that were moving very slowly when he began his first year as mayor in 1999.

"Ralph was not afraid to speak to anybody. He got things done and I think that's the main thing his time as mayor will be remembered for. He was the kind of mayor we hadn't seen in a long time.

"We're not sure how we're going to select the next mayor, but it will have to be the people's choice."

Arviat MLA Kevin O'Brien said King's resignation is a big loss to the community.

He said King has been a real driving force in Arviat's development.

"In my case, as the MLA, Ralph was very supportive and you need that kind of support if you're going to get things done," said O'Brien.

"Ralph came to Iqaluit on different occasions to speak with various ministers about certain projects we wanted for the community."

O'Brien said King was a very knowledgable mayor, one who wasn't afraid to push the envelop if that's what it took to get things done in a timely fashion.

"There's no question he's going to be missed. Ralph's been around for many, many years in the North.

"He knows the Northern issues and deeply understood the issues which affected his community."