Williams is officially the new High Arctic MLA
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Jan 08/01) - The numbers were right the first time round.
A recount has confirmed Rebecca Williams' election as MLA for the Quttiktuq riding.
Williams won the Dec. 5 byelection for a seat in the Nunavut Legislature by a mere eight votes. Because the margin between her and David Roberts was less than two per cent, a recount was mandatory under the territory's Election Act. The recount took place Jan. 4 in Iqaluit.
Williams won the race with 88 votes to the 80 votes cast for runner-up Roberts.
The third-place candidate was Levi Barnabas who roped in 73 votes. It was his resignation after being convicted of sexual assault that led to the byelection. He resigned his seat in August.
The numbers remained the same after a judge and court officials conducted the recount in the Iqaluit courthouse. It took about 90 minutes.
Williams walked out of the courtroom smiling.
"I was nervous the first time round but it wore off," she said.
Williams would not comment on the high number of votes Barnabas received saying, "it is the people who decide (how to vote) and I respect their decisions.
"I'm happy and I'm looking forward to getting to know and work with the other MLAs," she said.
Williams also said it was important for her to concentrate on getting into her riding and get to know what people believe the issues are in the High Arctic.
The riding includes the communities of Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Arctic Bay and Nansivik.
"I want to represent the riding properly because it has not been represented for quite a while," she said.
Eight people ran in the byelection.
