Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Dec 03/01) - Election season is here again, but in the communities, it's easy not to notice.

Unlike elections in larger centres, community elections go on without all the pre-election hoopla -- no slogans, stickers, or rowdy debates.

When everyone sees each other at the store, it can seem redundant for candidates to appear on the doorstep, all smiles and handshakes.

So they don't.

Without campaigns or platforms, most candidates simply hope their electorate already know what good stuff they've done in the past.

"I think they realize what you can do for the community, especially if you've been on boards or the community corporation," says Holman's mayor Gary Bristow. He's still got a year left on his term, but four of his council seats are open this year, with eight candidates running.

When he runs for office, he usually chats with people one-on-one. "Especially people you know are going to vote for yourself -- you tend to make sure they remember. Like if you see them at the store, remind them to go and vote. Sometimes I think too, it boils down to a popularity contest."

In Fort McPherson, the community radio station, CBQM, sometimes holds a phone-in with candidates. But with less than two weeks to the Dec. 10 election date, no one has heard yet if anything is being organized this time.

It's no big deal really, since anyone with a burning question, can simply stop the candidates in town and ask.

Fort McPherson's acting mayor Rebecca Blake has been planning for just such an occasion. "I've been thinking of things to say, in my head, if anybody gave me the opportunity," she says, laughing. But no such luck, even with all the juicy issues to discuss, like bootlegging, self-government, or water quality.

The mayoral race could be tight since Blake is running against not one, but two, former mayors. Still, "it's difficult to get people interested," she says. "I don't think there's enough attention drawn to it. (The mayoral race) happens every two years and it can come and go. Three candidates is a lot, so I'm hoping there will be a lot of interest."

Fort McPherson is faring well since it actually gets to have an election. In Aklavik and Sachs Harbour, all open council seats were acclaimed. In Aklavik, council is still short one seat, which will have to be appointed next year.

"We've never had a problem with candidates, not that I can recall," says Aklavik's newly acclaimed mayor Evelyn Storr. Perhaps, she says suitable people are busy with all the oil and gas activity.

Sachs Harbour resident Floyd Sydney brings up another reason for apathy -- too many relations around. "If you don't got relatives, you got no say," he says, only partly tongue-in-cheek. "The more relatives you got, the more votes you have. That's true when you go to the communities."

Voting time

Dec. 10 is election day in most communities, with advance polls closing today.

Elections happen every year for hamlets and settlements, where, for the sake of continuity, only half the council seats come open in a year. To encourage a good turn-out, other agencies like the district education councils, or community corporations, might throw their elections at the same time.