Erin Fletcher
Northern News Services

Paulatuk (Apr 12/04) - Keith Dodge is about as all-around as you get.

As the mayor, fire chief and hamlet maintenance manager of Paulatuk, he's kept hopping nearly all day, every day.

Keith Dodge wears many hats. Here he poses as the mayor, but he is also the fire chief and manager for the hamlet maintenance shop in Paulatuk. - Erin Fletcher/NNSL photo

It's a good thing Dodge thrives on being busy. Retirement is a dirty word to the 58-year-old Newfoundlander.

"I'm such a workhorse," he said.

"I just can't see myself retiring yet. Take a tool box away from me and you're taking my best friend from me, next to the missus."

Dodge has lived in the North for more than 30 years. Eighteen of those years he's spent in a place he now calls home, Paulatuk.

"I went back to Newfoundland, but the North was in my blood," he said.

"It's a calmer pace to work at. I'm not into the fast lane of life. Everyone knows everybody here and it's the small community I really enjoy."

Loves to work with his hands

Dodge has been the hamlet mayor since 1998 and has more than 30 years of volunteer firefighting under his belt. He is also a certified heavy equipment mechanic and certified auto body repairman and painter.

He loves working with his hands and prefers the larger vehicles like graters over the smaller "Tonka trucks" like snowmobiles and cars, because they're easier to work on and the parts aren't all "jumbled" up together when you lift the hood.

"You have to be a mouse to get into some of these new engines," said Dodge.

At his best-known role as hamlet mayor, Dodge is always looking for new ways to improve the quality of life for his community.

He says that's what keeps bringing him back every election year.

"The greatest satisfaction I get as mayor is when I accomplish things," said Dodge.

"Every day I go to work and I have something on my mind -- improvement, improvement, improvement. I feel content when I go home and I know I've accomplished something in the day."

His hard work has paid off both for him and the community. Last year, Dodge was awarded a Queens Jubilee medal for his commitment to the North. Stephen Kakfwi, the former Premier of the NWT, nominated him.