Brodie Thomas
Northern News Services
Published Monday, July 21, 2008

AKLAVIK - Mildred Edwards defeated incumbent Charlie Furlong by a single vote last week in the race for chief of Aklavik's Ehdiitat Gwich'in Band Council.

The final results from Thursday's election had Edwards with 41 votes, Furlong with 40.

The chief returning officer for the election, Mina McLeod, said the votes were counted several times on election night.

"As far as I know nobody has asked for a recount yet. We did do a recount after the initial one. We actually did a couple of recounts," she said.

McLeod said they came back with the same numbers each time.

Edwards, 61, will officially take over as chief on July 31. She spent nine months working as the self-government co-ordinator for the Aklavik band last year. She left that position to pursue the Aboriginal Indigenous Wellness and Addictions Prevention (IWOP) program at Aurora College in Inuvik. She will now be putting her diploma on hold.

Edwards said she hopes to make the band council more transparent.

"My two main reasons for running were communication and accountability for the office because we never have public meetings or even monthly meetings as a people. We need to do more of that to let the people know what is going on."

She said that under Furlong the band was not releasing monthly financial statements. She said she was having trouble getting numbers from the band. That is something she plans to change in the coming weeks.

"Charlie did a very good job. I just felt that there was a lack of communication and accountability to the people. So many people are wondering what is going on," she said.

Aklavik will have an entirely new council as well. The only councilor who ran for re-election was Fanny Greenland. She was not re-elected.

The new council will be staffed by Annie Buckle, John Carmichael, Sigmor Furlong, Freddie Greenland, Sheila Greenland, Eugene Pascal, and Richard Ross Sr.