SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Ted Tsetta will be the next Ndilo chief.

"I feel like the people have spoken and now the job is in front of me," he said, Wednesday.

Tsetta: "I had previous experience in politics and you know, hard work paid off for me." -

"It's a big task."

Members of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) voted Tsetta in by a landslide, Tuesday.

Tsetta, who was a Dettah band councillor when he entered the race, received 194 votes - 100 more than the next closest candidate.

Peter Liske, the runner-up, received 87 votes, while incumbent chief Fred Sangris got 70 votes.

Tsetta said he would take a couple days to thank the members who stood behind him and voted him in, adding he was not surprised by the results.

"I had previous experience in politics and you know, hard work paid off for me," he said.

"Going out to the people, listening to the people, hearing their concerns - the people wanted some changes and I think I could bring that to the band."

"I am really close to a lot of these members and I will work as hard as I can. If I'm going to have to put my boots and my gloves on with them, I'm going to have to do that too," he said.

First on his list of priorities is developing a land-use plan, which will designate areas for development, as well as recreation and cultural areas.

He said he hoped to schedule a meeting next week to meet with members and hear what their priorities are.

The Yellowknives Dene First Nation band council is made up of two chiefs - one from Dettah and one from Ndilo - and 10 councillors, with five councillors representing each community.

Tsetta said he hoped to improve communication within the band, referencing another campaign pledge: to work to have one chief lead land negotiations, and the other be in charge of community concerns.

He said, however, he has yet to speak with Dettah Chief Ed Sangris about the idea.

"Between me and Ed (Sangris), one can lead the negotiation, one can lead the community concern, but councillors have to be involved," he said.

"We are not going to do the same thing all the time, but we are going to be informing each other daily to see which area is the most important at the time," he said.

Tsetta, who has worked with Diavik, said he would miss his work in the mining industry where he has spent the past 28 years. He said, however, he was relishing the new challenge in his life.

Lynda Comerford, YKDFN returning officer, said three polls were set up: one each in Dettah, Ndilo and Yellowknife.

Both Comerford and deputy returning officer Rachel Crapeau said a lot of youth got out to vote.

Now that Tsetta has become chief, another seat will now be opened up for the Dettah councillor byelection, originally scheduled to fill two vacant spots for two-year terms.

The five candidates vying for the seats are Alfred Baillargeon, Barbara Powless-Labelle, Liza Pieper, Noonee Sanspariel and Mary Rose Sundberg.

The byelection is scheduled for June 30.