NORMAN WELLS - The Town of Norman Wells will elect a new mayor next month. Three hopefuls have entered the race to replace incumbent Peter Guther, who has served as mayor for three years.

The candidates are Sarranda "Sam" Kivi, Tim Melnyk and Dudley Johnson - the latter pending eligibility approval.

Kivi, a shared services employee with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and a resident of Norman Wells since 1997, also ran for mayor in two previous elections.

She said as mayor she would generate new ideas for the town, with a major focus on community spirit and recreation.

"I want to get back to doing things that focus on the community and on the kids. I want to get some harmony going in the town," Kivi said.

"There's been people come forward with lots of great ideas, but unfortunately they need the support behind them, either monetary or in kind, to make it happen and that's not been forthcoming, not that I've seen anyway, and I want to get back to supporting that."

Kivi also wants to work on training opportunities for skilled tradespeople in the community.

"We've got a lot of skilled people here that can offer courses and coursework and have said they would like to, but again it comes down to what's available money-wise, support-wise ... that sort of thing," she said.

As well, Kivi hopes to develop monthly community newsletters to keep residents updated, focus on alternative energy - such as wind generators - and look for new economic development opportunities in the town.

"There's been no new economic development here in the community for years and I just think that we need to focus on creating new opportunities," she said.

Kivi said the town should prioritize capital projects, such as utilidor upgrades, in its community plan and work toward accomplishing them.

She said she would like to see Norman Wells secure infrastructure funding on par with the amount of government money available to other NWT communities such as Inuvik.

"I'm a team player and I just really believe in this town and I really think that we can do so much more," Kivi added. "We're a community of opportunities - we've got to bring them together."

Melnyk has lived in Norman Wells since 1984 and served on town council for more than 15 years, four of those as deputy mayor. The regional storesperson for ENR said he felt it was time to offer up his councillor experience to vie for the mayoral position.

"I plan on doing it just as I handled everything else, you know, with open ears and an open mind and try to treat everybody at the table with respect and ensure that everybody's mind is centred on the business of the day," Melnyk said.

"I don't have a wish list of things to do because, again, it's the council that decides the priorities of the town and we're pretty much expecting a few new faces in there so it'll bring new dynamics to the group."

He said as mayor his priority would be dealing with basic town maintenance, including water and sewer delivery, stray dogs and the condition of the town dump.

"In the past we've got so caught up in the pipeline issue and other issues have taken our time away from what really needs to be looked at," he said. "We need to tackle everything in our backyard first."

The main reason Melnyk is running for mayor, he said, is because he loves Norman Wells and plans never to leave the town.

"I want to help guide its future and take part in the successes and/or the failures of this town as we grow along. I just couldn't imagine being on the sidelines in any way. I'd actually prefer being a councillor. It's very rewarding and less pressure than being the mayor but I think it was time to step up to the plate and put my experience forward," he added.

I owe it to the town to try. I believe we need somebody with the experience and the knowledge and I'm the person for the job."

Voters will also select five councillors. Candidates running for town council are Andrew Bailes, Bob Greek, Sherry Hodgson, Laurel McDonald, Mandi McDonald, Darrell McGregor, Mop Miller, Billy Ozolins, Frank Pope, Donna Schear, Craig Scott and Edward Sheppard.

Polls open on Monday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with an advance vote on Oct. 7 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.