ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD - Fort Liard's hamlet election is a mayoral rematch from 2007.

Two years ago Wayne Newbury and Julie Capot-Blanc ran against each other for the position of mayor. Both candidates are back again with Newbury hoping to win a second consecutive term and Capot-Blanc ready to move up from her current position as a councillor.

The nominees for council are also familiar faces. Five of the eight candidates are currently on council. Only three of the people vying for the six seats are new.

Capot-Blanc said she is challenging Newbury for the mayor's seat at the suggestion of a number of community members. Originally she was only going to run for council.

Capot-Blanc, who's lived in the hamlet for 25 years, is the general manager for Acho Camps and Catering. She has been on the council for approximately four consecutive terms.

Capot-Blanc said years of experience will be a definite asset if she is elected mayor.

"I will speak on behalf of the people," she said.

The most pressing issue for hamlet residents right now is communication, said Capot-Blanc. There isn't enough dialogue between the hamlet council and community members or the hamlet and the Acho Dene Koe First Nation.

Capot-Blanc is also a member of the first nation where she is serving as a band councillor. She said as mayor she would set up a meeting between the chief and band council and the hamlet council to get the groups working together.

Other important issues in the hamlet include education and housing, she said.

Capot-Blanc said residents have been telling her that Echo Dene School is pushing students through the grades too quickly and as a result they have low skill levels when they graduate. Capot-Blanc said she would meet with the school's principal and work closely with him on this issue.

The hamlet also needs a housing authority to allow local input on who is given first priority on housing units, she said.

One of the current council's biggest accomplishments was working with the band to get a number of new housing units built in the community, said Capot-Blanc.

For Wayne Newbury it's the political processes that are underway in the community that are drawing him back to the mayor's office.

"The political climate is just right for me. It keeps me abreast of what's going on and there's a lot I can do," he said.

The Acho Dene Koe First Nation's land claim negotiation is mixing together both band and local politics and Newbury said he'd like to assist where possible in that area.

"I really like to be involved with the community," said Newbury.

Newbury, who's the general manager of Beaver Enterprises Ltd. Partnership, has lived in the hamlet for seven years. He was appointed to the council as a councillor for six months before becoming mayor in the last election.

The current primary concern for residents is the state of the hamlet's roads, said Newbury. Most of the original chipseal has given way and all of the roads need to be redone, he said.

If re-elected Newbury said he'd like to see all of the hamlet's roads chipsealed. There will be budget restraints but it should be the top priority, he said.

Newbury said another priority is maintaining the water and sewer rates at current levels. This will be difficult to do because the water plant is nearing the end of its life cycle but the rates shouldn't be raised, he said.

Newbury agreed there are problems with the current school system in Fort Liard and would like to meet the territorial minister of education to address the issue.

During his time as mayor Newbury said the council's achievements have included building a skatepark, securing more than $90,000 in funding for improvements to the recreation centre and beginning the process of creating a new landfill to replace the current facility.

The council has also built a better working relationship with the RCMP detachment although there are still some issues with coverage that need to be addressed, he said.

Regardless of how they're planning to vote Newbury is encouraging residents to cast a ballot

Advanced polls will be held on Dec. 7. General polls will be on Dec. 14. Everyone should get involved, he said.