RANKIN INLET/BAKER LAKE - When Pujjuut Kusugak went looking for someone young and energetic to run for mayor of Rankin Inlet this past fall, he had no idea the search would lead right back to his own door.

Outgoing Mayor John Hickes, right, congratulates mayor-elect Pujjuut Kusugak, left, shortly before Kusugak was sworn in as mayor of Rankin Inlet during a special hamlet meeting this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo Waiting list These are the waiting lists for public housing in Baker Lake: One bedroom unit - 52 applicants Two-bedroom unit - 27 applicants Three-bedroom unit - 17 applicants Four-bedroom unit - 3 applicants

Kusugak had a year left as a hamlet councillor in Rankin when he started asking people in his community who they thought would be a good candidate for mayor.

After a number of people suggested he was the best candidate they could think of, Kusugak ran the idea past his family.

Once he had their support, he walked away from his final year on council, announced his candidacy for mayor, and came out on top of a threeway race involving himself, then incumbent John Hickes and Robert Janes.

Kusugak, 31, said he didn't know what to expect as election day drew near.

He said many people told him he had their support during the campaign, but you never really know until the votes are counted.

"Some of the top issues our council will focus on in 2011 include land use through the expansion of Rankin Inlet, our water supply and the mine at Meliadine," said Kusugak.

"Representatives from Agnico-Eagle have come to Rankin a few times now to give presentations and tell us a little about their plans.

"Another big issue in Rankin is our need for a new community complex.

"We've outgrown our arena and rec hall, so securing a new facility is being talked about quite a bit now."

Kusugak said there's going to be a strain on Rankin's infrastructure during the next few years as the community continues to grow at a rapid pace.

He said council has to let residents know exactly what has to be worked on to meet the increasing demands of the community.

"It's the responsibility of the council to educate and inform the community as to what we need to get done.

"We also have to, as a council, stay focused and not get sidetracked by personal issues or by going outside proper protocol on how our meetings should be run.

"In his goodbye to council, John (Hickes) hit the nail on the head when he said the entire council should take the training and workshops available to educate everyone on exactly what's allowed during a council meeting.

"That would make us more efficient in dealing with the issues in the time we have."

Housing continues to be a pressing issue in Baker Lake as Mayor David Aksawnee begins his fourth term in office after being acclaimed this past month.

Aksawnee said the people who've moved to Baker because of the Meadowbank mine have the community facing a housing shortage.

"The housing shortage in our community is a serious problem," said Aksawnee.

"But, the Housing Corp. has made a commitment to construct more housing in each community and that's still being worked on.

"I've been seeing a lot of lumber and supplies coming in to build new houses, so I'm confident our government is still working to honour its commitment."

Aksawnee has seen a lot of growth in Baker during his past three terms as mayor.

He said the mood in the community is quite good right now because of the jobs created by the Meadowbank gold mine.

"Right now we have about 180 local people working at the mine itself, so the mood in the community is very positive.

"That's in addition to people from the other Kivalliq communities who are employed at the mine by Agnico-Eagle.

"These jobs have really boosted the spirits of many families in our community.

"I saw an awful lot of happy faces in town this Christmas."

In addition to housing, Aksawnee said he's also focused on getting a new day-care facility built for his hamlet.

He said the existing daycare is too small to meet the rising demand in his community.

"From what I understand, there's a big waiting list of people who want to get their children into daycare.

"That demand is only going to grow with so many more people working in our community now.

"I actually started working on that late this past year, and I'm really going to push it now in the new year."

Aksawnee said he's looking forward to working with his council in 2011. He said he has got a good mix of councillors who should prove to be very strong this term.

"I'm very happy with the people who were elected to council this time around.

"I've worked with everyone on this council before, at one time or another, and I know it's going to be a very good group to work with."

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