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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Mayor Gord Van Tighem's announcement Tuesday that he will not seek re-election for a fifth term has left the field wide open for candidates but none of the current crop of city councillors has committed to step up to the plate.

Coun. Paul Falvo has shown the most enthusiasm, saying he is "certainly considering running for the mayor's job."

Some councillors have confirmed they will not run for the position, preferring to remain in their full-time jobs outside of city hall.

The mayoralty is a full-time job while city council is considered only part-time. Other councillors have said it is too early to decide. Some are still undecided about running for council.

Deputy mayor Mark Heyck, who Van Tighem endorsed after making his announcement, has yet to declare his intentions.

On Tuesday Heyck was equivocal, telling Yellowknifer he has three options: take a break, run for mayor or run for council.

Yellowknifer approached all current councillors about their intentions for the fall. Below is a summary of their responses.

Cory Vanthuyne

"I'm certainly running for council," said Coun. Vanthuyne.

"You spend the better part of one term just trying to learn the municipal governance process and the annual budgeting cycle and how things kind of function at city hall. And then by the time you get a grasp on that, you get behind a few initiatives, some things that you'd like to get actioned and then next thing you know you're essentially kind of in your last year and then you're running out of time. So, in order to get any more legs or any more production out of those initiatives you've been working on you almost have to run again to continue on with that work and make a success of it."

Vanthuyne is currently serving his first term on city council. He said he will not run for mayor this fall.

"I own my own consulting company and it's been in operation for the last year and a half and it's starting to get a little bit of growth ... so I'll be focusing on my business personally. The mayor's job is most certainly a job that requires someone's full-time attention so it's just not going to be for me for this next term anyway."

Vanthuyne said he is not endorsing anyone for mayor at this stage but, in light of Van Tighem's endorsement, "would have no problems" working with Heyck going forward. "But that's not to say that there isn't some other very good candidates that might step forward in the coming months and make their announcements, so no official endorsement at all."

David Wind

Coun. Wind is currently serving his second term on city council and said it was too early to commit to running for either council or mayor.

"Actually, Mayor Van Tighem's announcement yesterday was ... unexpected, for myself, anyway. I guess I'll just have to take some time to think about it," he said.

Shelagh Montgomery

Coun. Montgomery was non-committal about running for a third term, saying, "I haven't really thought about it too much yet."

She did, however, confirm she would not run for mayor.

"I already have a full-time job that I quite enjoy," she said, echoing the sentiments of Vanthuyne and Bardak.

Asked whether she was endorsing anyone for mayor, Montgomery said, "I don't know that there's anyone to endorse (yet) but if Mark Heyck decided to run for mayor I would certainly support him."

Lydia Bardak

Coun. Bardak is undecided about running for a third term as city councillor.

"I find it really rewarding work and I'm enjoying it but I can't make that decision just yet," she said, adding that she would definitely not run for mayor.

"The mayor is a full-time position and I really like the full-time work I'm doing right now so I'm not looking for a change in jobs," she said.

Bardak is currently the executive director of the John Howard Society. Asked about Van Tighem's endorsement of Heyck, Bardak said, "I think Mark would be a brilliant mayor. I'd be happy to see him as mayor. I would definitely support him."

Bob Brooks

Coun. Brooks was chairing a conference Wednesday and was unavailable for comment; however his wife, Lynn Brooks, said her husband would run for council but not for mayor. Bob is currently in his sixth term as a city councillor.

Mark Heyck

The deputy mayor and three-term city councillor told Yellowknifer Tuesday: "I'll take the next few months to weigh my options and talk to my family." Those options include another run for city council, running for mayor or taking a break.

Paul Falvo

Coun. Falvo, who was out of town Wednesday, was the last to respond to Yellowknifer and the only councillor who said he was considering a run for mayor.

"I haven't made up my mind because a lot can happen between now and the fall, of course and I'll need to talk to my family and consider my options but I'm certainly considering running for the mayor's job," said Falvo.

Falvo said it was "unlikely" he would seek a third term on council.

Amanda Mallon

Coun. Mallon, who is currently in her first term as city councillor, confirmed she will run for a second term.

"I believe municipal politics is very important to the lives of residents and I have enjoyed the challenges and the learning that accompanies it," she said.

"I really do feel it is the level of government that makes the most difference to the way people live and I enjoy being part of that."

Asked whether she would consider running for mayor, Mallon said she has no intention of putting her name forward at this stage and is not endorsing anyone.

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