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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City councillor Paul Falvo has decided to seek the top spot at city hall, going public Monday with his plans to run for mayor of Yellowknife.

City councillor Paul Falvo announced officially Monday that he will run for mayor in the October election. After Tim Doyle, he is the second candidate to declare his candidacy. - NNSL photo

He is the second person to announce intentions to be a mayoral candidate in the October election after Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce executive director Tim Doyle declared his candidacy last month. While candidates can't actually file nomination papers until August, city residents now have a choice with Mayor Gord Van Tighem not seeking re-election.

Doyle had emphasized his interest in wanting to have a pro-business, low taxes, tough-on-crime approach to his candidacy, whereas Falvo presents himself as a conciliator and one who has strengths in building bridges between parties.

"I think I can bring a sense of balance," said Falvo on Monday. "I'm not an expert on any given area, but I think I have succeeded in facilitating communication between different groups. The mayor is essentially a facilitator who has a lot to do with shaping the agenda and liaise with different parties in the community, different communities and different orders of government."

At the same there are a lot of similarities between the two candidates. Falvo said he is interested in many of the topics that Doyle has brought up, including safety in the downtown area.

Originally from Prince Edward Island, Falvo, 43, came to Yellowknife in 2001. The two-term councillor is a graduate of the military college at Royal Roads University on Vancouver Island as well as law school at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He has been involved in a number of community organizations including the Rotary Club, SPCA, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, Folk on the Rocks, 2008 Arctic Winter Games, and Block Parents.

Falvo is separated with one daughter and has practiced mainly criminal law, both as a defence lawyer and prosecutor. He has run his own business as a sole legal practitioner since 2007.

What makes him most proud since first being elected in 2006 has been getting city news out to people, whether it be through his regular newsletter or through face-to-face meetings.

"What stands out in my mind has been improving communications, which I think is my biggest accomplishment," said Falvo.

He said he has made an effort to ensure he gets back to people and communicates with the public through a newsletter which tells people what is happening at city hall.

"A lot of people thank me for that and it has been popular," he said. "It also stimulates discussion and we as council get a lot of e-mails back because of things I have put in that."

Falvo sees a number of challenges that the city must deal with in the coming years, among them those related to infrastructure. With climate change and melting permafrost, he sees questions arising as to how much pressure that will put on the city's physical assets.

He also wants to see the crumbling water and sewer pipes at Northland dealt with once and for all.

"We were talking about Northland in 2006 and in 2009. I don't want people to still be talking about this six years from now and would like it to be behind us by then."

He says the city needs to also consider how much it actually wants to grow in the future because attempts to add housing have usually resulted in neighbours protesting. He would be interested, for example, in creating a longer-term plan as some cities do with 50-year plans or 100-year plans.

The city could also do more to improve the tourism industry in Yellowknife as well, he said.

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