INUVIK
An extremely close contest March 9 has resulted in Gerald Inglangasuk being elected as the new chairperson of the Inuvik Community Corporation.

Inglangasuk defeated Diane Archie with 77 to 76 votes. As a result, Archie has 10 days from election day to contest the result and demand a recount. At press time she had not indicated that she would do so.

A long-time member of the leadership of the community corporation, Inglangasuk said the organization is on course and he has no intentions of changing it.

"If it's working good, don't change it," Inglangasuk told the Drum.

"I think we're doing pretty good."

Kurt Wainman and Richard Gordon also ran for the position vacated earlier this year when Duane Smith was elected president of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC). Wainman received 29 votes while Gordon received 10.

Inglangasuk had run for president of the IRC in December and came in second behind Smith while Archie had been elected one of three directors for the corporation at the same time.

"I've been with the community corporation since I came from Aklavik in about '99," said Inglangasuk.

"I've been here with Duane since way back, and I always worked good with him. That's not going to change."

He noted there had already been a recount and that he had received notice on March 12 that he had been elected. Since then, he said he had been filling out forms and going over policies. He said Smith had left the corporation in good shape and that all he had to do was stay the course.

"It's running really good," he said.

"We have no big issues, no big problems, just the regular problems."

Inglangasuk credited the work of others with the current position of the organization and said he was looking forward to continuing those efforts.

"I've worked with most of the board before," Inglangasuk said.

"It's going good. We'll change when we have to but it's going good now."

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