New mayors elected in Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Inuvik, N.W.T.

Peter Clarkson was elected mayor of Inuvik. He previously served in the position from 2000 to 2006.  (Dez Loreen/CBC - image credit)
Peter Clarkson was elected mayor of Inuvik. He previously served in the position from 2000 to 2006. (Dez Loreen/CBC - image credit)

Incumbents were unseated in three N.W.T. communities Monday.

In Fort Smith, Dana Fergusson was elected with 441 votes, to Fred Daniels' 301. Joining Fergusson on council will be Mike Keizer, Connie Benwell, Karl Cox, Adam Bathe, Al Karasiuk, Leonard Tuckey, Mike Couvrette and Patricia Heaton.

"Thank you for placing your trust in me," said Fergusson on Facebook. "I pledge to represent Fort Smith with dedication and excellence, and I look forward to serving the community effectively for the next three years."

Dana Fergusson has been elected as mayor in Fort Smith, N.W.T.
Dana Fergusson has been elected as mayor in Fort Smith, N.W.T.

Dana Fergusson was elected mayor in Fort Smith, N.W.T. She previously served as a councillor. (Facebook)

In Fort Simpson, Les Wright takes over from long-time mayor Sean Whelly. Wright was elected with 239 votes to Whelly's 142.

"For me, it was a good run having done 12 years as mayor and four on council, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it," said Whelly on Facebook. He also congratulated Wright on his win.

The eight councillors in Fort Simpson were already acclaimed.

Les Wright, a village councillor in Fort Simpson, pans to run in Nahendeh.
Les Wright, a village councillor in Fort Simpson, pans to run in Nahendeh.

Les Wright took over as mayor of Fort Simpson, N.W.T. He was previously a councillor. (Facebook)

In Inuvik, Peter Clarkson is returning as mayor. He previously served in the position from 2000 to 2006. Clarkson received 512 votes, while incumbent Clarence Wood received 222.

The rest of Inuvik's council will be made up of Steve Baryluk, Kendall McDonald, Kurt Wainman, Mario Lemieux, Melinda Gillis, Alana Mero, Ned Day and Jennifer Parrott.

Vote turnout was 36 per cent in Inuvik.

Two mayors kept their jobs after Monday's election.

Incumbent Frank Pope was elected over Paulie Chinna in Norman Wells. Pope received 174 votes to Chinna's 48. Pope has been advocating for months for the territorial and federal governments to step in and help his community with the drastic increase in the cost of fuel and goods.

Norman Wells is the only town council made up of six, and not eight councillors. They will be: Alexis Peachey, Trevor Smith, Robert Greek, Roger Odgaard, Carol Lorentz and Heidi Hodgson.

Norman Wells voter turnout was 65 per cent.

And in Hay River, Kandis Jameson was previously acclaimed as mayor. The rest of council will be made up of Robert Bouchard, Keith Dohey, Linda Duford, Corinna Gagnier, Tom Lakusta, Rena Squirrel, Karen Wall and Brian Willows.

Voter turnout in Hay River was 34 per cent.

Those elected Monday will serve three-year terms. Elections in N.W.T.'s hamlets are scheduled to take place in December.