Three contenders vie for Kuujjuaq mayor’s job

SARAH ROGERS
Special to NUNATSIAQ NEWS

Kuujjuaq’s Nov. 4 municipal election got a little more interesting this past week when two more candidates filed nomination papers for the mayor’s job.

Incumbent councillor Paul Parsons was the first. Now Parsons will share the ballot with Betsy Berthe, an administrative secretary with the Kativik Regional Government, and Johnny Gordon Sr., a previous mayoral candidate.

Berthe, who has worked for the KRG for 20 years, says she wants the town to forge a more open relationship with community organizations to better serve its residents.

“I’ve lived here all my life and I know I could make a difference,” Berthe said. “I feel I can [communicate] better with organizations in this community.”

Berthe also sat on Kuujjuaq’s recreational committee for 20 years, coordinating activities for the village during holiday periods. She’ll have more to say about her platform when she appears on the FM radio Nov. 2.

Parsons, a volunteer hockey coach, says as mayor he won’t make promises he can’t keep.

For starters, he wants to tap into the community’s infrastructure to provide better opportunities for youth, including recreational activities.

“We have to promote positive and healthy choices for our kids. I understand the importance of sports [as they’re] related to community health,” Parsons said.

Kuujjuaq, he says, is growing at a rapid pace that has brought a major influx of people. He said his to ensure the community’s youth are able to keep up with those changes, by staying interested in school.

Kuujjuaq’s other mayoral candidate, Johnny Gordon Sr., could not be reached for comment.

All of the municipality’s current council members — Jason Berthe, Norman Blake, Sammy Duncan, Bobby Snowball Sr. and Joseph Snowball — are seeking re-election.

Joining them in the race are candidates Jean Dupuis, Claude Gadbois, Neil Greig, Jennifer Watkins and Johnny N. Adams.

“I’m excited that there are 10 candidates for council positions,” Parsons added. “It’s encouraging that that many people want to make changes.”

In the 2007 municipal election, all seven positions were acclaimed.

Advance polls open in Kuujjuaq on Nov. 1 and 2, while election day is officially Nov. 4.

While Larry Watt will no longer be mayor after the election, he won’t walk away empty-handed.

The municipality’s secretary treasurer, Ian Robertson, said that on Oct. 26 Kuujjuaq council adopted a bylaw that will provide transitional allowances for outgoing mayors.

The amount money is based on time served, and aimed to help elected officials when they return to the workforce. Severance pay for all outgoing council members is automatic, Robertson said.

Outgoing mayor Watt served two terms before deciding to leave municipal politics, saying he hopes to find a job with a regional organization.

Robertson said Watt’s transition allowance will be close to $40,000.