Iqaluit mayor hopefuls offer competing visions

Coun. Jim Little says he’s running for mayor to make city business more transparent, lower taxes and protect the environment. After a term that sometimes saw him clash with other members of council, Little admits he’s the underdog in the Oct. 19 vote. (PHOTO BY CHRIS WINDEYER)

Mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik is seeking a third term. She’s running again because she wants to follow through on the long-term planning process the city has undertaken. (PHOTO BY CHRIS WINDEYER)

At least this year, there’s actually an election.

After six uninterrupted years as Iqaluit’s mayor, Elisapee Sheutiapik is facing her first challenge at the municipal ballot box since 2003, when she defeated incumbent John Matthews and challenger Keith Irving.

This time, Sheutiapik is running against Coun. Jim Little, whose insurgent style has often put him at odds with the mayor over the past three years, his first term on council.

The pair most recently clashed after Little went to the RCMP with bribery allegations brought to an in-camera session of council by another councillor.

Little said Tuesday he feels his agenda of better decision-making and solutions for Iqaluit’s long-running garbage woes have been thwarted by the mayor and council. That’s why he’s running for mayor.

“I realized I can’t just sit there for another three years,” he said.

Sheutiapik is hanging her re-election hopes on the long-term planning agenda she’s driven for the past term.

During that time, she’s sometimes had to battle for projects over the objections of councillors, not only Little, who have questioned whether they were the best use of city money.

“When I first started this I realized how divided we are,” Sheutiapik said Oct. 2.

But, if elected, she wants to see a plan for land use and future development take form during her third term. In fact, the city held public consultations this week on its new general plan.

“It shouldn’t matter from one election to another because this would be a living document,” she said.

Sheutiapik hopes the plan will guide future development decisions and provide a clear public mandate for big-ticket infrastructure items like a new recreation centre, deep water port and city hall.

The recreation centre has been on Sheutiapik’s radar since 2003 when ratepayers shot down a plebiscite that would have given the city the green light to borrow millions to pay for the project.

But critics said the city never had a plan in place outlining how the money would be spent.

“Maybe we can do it in phases” starting with a replacement for Iqaluit’s swimming pool, which is too small and near the end of its lifespan, Sheutiapik said.

Little said the mayor has too much control over the agenda. He wants to see more thorough information from city staff before council makes decisions.

He also wants to cut what he calls unnecessary spending, reduce staff overtime and travel budgets, while charging more tipping fees for commercial customers who produce more trash.

Sheutiapik said “council has the final say” on every piece of city business, right down to requests for letters of support from community groups.

She wants a third term to see through her planning agenda. She started the process, she said, and wants to finish it. “I want to be in the middle of that.”

Little admits he’s an underdog in the race but says he’s offering voters a choice.

“If you’re happy with the way things are vote for Elisapee,” he said. If not? “I’m your man.”