Mayors, SAOs elect new executives

Nunavut’s mayors elected new members to sit on the Nunavut Association of Municipalities (NAM), the organization that represents Nunavut’s hamlets and lobbies the territorial and federal governments on their behalf.

At their annual general meeting in Ottawa this month, mayors re-elected Keith Peterson as NAM’s president. Peterson, who is the mayor of Cambridge Bay, ran against David Kritterdlik, Whale Cove’s mayor. Peterson took the top position, beating out Kritterdlik 12 votes to 11. He’ll serve as president for the next two years.

NAM has a new face in the vice-president’s position. Mayors elected Joanasie Akumalik, the mayor of Arctic Bay, to that position. Akumalik won over Hezekiah Oshutapik, mayor of Pangnirtung.

The mayors also voted for three directors to represent Nunavut’s three regions. Stanley Anablak, mayor of Kugluktuk, is director for the Kitikmeot region; David Alagalak, Arviat’s mayor, is director for the Kivalliq region; and Lootie Toomasie, mayor of Qikiqtarjuaq, is director for the Baffin region.

During the meeting, the hamlets’ senior administrative officers also went to the polls. They elected new members to their organization, the Nunavut Association of Municipal Administrators.

The SAOs re-elected Elwood Johnson of Cambridge Bay as the association’s president. Johnson will serve a two-year term.

Darren Flynn, SAO of Arviat, is the new vice-president. The three directors are Rhoda Katsak for the Baffin region, Ron Roach for the Kivalliq region and Guido Tigvareark for the Kitikmeot region.