Meet the candidates running for mayor of Watson Lake

Voters in Watson Lake will vote in a new mayor on Thursday, with four candidates on the ballot.

Former mayor Cheryl O'Brien resigned in August, after she was charged with defrauding a local business.

The candidates for new mayor are Jerry Bruce, Justin Brown, Chris Irvin and Brenda Leach.

CBC Yukon's Yukon Morning host Elyn Jones spoke with each of the candidates.

The following interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Jerry Bruce 

Why do you think you should be the next mayor of Watson Lake? 

I've got a lot of background in municipal affairs and ... about 40 years of experience with First Nations. I've lived the life of a public official for almost all of my life and recently was elected in British Columbia for a four-year term. So I'm a past elected official as well.

I'm semi-retired here in Watson, I have time, I have no conflicts of interest ... [I] just want to see the community come together, I want to see the community benefit from the natural resources we have here and I want to see some leadership that I don't think has come from Watson for some time now.

How important is it for you for the municipality for the Town of Watson Lake to work collaboratively and form partnerships with the local First Nations?

It's number one, I guess, on one's list of what's important in the bigger picture. And right now, in recognizing the reality that this First Nation has had its internal difficulties, this First Nation just changed their chief and the new chief hasn't got his feet under him yet. I think that the chief and council, mayor and council and a deliberate look at how do we get a Watson Lake message together that's supported by all of the people in Watson Lake — I think that's incredibly important.

What are some issues citizens have expressed to you that you would address as Mayor?

Well, there's several of them. The one that I have mentioned a couple of times is this council uses the in-camera meetings quite often. The municipality is a public agency, it's not a private group, the public have a right to know what's going on. And other than legal, personnel and land type decisions, I believe that all discussions should be in public.

One of the biggest complaints I've heard is government leaders come to town and they leave and we never hear what goes on. I think that there's a responsibility for the issues in-camera to be brought to the public. And certainly when the leader of the territory comes here and we don't know he's coming until he's gone, I don't think that's right. And and I think with a little adjustments, we can straighten that one out a little bit.

How would you straighten that out?

Well, first of all, the leadership here has kind of sat back and said, 'Well, gosh, gee, let's wait until government decide what they want to do and then we will kind of respond.' That's reactive government. I'm ... an action-oriented individual. I want to bring a message to the territorial government that is from Watson Lake ... and take that to the leadership.

Justin Brown

Why do you think you should be the next mayor of Watson Lake ? 

I care about the community. If I get back in, hopefully, I will try to do my best to help the community in any way, shape or form possible.

You've been mayor before. What would you like to accomplish this time as mayor? 

We got the OCP [Official Community Plan] and zoning bylaws that have to be done. That's the obvious thing. But I do know for a fact that there's a territorial election, I think, that's going to happen very, very soon. So I think more-so than anything else ... given that bit of uncertainty I think we have to sit together as a community as a whole.

I think the office of the mayor needs to be open to more ideas and all that stuff and I hope to accomplish that part as well.

How will you make sure the office is open to hearing from citizens? 

Just by being available as much as I can, whether it means being in the office or anywhere in town. If you have a concern, let me know and we'll meet up.

What are some issues that you're hearing from citizens that they're concerned about in your community? 

More so than anything else the partnerships with LFN [Liard First Nation]. I think the housing thing is a concern as well. I think that we're starting to get a grasp on that a little bit but more needs to be done on that. Economic development as well. In order for a community to survive I think more people need to be working and one way to do that is influence people to come in and invest in the community.

How important is it for the town to collaborate and form partnerships with the Liard First Nation?

I think in the long term it's very important. We haven't had that great of a relationship but I think if this community of Watson Lake is to survive in the long run, I think that partnership is a necessity.

Chris Irvin

Why do you think you should be the next mayor of Watson Lake ?

Under the unfortunate circumstances of this byelection and as the existing deputy mayor, I really feel it is important for me to step up to the role as mayor. I care immensely for our community, and I truly believe that it's the gateway to the Yukon. We have so much untapped potential. I was born and raised here in Watson Lake, and am currently raising my own family. I want my own son to grow up in a place just like I did. 

What kind of experience do you bring to the role as as mayor?

I have been on council for five years now, and our current council has put forth some ambitious goals and what we believe to be a solid strategic plan. I really want to see our goals through to the end of this elected term. It would be unfortunate to have a new mayor disrupt the final steps of our plan.

What are some of the goals?

When we were elected we all agreed that fiscal responsibility and communication were a couple of key issues that we had to work on. In the past, Watson Lake had a bumpy road as far as the finances go. And I feel like we're making some headway in getting those smoothed out. We've worked hard on the budget the last couple of years.

What are some of the issues that residents have brought up that that you'd like to address?

Our constituents are aware of our current situation and they want to see a good level of communication, which, like I said, we've been working on hard. Our council has been very proactive in communicating our concerns not only with our constituents, but also with the Yukon government.

How important is the relationship between the municipality of Watson Lake in collaboration and forming partnerships with the Liard First Nation?

That is definitely one of the more important parts of our community. It's unfortunate that we are recognized as two different identities. We are a mixed community, we live always in the same area. It's been tricky to develop a working relationship, but I really feel like with the new council being elected, that there's potential for some growth in that department. 

What other issues or concerns would you like to to deal with as mayor? 

As mayor, I'd like to just continue what we've been working on and really establish some communication within the community. And we can make sure people understand what the town is doing and where it's headed. And understand that we're not here to fix all the problems, but we're going to do everything we can step by step and, just really almost educate and communicate what we need to be done. 

Brenda Leach

Why do you think you should be the next mayor of Watson Lake ? 

It's been my home for nearly 40 years, and I consider it a privilege to put my name forward and do my part in making Watson Lake a greater place to live, work and play. 

You've been a councillor and a deputy mayor. So what further experience could you bring to the role?

Having served three years as a councillor, I bring nine years of municipal government experience to the table. I've been a business owner, operated a small business here in the community for decades, and I feel it provided me with ample experience required to manage the day-to-day duties of the mayor. I expect to resume a great working relationship with the [chief administrative officer], Cam Lockwood, as I was part of the council who hired him in 2017.

What are some of the issues that residents have expressed they'd like you to address as mayor?

I've only had a few issues brought forward throughout my campaign, though I know there are many that the council is addressing behind the scenes on behalf of the voters. Right now, managing the changing environment with our COVID-19 situation, the folks, they're excited to get back to normal as soon as they can. Of course, always, is our availability and housing. Our beautification of our downtown core. There's many and I'm committed to continuing with our local council, current council to find solutions as they come up.

How important is it for you that the municipality of Watson Lake collaborate and form partnerships with the Liard First Nation?

Oh, it's very important that we work with Liard First Nation. I followed Chief Stephen Charlie's campaign and I really feel confident that we can get together and work together with lateral involvement from both counsels. 
We can make huge steps in the right direction to making it a better community when we all work together.