Stacie Smith announces run for Yellowknife City Council

The owner of Yellowknife’s Flowers North says she will run for council when nominations open at the end of August.

Stacie Smith announced her bid on Facebook, saying: “I am not afraid to speak my mind and be the voice for others. I would be proud to represent my home town.”

As a First Nations born-and-raised Yellowknifer and business owner, said Smith, she wants to help ensure City Hall focuses on “projects that are customized for our unique northern way of life.”

“I work predominantly in the downtown core of Yellowknife,” she wrote. “The social issues that present themselves on a daily basis need to be addressed instead of glazed over.

“It takes a village to raise a child but it also takes a community and the sense of community to sustain them.

“I want our taxpayers’ dollars to be used to the best of their abilities delivering projects that benefit the majority … We aren’t a large, southern metropolis. Some past ideas are not functional here.

“In a city that is largely Indigenous, there should and needs to be Indigenous faces on our city council.”

Smith was an organizer of June’s Festival on Franklin and was handed a Trailblazer Award by the City in 2017, as part of a campaign recognizing “successful leaders … who play a critical role breaking ground in the land of opportunities.”

Yellowknife’s municipal election takes place on October 15, with eight positions on council and the mayor’s post to be filled. Adrian Bell and Rebecca Alty, currently city councillors, have both declared their intent to run for mayor as Mark Heyck steps down.

Linda Bussey is alone among the eight current councillors in planning to leave municipal politics. So far, the only person other than Smith to say they’ll stand for election as a councillor is Dane Mason, who unsuccessfully ran for a council seat in 2015.

Candidates are allowed to file their documentation from August 31. Nominations close on September 17.

Once nominations open on August 31, Cabin Radio will attempt to interview all candidates in this fall’s municipal election. We’ll bring you details of their platforms here on cabinradio.ca and on-air on Cabin Radio’s Lunchtime News, 12-1pm weekdays.