Joe Savikataaq Jr. was thrust into the mayor’s seat in Arviat when former mayor Bob Leonard passed, right as Covid hit the country in 2020.
Now, he’s set to return for a full term as mayor, with no one running against him in the fall election.
“I am running again because I want to help the people again,” said Savikataaq Jr. from Arviat, before he knew if there would be any other mayoral candidates.
Arviat needs a lot of things, but he can’t make too many promises, he said.
“All I can say is I’ll do my best to help Arviatmuit and at the end of the day it’s Arviatmuit who decide on everything, because that’s the way it is.”
He said he will continue to tackle any issues that arise, which is all part of the job as mayor.
His first term went very well, and he said it was a lot of fun working with the people of Arviat. Now he wants to continue that and keep moving forward.
“You need the people’s support,” he said about what he learned in that first term. “Do what the people want. Do what is best for the people.”
He wished everyone running for council or mayor luck in the election.
As of press time, there was a full slate of nine candidates for Arviat’s council positions, and Savikataaq Jr. was the only candidate for mayor. Council candidates included Mike Gibbons, Jason Gibbons, Gordy Kidlapik, Alex Ishalook, Jimmy Main, Nathan Caskey, David Kuksuk, Darren Price and Gleason Uppahuak.