Meet the 4 new town councillors in Dawson City, Yukon

Dawson City, Yukon, has a new town council.

The council was sworn in to office Tuesday night. The newly-elected Mayor Bill Kendrick is joined by four councillors who are stepping into municipal politics for the first time.

CBC spoke with each of new councillors to learn more about them and the direction they'd like to see their town go in.

Alexander Sommerville has lived in Dawson City since 2011.

Since arriving to town Sommerville says he's been involved with the community in any way he can.

"From the first years in the summertime, volunteering for the Dawson City Music Festival — I think that's a lot of people's first engagement with civic life," he said.

He says he went on to join the Dawson City Community Library board in 2015. Six years later, he's president of the board.

He also works as the executive director of the Dawson City Museum, and has joined the Klondike Visitors Association as a director.

Sommerville said he would have liked to run for town council three years ago but he couldn't devote the time to the role.

"The [Dawson City] museum was in a critical point in a major renewal project that I knew I had to fully devote my attention and time to," he said.

"I specifically promised that in three years the project would be advanced where I could put my name forward for council and that all came to pass, so I did."

Sommerville says he hopes the town's solid waste management concerns are addressed by the end of his first term. He pointed to the recent announcement of the recycling depot closure and said solutions are needed.

"Waste management is a municipal responsibility and if there aren't ways to manage solid waste in particular, there's going to be a significant impact."

Elizabeth Archbold is not only new to municipal politics but she is also new to Dawson City.