Municipal council positions are being hotly contested in most Yukon communities in the Oct. 18 elections.

In Whitehorse, five candidates are running for mayor and 22 for the six-member city council. Nominations closed at noon Thursday. The current mayor and two incumbent councillors are not seeking re-election.

In Dawson City, Mayor Peter Jenkins, who had earlier indicated he would not run for another term, is in the race after all. He is running against Wayne Potoroka.

Jenkins said there are too many outstanding issues for him to step aside now.

“All of those areas have very serious consequences for the city and the city is just getting its head out bankruptcy from a number of years ago.” Jenkins said.

In Haines Junction, incumbent Mayor George Nassiopoulos is being challenged by Martin Eckervogt and John Farynowski. Farynowski said a recent debate over the future of the garbage dump exposed some basic problems with the current council.

“The biggest problem was there was really no public meetings to consult with the people in the town,” he said.

Incumbent mayors Elaine Wyatt in Carmacks and Scott Bolton in Mayo have been acclaimed.