Another person is throwing their hat in the ring to become a Councillor on Wood Buffalo’s council.

Long-time resident Joseph Mugodo has announced his intention to run for one of the six Ward One seats.

He joins Sandy Bowman as the only other to publicly state their interest in running at this time. He was the first to announce they were running in the upcoming election.

Mugodo tells Mix News he personally wants to see a lot of things fixed around the region, the biggest being fly-in-fly-out.

He says all previous governments haven’t done enough to combat the issue.

“The people who work around Fort McMurray should be living here to help drive the local economy.”

Back in 2019, Mayor Don Scott attempted a moratorium on all work camps in the region, however, it was defeated after a tie vote.

Mugodo believes ending FIFO will be beneficial for multiple key issues. This includes concerns around housing and the drop in property value.

“Most of the houses now are empty,” he added. “We are moving Fort McMurray into a ghost city which we don’t want, people just fly-in-fly-out, there not spending their money here.”

Besides FIFO, Mugodo notes he’s running to ensure everyone in the region is represented in the council chambers.

“I’m trying to come in and help everybody including the minority people.”

The election is scheduled for October 18, 2021.