Mayor and Council


Mayor:
  • William Kendrick


William (Bill) Kendrick has been a Dawson City Councillor since 2010, and was elected mayor in 2021. He first arrived in Dawson City one summer after hitchhiking from B.C., and quickly became enamored with the community's uniqueness, generosity, and colourful characters. Originally from Ontario, Bill has studied politics, economics, environmental sciences and philosophy, and holds a B.A. from McGill University. During his many years in Dawson City and the Yukon, he has worked in the construction, renewable energy, and media screen industries, as well as for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Natural Resources Department. Bill is passionate about promoting Dawson City’s heritage and cultures, while at the same time creatively imagining and working towards the community’s sustainable and prosperous future. He believes in the importance of contributing to civic affairs, and has a keen interest in making government more responsive to its citizens and more effective in its delivery of programs and services.

Councillors:
  • Julia Spriggs

Julia Spriggs was born and raised here in Dawson City. She went to Robert Service School for the majority of her school years and has held positions with key community organizations such as Parks Canada, Klondike Visitors Association throughout her youth. Her values, work and purpose have always rooted deeply in community. After leaving home to pursue education and seek out new experiences, the followed her calling home to the Yukon in 2015 and Dawson in 2017. Since then, she has served as the Treasurer for both the Dawson City Music Festival Association and the Klondike Development Organization (current). Julia is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and was the Director of Finance for Chief Isaac Group of Companies for from 2018-2022. Feeling her upbringing to be a prime example of “it takes a village”, Julia feels it her duty to give back to her community in whatever capacity she may have to offer. She is honoured to have the opportunity to represent her hometown at municipal government level.

  • Alexander Somerville

Alexander Somerville moved to Dawson City from Nova Scotia in 2011 to work for the Dawson City Museum, where he has been Executive Director since 2015. He is passionate about the quality of life Dawsonites enjoy, and also in 2021 began serving as the President of the Dawson City Community Library Board, and as a director of the Klondike Visitors Association.

  • Patrik Pikálek  

Mushrooms first brought Patrik Pikálek to the Yukon (morels to be precise!), but he soon fell in love with the Klondike. In 2012, he emigrated from Prague, and made Dawson City his home. After various jobs in tourism and as an IT consultant, he now works as the Court Registry Clerk for the Department of Justice and as Notary Public and operates his own IT business.  Patrik has also enjoyed volunteering for the local radio station, music festival, First Nation festival, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and, most recently, as a member of the Heritage Advisory Committee.  This experience, and the desire to maintain our vibrant community, led to his decision to join council.

  • Brennan Lister

Brennan has been lucky to travel common parts of Canada as well as the World. When he finally finished his B.A in Communication Studies at Wilfred Laurier University he went to South Korea for a year. Returning to Canada, he happened to connect with two cancan dancers, a gold miner and a butcher who were from Dawson City, Yukon. At the time he would have described these four individuals as “super chill”. He was fascinated by how inclusive, confident and peaceful they were. He remembers asking in all seriousness if there were more people like them in their hometown. They assured him there were. The next summer (2011) he arrived in Dawson to be a Gerties blackjack dealer. By the end of his first month, he called relatives begging for financial aid to put towards a deposit for land in town. At the time he had limited experience in property development nor was he good at saving money. Eventually, the land became a small home. This would not have been possible without support and patience from the community around him. Brennan recently noticed there was a great community around him that he wasn’t contributing to. He felt joining council would give him the best opportunity to give back to a community that has been so generous to him.