The last time Jeanine Myhre ran for council, she did it on principle.

The 24-year-old employee of Arctic Star Printing says she was concerned that there weren't enough people getting involved in the democratic process.

"I sort of did it without thinking,” she says of her maiden run. "I didn't really have a platform; I just wanted to see more people getting out there.”

Now, after three years on council, Myhre has a much clearer idea of what she wants to do in her next term if she is re-elected next week.

A revamp of the public transit system is one of the projects the outgoing council will pass over, and Myhre says she wants to stay on to make sure it actually happens.

Council members will vote on whether to increase the system's budget next year, and Myhre says it is vital they do.

"Transit's really gone as far as it can go with the amount of money it has,” she says. "There's no way they can do more with what they have; money's got to go from other things that people like or taxes have to go up.”

Myhre says the money can most easily be taken from the parks and recreation budget, but judging if that is what Whitehorse residents want is a challenge.

"We really like to see people come to the council meetings and tell us what they think. If they don't come and speak up, there's no way for us to know.”

Another initiative that has come up during her time on council, but hasn't earned much public attention, is the lack of a 24-hour fire department dispatcher.

Outside of regular business hours, one of the Whitehorse firefighters does the job, and Myhre thinks that should change.

"The firefighters are trained to fight fires, not answer phones,” she says.

"It's going to cost some money, but as the city gets bigger and bigger, it's something we have to address soon.

"There are these things that aren't controversial, so they don't get out to the public, but they are necessary and they need attention.”

Myhre also wants to see an overhaul of the city's purchasing policy.

Many local businesses aren't getting the opportunity to bid on city contracts, she says, and that has to change.

"I think the philosophy of the city has been to get the best price, because of course everybody wants the city to get the best deal, but somehow that has translated into local businesses never seeing the tenders in the first place.”

The city could look at giving local businesses a competitive edge, she said, without spending more on goods and services.

"What's the balance between buying local and getting the best deal? I don't know what the solution is, but I would like to find some way that local companies could bid on more city contracts.”