After nearly three years as the city’s mayor, Dan Curtis is ready for another three.

The mayor confirmed in an interview Wednesday evening he’s planning to have his name on the ballot in October’s municipal election.

“I’m looking forward to the next step,” he said.

He noted he’s learned a lot in his past three years as mayor and wants to use that knowledge in what he hopes will be a second term.

“It’s been an absolute privilege,” he said.

Not all residents have agreed with how he’s voted on certain issues or statements he’s made, Curtis acknowledged.

With each decision though, he’s done what he believes to be in the best interest of the entire city. He hopes he has the trust of Whitehorse voters to continue doing that.

Looking toward the next three years, Curtis said, he wants to continue on the efforts in partnerships the city has, including that with First Nations governments.

Discussions between the city and First Nations have been successful in resolving a few issues with fairly “easy fixes,” Curtis said.

Work on other issues that aren’t so easily resolved is also underway.

To that end, later this month, the city and Kwanlin Dun First Nation will host a forum focused on the city’s most vulnerable people and what can be done to help them.

The forum is set to bring together various governments, service organizations and others along with an address by Vancouver physician Gabor Maté.

Efforts with First Nations governments are one of several partnerships the current council has worked hard on.

Along with working with a number of organizations and governments, council members have improved their own communication with each other, being respectful of differing views on council, the mayor said.

“I think we’ve set the bar really high,” Curtis said, though he also acknowledged there have been some “hiccups,” especially in this council’s early days.

The current council’s legacy will be one of improved respect and professionalism over its three years, he said.

The mayor noted he’s also worked hard to be honest about what the city can and can’t take on and finding a balance between providing services residents want while limiting tax increases and user fees that pay for those services.

In short, Curtis said, the job of mayor has been the “best opportunity I’ve had.” And it’s one he hopes Whitehorse voters will give him again in October.

In 2012, Curtis, then an executive with Skills Canada in Whitehorse, walked away with 43 per cent of the votes, or 2,375 cast in his favour.

His closest competitor was Rick Karp, with 1,100 votes, followed by Bernie Phillips with 988, Scott Howell with 587 and Mandeep Sidhu with 480.

Curtis’ campaign at that time focused on improved partnerships and collaboration between the city and those it works with.

The mayor has lived most of his life in the capital.

No one else has announced any plans to run for mayor this fall.