Northern Cheyenne Primary Election set for October

A primary election for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe is scheduled for October 1, 2020. Several key seats are open: Tribal President; Tribal Vice-President; Chief Judge, two Trial Judges and five (out of ten) Tribal Council seats.

The number of candidates for each seat in the Primary is unlimited, voting for Tribal Council seats at the district level. Other seats are open for reservation-wide voting. The two top-vote getters for each open seat will run against one another in a reservation-wide election on November coinciding with the Federal and State Elections.

Interestingly, several incumbents including the Tribal President, Vice-President and one Tribal Council member are not seeking re-election, some candidly admitting their frustration with Tribal Government.

Candidates who filed for each office, paid the required filing fee and declared eligible by the Tribal Voter’s Committee are as follows. In addition, write-ins are legal in the Primary, but not in the General Election.

Tribal President : Curtis Elkshoulder, Jr. (Manager of tribal convenience store); Donna Marie Fisher (self-employed caterer and former Ashland District Tribal Council member); Rudolph King, Jr. (retired law enforcement and Tribal Judge); Lafe Haugen (former Housing Authority Director); Gene Small (rancher and Executive Director of Tribal Land Authority); Patricia Tallbull (retired, former Tribal Social Services Director and Muddy District Tribal Council member). In addition, William Walksalong has declared via Facebook a write-in candidacy. He is currently the Chief Administrator for the Tribe a former Lame Deer District Council member and past Tribal President

Tribal Vice-President: Serena Brady Wetheralt; Dana Eaglefeathers (construction contractor, former Busy District Chairman and incumbent Busby Tribal Council member); Sheldon King (former bus driver, current head of tribal propane company and former Busby Tribal Council member); Sterling Small, rancher, former MT State Representative and former Tribal Health Program Director) and Aljo Strangeowl (retired Tribal Housing employee and former Busby Tribal Council member).

Tribal Trial Judge (2 seats open): Elmore Limberhand, Jr. (tribal court advocate) and J. David Roundstone (former Busby Tribal Council member, former Tribal Health and Gaming Director and incumbent Judge).

Ashland District: Melissa Rae Fisher (Ashland District General Chairman and current Tribal Council Administration Assistant); Joseph Daniel Littlecoyote, Jr.; Waylon Rogers (entrepreneur and incumbent Ashland Council member) and Vincent Whitecrane (retired election and union mine worker).

Lame Deer District:  Geofredo “Tweety” Littlebird (currently active in Tribal Military Societies law and order effort); August “Tiger” Scalpcane (former director for Women’s Domestic Violence Center and local basketball coach); Merlin Sioux (retired BIA Helicopter pilot and incumbent Lame Deer Council member) and Vernon Sioux (forestry contractor, rancher and former Lame Deer Council member).

Muddy District: Ariane Rowland; Ryhal Rowland (former USDA Extension Service agent, current Tribal Information officer and former Muddy District officer); George Scalpcane (St. Labre employee, retired union mine worker and former Muddy District Council member) and Debra K. Watters Charette (retired BIA secretary and incumbent Muddy Council member).

Busby District Tribal Council Seat: Robert D. Bailey (former Busby Tribal Council member); Leonard Elk shoulder, Jr. (former driver for Tribal Transportation and Busby District General Chairman; and Norma Gourneau (retired BIA Superintendent; former Busby District Council member, former Tribal President and former Tribal Secretary).

Birney District: Llevando “Cowboy” Fisher (rancher, retired Housing and Tribal college employee, Birney District Council member numerous time and two-time Tribal President) and Gwen Talawayma.

Election polls will be open in each district, however considering the COVID pandemic, tribal members are urged to download a request for an Absentee Ballot from the Tribal website and conduct a mail-in ballot. Also, due to COVID traditional campaign strategies such as community feasts provided by the candidates, public and district meetings and debates have largely been curtailed.

 

(Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

The post Northern Cheyenne Primary Election set for October first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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