On Tuesday, six member nations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe held elections for positions like secretary-treasurer and district representatives. Primary elections were held at the beginning of April.
Those member nations include Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and White Earth Nation. Red Lake Nation is not part of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
Elected leaders will serve in their role for a four-year term.
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa
The Bois Forte Band voted for secretary-treasurer and District 2 representative.
David C. Morrison Sr. was elected secretary-treasurer with 56.24 percent of the vote. The incumbent opponent, Tara Geshick, received 42.18 percent.
For District 1 representative, Mildred Homes was elected at 50.99 percent of the vote while opponent Shane Drift received 47.04 percent support.
For District 2 representative, Robert Moyer Jr. was elected with 53.19 percent of the vote while opponent Alanna K. Sherman received 45.74 percent support.
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Fond du Lac Band members were also voting for secretary-treasurer and a District 2 representative.
Incumbent Wayne Dupuis was reelected as secretary-treasurer with 53.58 percent of the vote. Opponent Jarvis “Chubbs” Paro received 46.32 percent.
Mike Murray was elected as District 2 committee person, earning 61.05 percent of the vote while opponent Daniel G. LaPrairie received 38.95 percent.
A total of 608 ballots were cast across voting poll locations.
Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Open seats in the Grand Portage Band included secretary-treasurer, District 1 and District 2 representatives.
Incumbent April McCormick was reelected to her position as secretary-treasurer with 56 percent of the votes. Her opponent, Levi Libra, received 44 percent.
For District 1 committee person, William “Bill” Myers received 54.03 percent of the vote against incumbent Toby Stephens, who received 45.97 percent.
For District 2 committee person, Dean Deschampe was elected at 58.57 percent of the vote. Incumbent Agatha Armstrong received 41.43 percent.
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Leech Lake Band members cast votes for secretary-treasurer, District 1 committee person and District 2 committee person.
Cindy Jackson Kingbird was elected as secretary-treasurer with 52.56 percent of the vote while opponent Michael Reyes received 47.44 percent.
For District 1 committee person, Jonathan White was elected with 56.54 percent of the vote, and opponent Kyle Fairbanks received 43.46 percent.
In the race for District 2 committee person, incumbent Steve White won the seat with 56.32 percent of the vote in the primary election. The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’s election ordinance states that candidates with 50 percent or more of the vote during primaries are automatically elected to the position.
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
During the primary election, Sheldon Boyd Sr. won secretary-treasurer with 61.59 percent of the vote. Mille Lacs Band members voted for District 3 representative on Tuesday.
Michelle “Shelly” Pomerleau was elected as District 3 representative, earning 63.19 percent support. Opponent Lionel Richey received 36.81 percent support.
White Earth Nation
White Earth Nation cast votes for secretary-treasurer, District 1 and District 2 representatives.
Jacob McArthur was elected as new secretary-treasurer for the band with 61.60 percent of the vote. Incumbent Michael “Mike” LaRoque received 38.40 percent.
For the District 1 representative seat, incumbent Henry G. Fox was reelected with 51.70 percent of the vote, while opponent Andy “Jack” Auginaush received 48.30 percent.
Alrick “Son” Accobee was elected for District 2 representative with 66.67 percent of the vote while opponent Shery Kay Snetsinger had 33.33 percent.
“Miigwech to all my supporters,” McArthur shared in a Facebook post. “Change is coming. I appreciate you all, and I’m excited to get to work next month.”
Elected leaders will be sworn into their roles in July.
Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
