Incumbents lead in Tribal Council primary
KRISTI NIEMEYER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 10 months AGO
Kristi Niemeyer learned her newspaper licks at weekly newspapers, beginning at the Mission Valley News in 1981, then at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Lake County Leader until 1993. She launched and co-published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly, before returning to the Leader in 2022, and serving as its editor until July 2026. Reach her at [email protected] | October 19, 2023 12:00 AM
Preliminary primary CSKT tribal members voted Oct. 14 for primary candidates for an at-large seat and four district seats on the Tribal Council. The top two vote-getters for each district and the at-large seat will run against each other in the general election Dec. 16.
Unofficial results, released Saturday evening, show the following tallies:
At-large: Incumbent James “Bing” Matt, 296; incumbent Ellie Bundy, 182; Sam Barnaby, 79; Lois Friedlander, 51; Jonny Burland, 43; and Art L. Caye, 39.
Dixon: Danielle Matt, 450; incumbent Terry Pitts, 77; and Shawn Matt, 26.
Hot Springs: Incumbent Michael Dolson, 258; Becky “Bink” O’Bennick Knapp, 199; Dan Depoe, 173; and Jerry Nicolai, 44.
Pablo: Incumbent Martin Charlo, 321; Levi (Jerry) Hewankorn, 144; Craig Pablo, 130; Constance Morigeau, 59; William Birthmark 21; and Willie Birthmark, 11.
St. Ignatius: James Steel Jr., 286; Jera Stewart, 205; and Ronald Trahan, 190.
Absentee ballots and contested ballots will be counted and added to the totals during the certification process on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
The five Tribal Council members whose positions are not up for election in this cycle are Chairman Tom McDonald, Vice Chair Len Twoteeth, Carole Lankford, Jennifer Finley and Jim Malatare.
Of the 10 council representatives, each is elected for a four-year term in a staggered election with five seats open every two years. Since the 1980s, tribal members have been allowed to vote reservation-wide for representatives – not just for candidates in the districts where they reside.
In 2021, the Tribal Council established two at-large seats by reducing the number of representatives in the Arlee and Mission districts from two to one apiece.
A story in the Char-Koosta News in April 2021 noted that the Reapportionment Ordinance creating the new at-large districts reflected population shifts on the reservation. It was also designed “to allow for greater participation in the election process and for greater diversity in representation.”
In order to qualify for an at-large seat, candidates must be a CSKT member who has resided on the reservation for at least one year prior to filing and must continue to reside on the reservation for the entirety of their term.
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