Three incumbents retain seats on Tribal Council, two ousted
EMILY MESSER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 hours, 48 minutes AGO
Elder Shirley Trahan holds up her “I voted” sticker at the Mission Salish Senior Center after casting her vote on Saturday, Dec. 13. (Emily Messer/Leader)
Emily Messer joined the Lake County Leader in July of 2025 after earning a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Montana. Emily grew up on a farm in the rolling hills of southeast Missouri and enjoys covering agriculture and conservation. She's lived in Montana since 2022 and honed her reporter craft with the UM J-School newspaper and internships with the RMEF Bugle Magazine and the Missoulian. At the Leader she covers the St. Ignatius Town Council, Polson City Commission and a variety of business, lifestyle and school news. Contact Emily Messer at [email protected] or 406.883.4343 | December 17, 2025 11:00 PM
Polls across the Flathead Reservation were open all day on Dec. 13 to fill the five seats open on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Tribal Council.
Three incumbents retained their positions – Tom McDonald, Len TwoTeeth and Carol Depoe Lankford – while Jennifer Finley and Jim Malatare lost their respective races, according to final results posted on Dec. 17.
Certified results show the following tallies:
At-large: Incumbent Tom McDonald, 775; Sam Barnaby, 542.
Arlee: Incumbent Jim Malatare, 600; Greg Dumontier, 717.
Elmo: Incumbent Len TwoTeeth, 787; Louis-Junior-Caye, 541.
Polson: Incumbent Jennifer Finley, 560; Jami Pluff, 754.
Ronan: Incumbent Carole J. Depoe Lankford, 709; Ronald A Couture, 602.
While Lankford (Ronan), TwoTeeth (Elmo) and Dumontier (Arlee) lost their individual districts by 15 votes or less, each handily won the overall tally by sizable margins.
Elder Shirley Trahan casts her vote at the Mission Salish Senior Center on Saturday, Dec. 13. (Emily Messer/Leader)
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Three incumbents retain seats on Tribal Council, two ousted
Polls across the Flathead Reservation were open all day on Dec. 13 to fill the five seats open on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Tribal Council.
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