Run-offs to be contested in seven races
CPN Legislative election heads into overtime
Citizen Potawatomi Nation voters must wait until March 29 to learn the identities of seven of the tribal members who will occupy seats in the Nation’s new legislature. In those seven races, no candidate received a majority of the votes cast in the race. Run-offs will occur in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10.
In addition to the five existing Business Committee members, whose membership in the legislature was grandfathered in by the CPN constitution revision, legislators have been elected to represent Districts 6, 7, 9, and 11. Ron Goyer, Thom Finks, Paul Wesselhoft, and Lisa Kraft have been elected in Districts 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11, respectively.
In District #1, Roy V. Slavin of Kansas City, Missouri and William Pearce of Rochester, New York survived into the run-off, which will see voting conclude on Saturday, March 29, 2008. Norma Neely of Kirksville, Missouri, Candace Walter of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, Michael G. Smith of Naytahwaush, Minnesota, and Jon Stephen Smith of Rochester, New York were also candidates for the District #1 seat. (For vote totals, CLICK HERE.)
The District #2 run-off contestants are Eva Marie Carney of Arlington, Virginia and Ralph Henry (Bergeron) Bazhaw of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina. James Wendell Higbee of Mobile, Alabama, Anthony Cole of Chalmette, Louisiana, and Michael Shane Cory of Stafford, Virginia were also district #2 candidates.
In Texas, the District #3 run-off will feature Brian K. Walker of Tatum and Robert M. ‘Bob’ Whistler of Bedford. Myron Glen Johnson of Trophy Club, Traci Garcia of Euless, and Andrew Thomas Walters of Oak Ridge North were the other district #3 candidates.
In Kansas, the District #4 run-off contenders are Hubert L. ‘Hurb’ Adams of Rossville and Theresa Marie Adame of Topeka. The other three candidates who competed in District #4 are Janet L. Grey and Amy Rose Herrick, both of Topeka, and Alan Becker of Lakin.
From the four-candidate field in District #5, Edwin M. ‘Ed’ Burns of Rocky Ford, Colorado and Eunice Imogene ‘Gene’ Lambert of Mesa, Arizona moved into the run-off. Shanna Larsen and Mickki Langston of Englewood, Colorado were the other candidates.
In District #8, William Edward Anderson of Whitefish, Montana and Jacqueline Taylor of Astoria, Oregon are in the run-off. Clyde Slavin of Vancouver, Washington was also a District #8 candidate.
In District #10, the entire state of Oklahoma, David Joe Barrett of Shawnee and Jason N. O’Neal of Stonewall are the run-off candidates. James R. Blevins of Verden and Elva Campbell of Davis were the other District #10 candidates.
In District #9, which also represents the entire state of Oklahoma, Paul Wesselhoft of Moore defeated Kimberly Carol Self of Shawnee.
Absentee Ballot Request forms will soon be mailed to CPN voters in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10. The ballot request must be postmarked no later than March 9, 2008. Voted absentee ballots must be received at the CPN Election Committee’s Tecumseh, Oklahoma post office box no later than 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, 2008.
Following the August 2007 approval of a constitutional revision, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation is transitioning from a five-member Business Committee to the 16-member legislature. The transition is designed to devolve more government authority to the two-thirds of CPN members who live outside the state of Oklahoma. It also marks an extraordinary release of government/political power by the three members of the Executive Committee.
Under the previous government structure, the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-Treasurer controlled three of the five votes in the Nation’s legislative body. In the legislative body, they have just three of 16 votes.
Chairman John ‘Rocky’ Barrett has frequently discussed plans for a second phase of the government makeover. When proposed as a constitutional amendment, it would involve moving the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-Treasurer into a separate Administrative branch while setting up the final three legislative seats – numbers 14, 15, and 16. Holders of those seats will represent CPN members from all over Oklahoma.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation officials believe the Nation is the first tribal government that has divided the entire United States into legislative districts to allow members who live away from the tribe’s governmental jurisdiction to have representation on its decision-making body. The CPN legislature will meet using state-of-the-art teleconferencing equipment. The Oklahoma legislators will gather in a new legislative chamber at the Nation’s Shawnee headquarters. Those from outside the state will be connected to the meeting via a video/audio screen that will allow them to hear and see activities in Shawnee and at the sites where each of the other seven outside-Oklahoma lawmakers are.
A membership ordinance, referred to a vote of CPN members by the Business Committee, was approved by a vote of 911 to 250. It implements Article 3, Section 1(f) of the revised constitution, which reads: The Business Committee shall have power to prescribe rules and regulations covering future membership including adoptions and the loss of membership, subject to confirmation by a majority of the votes cast for a General Council referendum containing such rules and regulations in a regular or special election.
The Membership Ordinance also takes into account the constitution’s Article 3, Section 1(g): No member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation may hold membership in any other Indian tribe.
The Membership Ordinance sets out five conditions with regard to relinquishment of CPN membership: (1) Any adult Member may relinquish their membership; (2) No one may relinquish membership for another adult member; (3) Conditional relinquishment is allowed pending transfer of membership to another tribe; (4) No voluntarily relinquished membership may be restored; and (5) Any minor relinquished by a parent or guardian may apply for membership after age 18.
According to the ordinance, disenrollments could happen under these conditions: (1) Erroneous enrollment, i.e. (ineligibility) at time of enrollment; Acceptance of land or money benefits from another tribe after August 16, 2007, the effective date of the Revised Constitution of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation; or (3) Refus(al) to relinquish membership in another tribe or fail(ure) to respond to notice to relinquish from another tribe in violation of the Revised Constitution of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
Finally, the new ordinance sets up a disenrollment process: (1) Notice shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, of the intent to disenroll by a hearing before the Tribal Legislature; (2) Determination of cause for disenrollment by a hearing before the Tribal Legislature and disenrollment at that hearing for cause by majority vote; (3) Notice shall be sent of disenrollment and the right to appeal the decision to the Tribal Legislature within 30 days of the return receipt of the notice; (4) The Tribal Legislature shall decide timely filed appeals by majority vote; and (5) The decision of The Tribal Legislature is final.
No disenrolled member shall be eligible for future enrollment.