Cherokee chief talks governor's race, McGirt at Rotary meeting
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. endorsed Joy Hofmeister for Oklahoma governor on Tuesday in a talk at the Bartlesville Rotary Club.
After addressing the BRC, discussing the tribe’s history in the area and ongoing projects, Hoskin opened the event to questions. A Rotary member asked whether the tribe would endorse Hofmeister for the upcoming gubernatorial election, considering tension with incumbent Gov. Kevin Stitt.
“The Cherokee Nation itself historically has not endorsed candidates. We do support candidates financially … we’ve been very easily split, more tilted towards the Republicans, simply because of their presence in the state,” Hoskin said. “I will endorse Joy Hofmeister because I think that she, for the tribes, is the best ally we can get.”
Hoskin also discussed ongoing work and implications related to the McGirt ruling. When asked whether the tribe would pursue individual income taxes of members, superseding the state, he said doing so may not be in the best interest of the Cherokee Nation.
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With the McGirt decision came the need for the Cherokee Nation to appropriate money to meet its newfound obligations — in the last year, the tribe spent $30 million on McGirt-related expenses, Hoskin said.
However, building a tax collection system would be expensive and other legal questions would need to be resolved first. Imposing individual income tax on its citizens would also come with consequences to the tribe and the state, he said.
“That’s why I’ve always thought, notwithstanding my disagreements with the governor from time to time, that when these come up, we ought to do what we’ve done the last 20 years, which is to work out an agreement. … That’s how we resolved tobacco taxes, that’s how we resolved fuel taxes, that’s how we resolved car tag fees,” Hoskin said.
Additionally, Hoskins said, both the tribe and the state care about the things those tax dollars pay for, so it would be more efficient to work together than it would be to collect those taxes separately.
“We owe it to ourselves to think carefully about what the next move is. It’s one thing to … say ‘we’re sovereign,’ take the taxes and hit the road. That would be against all the Cherokee history I just shared with you. It would be the opposite of what’s been prosperous and beneficial to the Cherokee Nation. I don’t think we should go back on those lessons,” Hoskins said.
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During the meeting, Hoskins also discussed ongoing projects, such as a recent $4 million expansion of the Cooweescoowee Health Center in Ochelata and the creation of a community center in Dewey.
Hoskins said the community center is “one of the most exciting projects” the tribe is working on.
“It’ll be a place that can be a hub of Cherokee life in Washington County. There’s other organizations that also contribute to that. I think this facility can be a very welcoming place. It can be a place to learn our language, to learn our culture, to gather for fellowship,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Cherokee chief talks Oklahoma governor race, McGirt at Rotary meeting
