Incumbents lead in Tribal Council primary

Kristi Niemeyer, Lake County Leader, Polson, Mont.
·2 min read

Oct. 19—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.