Four Running in Election for Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chair
The
Cape Cod Timesreported Monday that those running in the election scheduled for later this month are Nelson Andrews Jr., Kyle Bassett, Aaron Tobey Jr. and Brian Weeden.
The chairperson’s job is to preside over tribal council meetings, serve as the coordinator over all tribal government activities, and act as the tribe’s official spokesperson.
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The election is currently scheduled to take place through mail-in balloting through March 26.
The federally recognized tribe’s last two chairs have either been convicted of federal crimes or are currently facing federal charges.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is scheduled to hold elections on Friday, March 26, to choose a new chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, treasurer and tribal council member.
More than 10 positive cases were reported last week, the most the tribe has recorded in any week since the pandemic began, following a funeral and gatherings held to grieve a 4-year-old boy who died in a traffic accident.
New US Secretary of Interior signifies hope for Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has a powerful new ally in its fight to keep its land-in-trust status.
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico as Secretary of the Interior. She is the first Native American to hold a Cabinet post.
Haaland was confirmed by a 51-40 vote, the narrowest margin yet for a Biden Cabinet nomination. Four Republicans voted yes: Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
The Department of the Interior is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Haaland, 59, D-N.M., is an enrolled citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna Native American tribe and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. She was one of the first two Native American women elected to the United States Congress, the other being Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas.