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Tribal council incumbents fare well in election |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 18 February 2010 |
Tribal council incumbents fare well in election
By Stephanie Vosk
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February 17, 2010
A longtime tribal councilor is out, a newcomer was voted in and two formerly "shunned" tribe members looking for a seat at the leadership table didn't make the cut.
With 174 votes, Martin "Bruzzy" Hendricks, a member of the tribal council for eight years, came in fifth in Sunday's contest to fill four seats on the council.
Incumbents Cheryl Frye-Cromwell, Yvonne Avant and Edwina "Winnie" Johnson Graham were all elected to four-year terms, with 193, 191 and 178 votes respectively. Carlton Hendricks Jr. received 184 votes and will fill the fourth seat.
Hendricks worked as a security guard for the tribe in years past and his sister, Desire Hendricks Moreno, served as tribal council secretary under the Glenn Marshall administration.
Moreno lost her seat last February in an election that swept in new leadership.
Candidates Stephanie Tobey-Roderick and Michelle Fernandes, who were shunned by the Marshall-led tribal council in December 2006 after filing suit against tribe leaders for access to financial information, were unsuccessful in their bid for council seats.
Tobey-Roderick received 70 votes while Fernandes got just 64.
Fernandes said yesterday that she wasn't disappointed about the loss. "I have to just be more vigilant for next year," she said.
Ten names appeared on Sunday's ballot. Candidate Laverne Jackson came in sixth with 157 votes; Angela Shwom placed eighth with 67 votes and Charles "Bobby" Foster received 61 votes, the fewest of any candidate.
A total of 428 voters turned out for the annual election, with each given the opportunity to choose four councilors. There were 215 write-in votes and 158 blanks, a council spokeswoman said.
The 13-member council — made up of 11 elected members, the traditional tribal chief and medicine man, is responsible for overseeing day-to-day business for the tribe's approximately 1,600 members.
The board, now headed up by chairman Cedric Cromwell, will lead the tribe at a critical juncture.
The gambling debate is heating up again on Beacon Hill, with House Speaker Robert DeLeo promising a vote by mid-summer. Council leaders, who have partnered with Malaysian casino investors, hope to pave the tribe's course toward a Foxwood-style gaming facility.
The tribe has also become embroiled in the Cape Wind controversy, having successfully petitioned the National Park Service to have Nantucket Sound declared eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places just as a final decision on the energy project nears.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100217/NEWS/2170330/-1/NEWSMAP |
