Two incumbents ousted in White Earth tribal races
Voters on the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwest Minnesota rejected two incumbents and returned a third to office on Tuesday.
In unofficial election results, Secretary-Treasurer Tara Mason was outpolled by Leonard Roy 1,134 to 1,082 votes.
Mason, who was first elected in 2014, has openly feuded with White Earth tribal chairman Terry Tibbetts for months. Each has accused the other of financial impropriety.
Earlier this year the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Executive Committee voted to censure Mason for using tribal resources to support a micro-loan program she personally funded. At the same time the Executive Committee exonerated Tibbetts on charges he received tribal funds he was not entitled to.
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Last month the White Earth tribal council voted to exonerate Mason, choosing to not remove her from office or call a special election.
The office of tribal chair was not on the ballot this year.
Incumbent tribal council member Steven Clark lost his bid for another term to Ray Auginaush by a five vote margin on Tuesday. Clark was elected in 2014.
Tribal council member Kathy Goodwin was re-elected by an 87 vote margin.
White Earth is the largest tribal nation in Minnesota with more than 19,000 enrolled members, many who live in the Twin Cities and across the country.
A total of 2,216 tribal members voted in the Tuesday election.