Rocky Boy sets candidate forum for tonight

Members of the Chippewa Cree Tribe will get a chance to hear from candidates for tribal office in the lead-up to Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation’s Tuesday primaries.

The Tribal Chair and Candidate Debate & Candidate Forum will take place tonight at 7 in the gymnasium of the Chippewa Cree Wellness Center.

RJS & Associates President and CEO Jim Swan, who is moderating the debate portion of the program, and Misty Brooks, chief information officer for the Rocky Boy Health Board, organized the event.

The forum and debate comes at an important juncture for the tribe, as Rocky Boy  looks to move on from several scandals in recent years, Swan said.

“I think that the people in the community think it is important that we get some informed way of voting for these candidates rather than ‘I know that guy; I think he would be good,’ or, that’s my cousin; I will vote for him,” Swan said. “We want the people to get as much information as possible to make as wise of a choice as they can.”

Swan said invitations were extended to all 43 candidates mounting campaigns for four seats on the Chippewa Cree Business Committee, the tribe’s governing body, and the six candidates for tribal chairman.

The eight Business Committee candidates who receive the most votes in the primary will advance to November’s general election. The top two chair candidates will advance.

All six candidates for tribal chairman said they will participate in the debate, Swan said.

The event will be divided into two portions. The first will consist of each Business Committee candidate who is in attendance addressing the audience for up to four minutes.

The second will consist of a debate between the six candidates for tribal chair: incumbent Ken St. Marks, Business Committee members Harlan Gopher Baker and Beau Mitchell, former committee chair Alvin Windy Boy Sr., state Rep. Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, and Thomas Roasting Stick Sr.

Participants will be divided into three teams of two, Swan said. The pairing of the candidates and order in which they speak and debate will be determined by a predebate drawing.

Candidates in one pair will make opening statements before being asked several questions, and then engage in discussion. The other teams will then be asked a different set of questions after making opening statements in the next rounds, Swan said.

Swan said he has planned the debate to consist of three questions asked during 18-minute rounds. At the end of each round candidates will get the chance to debate a different opponent.

Questions will be asked that have been submitted both by event organizers and in writing by audience members, and randomly selected before the forum, he said.

Topics will include crime, substance abuse, juvenile justice, education and access to housing, Swan said.   

He estimates that both the forum and debate should last about three and a half hours.  

If the equipment is available the forum will be broadcast live on 88.5FM KHEW, Brooks said.