Chippewa Cree Buisness Committee holding special election

After the unexpected death of former Chippewa Cree Business Committee member Mike Corcoran, the Chippewa Cree Business Committee by resolution has declared his position vacant and has directed the Chippewa Cree Tribal Election Board to call for a special election to fill his seat.

A Chippewa Cree Tribal Election Board public notice says that the special election for the Business Committee position shall be held Tuesday, Feb. 25, and the tribal secretary will be accepting petitions for the Business Committee position beginning Monday at 8 a.m. All petitions for the vacant seat have to be filed by Friday, Jan 31.

Former Business Committee member and current state Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, said in an interview that he is interested in running for the position and getting back into tribal politics.

"I know I can help my tribe," Windy Boy said. "I have the experience, I have the connections, I have the network, I have the knowledge. I know how the tribe operates."

He added that he has served in the state Legislature for 18 years and has sat on the House Appropriation Committee and the Senate Finance Committee and knows the state's budgets and its capabilities. He said he knows that the tribe has a lot of needs and a number of projects, and he hopes he will be able to speed the process for these things to get them completed faster.

"I feel I have what it takes for what the tribe needs," Windy Boy said.

But things have to be taken one step at a time, he said. He doesn't have any agenda but feels that if he concentrates his efforts on the tribe he can do the most good for his people. He added that he has always been an outside-of-the-box thinker and has a history of being able to get legislation done.

Windy Boy previously has sat on the Chippewa Cree Business Committee and from his experience in tribal politics and the Legislature, he said, he already knows how things should work and operate. He added that Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation is the home of his grandchildren, and he wants to build something for their future and the other youths on the reservation.

"It's either I will get in or I won't," he said.

He added that he is still debating if he wants to run for re-election in the Legislature.

The public notice says that to be eligible for membership on the Business Committee candidates must be a member of the tribe, have physically resided within the general area of the reservation, must be at least 25 years old and must not have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving bribery or dishonesty in state, federal or tribal affairs or illegal drug charges. People must also pay $100 to submit their application. The fee will be paid to the Election Board Clerk to help defray election expenses and are not refundable.

Corcoran was elected to a four-year term in 2018 before he died earlier this month from a heart attack, and whomever is elected in the special election will serve out the rest of Corcoran's term which expires November 2022.