Melissa Olson
Minnesota Public Radio
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa elected a new chairperson earlier this week as voters from across the six member nations of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe went to the polls.
Fond du Lac voters chose Bruce Savage to lead the tribal nation over incumbent Kevin DuPuis Sr. DuPuis led the Fond du Lac Band for the past eight years.
Savage, who will take office in July, will lead during a moment when the band is expanding its economic footprint on its lands.
In late May, the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation approved a $2.5 million loan to the Fond du Lac Band for a start-up cannabis business on the reservation located southwest of Duluth. The band is also undertaking a restoration project at Wisconsin Point in the Duluth-Superior harbor after a decades-long fight to have the land returned.
Fond du Lac Band voters also elected incumbent Wayne Dupuis to the tribe’s District 1 committeeperson and Earl Otis to the District 3 committeeperson office.
Each member nation of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe is governed by a reservation business committee. Elected officials from each of the member nations elect an executive committee from their own ranks.
Incumbent candidates at Bois Fort Band of Chippewa, a tribal nation north of Ely, edged out challengers to keep their seats — incumbent chairperson Cathy Chavers over challenger Hannah Lehti-Chosa by six votes. Perry Drift won by the same margin in the race for District 1 representative.
Leech Lake Band voters re-elected Incumbent Faron Jackson Sr. over challenger Gerald White. Leon Staples Jr. won the race for Leech Lake District 3 representative. The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe is east of Bemidji in northern Minnesota.
White Earth Nation voters returned chairperson Michael Fairbanks to office for another term. Laura Lee Erickson was elected District 3 committeeperson over the incumbent Cheryl “Annie” Jackson. White Earth Nation is just south of Detroit Lakes.
Chairperson of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Robert Deschampe ran unopposed and will remain in office. Incumbent Marie Spry won reelection for Grand Portage committeeperson. The Grand Portage Band shares a geography with the far northeast part of the state.
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe voters elected Carolyn Beaulieu to the band’s District I office.
Mille Lacs Band voters had earlier elected Virgil Wind as the band’s chief executive after Wind had earned more than 50 percent of the primary vote held in early April.
Election winners will assume office July 8.
2024 General Election Results
Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians
Chairperson
Catherine Chavers (I) — 50.40 percent
Hannah Lehti-Chosa — 49.20 percentDistrict 1 Representative
Perry Drift — 50.16 percent
Edward Villebrun — 48.25 percentFond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Chairperson
Kevin DuPuis Sr. (I) — 47.12 percent
Bruce Savage — 52.88 percentDistrict 1 Committee person
Wally Dupuis (I) — 59.55 percentMichelle DeBolt — 40.45 percent
District 3 Committee personRoger Smith Sr. (I) — 39.88 percent
Earl Otis — 60.12 percentGrand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Chairperson
Robert Deschampe (unopposed)Committee person
Marie Spry (I) — 54.31 percent
William “Bill” Myers — 45.69 percentLeech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Chairman
Faron Jackson (I) — 62.75 percent
Gerald White — 37.25 percentDistrict 3 Representative
Leon Staples Jr. — 61.62 percent
Glen Fisher — 38.38 percentMille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Chief Executive
Virgil Wind — 67.44 percent (Winner with more than 50 percent of the primary vote)
Samuel Moose — 30.64 percentDistrict 1 Representative
Valerie Sam-Harrington — 47.21 percent
Carolyn Beaulieu — 52.79 percentWhite Earth Nation
Chairperson
Michael Fairbanks (I) — 55.96 percent
Eugene “Umsy” Tibbets — 44.04 percentDistrict 3 Committee person
Laura Lee Erickson — 57.43 percent
Cheryl “Annie” Jackson (I) — 42.57 percent
This article was originally published by Minnesota Public Radio. It is republished here with permission.