Nika Bartoo-Smith
Underscore Native News + ICT
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation welcomed its new chairwoman and elected council members.
The tribe’s business council nominated Cindy Marchand as the next leader of the tribe after former chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson declined his nomination to serve as chairman for another term, though he will continue as councilmember for the coming year.
As chairwoman, Marchand plans to prioritize issues facing the Colville tribes today that include preserving the right to land and water, restoring salmon in the Columbia River and the economic prosperity of tribal members, according to Somday.
“Some of Colville’s goals are the work of generations, and Chairwoman Marchand intends to use her time in elected office to advance as many of these goals as she can,” Somday said.
Erickson declined the nomination in order to spend more time with his family.
“After serving on Council with Cindy Marchand for years, former Chairman Erickson has complete confidence that she will be an excellent Chairwoman for the Colville Tribes. Chairwoman Marchand congratulates former Chairman Erickson for his many accomplishments as a tribal leader and looks forward to continuing to work with him on Council,” Neeka Somday, legislative assistant and policy analyst for the Colville Tribes, told ICT + Underscore Native News.
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation sits on 1.4 million acres of land in northeast Washington state and is made up of 12 tribal groups.
At the swearing-in ceremony on July 9, three newly elected councilmembers were sworn in: Storey Jackson, Dorthey Zacherle and Patty McClung-Adolph.
Each term is two years, with elections staggered so seven positions are up for election each year.
During this election, the other four seats from the open seven were filled by re-elected incumbent council members: Cindy Marchand, Dustin Best, Shar Zacherle and Dayna Seymour.
Mel Tonasket, who has served on the Colville Business Council various times since the 1970s, including as chairman, also retired this year.
“Mel is a living legend due to his decades of work on behalf of the Colville Tribes and tribal people across the nation and the world,” Somday said. “Mel’s public service began with his opposition to the termination agenda of the federal government in the 1970s and has continued to the tribal issues of today.”
This story is co-published by Underscore Native News and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest.
