Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe elects its 2025-2027 Tribal Council
Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe visited their local polls or submitted their absentee ballots on Tuesday to elect candidates for the 2025-2027 Tribal Council, the governing body of the Tribe.
Infographic by Central Michigan Life. Information according to www.sagchip.org/news.aspx?newsid=6762.
The election brought in a number of new members as well as incumbent members, such as Cloutier, who has represented the At Large District since 2019 and served as Chief from 2015 to 2017.
“The At-Large district is an important part of our Tribal community,” Cloutier wrote in the Tribal Observer in October after being elected as the only candidate for the At-Large District. “I have worked with leadership to bring equality and mutual benefit to our district.”
Erik Rodriguez, public relations director for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, said that every election is unique and that voting in new members of the Tribal Council always holds some level of uncertainty for the future.
“It’s just like any other kind of election when you look at it,” he said. “You don’t really have that master plan and direction until you have that new council elected.”
The Tribe has held a biennial election to select leaders since the creation of its constitution in 1937. The only requirements to run for the Tribal Council are that the candidate be a member of the Tribe and be over 25.
Starting in July, candidates can pick up the packets from the Tribal Clerk’s office. In order to get on the final list of candidates for the primary election, a candidate must gather 20 signatures and be verified by the Tribe’s caucus committee.
“I can say it ranges anywhere from usually 45 to 110 running for 12 spots on the tribal council,” Rodriguez said.
In this year’s primary, there were 51 candidates.
Rodriguez said the next step in the election is the swearing-in ceremony for the Tribe’s Executive Council. Members of the council will nominate one another for positions: chief, sub-chief, secretary and treasurer. The Tribe’s sergeant-at-arms and a tribal chaplain are also sworn in during the ceremony.
