FireLake Discount Foods is one of a number of businesses in Shawnee, Oklahoma, that are owned by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Photo from Facebook
Two members of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation are serving on the city commission in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Tribal member Micheal Dykstra will continue to represent Ward 6. He first won election to the commission in 2014 and his term ends in 2018. Darren Rutherford, another tribal member, is new to the commission. He ran unopposed for Ward 4. The tribe supported two other candidates for the commission but Kelli McCullar and Linda Agee lost their elections on Tuesday. McCullar was challenging an incumbent while Agee was defeated by a challenger. The tribe's support for the candidates stirred controversy in the community. Some accused the tribe of trying to gain control of a majority of seats on the seven-member commission. “We've put $175 million into entertainment infrastructure in this community. We have given freely to the community, millions of dollars per year,” Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett told The Oklahoman before the election. “So, the idea that we should somehow abstain from the political process is just ridiculous.” Get the Story:
Two tribe-backed candidates lose Shawnee City Commission bids (The Oklahoman 6/29)
Shawnee election: City Commission gets full house (The Shawnee News-Star 6/29)
Shawnee election shows signs of contention (The Oklahoman 6/24)
Tribe Says Showdown Over Rural Permits Rooted In Politics, Not Water Pipes (KGOU 6/23)
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