Utes go to polls Friday to choose tribal chair, three council members

Utes go to polls Friday to choose tribal chair, three council members

October 9, 2001

On Friday, Ute Mountain Utes go to the polls in Towaoc and White Mesa, Utah, to choose a tribal leader and council representatives.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dining Hall in Towaoc and at the Red Barn in White Mesa.

There are three council seats up for election. Each is for a three-year term.

Councilmen Carl Knight and Selwyn Whiteskunk, representing the Colorado portion of the Ute tribe, will run for re-election. Challengers for those two seats are:

• Derrick Clark, a maintenance worker;

• Harold Cuthair, a casino worker;

• Benjamin Lehi, a public-works employee;

• Michael Mills, Weminuche Construction, who has a B.A. in social work;

• Kathryn Peabody, a substance-abuse counselor;

• Lyndreth Wall Sr., a public-works employee;

• Mark Wilson, a Natural Resources Division employee;

In White Mesa (a satellite community of the Ute tribe), Eddie Dutchie Jr. is seeking re-election. He is being challenged by:

• Elayne Cantsee, a social-services employee;

• Malcolm Lehi;

• Anna Lee Rabbit, a dialysis-program worker.

The top vote-getters will win elected positions. Towaoc voters are reminded to choose a candidate for each of the two contested seats. White Mesa votes only for its representative. All Ute Mountain voters choose one candidate for tribal chair.

A special election will be held for Art Cuthair’s seat soon. He resigned his term to run for chairman against incumbent Ernest House and former chair Judy Knight-Frank.