Shinnecock Indian Nation elects 4 to 7-member council of trustees
The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Tuesday elected Randy King and Charles K. Smith II to return to positions of leadership after several years out of office, while re-electing two incumbents.
King had been chairman of the then-three-member tribal trustees council when the Shinnecocks gained federal recognition in 2010. Smith also had previously been a tribal leader, including chairman in 2003.
The two join Daniel Collins Sr. and Terrell Terry, two incumbents, on the seven-member council of trustees.
Bryan Polite, the former chairman of the council of trustees, did not stand for re-election. And Nichol Dennis Banks, who stood for re-election, was defeated, winning 101 votes.
Lance Gumbs, another former tribal trustee and chairman who ran for office after a long-standing conflict with the tribal government that attempted to oust him in 2012, also fell short, with 128 votes.
In all, 272 Shinnecock members voted in the election, according to the tribe. Smith took the most votes with 176, followed by King with 161, Collins with 151, and Terry with 146. There were seven write-in candidates, but none won a seat on the council.
The seven-member Council of Trustees replaced the three-person trustee structure in 2013 when the tribe voted on a constitution.
The new members join trustees Eugene Cuffee, the tribal Sachem, Linda Franklin, the tribal Sunksqua, and treasurer Rev. Michael Smith.
Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.
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