Community Disinterest on Display at Tribal Caucus

By Isaac White.

On Saturday, April 15th, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Caucus took place in preparation for the upcoming elections in June. The event was held at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Administration building at 10:00 a.m. Despite numerous empty chairs due to low attendance, the caucus proceeded to nominate candidates for the various elected positions available in this election cycle.

The Election Board began with introductions and explanations of the relevant procedures and requirements, then quickly moved on to initiate the nominating process. Evidence of low community engagement was demonstrated by the small number of Akwesasronon who stepped forward to serve the community.

The first position open for nominations was for Residency Board Alternate with a one-year term. No community members were nominated, and after nearly 30 seconds of uncomfortable silence with no volunteers for the position, the Election Board moved on to the next open position.

The subsequent call for nominations was for Residency Board Alternate with a two-year term. Following another extended pause with no one seeking the position, Michael Conners Jr. nominated Vanessa Smoke, whose nomination was seconded by Agnes 'Sweets' Jacobs. No other nominees were forthcoming from the crowd.

The Election Board proceeded with their agenda, aiming to fill two two-year term positions for the Residency Board. Larri-Lee Skidders was nominated for one of these positions by Vicki Herne and seconded by Julia Back. However, extended awkward pauses persisted as no Tribal Member stepped forward to fill the second one-year term position.

For the next position, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Traffic Court Judge 2, only one community member was nominated. Micaelee Horn emerged as the lone candidate, nominated by Christine Horn and seconded by Sara Lazore.

The trend of apparent community indifference continued as there was only one nominee for the subsequent position on the Election Board slate, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Sub-Chief. Agnes 'Sweets' Jacobs, the current holder of the position, became the sole nominee. Jacobs was nominated by Minerva White and seconded by Emily Lauzon.

The final position open for nominations by the SRMT Election Board was for Tribal Chief, a position that has great impact on every member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. Michael Conners Jr., the incumbent, was the lone nominee for the position. This nomination followed the pattern of community disinterest observed throughout the caucus.

Michael Conners Jr. was nominated for Tribal Chief by Barbara Lazore, and Shanley Burns seconded the nomination as required by Tribal procedure. This year's nomination process presented a stark contrast to the previous year when many candidates competed for open elected positions.

Agnes 'Sweets' Jacobs, the sole nominee for Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Sub-Chief, told Indian Time, "I'd like to thank everyone for showing up today for caucus. I'd like to thank my nominators, Minerva White, and Emily Lauzon. I'd like to thank the community for supporting me and I think that this Tribal Council works together excellently as a team. We have to forge ahead and go forward with the ideas on the table and the community is what it's all about, with health and safety, education for everybody."

Regarding the low attendance and small number of nominees, Jacobs said, "We've always asked at all of our meetings for everyone to show up and to have their voice. We can always bring the horse to the water, but you can't make them drink."

Michael Conners Jr. also spoke with Indian Time about his nomination saying, "I want to thank my nominators, Barbara Lazore and Shanley Burns. They both came out today to nominate and second me. That shows my commitment to our seniors and our youth and everybody in between. That's why I was looking for a senior and a youth for the nominator and seconder."

Conners emphasized his commitment to all members of the Akwesasne community if elected. When asked about the low attendance and few nominees, Conners expressed dissatisfaction, "I'm disappointed that less people are interested in running for the position. Several years ago there was 10 people running for Chief and Sub-Chief and that had a big turnout. We had roughly 1,000 people voting at that time. I just wish our community would get more involved."

Conners also discussed the Tribal monthly meetings, which he said had 70 attendees on site and through Zoom. Conners then mentioned a Tribal meeting for the Oneida of Wisconsin that reportedly had 1,800 attendees. Although Indian Time could not independently confirm this number, it demonstrates a significant contrast in political and community engagement between Wisconsin and Akwesasne.

Akwesasne will await the official nomination list from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Election Board.