Incumbent Cherokee Nation District 10 Councilor Melvina Shotpouch is facing challenger Haley Buzzard in her June 7 bid for reelection to the Tribal Council.
Shotpouch, 72, was elected to the District 10 council seat in 2021. She also served on the council from 1991 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2007, according to her council website biography. The Cherokee Nation constitution allows council members to serve only two consecutive terms. Before serving on the council, she worked for 29 years as a cartographer for Delaware County. She has served on several community boards, including the Jay Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware County Historical Society.
Buzzard, 45, has spent a year working for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society as a business development officer, according to her LinkedIn. Before that, she worked for several Tulsa-area nonprofits, including Tulsa Area United Way. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Northeastern State University and a master’s in nonprofit management from DePaul University.
District 10 lies in northeast Oklahoma, including parts of Delaware and Ottawa counties and the communities of Grove, Jay and Afton. The winner of the June 7 race will represent 9,380 citizens in the Cherokee Nation’s legislative body for four years. This will be the first election for the district since boundaries were redrawn last year to . Both candidates addressed redistricting in responses to a District 10 questionnaire published by the Cherokee Phoenix.
“My family is well known for bringing people together — normally with food — to keep people informed,” Shotpouch wrote. “I will continue to visit people where they are and continue to have community meetings to keep folks informed. We live in a new world where communication is in the palm of people’s hands. My door is always open, I always accept people’s calls and I always try to return emails.”
Buzzard said redistricting brings “both challenges and opportunities.”
“My strategy to ensure all communities within District 10 are heard and represented includes holding listening sessions and community meetings to ensure every voice is heard,” she wrote. “I will establish multiple channels for citizens to reach me including social media, email, phone, and in-person visits. I will work with community groups within different areas of the district, so that local voices directly inform Tribal Council decisions.”
Shotpouch did not respond to requests for an interview ahead of this article. Buzzard initially agreed to an interview, but she did not respond to subsequent attempts to schedule one. With neither candidate responding to requests for interviews, the following election preview is based on publicly available information.
Campaigns prioritizing cultural preservation
Throughout her campaign, Shotpouch has emphasized the value of preserving and promoting Cherokee culture. In the Q&A with the Cherokee Phoenix, Shotpouch said her position as the only first-language Cherokee speaker on the council is “an honor,” but she said she hopes to promote fluency across the Cherokee Nation.
“The crown jewel in our nation is our immersion school,” Shotpouch wrote. “We must continue to improve and evolve as the best native immersion language learning school in the world. We must make sure that every Cherokee family has access to this incredible school and always strive to protect language and increase the number of native speakers.”
Buzzard said she would also promote Cherokee culture in District 10 through accessible and widespread programming, including adult education programs and more local language classes.
“Preserving our Cherokee heritage is essential,” Buzzard wrote. “(I support) investing in youth and elder programs, creating mentorship programs that connect fluent speakers with younger generations to strengthen language transmission (and) supporting cultural initiatives that teach traditional arts, storytelling and traditional ceremonies, ensuring cultural knowledge is passed down.”
Honing in on health care
In addition to promoting Cherokee culture, both candidates have campaigned on promoting access to health care was among their top priorities if elected. Shotpouch told the Cherokee Phoenix that providing high-quality medical facilities and promoting preventative treatment options would be the focus of her second term.
“Health care and contract health will always be front and center,” Shotpouch told the publication. “Working to ensure that people have a dialysis clinic in close proximity to their home needs to be addressed.”
Buzzard said she believed health care was a “critical need” in her district, especially for rural residents who may not be able to access centralized facilities.
“I will advocate for mobile health clinics and enhanced mental health services,” Buzzard told the Cherokee Phoenix. “I’ll work to expand services, increase outreach and strengthen mental and health resources.”
In addition to promoting rural health clinics, Buzzard said she would expand rent assistance programs and home repair initiatives, as well as increase funding for new housing developments. She plans to advocate for more scholarships, mentorship programs and vocational training for Cherokee students. Buzzard told the Cherokee Phoenix she would like to work closely with community partners to bring more jobs and diverse businesses to District 10.
If reelected, Shotpouch told the Cherokee Phoenix she seeks funding to rehabilitate older homes to ensure citizens have access to safe, comfortable homes. She also emphasized the need to expand access to wellness centers and support services for elders by offering community gathering spaces and well-stocked nutrition centers.
