Eight of the 28 seats on the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma General Council are up for grabs in an election Saturday. The other 20 seats have either already been decided by default or will be filled by appointment because fewer than two candidates filed to represent a band.
The General Council is comprised of two representatives from each of the nation’s 14 bands, the lineage-determined centers of historic social and civic life for Seminole citizens. Originally, each of the bands existed as a separate tribe.
For the July 12 election, Seminole Nation voters are electing their chief and assistant chief positions. Four bands feature competitive band chief races where more than two people filed to represent their band on the council. Ten other bands had only two candidates — or fewer — file for the council seats.
Band members elect their council representatives every four years, with the top two candidates in each band elected by receiving a plurality of votes. There are no runoff elections for council seats. If bands do not have two candidates file to appear on the ballot, representatives are nominated from within the band to fill the vacant seats.
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is headquartered in Wewoka, and its tribal jurisdiction encompasses Seminole County. Following the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, the state Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the existence of the Seminole Nation Reservation.
In-person voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at five polling locations, and voting is open to all Seminole Nation of Oklahoma citizens over age 18. Voters will need to bring an official tribal, state or federal photo ID to cast a ballot in person, according to the tribe’s website.
The following details about the candidates for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma’s General Council were gathered from publicly available online sources. The candidates are presented by band, with the four bands featuring competitive races — Hecete, Ocese, Tallahassee, Ceyvha — listed first.
Hecete Band
The Hecete Band lived in southern Georgia and northern Florida before settling in the northern part of Seminole territory after their forced removal in the 19th century.
Three candidates are seeking the band’s two seats:
- Joseph Billie is an incumbent band representative of the Hecete Band. Billie does not appear to maintain an online presence.
- Ricky Van Deer is a former Seminole Nation council member and former trustee of the Seminole Nation Development Authority. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after being indicted in a 2008 case centering on allegations he accepted at least 16 payments totaling $44,100 for securing favorable actions for a gaming machine company. According to the FBI, Deer served five months in prison, followed by 24 months of supervised release.
- Patricia Kishketon is the incumbent band chief of the Hecete Band and is seeking reelection. She shares tribal news and other community resources on her personal Facebook page.
Ocese Band
Incumbent Ocese Band representatives Richmond Larney II and Henson Lena are competing in the chief and assistant chief races, respectively. Four candidates are seeking the band’s two open seats:
- Christopher Burgess is a maintenance supervisor with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. His LinkedIn profile says he studied finance at Northeastern State University.
- Alvina Coker is a contact representative with the Bureau of Trust Fund Administration. Coker also worked as an executive assistant with the Seminole Nation from 2021 to 2023, according to her LinkedIn profile.
- Alyssa Kelough works as a teacher at Thomas Elementary, according to a Facebook post. Her personal Facebook profile shows her to be heavily involved with the Seminole community, specifically with the Seminole Nation royalty. Kelough moderates a Facebook group dedicated to supporting the Seminole Nation Princess Pageant.
- Terry Spencer is a former representative of the Ocese Band and a retired educator. He ran for chief of the Seminole Nation in 2009, but he lost to Leonard Harjo in a runoff election. A focus of his past campaign was developing a high-quality, challenging education program for the Seminole Nation.
Tallahassee Band
The Tallahassee Band originated in northern Florida in the late 1700s. The Seminole wars caused many of their band members to be removed to Indian Territory. The band still remains one of the largest in the Seminole Nation.
Three candidates are seeking the band’s two seats:
- Katie Gunville is a case worker with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is the sister of fellow Tallahassee Band candidate Olie Gunville. According to her personal Facebook page, she began studying at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2024. She has shard a post supporting the campaign of Richmond Larney for chief and has endorsed Henson Lena in the assistant chief race;
- Olie Gunville does not appear to maintain an online presence other than a personal Facebook page. Olie is the brother of Katie, another candidate for representative of the Tallahassee Band; and
- Joan Randazzo is a secretary for the general council’s office, according to the council’s website. Randazzo said in a Facebook post that she would make for a great council representative because she “would not let other bands in our band meetings telling us how to vote.”
Ceyvha Band
After the Second Seminole War, the Ceyvha Band was forced to Indian Territory, settling in the northern part of the Seminole Nation after the Quinault Treaty of 1856.
Three candidates are seeking the band’s two seats:
- Eugenia Lena works as processor and packer for the Newton Wall Company, according to her Facebook profile. She previously represented the Ceyvha Band on the council in the early 2000s;
- John Narcomey is an incumbent representative of the Ceyvha Band and was first elected in 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to his election to the council, Narcomey worked as an auditor; and
- Regina Tiger is the incumbent band chief of the Ceyvha Band. According to her Facebook profile, she is a former chief property and supply management officer for Indian Health Services.
The following 10 bands have either selected their two representatives by default or will nominate representatives at a later date because only one or no candidate filed for the council. The topic of bands not fielding enough candidates to trigger elections for the General Council seats became a topic of conversation toward the end of a forum in Shawnee on Monday night.
Caesar Bruner Band
The Caesar Bruner Band — one of two Seminole Nation Freedmen bands — is named after Caesar Bruner, its first band chief. Bruner was born in Florida around 1813 and was forced to Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears, where Bruner Town was formed.
LeEtta Osborne-Sampson, the incumbent representative, was the only candidate to file for the Caesar Bruner Band, so she will retain her seat on the council. The Caesar Bruner Band will nominate its remaining representative from within the band.
Dosar Barkus Band
The Dosar Barkus Band — the other Seminole Nation Freedmen band — is comprised of descendants of the slaves of John Jumper, a Seminole Nation chief who served from 1849 to 1865 and again from 1882 to 1885. Dosar Barkus took over leadership of the band in 1898.
Incumbents Terry Edwards and Anastasia Pittman will retain their seats in the Dosar Barkus Band, as they are the only two candidates who filed.
Eufaula Band
The Eufaula Band has historical connections to the Thomas Palmer Band.
Ida Gonzales, the incumbent representative, is the only candidate to file for the Eufaula Band, so she will retain her seat on the council. The Eufaula Band will nominate its remaining representative from within the band.
Fushutche Band
The Fushutche Band appeared on maps as early as 1733, and members migrated to Florida in 1814-1815. Following the Second Seminole War, the band was removed to Indian Territory.
The Fushutche Band will nominate their General Council representatives from within, as no candidates filed. Former Futshutche Band representative David Narcomey — who documented a Shawnee candidate forum Monday night in a pair of videos — vacated his seat to run for assistant chief. Should Narcomey lose his bid for chief, he is eligible to retain his council seat since no other band members filed to be candidates.
Hvteyievlke Band
Also called the Newcomer Band, the Hvteyievlke Band was the last band to arrive from Florida during the time that Indian removal was the official policy of the U.S. federal government.
Incumbents Ann Borba and Karen Fullbright will retain their seats in the Hvteyievlke Band, as they are the only two candidates who filed.
Mekusukey Band
The Mekusukey Band will nominate their General Council representatives from within, as no candidates filed.
Nurcup Harjo Band
The Nurcup Harjo Band, also known as the Tamathi, was a part of the Appalachicola Tribe of northern Florida and reached Indian Territory in 1838.
Thomas Yahola is the only candidate to file for the Nurcup Harjo Band. The other seat will be filled from an appointment within the band.
Thomas Palmer Band
One of the largest bands of the Seminole Nation, the Thomas Palmer Band was led by Pascofa in the 17th century. Pascofa was called the “Scourge of Florida” by the Florida Territory newspapers, owing to the fearless reputation of his warriors. In Indian Territory, the Thomas Palmer Band joined the Eufaula Band, but continued to be led separately by Pascofa.
Tommy Chupco and Danita Holata are the only two candidates who filed for election to the Thomas Palmer Band. Chupco is an incumbent representative and will retain his seat.
Tusekia Harjo Band
The Tusekia Harjo Band is the largest band in the Seminole Nation. The band fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and was removed to what is now Seminole County afterward.
Monique Carpitcher is the only candidate to file for the Tusekia Harjo Band, so she will win a seat on the council. The other seat will be appointed from within the band.
Rewahle Band
One of the smallest bands today, the Rewahle Band migrated to Indian Territory in 1836. Led by Band Chief Kowa Rakko, the Rewahle traveled by steamboat up the Gulf of Mexico to Little Rock, Arkansas, before traveling by wagons to Indian Territory.
Incumbent representative Tiffany Thunder is the only candidate to file for the Rewalke Band. Thus, she will retain her seat on the council. The other seat will be appointed from within the band.
