Fond du Lac Reservation Primary Election today

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A full slate of candidates will vie for two seats on the Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee in a primary election set for next Tuesday, March 30.

According to Lyman Lafave of the tribal election office, polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on that day at the Fond du Lac Tribal Center, the Brookston Community Center and the Sawyer Community Center. Enrollees may also vote by absentee ballot by calling the General Election Ordinance Office at 218-879-4593, ext. 2662. Absentee ballots must be received by the election judge by, or no later than, primary election day.

The open seats are for the positions of secretary/treasurer and District II-Sawyer representative. Both terms are four years in length.

Incumbent Ferdinand Martineau is running for a second term as secretary/treasurer. Martineau has served in the position for the past four-year term and stated in his candidate profile that he has been involved in completion and loan payoff of the Black Bear Casino Resort expansion, construction of supportive housing and resource management buildings, maintenance of the reservation’s per capita payments, and creating openness in tribal government, among others.

Also running for the position of secretary/treasurer is Gerald Steven Mrozik, who held the position of security supervisor at Black Bear Casino for 11 years and has served as drug and alcohol compliance officer on the reservation for the past six.

Candidate Patty Petite has worked for the reservation for 26 years as a social worker and Head Start director, as well as at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

Eugene Reynolds, also vying for the position of secretary/treasurer, served as District I representative from 2004-2008 and is currently working as human resource manager at Black Bear Casino Resort.

Five candidates are on the Fond du Lac primary election ballot for the office of District II-Sawyer representative, including incumbent Sandra Shabiash, who has held the position for the past four years. During her term, Shabiash lists among her accomplishments the construction of seven new houses in Sawyer, restructuring of the Sawyer Center, upgrades to the elder complex, and the hiring of 39 new reservation employees during her term.

Other candidates for that office include Geraldine Defoe, who has worked in an educational capacity with the Ojibwe language program on the reservation and as a community health representative.

Blake Blacketter Evanson has worked for the reservation for 20-plus years in the security and law enforcement fields, as a police officer and most recently as a conservation officer.

Candidate Russ Northrup worked with Fond du Lac Construction for 10 years as a heavy equipment laborer, painter and a journeyman taper and has also worked as a natural resource technician and BIA firefighter as well as operating his own sugar bush operation for 25 years.

Also throwing her hat in the ring for District II-Sawyer representative is Connie Saaristo, who has worked in health and human services, education and health insurance for the past 25 years.

The Fond du Lac General Election will be held Tuesday, June 8.

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