Steele, White Plume are tribe's top two candidates

By Ryan Woodard, Journal Staff Writer | Thursday, October 05, 2006

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PINE RIDGE - Preliminary results for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation primary election indicate that incumbent Oglala Sioux Tribal President Alex White Plume and John Steele will be the tribe's two presidential candidates in November.

Cecelia Fire Thunder, the tribe's first female president who was impeached in June, was just behind Steele. However, about 500 votes - a third of those cast - are being challenged, White Plume said. He said challenged votes are votes that must be reviewed by the election board to see if they are valid.

Preliminary returns from Tuesday's election show White Plume was the leading vote-getter in the primary with 523, with Steele behind him at 462 and Fire Thunder two votes from Steele with 460. The results were reported by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Election Board.

"It's an unofficial list now. (We'll have to) wait until all the challenge votes are counted," he said.

White Plume said official results should be available today or Friday.

Although he realizes the results are not final, White Plume said he expected to be in the top two but that it was a "pleasant surprise to be the top vote-getter."

He said he was pleased with how the election has gone so far.

"This election was real clean," he said. "No one was hitting each other below the belt."

The general election is Nov. 7.

The top two vote getters for vice president, district representatives, and chief judge will run in the Nov. 7 election. The offices are two-year terms.

In other unofficial results, William Brewer (896 votes) and Wayne Weston (614) were the top vote getters in the vice presidential primary.

In the chief judge race, Joe American Horse (1,181) and Steve Hawk (933) were the top two.

Unofficial district representative winners were the following, as sorted by district:

- Oglala - Valarie Kills Small-Janis (96) and Jason "Jake" Little (80).

- Pine Ridge - Ella "Jon" Carlow (150) and Don Garnier (145).

- Kyle - Austin Watkins Sr. (110) and Cora Whiting (90).

- LaCreek - Craig Dillon (150) and Kimmy Claussen (130).

- Allen - Lydia Bear Killer (63) and Donna Solomon (60).

- Wounded Knee - Garfield Steele (153) and Kathy Janis (91).

- Wakpamni - Sonia Little Hawk-Weston (136) and Tom Conroy (105).

- Eagle Nest - Jim Meeks (131) and Ruth Brown (61).

- Porcupine - Wesly "Chuck" Jacobs (106) and Phillip Good Crow (93).

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com