Menominee Tribal General Election Reminder

The General election for Menominee Tribal Legislature and Menominee Tribal Chief of Police will be held on January 15 and 16, 2025. Voting will take place at the Precinct in Neopit on Wednesday, January 15th and at the Menominee Casino Resort (Bear Room) in Keshena on Thursday, January 16th. Voting hours will be from 9:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. each day. Tallying of the votes will immediately follow after the polls close.

Legislature

The Legislative candidates who’s names will be placed on the election ballot are:

On-Reservation

• Rebecca M. Brunette (Incumbent)
• Dana M. Waubanascum (Incumbent)
• Myrna R. Warrington
• Samantha J. Grignon

Off-Reservation

• Michael S. Fish, Jr. (Incumbent)
• John J. O’Kimosh.

The three candidates who receive the highest number of votes in the general election will be sworn into office on February 9, 2025. Each will serve a term of three years, filling the expired terms of Rebecca M. Brunette, Dana M. Waubanascum, and Michael S. Fish.

Chief of Police

The Chief of Police election has only fielded a couple candidates, however they did not meet the certification requirements. There are no printed names on the ballot for the Chief of Police election. Write-In candidacy is now the only option. The newly elected Chief of Police will be sworn into office on February 9, 2025 and serve a term of four years, filling the expired term of Keith Tourtillott.

Write-In Notice

Write-In candidacy is open and will end at 4pm on Friday, January 10, 2025.

Menominee tribal members seeking to become a Write-In Candidate for the Menominee Tribal Legislature or Menominee Tribal Chief of Police must provide the Menominee Tribal Election Commission with a signed written notice of his or her intention to run as a Write-In Candidate by 4pm on Friday, January 10, 2025

To be eligible as a Write-In Candidate for MENOMINEE TRIBAL LEGISLATURE you must:

• be an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe
• be 25 years of age or older
• have no convictions of a major crime

To be eligible as a Write-In Candidate for MENOMINEE TRIBAL CHIEF of POLICE you must:

• be an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe
• be 30 years of age or older
• reside on the Menominee Indian Reservation
• adhere to the eligibility and qualification requirements per Chapter 132 Law Enforcement, Article III Police Chief

Eligible Voters

Enrolled Menominee tribal members, who reach the age of 18 on election day, are eligible to vote and are encouraged to do so.

For more information on the election, please contact the Menominee Tribal Election Office at (715) 799-3446.

Menominee Tribal Legislative Candidate Profiles

All candidates were given the opportunity to submit a profile for the Menominee Nation News to introduce themselves, share their story, vision, and priorities as a candidate for election.

Three (3) of the six (6) legislative candidates took advantage of this free opportunity. Click on the photos to read more about the candidates.

New MTE Board members sworn in and officers elected

On the afternoon of December 26, 2024, the Menominee Tribal Enterprise Board of Directors (MTE BOD) convened for their Director’s Swearing-in and Re-Organization meeting.

Read more in the January 13, 2025 print edition of Menominee Nation News.

Annual General Council January 18

Members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin are reminded that the Annual General Council will take place in the Five Clans Ballroom area of the Menominee Casino Resort on Saturday, January 18, 2025 beginning at 9 a.m.

Sobriety Powwow looks to future generations as it drums in 2025

Many people brought in the new year at the Annual Sobriety Powwow which took place December 31, 2024.

Social Update!

The 2023 Strategic Plan is all about finding new ways to help improve certain resources for our community. A Social workgroup has successfully launched a pilot program that will help Administration, Detention and Advocacy Support implement eCivis software for records management.

This software will streamline the process of finding, applying for, managing and tracking grant funding throughout its lifecycle.

We are very excited about the workflow efficiency and reliability this will bring to our team. Thank you to everyone who has helped coordinate the transition of this software and to all those training to excel at being a new user.

Candidates named for Menominee County Board of Supervisors

Candidates for the Spring elections have been announced.

On the local level, Menominee County voters will elect supervisors for various districts, with positions up for election in several wards and at-large.

Candidates for Menominee County Supervisors include:

•At-Large: Eva Johnson, Linda Kaquatosh, and Dawn Wilber (challenging the positions vacated by Elizabeth Moses and Keith Tourtillott-retiring).

•Ward 1: Gregg Malmstrom (seeking re-election) vs. Sandra Wescott-Gauthier (challenger).

•Ward 2: No candidates on the ballot-current rep Gene Caldwell retiring.

•Ward 3: Ben Warrington (seeking re-election, running unopposed).

•Ward 4: Angel (Summers) Reiter (unopposed after Eva Johnson runs for at-large).

•Ward 5: Denise Gilane (seeking re-election) vs. Douglas G. Cox and Jamie Loudbear-Wayka (challengers).

*Candidates for various state positions have not been officially named as of this writing.

The 2025 general election will take place on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. If there are three or more candidates for any office, a primary election will be held on February 18, 2025. Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election days.

For more information on Menominee County supervisor races, contact the Menominee County Clerk, Misty Wayka, at 715-799-3311 or visit her office at W3269 Courthouse Lane in Keshena.

Read more in the January 13, 2025 print edition of Menominee Nation News.

Menominee Indian School Board Candidates announced

On February 18 there will be primary elections for the Keshena At-Large position on the Menominee Indian District (MISD) School Board.

The MISD Keshena-At Large election is taking place on Tuesday, February 18 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the regular polling stations of the Neopit Fire Station and the Menominee County Courthouse in Keshena.

Voters will vote for no more than one of the following four candidates and the top two candidates who receive the most votes will move on to general elections on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 where they will subsequently vie against each other to hold a three-year position in the MISD.

Keshena At-Large office: Miriam “Wepackespiw” Waupoose, Gary Pyawasay, McKaylin Peters and Carrie Waukau-Grignon.

Election for Neopit and Keshena Area reps will be voted on in the general election. Vying for those positions

Keshena Area: Regina Washinawatok and Leah Pamonicutt

Neopit Area: Terry Waupekenay.

A New Voice in the Fight for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Since the movement to bring more awareness to the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman/People gained momentum within the last decade, many Indigenous women have emerged as leaders within the movement.

Among them are a handful of Menominee women who have taken action on the MMIW/P cause and want to see justice for the victims and their families.

An emerging voice in this cause is a young Menominee woman, McKaylin Peters.

Peters, 23, has been named as one of six young Indigenous women from around the country to be named a 2024 Remembering Our Sisters Fellow.

Read more in the January 13, 2025 print edition of Menominee Nation News.

Menominee Tribal and County Leaders research solutions for homelessness

Tribal leaders in Menominee County are exploring solutions to homelessness, including using the vacant Menominee Indian Middle School as a temporary shelter, while allocating $400,000 for short-term assistance and continuing to search for long-term options.

Read more in the January 13, 2025 print edition of Menominee Nation News.

The Menominee Indian Middle School boys basketball team distinguished themselves as the dominant team in their division being undefeated during the season and winning the conference championship.

Elders celebrate the holidays at annual Christmas Party

On Friday, December 20, 2024 the Menominee Aging & Long Term Care department hosted their annual Elder Christmas party at the Menominee Casino Resort in Keshena.

The elders enjoyed a dinner of beef tips, fish, vegetable blend, with dinner buns while listening to Christmas music. They also had a chance to win prizes and a 50/50 raffle.

Nixle - Emergency Notifications

Employees, Residents and Business Owners

Menominee County and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin utilize the Nixle service to provide emergency notifications and community advisories.

All alerts are targeted geographically, allowing individuals to receive localized, relevant alerts from Menominee Public Safety agencies (Police, Fire, EMS, and Public Health).

Messages may include any information that is considered essential for the safety of the community, such as law enforcement activity as well as other relevant safety and community information. Weather warnings from the National Weather Service will also be rebroadcast.

PRIVACY: Your contact information remains private and will only be used for critical communications.

JOIN THE NIXLE DATABASE: If you reside or own property, business owner or an employee within the County/Reservation you are urged to sign up for Nixle emergency messages. We also ask you to let neighbors, friends, and family know and encourage them to register.

Click on the link below to register now or update information:

Nixle Registration

OR

Text the relevant ZIP CODE to 888777 from your mobile phone

(Zip code for employees will be the location of your employer address)

Keshena – 54135, Neopit - 54150

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation text. Residents may also customize their alert settings by going to www.nixle.com and creating a User Profile. You can also access the Frequently Asked Questions at FAQs

THIS SYSTEM WILL ONLY BE USED FOR EMERGENCY AND LIFE SAFETY PURPOSES. Examples of times when the Nixle system could be utilized: Drinking water contamination, extended utility outages, evacuation notice and route, missing person, fires, floods, bomb threat, hostage situation, chemical spill or gas leak, and other incidents where rapid and accurate notification is essential for life safety.

To insure that the call reach residents and utility users, accurate and up-to-date information is essential. IMPORTANT USE YOUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS. DO NOT USE POST OFFICE OR ADDRESS OUTSIDE OF THE MENOMINEE COUNTY/RESERVATION.

To add or change a phone number, including cell phones, or opt for the text message and/or alerts, please revisit the Nixle registration page and enter your information. If you have any difficulty in submitting your information, or at any time wish to be removed from the Nixle database, please call the Menominee County Sheriff's Department at 715-799-3357.