Recount ordered in tight race involving tribal member running to lead non-tribal town
Stephanie Minisinookwe Thompson requested a recount of the votes for chairperson of the town of Lac du Flambeau. Unofficially, Thompson is down by just seven votes, 583 to 590, against incumbent Matthew Gaulke.
The use of four roads — Elsie Lake Lane, Center Sugarbush Land, Ross Allen Lake Lane and Annie Sunn Lane — by non-tribal members on the reservation has divided the community. It also appears to have brought a record number of voters to the polls, doubling the town's turnout for last year's presidential election.
'I'm beyond proud of my community for showing up to vote in record numbers,' Thompson said. 'Regardless of the outcome, this election demonstrates our community's growing engagement and commitment to local politics.'
Even if election results are confirmed, a tribal member won election to the town's board of supervisors. Raymond Wildcat is an LDF tribal member and Thompson's work partner as paramedic. He won with the most votes of any candidate with 693.
Thompson said another person, Bob Hanson, who won with the second most votes for town board supervisor at 614, is non-tribal, but an ally to the tribe and well-respected by tribal members.
Two others who won seats, Stephanie Greeneway and Dennis Pearson, are non-tribal homeowners within the reservation whose properties have been impacted by the roads dispute.
The conflict started in January 2023 when tribal officials barricaded the four roads. Tribal President John Johnson Sr. stated that the roads were built illegally decades ago and leases for non-tribal citizens to use them had expired long ago. He said tribal requests to renegotiate the leases were ignored.
Tribal officials removed the barricades later that year after an agreement was reached with the town to pay a fee to keep them open while a more permanent solution was negotiated.
The tribe threatened to barricade the roads again this year when those payments from the town stopped. However, a federal judge ordered the roads to remain open during pending litigation.
The issue has made national news and prompted top elected officials in the state to call for some kind of resolution.
Gaulke did not return requests for comment.
More: As Lac du Flambeau road dispute drags on, latest threat is to ticket non-tribal drivers
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Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The non-tribal town board of Lac du Flambeau remains divided
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