06-05-2025
Trump administration taps Potawatomi chairman to serve as DOT's tribal affairs office
Forest County Potawatomi Chairman James Crawford has been selected by the Trump administration to serve as the U.S. Department of Transportation's assistant secretary of tribal affairs.
Crawford has served as chairman of the tribe for 15 years and will have to resign to serve in the new position. Tribal Vice Chairman Ken George, Jr., will serve as interim chairman until a special election May 10.
'(Crawford) has been instrumental in helping us overcome countless obstacles and achieve numerous milestones,' George said in a statement. 'His steady leadership, constant presence and unwavering commitment to the Potawatomi will most certainly be missed.'
Crawford succeeds Arlando Teller, a Navajo Nation citizen, who served as the U.S. DOT's first assistant secretary of tribal affairs after his 2023 appointment.
Last year, the Potawatomi Tribe became the first tribe in the state and fourth in the country to win autonomy in deciding its transportation needs.
Through the Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program with the U.S. DOT, the tribe gained control over its infrastructure needs, instead of relying on federal planners to make construction decisions. Many of the tribe's transportation projects programs are still federally funded, but the new program means the tribe is able to implement its own 2025 infrastructure plan, like ATV routes with a tunnel under U.S. Highway 8 in Forest County.
'It moves us away from a 'one size fits all' approach that's often been imposed upon us,' Crawford said at the time the self-governance program was signed.
More: Potawatomi Tribe becomes first in Wisconsin to win self-governance in transportation needs
Potawatomi Tribe was a major donor to Republican Party in 2024
The Potawatomi Tribe has about 12,000 acres of reservation land primarily in Forest County in northeast Wisconsin. The tribe is one of the largest employers in Milwaukee County, mostly through its hotel and casino, and business development corporation in Brookfield.
In 2024, the Potawatomi Tribe was one of the largest donors to Wisconsin's Republican Party, contributing more than $1 million, largely due to sponsoring the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The tribe typically donates up to around $200,000 to both the Republican and the Democratic parties every year. A tribal spokesman said it would have contributed similarly to the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee had it not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic because of the potential economic impact to the city from these conventions.
Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox
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@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Potawatomi chairman resigns to serve on U.S. DOT
