The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB) held its oath of office ceremony for three newly elected tribal council members on Wednesday afternoon at Leelanau Sands Casino Showroom in Peshawbestown.
Tribal Council candidates with the most votes from the tribe’s general election held in June were sworn in and included Ryan Memberto, Francis Carew, and David Wonegeshik during the event.
Incumbent Brian Napont, who was slated to be sworn in after receiving the most votes in the general election, withdrew from his seat after taking another job with the tribe’s natural resources department.
The three tribal members whose terms expired this year included Tina Frankenberger, Brian Napont, and Jane Rohl. The tribal council itself is composed of a chairperson, six council members, and serves a GTB membership base of more than 4,000.
Carew currently serves as the GTB tribal librarian and has been for the last 7.5 years, but will transition into the councilor position full-time. Memberto has previously worked for GTB’s youth services, as an academic interventionist at Suttons Bay Public School, and was recently hired as the varsity assistant football coach. Wonegeshik worked at the tribe’s Medicine Lodge as a benefits coordinator for a little over a year, and before that, spent about 20 years working for the table games department at Turtle Creek Casino and Hotel.
GTB Tribal Chairwoman Sandra Witherspoon honored all who have served the tribe with dedication during her welcome address and also welcomed the newly elected council members into their leadership roles.
“Public service is a responsibility that requires commitment, integrity, and willingness to work together for the good of our community. As elected officials, each council member carries the trust of our tribal citizens in the responsibility to uphold the constitution, protect our sovereignty, and make decisions that will benefit future generations,” Witherspoon said at the event.
Outgoing tribal council members were also honored during the ceremony. Napont congratulated and shared a message of support with the incoming council members and thanked tribal members present for their support over the years he’s been in office.
“I hope that you carry on some of the good work that we’ve done. There’s a lot of work that we can do to better serve our tribal people,” Napont said. “I appreciate all the people in the crowd and all the supporters and even those who didn’t support me. You challenged me to be better and over almost two decades of being in tribal politics, I look forward to resuming a place of public service with the tribe.”
After Witherspoon and Napont addressed the audience, GTB member JoAnne Cook administered the oath of office to Carew, Memberto, and Wonegeshik. The swearing-in ceremony comes after the June 23 general election that was postponed twice over the last several months.
