© 2025

For assistance accessing the Online Public File for KAXE or KBXE, please contact: Steve Neu, IT Engineer, at 800-662-5799.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mille Lacs Band elects new chief executive and more tribal election results

Virgil Wind is the chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe after the Tuesday, April 2, 2024, primary tribal elections.
Contributed
/
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Virgil Wind will be the new chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe after the Tuesday, April 2, 2024, primary tribal elections. Wind takes office in July.

Incumbents who ran again for chairperson on other reservations in Tuesday’s races will be moving on. All were the top vote-getters but failed to garner more than 50%.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has elected a new chief executive, according to official results from the Tuesday, April 2, tribal primary elections.

Virgil Wind earned 67% of the vote in the race, with Samuel Moose coming in second place among three candidates.

Wind is the current District 1 representative on the Band Assembly. Because he earned more than 50% of the vote in the primary election, Wind is the winning candidate and will not need to move on to a general election.

Current Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin announced earlier this year she would not seek reelection for a seventh term.

Valerie Sam-Harrington and Carolyn Beaulieu were the top two vote-getters to replace Wind in District 1.

Thousands of members of Minnesota Chippewa Tribes cast ballots, including in Leech Lake, White Earth, Bois Forte, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage.

Incumbents who ran again for chairperson in Tuesday’s races will be moving on. All were the top vote-getters but failed to garner more than 50%.

This includes White Earth Chairman Michael Fairbanks, who will face Eugene “Umsy” Tibbetts; Leech Lake Chairman Faron Jackson Sr., facing Gerald White; Fond du Lac Chair Kevin Dupuis Sr., against Bruce Savage; and Bois Forte Chair Catherine Shavers, facing a challenge from Hannah Lehti-Chosa.

Next up is the June 11 general election.

More from KAXE
Bemidji State Beavers celebrate 30 years of splashing victories
The Bemidji State victory over Northern State University on Oct. 4, 2025, marked 30 years of a unique tradition for the "University in the Pines."
Rock Ridge, Thief River Falls qualify for 2025 state tennis tourney
Student-athletes from Wadena-Deer Creek, Pequot Lakes, Staples-Motley, Crosby-Ironton, Rock Ridge, Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks will compete in singles and doubles.
Bemidji chamber hosts roundtable discussion on federal disaster loans
The Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce hosted an official from the Small Business Administration to discuss financing the long recovery from the June 21, 2025, storms.
Rural Nashwauk woman sentenced after pleading guilty to voter fraud
Danielle Javorina, formerly Miller, was sentenced to three years probation on Oct. 15, 2025. She was charged with absentee voter fraud after voting on her dead mother's behalf.
Fed shutdown impacts SNAP, MFIP programs; Leech Lake Band takes 3M to court over PFAS
Plus: the DNR is asking for the return of $2.7 million it mistakenly sent to local governments on the Iron Range.
Grand Rapids, Esko girls soccer teams are statebound
The Thunderhawks advanced despite being the third-seeded team in their section, while Esko held the top seed in theirs. The state tournament begins Oct. 21, 2025.
The DNR overpaid $2.7M to the Iron Range. Now it needs that money back.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources miscalculated mining revenue distributions, disbursing money that should have gone to a statewide education fund.
Leech Lake Band takes on 3M in lawsuit over PFAS contamination
PFAS contamination led Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School to use bottled water since 2022, and particles in surface water and tissue of deer and fish are claims against 3M and DuPont.
Iron Range institutions mourn death of longtime colleague Roy Smith
Minnesota North College and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board say Roy Smith died Oct. 14, 2025, after a short battle with cancer. He was the director of talent development for both since 2005.
No food assistance for Minnesotans in November if shutdown persists
The USDA, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has given notice to states that funding will run out to pay November's benefits if the federal shutdown continues.

Election results

Bois Forte Band of Chippewa

Chairperson

  • Catherine Chavers (incumbent) — 157 votes, 41%.
  • Hannah Lehti-Chosa — 125, 32%.
  • Brian L. Whiteman Sr. — 74, 19%.
  • Carlos Hernandez — 31, 8%.

District 1 Representative

  • Perry L. Drift — 78 votes, 32%.
  • Edward Villebrun — 55, 22%.
  • William G. Isham — 47, 19%.
  • Robbie Goggleye — 41, 17%.
  • David H. Villebrun Jr. — 24, 10%.

Source: Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Facebook post.

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Chairperson

  • Kevin R. DuPuis Sr. (incumbent) — 302 votes, 41.43%.
  • Bruce M. Savage — 281, 38.55%.
  • James Roy Blacketter Jr. — 74, 10.15%.
  • Victoria A. Smith — 51, 7%.
  • John A. McMillen — 21, 2.88%.

District 1 Committeeperson

  • Wally Dupuis (incumbent) — 215 votes, 47.88%.
  • Michelle Debolt — 84 votes, 18.71%.
  • Kami Diver — 66, 14.7%.
  • Valerie A. Whitebird — 53, 11.8%.
  • Juanita "Nucka" Anderson — 22, 4.9%.
  • David Petite Jr. — 9, 2%.

District 3 Committeeperson

  • Roger M. Smith Sr. (incumbent) — 50 votes, 32.47%.
  • Earl Otis — 45 votes, 29.22%.
  • Bryan "Bear" Bosto — 41, 26.62%.
  • Dawn M. LaPrairie — 15, 9.74%.
  • Debra Johnson-Fuller — 3, 1.95%.

Source: Fond du Lac Band Facebook post.

Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Results unavailable.

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

Chairman

  • Faron Jackson Sr. (incumbent) — 580 votes, 36.87%.
  • Gerald White — 297, 18.88%.
  • Terri Finn-Goggleye — 240, 15.26%.
  • Michael Reyes — 156, 9.92%.
  • Walter "Frank" Reese — 139, 8.84%.
  • Dawn Litzau-Staples — 68, 4.32%.
  • Branden Bowstring — 64 votes, 4.07%.
  • Tami Jackson — 12, 0.76%.
  • Calvin Howard — 9, 0.57%.
  • Raymond "Skip" Lyons — 8, 0.51%.

District 3 Representative

  • Leon Staples Jr. — 270 votes, 25%.
  • Glen "Tuffy" Fisher — 203, 18.8%.
  • Donald "Mick" Finn — 152, 14.07%.
  • Jennie Reyes — 102, 9.44%.
  • Kari Fisherman — 100, 9.26%.
  • Delmar Jones III — 80, 7.41%.
  • Kyle Fairbanks Sr. — 78, 7.22%.
  • Hershel Ogema — 28, 2.59%.
  • Thomas Brown — 19, 1.76%.
  • Julian Molash — 16, 1.48%.
  • Diane Osceola — 14, 1.3%.
  • Peter "Big Pete" Jackson — 11, 1.3%.
  • John Johnson — 7, 0.65%.

Source: Leech Lake News.

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Chief Executive

  • Virgil Otis Wind — 667 votes, 67.44%.
  • Samuel Archie Moose — 303, 30.64%.
  • Wallace Ervin St. John Sr. — 19, 1.92%.

District 1 Representative

  • Valerie Charissa Sam-Harrington — 179 votes, 28.32%.
  • Carolyn Marie Beaulieu — 176, 27.85%.
  • Curtis Leroy Kalk — 94, 14.87%.
  • Megan Ann Ballinger — 68, 10.76%.
  • Melissa Marie Boyd — 68, 10.76%.
  • Billie Jo Boyd — 47, 7.44%.

Source: Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Facebook post.

White Earth Nation

  • Michael A. Fairbanks (incumbent) — 658 votes, 46.21%.
  • Eugene "Umsy" Tibbetts — 605, 42.49%.
  • Donovan G. Burnette — 140, 9.83%.
  • Karen Marie Manypenny — 21, 1.47%.

Source: White Earth Nation Facebook post.

Creative Commons License
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.