Pokagons Elect Tribal Chair

mattweesaw5
mattweesaw5

Matt Wesaw has been elected as the Tribal Council Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Wesaw was picked for the post in the tribe’s general election on Saturday, July 14. This is Wesaw’s third election as tribal chairman with the previous elections being in 2008 and 2012. In October 2013, Wesaw announced his retirement from the council to become the executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. At that time, current Chairman John P. Warren was chosen in a special election to serve out the remainder of the term and was re-elected in 2015. With Wesaw now once again serving as tribal chairman, he’ll also serve as CEO of the Pokagon Gaming Authority Board, which oversees the band’s casino properties in New Buffalo, Hartford, Dowagiac, and South Bend. Also elected July 14 were Kelly Curran as secretary, Colin Wesaw as elders representative, and Gary Morseau, Sr. as member at large. The Pokagon band includes around 5,600 citizens.