Juneau Wins Big in Tlingit & Haida Election

0:00It's March 30th. Welcome to Anchorage News Today, powered by AI. Tribal citizens from the Thailand Get and Hyde Indian Tribes of Alaska just wrapped up an online election, picking new delegates and community council. Members to rep their communities in the Central Council. The voting ended on March 19th and Juno scored the biggest win with nine fresh faces and 11 returnees filling 20 delegates spots for. Two year terms, nearly 50 folks ran for those 20 seats. Earlier this year, Juno grabbed the most delegates of any spot, but that shifted after last year's assembly tweak. They capped urban hubs like Seattle, Anchorage, and San Francisco at just four delegates each to boost rural voices. Seattle dropped from 25 to four, even though it has the highest number of enrolled citizens and Anchorage went from 15 to four. Some cheered the change for giving smaller communities more say, while others worried it shortchanges big urban groups of Lingyi and Hyde people. Still, the council now totals 76 delegates from 22 communities, handling key issues and resolutions for the tribe.

1:07These delegates speak for their people and can push resolutions at the annual assembly, while community councils handle local programs and cultural. Events without voting power, unless they're delegates too. They'll all swear in this spring and gather in Juno late September for the 91st annual tribal assembly to shape the tribe's path forward.