Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
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Tulsa, OK - Former candidates, who ran in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma's (CNO) May 22 election, will be backing the Smith/Shade ticket for Chief and Deputy Chief. Pat Ragsdale, Meredith Frailey, and Paula Holder are backing Chad Smith and his running mate Hastings Shade. John Ketcher, former Deputy Chief, spoke out in support of Smith at a news conference at the Indian Health Resource Center in Tulsa, and Smith said that former Chief Wilma Mankiller has indicated she will back him. The run-off election will be held on July 24, 1999.

Chad Smith said that former candidates have formed a coalition for developing a plan to restore the financial and political stability of the tribe. The coalition's plan will serve as a centerpiece for the campaign, according to Smith.

"We believe this is the beginning of a period where the Cherokee Nation comes back to the grandeur it had at one time," said Smith. "Our plan is not a four year plan, not an eight year plan. It's a 50 to a 100 year plan," Smith said.

In a prepared statement Ragsdale and Holder said of Chad Smith and Hastings Shade, "They will give us leadership which Cherokees can be proud of again, and they will restore the confidence and respect of all people for the integrity of the Cherokee Nation. This must be the goal of a responsible Cherokee government and leadership."

All former candidates supporting him will be included in the coalition plan, which should be completed in about a week and Smith is inviting other former candidates to join him. Smith said the 68 percent to Byrd's 32 percent of the votes is proof that Cherokee voters want a change after more than two years of political turmoil.

Smith said, supporters do face an "ironclad rule" of "no deals", referring to any promises of jobs. "That kind of support is hollow, empty, frail and will not survive," he said. "We want to go back to the times when we could take care of ourselves," adding, "that's a long time coming."