Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
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TAHLEQUAH - The weather in Cherokee country was again unsettling, but the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) Tribal election results brought few surprises. Tulsa's KOTV6 News at 10, reported that approximately 67 percent of the votes cast for Principal Chief was spread out among the long list of candidates running against the incumbent.

No candidate came close to reaching the 50 percent plus one vote, needed to avoid a run off election. The Carter Center sent 10 people to observe the CNO elections.

Incumbent Chief Joe Byrd and his new running mate, Bill John Baker will be facing Chad Smith and Hastings Shade in the run off elections to be held July 24. The current Deputy Chief, Joe "Garland" Eagle, chose to run against Byrd for the position of Principal Chief of the CNO. The Byrd administration has been the center of controversy for over two years.

Chad Smith is a Cherokee legal historian and practicing attorney. Smith taught Cherokee Legal History and American Indian Law at Dartmouth College in 1996. Hastings Shade is a bilingual Cherokee with many years of Cherokee community public service and has lectured on Cherokee history and lore. In 1991 Shade was designated a "Living Treasure" by Principal Chief Wilma P. Mankiller and the CNO for his knowledge and skill in Cherokee language and culture.

The Smith/Hastings ticket is being endorsed by Cherokee actor and citizen, Wes Studi, and internationally renowned Cherokee singer, Rita Coolidge.