Darrell Seki, the treasurer of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe has been elected tribal president, beating Floyd “Buck” Jourdain, who's been president for the past 10 years.
The final results:
- Darrell G. Seki - 1907
- Floyd “Buck” Jourdain - 1284
- Kathryn “Jody” Beaulieu - 192
- Ron Lussier - 57
Jourdain first became president in 2004, finishing the term of Gerald “Butch” Brun, who had died, according to the Bemidji Pioneer. Jourdain was then elected to two four-year terms.
Jourdain told the paper he has pushed hard for improved education. He had been in office only a short time when the tribe was rocked by a school shooting; a 16-year-old went on a rampage, leaving 10 dead.
“The school shooting in 2005 was something no one can ever anticipate. It made me a strong leader,” Jourdain told the paper. “I was there for whatever reason, I was supposed to be there at that time.”