Hill victorious in MCN chief runoff election
Hill victorious in MCN chief runoff election
By Ken Childers
ONL Editor
In a runoff election held Dec. 14, David Hill defeated Bim Steve Bruner for the office of principal chief of the Muscogee Creek Nation (MCN). The results were certified Friday, Dec. 20.
Hill, who resides in Bristow, claimed 3,399 (65.6 percent) of the votes cast. Bruner received 1,779 votes, which accounted for 34.3 percent of the ballots cast in his favor.
Bruner congratulated Hill via the following post on social media: “While we came up short this time, I know that your courage and strength will continue the fight for a fairer and more just nation. The issues we raised in this campaign ― transparency in government, equal representation for all Creeks, and better health care for all ― have heightened expectations of our tribal government for Creek citizens across the country. And congratulations to our next chief, David Hill. I pray that your kind heart will lead our tribe into a better and brighter future for all.”
Three MCN elections have been held in recent months, with each one resulting in Hill placing first and Bruner second in the race for principal chief. A primary election was held on Sept. 21, but the MCN Supreme Court voided those results and ordered a do-over for Nov. 2, which resulted in the recent runoff.
Hill will replace James Floyd as chief, who announced last summer he would not seek reelection. Hill is set to be inaugurated on Saturday, Jan. 4.
In the November election, Del Beaver defeated Adam Jones III to succeed Louis Hicks as second chief. Hicks was ineligible to run for the office due to term limits.
In addition to a new chief and second chief, the MCN National Council will have five new members effective in January. In the Creek District, Joseph Hicks defeated Dean Hughes 2,520 – 2,369 for the seat previously held by Hill. Mary Crawford was the victor in the Muskogee District, defeating Lora Harjo-King by 51 votes. The current representative, Pete Beaver, did not seek another term.
In the Okmulgee District, William Lowe defeated Carmin Tecumseh-Williams 2,504 – 2,418 to succeed Del Beaver, the newly-elected second chief. Tukvpvtce District representative Rufus Scott lost his seat to Holdenville resident Anna Marshall by over 800 votes.
Charles McHenry defeated Deirdra Soap 2,590 – 2,301 for the Wagoner District seat. In the Okfuskee and McIntosh Districts, representatives Randall Hicks and Darrell Proctor were re-elected in the November primary. Tulsa District representative Robert Hufft ran unopposed after two challengers withdrew from the race in October.
MCN is one of the Five Civilized Tribes and is the fourth largest tribe in the U.S. with 86,100 citizens. Its government side is comprised of an executive branch, a legislative body and a tribal court system.
