New Comanche officials to be sworn into office today

The Comanche Nation is swearing-in new tribal leadership and election officials today following the May 11 general election.

Forrest Tahdooahnippah was elected chairman, Diana Gail Doyebo-Sovo, vice chair, and Deborah Hendrix, Eleanor McDaniel, Deloris Woosypitti, J.W. Marshall and Sandra Toyekoyah will be sworn into office at 3 p.m. in Watchetaker Hall at the Comanche Nation Tribal Complex, 9 miles north of Lawton. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the tribe’s Facebook page and its website: Comanchenation.com.

Tahdooahnippah received 763 (61 percent) of the chairman vote to Michael Burgess;, 494 (39 percent).

Doyebi-Sovo received 738 votes (59 percent) to Baliente Herrera’s 509 votes (41 percent) to win the vice chair post.

The tribal administrator post and tribal attorney jobs will be up for a June 8 run-off election due to no candidates receiving 50 percent of the vote.

Justin Boos and Lisa Dawsey will be on the ballot for the tribal administrator position.

Boos received 480 votes (38 percent), Dawsey received 461 votes (37 percent), Rodney Parker followed with 200 votes (16 percent) and Loriann Stropes had 115 votes (9 percent).

Incumbent tribal attorneys Crowe & Dunlevy and Ceiba Legal, P.C. (Timothy Harjo) will be on that ballot.

Crowe & Dunlevy received 596 votes (48 percent), Ceiba Legal, 348 votes(28 percent) and Rosette, LLP Attorneys at Law received 297 votes (24 percent).

Three questions were on the May ballot and two passed.

A motion to place the Comanche Charter School on the annual budget for $100,000 passed with 675 votes (54 percent), to 568 against (46 percent).

A motion to removed a duties of officers section to the tribe’s constitution fell with 622 votes against (51 percent), to 592 votes (49).

A third motion for an adoption amendment also passed with 771 votes (63 percent), to 452 against, (37 percent).

All line-items on the $56,939,490 Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget from gaming, including the proposed $18,850,000 per capita distribution of gaming revenue and $2.35 million elder payment.

Upcoming election calendar dates:

•May 24, last day to request absentee ballots for the runoff election.

•June 7, early in-person voting for the runoff election.

•June 8, runoff election; absentee ballots due at the Lawton Post Office by noon.

•June 11, election certification by 5 p.m.