BY BRITTNEY BENNETT
EDITOR
TAHLEQUAH - The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians Election Board has declared Adalene Smith the winner of the Nov. 5 Delaware District midterm election.
Smith received 54 votes for 63.53 percent of the vote, followed by Jerry Hansen with 31 votes and 36.47 percent of the vote.
The results were expected to be officially certified on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
“I’m ecstatic. I believe in God taking care of me and because of him, I give him all the glory. I feel honored that (voters) trust me and that they’re entrusting me another two years to continue what I’ve been doing,” said Smith. “I’ve done it for five terms now and I’m going to work stronger and harder this next term. I love my people so much and I want to serve and be their representative until God calls me home.”
Smith said she reached out to voters through a variety of methods.
“I did personal phone calls and my children’s friends helped and (my grandson) Caleb helped me fix a flyer and we went around and we put them on windshields at Walmart, at grocery stores, at clinics,” she said. “I reached out to them asking them to let me continue to work. The things that I have accomplished, the programs that we have made these past two years and to pursue all the phases of the forensic audit, I just asked them to put me back in to pursue that.”
In addition to pushing further phases of the tribe’s current forensic audit, Smith said she is also focused on election reform and basic needs for members.
“I’ve got to find a way, I may have to go to some kind of class or conferences, but we need to figure out how to update registration and make it accurate and the way its supposed to be. I think our election ordinance needs to be revamped,” she said. “That’s going to be one of my priorities, but it will always be housing, education and health. Not in any particular order for those three, but they’re all important.”
Smith leaned heavily on faith and family throughout her campaign.
“I praise the Lord and give him all the glory because there’s been a lot of prayer warriors out there. Not just for my district, but for every district we’ve been praying that we would receive a change,” she said. “My children and grandchildren were also there for me and a huge help.”
Smith will be once more sworn into office during the regular monthly tribal council meeting to be held the first Saturday of January 2019.
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