Tribal Chairman Wins Election with Plurality

By JOSHUA SABATINI

The three-way race for chairman of the Wampanoag tribal council
concluded Sunday afternoon with the tribe re-electing incumbent Beverly
Wright.

Mrs. Wright will serve a fourth consecutive three-year term. After
her victory, Mrs. Wright spoke with the Gazette about her plans for the
future.

Mrs. Wright said she wants to create a better communication with the
surrounding Island towns and residents of Martha's Vineyard.

"I want to stress," said Mrs. Wright, "that we are
a sovereign nation. I want to inform the Island about the things we are
doing, but it is not to ask for permission."

Noman's Land is a concern for the tribe, she said. The
Department of the Navy is responsible for cleaning it up and the
tribe's relationship with this entity can be improved.

"I want to work with the department to initiate an in-depth
cleanup of the island," said Mrs. Wright. "They only cleaned
up the surface, but we do not know what is leaking into the aquifer or
what is being blown by the wind."

Mrs. Wright wants to explore the possibility of using a portion of
Noman's Land as a grave site for the tribe, since they have
limited land on the Vineyard.

To protect the Wampanoags more effectively from any entity that may
come across remains of the tribe, such as during construction, Mrs.
Wright wants to establish a Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Such an
office exists, but does not have the type of depth Mrs. Wright believes
the tribe needs.

Her agenda does not end there. Mrs. Wright said she is working to
bolster law enforcement on tribal lands. "We want some form of
public service or ranger program so we can establish our own bylaws and
enforce them. We need it because we are a nation," said Mrs.
Wright.

A structural addition to the tribe could be the Aquinnah Cultural
Center, a place designed to serve as a living museum where tribal
members can learn their culture and trades such as pottery and bead
making, and where tourists can come in and learn about the tribe's
history. "We have hired an architect, we have the drawings. The
next issue is to find some land and funding," said Mrs. Wright.

For her future plans, there's gaming - an issue that has
floated around for many years. "The casino option is something we
are still pursuing," said Mrs. Wright. "I think the time is
even better now to pursue a casino than it was when we first
started."

Mrs. Wright said because the country is in a recession, states are
looking for ways to boost the economy. Mrs. Wright cited a recent study,
sponsored by the tribe, according to which $900 million is leaving
Massachusetts and being spent on the casinos in Connecticut each year.
In addition, Mrs. Wright noted that New York State recently approved six
more casinos to off-set the debt accrued since the Sept. 11 tragedy.

Opponents to Mrs. Wright pointed out this week that the majority of
the tribe's voters sought a change in leadership. Mrs. Wright
received 112 votes, while her two opponents, Donald Widdiss and Laurie
Perry, picked up 73 and 71 votes for a combined 144.

Mr. Widdiss said the outcome of the race was disappointing.
"The votes reflected the will of the people," said Mr.
Widdiss. "The majority of the people did not vote for Beverly. The
split was a failure of strategy."

Mrs. Wright said the election was proof she was doing a good job,
but she agreed the tribe was "fractionalized."

"There are always stability issues. I need to go there and try
to bridge that gap," said Mrs. Wright.

Mr. Widdiss pointed out that three of the four tribal members
running on Mrs. Wright's slate were losers in Sunday's vote.

The election included contested races for two tribal council
positions and the secretary position. Incumbents for the tribal council,
Robert McDiarmid and Roque (Billy) Monteiro, lost to Jason Baird and
Naomi Carney. Eleanor Hebert remains the secretary after defeating
challenger Abigail Jardin.

Mr. Widdiss said that the tribe has "really had no progress in
the last 10 years" with Mrs. Wright in the top position. "I
don't know what they [the voters] are thinking," said Mr.
Widdiss.

One of Mr. Widdiss's concerns for the future of the tribe is
its relationship with the community. Mr. Widdiss said that prior to
1991, there was a prevalent spirit of cooperation between the tribe and
its neighbors. He has watched the relationship disintegrate over the
years. "The tribe should be a major resource on the Island,"
said Mr. Widdiss. "It should be a friend with the community and
not an adversary. I hope what comes out of this election is that Mrs.
Wright realizes this and makes some attempt to mitigate some of the
negative influences she has had."

Mr. Widdiss said he hopes the vote tallies indicate to Mrs. Wright
the need for her to address the number of issues her opponents ran on.
"If the new administration is able to steer the tribe in having a
more cooperative public relationship, then I think it would be a
successful election," said Mr. Widdiss. "If it continues its
rancorous activity as in the past, then it will only get worse."

Ms. Perry, without rehashing the issues she campaigned on, reflected
on the tribe as a whole. "I ask the tribal members for renewal and
unity," said Ms. Perry. "Come together, stop fighting
against each other. The tribe is at stake. There are enough outside
forces against us without having them inside."

Ms. Perry remains as tribal administrator and she said she will
continue to do the work she said she would do if elected chairman.