Cedric Cromwell was elected to a third four-year term as chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in an election that included council and officer elections. Cromwell won another term with a vote of 358 to 298 for his challenger Aaron Tobey.
Vice Chairman Jessie “Little Doe” Baird defeated challenger Carlton Hendricks Jr. by four votes. A major issue with candidates was how to manage the tribe’s economy and the $1 billion resort casino in Taunton that is currently dead in the water due to an adverse decision by a federal judge.
Cromwell commented on his reelection, “I am honored to have been re-elected to finish what this administration has worked so hard to achieve. Our government has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several years, offering employment and a wide-range of services for our people.” He added, “We look to secure our land-into-trust and move forward with the completion of a $1 billion-dollar casino that will serve as an economic development platform for my people for generations to come.”
The tribe’s retiring treasurer Robert Hendricks will be replaced by Gordon Harris, who defeated Angela Scwom.
Cromwell said he has requested that President Trump reaffirm the Obama administration’s decision to put the 151 acres in Taunton into trust, which it did a year ago. A federal judge questioned the BIA’s methodology for putting the land into trust last summer, which put the brakes on building the casino.
Some are skeptical that Trump, known for calling Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” for her claims to be an Indian, and for approving the Dakota Access Pipeline against the wishes of the Stand Rock Tribe, will be sympathetic to a tribal request. He is also known for calling casino competitors in New York state “so-called Indians.”
Cromwell said, “Here lies an opportunity,” to create 7,000 jobs, $30 million in infrastructure and $75 million in tax revenue. “That is making America great again,” he said. “I hope there can be meaningful discussion around who we are as a people and more respect shown.”
