Tribal Council new terms to begin October 1, 2015

DURANT, Okla. – The Choctaw Nation Tribal Council met in regular session Sept. 13 at Tvshka Homma. Officers for the new fiscal year were elected during the meeting. District 4 Councilman Delton Cox of Pocola was chosen for the eighth consecutive year to represent the council as speaker.

Cox was elected to the Tribal Council in July 2001 and took office the following September. He has spent 32 years in various fields of education. He has been teacher, coach, counselor, education specialist, instruction specialist and administrator in tribal and BIA school systems and Oklahoma public schools, from elementary through junior college levels. He served as the Choctaw Nation’s tribal treasurer for 3 ½ years before being elected Councilman of District 4 in northern LeFlore County.

Thomas Williston of Idabel, District 1, will retain the position of secretary and Joe Coley of Red Oak, District 6, Latimer County, will also remain the Council’s chaplain.

Williston has served as the Councilman for southern McCurtain County since November 2010. Before being elected as a member of the Council, Thomas worked 25 years in law enforcement. He has also worked as a carpenter for the last 25 years.

Coley has served as Councilman of District 6 since 2004. Coley has worked with churches throughout Oklahoma and has been appointed Council Chaplain for several years. He spent decades with the Choctaw Nation Community Health Representatives before becoming the Choctaw Councilman in Latimer County.

The new terms begin Oct. 1. Following the election, Speaker Cox appointed recording secretary Patty Hawkins of Talihina, sergeant-at-arms Sylvester Moore of Talihina, and parliamentarian Bob Rabon of Hugo to their positions for another year.

 The Council’s two steering committees were chosen and the officers for the Enterprise Board were selected. The board president is a position held by the Council speaker. Vice president for 2014-15 is Anthony Dillard, District 10, Atoka County, and secretary is Kenny Bryant, District 3, southern LeFlore County.

Several Youth Advisory Board members attended the session, learning more about the tribe’s legislative process. The students belonged to YAB chapters from Latimer County, Stigler, Hugo and Boswell. YAB is comprised of youth leaders who become involved in their communities by volunteering for service projects and promoting programs to prevent underage drinking, tobacco use, and domestic violence. Each year they attend at least one Tribal Council meeting, City Council meeting, and School Board meeting.

The 12-member Council approved several bills during new business, including:

• An application for the Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership Grant.

• Membership to the National Congress of American Indians.

• Funds and budgets for the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program; Project SAFE; Support for Expectant and Parenting Teens, Women, Fathers, and their Families (SEPT) Program; Women, Infant, and Children’s Program (WIC); WIC Farmer’s Market, and the Health Services Program.

• A sand and gravel lease, a recreational lease, and disposal of surplus equipment.

The Choctaw Nation Tribal Council meets at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of every month in the Council Chambers at Tvshka Homma.