Prior Lake, MN – With more than 90% of voters participating in the general election, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community voting members voted for the three positions on the SMSC Business Council on January 17, 2012. Voting took place at the SMSC Community Center in Prior Lake, Minnesota, for the four-year positions of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary/Treasurer.


Here are the results:

Chairman

Stanley R. Crooks


Vice-Chairman

Charlie Vig


Sec/Treasurer

Keith B. Anderson


All three Business Council officers will be sworn in at an inaugural ceremony to be held at noon on January 31, 2012.


Under the Tribe’s Constitution, the governing body of the Tribe is the Tribal membership, also called the General Council. The Business Council is delegated authority to promote the health, education, and welfare of Community members and their families and it is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the Tribal Government.


A primary was previously held December 13, 2011, to narrow the field to two candidates per position.


The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is the largest employer in Scott County, employing 4,100 employees at the Gaming Enterprise, Mazopiya, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, the Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, Playworks, Playworks LINK Event Center, the Dakota Mall, Dakotah Meadows Mini Storage, Dakotah Meadows RV Park, and for the Tribal Government.


About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The SMSC, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its Tribal members in education, health, and welfare. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need.

Over the past 16 years, the SMSC has donated more than $229.3 million to Indian Tribes, charitable organizations, schools, and Native American organizations. The SMSC has also made more than $396 million in loans to other tribes for economic development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.5 million for shared local road construction projects and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $12.7 million to local governments for services and another $5 million for other projects.