Crow Tribe elects new chairman

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – Members of the Crow Tribe have elected a new chairman.

The tribe's Office of the Secretary said Darrin Old Coyote received 2,320 votes in Saturday's election, compared to 1,829 for former Chairman Cedric Black Eagle.

The Billings Gazette reports Old Coyote served two terms as the tribe's vice secretary, has taught language and culture in Lodge Grass and was the tribe's cultural director from 2000-04.

Old Coyote will begin his four-year term as chairman on Dec. 3.

During Black Eagle's time as chairman, he helped oversee the final stages of the enactment of the Crow Water Rights Act of 2010 and helped the tribe reach a tentative agreement with Cloud Peak Energy to lease and mine about 1.4 billion tons of coal on the reservation.

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Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com