Five candidates are vying for two Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council seats, as elders proceed with efforts to recall sitting council members and the chairman.
Marjorie Borst, Lorelei Cloud, Renee J. Cloud, Kevin R. Frost and incumbent Alex S. Cloud are in the running for the two open seats. The election will be held Nov. 6.
Tribal council terms are unlimited, and elections for the seven-member council are staggered over three years. The 2015 election is for seats occupied by Alex Cloud and Ramona Eagle.
This summer, the Southern Ute elders initiated recall efforts targeting Alex Cloud along with fellow council members Melvin J. Baker, Tyson Thompson, Amy J. Barry, James M. Olguin and Chairman Clement J. Frost. Because she is serving the remainder of former Councilman Howard D. Richards’ term, Eagle has been exempt from the recall.
For the recall, 275 eligible voters must sign a separate petition for each individual council member under fire.
Petition numbers were to be presented this month, but tribal elder Lynda D’Wolf told The Durango Herald on Friday that the signatures likely won’t surface until after the election.
If Alex Cloud is re-elected but later recalled, he would be able to serve six months of his term before having to step aside, D’Wolf said.
If other council members are recalled, they also would serve six months before stepping down.
For the November election, elders support Kevin Frost – nephew to the council chairman – and Renee Cloud.
“Kevin is educated; he’s a lawyer,” D’Wolf said. “We need people who can read contracts. Renee has a master’s degree. They both can read. Some on the council can’t even read, and they agree to everything.”
Kevin Frost has vied for a Tribal Council seat in the past. He did not return phone calls seeking comment but pushed his platform at last month’s meeting, telling elders professionalism was lacking on the council.
Registered Southern Ute voters can cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Sun Ute Community Center. Tribal members must register to vote no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 28.