Movement NEWS

Rhonda resigned, but the other three are still on the Election Board for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. They are too proud to admit their mistakes and to apologize. There is no room for pride when mistakes are made with elections.

The Video below is from the meeting during Pow Wow weekend at the Niobrara Office building. Two Candidates came forward with complaints of the Election Board's negligence asking for the negligent Election Board members to be removed byTribal Council. Those members are still on the Election Board currently. Alex Taylor who has had many years on Tribal Council, did not show understanding of the certification process in this video clip. Falon McAlpin proved resourceful in addres

Council Woman Susie Baker had an incident with her tires while attending meetings in Ralston in 2022. They tried to punish her for speaking of her tire situation. What was claimed is not clear in this clip. It is odd, as the convicted murderer they mention in this meeting is who becomes a witness against Susie Baker in 2024 when Susie Baker is suspended without pay for 6 months. Was this witness coming forward because of this earlier meeting?

Author: Jennefer Killion The ballots are out in the mail as of 9/21/2026. The Election Board has notified the registered voters that there is not return postage included for the return envelope this year. Please either have your return envelopes metered at the post office, or place 2 stamps to make sure your vote makes it to the election board. Please make sure your vote is counted. It is important to participate in this election year. More than names are on the ballot. All t

The claim is that Susie Baker told Christy Conrad that she "was too white." This offended Christy Conrad enough to file a formal grievance against Susie Baker leading to Susie Baker's 6 month unpaid suspension. However, Christy Conrad has memes posted like the one below on the bottom left: How is this not hypocritical? None of these racist remarks are acceptable. It is likely that dirty politics were likely the reason for the grievance in reality.

Tribal Council is supposed to work as a collective whole. Should the Chairwoman be having secret dinner meetings with the new head of our Casino? Isn't it more beneficial to have a dinner with all of Tribal Council? When the Chairwoman was asked what she gained from that dinner meeting, she had nothing to report really. The Tribe paid for this meal, and there was no gain in knowledge about the Casino from our new Casino Manager? Or are the contents of their conversation a sec

Author: Jennefer Killion A government loses trust when too much power sits in too few hands. Nine people alone should not make all the decisions in this tribe. That is true anywhere, including within tribal government. Tribal Council has important work to do. It handles budgets, services, programs, jobs, contracts, and decisions that affect families every day. Tribal Council votes on resolutions that grant them more power. This Tribal Council has voted on raises and adding be

The video below shows one of the current Tribal Council reps of District 2, also now up for re-election, holding on to things from 2016. The attack on Susie Baker's personal beliefs is unnecessary and petty. People are entitled to what they believe. It was mentioned likely to further assassinate the character of Susie Baker. If Susie Baker says racist things, why would they have not set her up for ethics classes or couseling? Why was that not part of her punishment? They susp

The backstory is that recalls for Candace Schmidt, Falon McAlpin, and Becci Sullivan were circulating in a member-led coalition. The Tribal Council suddenly moved to push changes in the recall process, while the process was underway. The constitution called for the Tribal Secretary to view and verify the recall petitions as part of the recall process. The change added the election board as part of the verification process causing the anonymity to be more exposed. People wante

In past elections, some people received ballots for two different districts. Ponca voters should receive only one ballot. There have been issues in the past elections with expired postage stamps, color coding missing, and more than one ballot sent due to errors of the election committee putting the wrong candidate names on the ballots for distrticts. They sent out new ballots when this happened, but some people have returned the wrong ballots leading to a spoiled ballot in th

Author: Clinton Prichard Ponca Tribe of Nebraska - Proposed Title I Revisions The proposal strengthens the Tribe's protection against outside lawsuits and unauthorized contracts. However, it may also make it harder for Tribal members to hold officials accountable unless the Code establishes a clear, independent enforcement process. What is being proposed? The proposal is a substantial rewrite of Title I of the Law and Order Code. It addresses sovereign immunity, boards and co

Author: Clinton Prichard A framework for transparency, sound management, fiscal accountability, and responsible stewardship Purpose These questions are intended to help Tribal members understand how projects and services originate; how scopes, designs, solicitations, and contracts are developed; and how amendments and construction change orders are reviewed, approved, funded, and documented. They apply broadly to capital projects, professional services, programs, grants, purc

■dád■wagi■e. We speak often of Standing Bear. We tell his story with pride. We repeat his words. We honor his courage. We point to his struggle as proof of the strength and perseverance of the Ponca people. His name has become inseparable from our identity and from the story we tell the world about who we are. But there is a question I believe we must be willing to ask ourselves: If Standing Bear stood among us today, would he recognize what we have become as the Nation he fo

The Tribe's Newsletter should be used to talk about culture, history, and to honor other Ponca members with outstanding achievements. The Chirwoman chooses what goes in the Newsletter, and she should not have her own corner. Her information is online on the Ponca website if anyone wants to talk with her to hear more about her accomplishments.

The Tribal Newsletter should not be used by any Tribal Council rep to campaign for elections or to try to fight the Ponca people who are attempting to recall them. Recalls should be fought on their own dime, just like the recalls were sent out from individual Ponca member's resources and funds. This creates an unfair advantage, is unethical, and this is a conflict of intserest.

Candace Taylor Bossard Schmidt is running again for chair. If elected, this would be her second four year term as chair. She sat on council for 8 years before in District 4, and should know the rules, law and order codes, and the Constitution by now. Her conduct during this term has included abuse of power and not abiding by the Constitution. When she was six months into the term, a recall circulated to remove her. The recall process was targeted and rushed through a change t

Every election carries a simple truth: decisions are made by the people who participate in the vote. In the 2026 Ponca Tribe of Nebraska election, every eligible vote matters because tribal leadership affects the future of the Nation. The second phase of the Prairie Flower Casino has been open and generating revenue for the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska people. This is class three gaming which has higher earning potential. It is important to nominate people that will be good stewar