Cherokee Nation council accepts recommended political contribution list

The Cherokee Nation council voted to accept a recommended list of political contributions during a short meeting session on the matter. Chairwoman called for a voice vote after a presentation by Delegate Teehee; the chair declared the motion passed.

Delegate Teehee presented the list the council was asked to accept, describing it as a bipartisan set of contributions aimed at candidates "who serve on important committees, candidates who are in leadership, candidates who . . . are friendly to our issues." Teehee said the list covered runoff elections going into the general election and referenced budget figures, but the dollar amounts in the transcript were unclear and not specified precisely.

During the presentation Teehee characterized the list as reflecting collaboration with leadership at both federal and state levels and said it favors candidates who generally vote for the council's priorities. "This list . . . is a reflection of the collaboration that we do also with leadership on both the federal and state side of things," Teehee said.

Speaker Tidwell commended Teehee and staff for keeping the distribution "as close to even as possible," saying that made it "easy to vote on, easy to understand" and emphasized the goal of serving the best interests of the Cherokee Nation.

After brief discussion the chair called for a voice vote. Members answered "Aye" and no opposition was recorded on the transcript; the chair declared that the motion passed. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, a second and a voice vote to adjourn.

The transcript does not record a roll-call or numerical tally for the vote, and the precise dollar totals mentioned during the presentation are unclear in the record.