Tulalip Tribes re-elect 3 board members; 17 candidates ran

TULALIP — The Tulalip Tribes’ membership re-elected three of its board members to new terms Saturday.

Board members Bonnie Juneau, Marie Zackuse and Theresa Sheldon each won their seats. There were 17 candidates.

Elections for the board of directors are held every year, but terms are staggered so that the composition of the board can only change two or three seats at a time.

Three seats of the seven-person board were up for election this year.

Candidates do not compete for specific seats. Rather, the open seats are won by the candidates who receive the most votes overall.

Juneau received the most votes. She and Zackuse will serve three-year terms, while Sheldon, who received the third-highest number, will serve a two-year term.

Juneau was appointed to the board last year after board member Marlin Fryberg stepped down shortly after his re-election. In 2015, Juneau had the next-highest number of votes after Fryberg.

Juneau has worked as vice president of the state Law Enforcement Information Records Association and on the Tulalips’ CEDAR (Community Engaged and Dedicated to Addiction Recovery) task force.

Zackuse has served on the board of directors since 1990. She has been actively involved in the state’s Early Learning Advisory Council and has worked with the Washington State School Director’s Association to narrow the achievement gap and include tribal history, culture and government in curricula.

Sheldon was first elected to the board in 2013. She has worked as the tribes’ legislative and policy analyst, and now is the co-chair of Native Vote Washington and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Native Vote Committee.

Mel Sheldon Jr. was re-elected chairman, Zackuse was elected vice-chairman, Juneau was elected secretary, and Les Parks was re-elected treasurer. The tribe’s membership elects the officers after the board of directors vote.

Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.