BRADLEY, MI – New members of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (Gun Lake Tribe) Tribal Council were sworn into office Sept. 3 following elections for three Council seats in August.
Eric Sprague, Amy Austin and Hunter Levandoski were elected to the seven-member Council, joining Ed Pigeon, Ben Brenner, Brian Trevan and Jodie Palmer. Sprague previously served with Gun Lake Tribe Public Safety and as Chief Operating Officer for the Tribal Government. Austin previously served as a Gaming Commissioner and Executive Assistant to Tribal Council, while Levandoski served as a Gun Lake Tribal Public Safety K9 officer.
Following the swearing-in, the Council elected Palmer as Tribal Chairwoman, Sprague as Vice Chairman and Pigeon as Treasurer. Brenner will continue as Secretary.
“I am honored to have been elected as the new Tribal Chairperson of the Gun Lake Tribe,” said Chairwoman Palmer. “I am also pleased to welcome our three newly elected Council Members. Their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives will be valuable assets as we work together to advance the tribe’s priorities and build a better future for our Citizens. On behalf of the Council and our citizens, I would also like to thank retiring Chairman Bob Peters for his dedicated leadership over the past eight years, as well as Virginia Sprague-Vanderband and Nicole Overbeck for their years of service on Tribal Council.”
Peters retired after 12 years on Council, including the past eight as Chairman. Also retiring were Virginia Sprague-Vanderband, who served four years, and Nicole Overbeck, who served eight years.
The Tribal Council serves as the elected governing body of the federally recognized Gun Lake Tribe and is composed of seven tribal citizens. Council members serve staggered four-year terms based on the voting district represented.
