New Shinnecock Tribal Trustees Elected

Members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation headed to the polls on the reservation in Southampton Tuesday for the annual Tribal Trustees election.

There were eight candidates in total to serve on the three-member board.

The top vote-getter, with 166 votes, was Daniel Collins Sr., who will serve as chairman. Also earning trustee seats were D. Taobi Silva, with 124 votes, and Brad Smith, with 117.

The other candidates were Bryan Polit, 109; Lance Gumbs, 89; Gordell Wright, 70; Paula Bess Collins, 42; and Michelle Johnson, 27.

Randy King, who was the chairman, declined to seek reelection.

King, Wright and Gumbs were the victors in the tribe's 2012 election, but about four months later Wright and Gumbs were ousted — in a move they contend had no basis in law — over allegations that they conducted business in violation of the tribe's contract with a casino developer.