Former Sealaska board Chairman Albert Kookesh won the most votes in the regional Native corporation’s 2015 election. (Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)
Sealaska shareholders have returned five incumbents to the regional Native corporation’s 13-member board of directors.
Results released at Saturday’s annual meeting in Juneau show former board Chairman and state Senator Albert Kookesh winning the most votes.
Close behind were Juneau’s Barbara Cadiente-Nelson, Haines’ Bill Thomas, Juneau’s Joe Nelson and Washington state’s Tate London.
The board slate defeated five independent candidates. They were Yakutat’s Ralph Wolfe, Juneau’s Karen Taug and Brad Fluetsch, California’s Catherine Edwards and New Mexico’s Ray Austin.
A big issue this year was Sealaska’s financial situation. Its operations and investments have lost money for the last five years.
The regional Native corporation for Southeast Alaska has about 22,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders. Each gets a vote for each share they own, the average being 100.
No resolutions were on this year’s ballot.
Election results (shares voted):
Incumbents:
- Albert Kookesh – 721,567
Barbara Cadiente -Nelson – 721,052
Bill Thomas – 720,977
Joe Nelson – 719,891
Tate London – 719, 846
Independents:
- Ralph Wolfe – 436,503
Karen Ann Taug – 425,872
Bradley J. Fluetsch – 415,207
Catherine N. Edwards – 236,836
Raymond E. Austin – 201,542
