Sandra Witherspoon will be the next chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (GTB), according to unofficial results posted on the GTB website late Tuesday evening.

Tuesday marked the 2024 general elections for GTB, where tribal members had the opportunity to vote for candidates in two races: chairman and tribal council. Witherspoon, a former tribal councilor and vice chair who has in recent years served as Charlevoix Township clerk, was up against Brian Napont, a current sitting tribal councilor, for the tribe’s top leadership position. Unofficial vote tallies show her triumphing by a margin of 235 votes to Napont’s 176, equating to 57.2 percent of the vote.

Barring election challenges, disqualifications of candidates for regulatory compliance issues, or a need for any kind of runoff election, GTB election results are expected to be finalized and certified on May 15, with swearing-in ceremonies to follow next Friday, May 17 at 2pm.

So long as Witherspoon’s victory holds, she will become only the second woman ever to hold the GTB’s tribal chair position, and the first in more than three decades. The only other woman to occupy that seat, Ardith “Dodie” Harris Chambers, led the tribe to federal recognition in 1980 and served as its first-ever chairman. Since then, eight other people have played the part of tribal chair, all of them men.

Witherspoon succeeds David Arroyo, who was elected as GTB’s tribal chairman in 2020 and only served a single term. Arroyo, who had been a member of GTB’s seven-seat tribal council for more than 15 years before clinching the chairman seat, opted not to seek reelection this year.

Tuesday’s tribal elections also saw six candidates competing for three up-for-grabs seats on the tribal council. The top three vote-getters in that race include two newcomers to the council – Angelina Raphael, who led the way with 251 votes; and Anna Miller, who trailed with 202 – as well as sitting tribal council treasurer Donna Swallows, who was reelected with 190 votes. Finishing in a close fourth place was Scott Lewis, with 182 votes.

Napont, who was elected to tribal council in 2022, still has two years left on his term and will retain his seat despite his unsuccessful bid for chairman.