By Eli Potts
I am both humbled and honored to announce my candidacy for Osage Nation Congress.
I was introduced to Osage government through my mother, National Councilwoman Cheryl R. Potts, as a young boy in the mid 1990’s. Since that time, I have prepared for a life of public service.
As an Osage Nation Higher Education Scholarship recipient, I have earned an Associate of Arts degree from Tulsa Community College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 2013, and a Master of Public Administration degree in 2015, both from the University of Oklahoma. During that time, I was chosen to work directly under University President, David L. Boren, where I taught democracy labs and encouraged civic engagement among students.
I have been employed by state and tribal governments since graduation in 2009 and have been active in local politics since high school. During college, I served in the Office of Congressman Dan Boren in the United States House of Representatives and sought election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2010 as one of the youngest candidates in state history. In 2014, I started a successful political consulting firm which focuses on getting grassroots candidates elected to state offices. Since 2015, I have been employed as the Budget Analyst with the Osage Nation Congress.
During my time as Congressional Budget Analyst, I have gained the experience necessary to serve as your next Congressman. Through firsthand experience, I believe the following issues deserve our attention.
- In three years, the Nation has utilized three different budgetary processes to fund the operations of the government. The Nation is on the heels of two unnecessary Supreme Court decisions regarding our budget process. Congress needs to show some leadership and work with the executive branch to provide a budgetary process in Osage law that both parties can agree too. Our national budget deserves consistency and continuity.
- We need strong Congressional leaders to protect the Higher Education Scholarship and the Health Benefit.The preservation of our language is paramount and I support our immersion program.Millions have been lost by our LLC’s. We must do better. It’s time to invest in small proven businesses and their expansion endeavors. It’s time to finally diversify our business enterprises.
- I was able to earn a Master’s Degree because the Osage Nation invested in my future. I will fight to secure that investment for all Osages.
- As an expectant father, I know how beneficial the Health benefit will be to my family and yours. I will fight to fully fund the Health Benefit for current and future generations.
- To our Osage elders: I will fully support the Plan D-Prescription Drug coverage and the Medigap supplement for Osage elders.
These are just some of the ideas I have to move our Nation forward.
We have a lot of work to do.
I hope you’ll visit my webpage and learn more about how we can work together to move the Osage Nation forward.
Thank you,
facebook.com/Potts4Congress
www.EliPotts.com
918.949.0354 (C)
By
Osage News
Original Publish Date: 2018-03-09 00:00:00
