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First group of Congressional candidates discuss headrights, elders, Osage communities

The first group consisted of Jacque Jones, Joe Tillman, Brooklin Sweezy, Maria Whitehorn and Jodie Revard.

To watch all rebuttals and closing statements, watch the full video of the debates here: https://www.youtube.com/live/4djsIN9DZiE?si=rnbv43DVZ-zpZxCt

The Osage News Editorial Board hosted its Congressional Candidate Debates at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska with a crowd of family members, friends and potential voters for the candidates filling the ballroom.

Moderating the debate was Allison Herrera, Senior Reporter for American Public Media, and timekeeper for the debate was Brittany Harlow, Verified News Network Director and lead journalist for VNN Oklahoma.

More than 150 attendees watched as the first group took the stage on April 6. Wahzhazhe Communications live streamed the debate and the video can be viewed on the Osage Nation’s YouTube page.  

The first group consisted of Jacque Jones, Joe Tillman, Brooklin Sweezy, Maria Whitehorn and Jodie Revard. Rules for the debate allowed a two-minute opening statement, two-minutes to answer questions, one-minute rebuttal, and a one-minute closing statement. The candidates were given five questions from voters, with the Osage News Editorial Board supplementing questions.

Opening Statements

Jones gave her opening statement first.

“The reason why I’m here is because I’m asking you to vote for a unique perspective. I’m a business owner, I’m a mother, I’m part of the Zonzoli Committee as a lady singer. I’ve been dedicated to our Osage culture or Osage ways, since I can remember,” she said. “What I bring is decades of tribal government, experience, effective leadership and business experience. I continue to dedicate my career to the Native American communities, and creating sustainable resources that improve the livelihoods of all Native Americans specifically in the business development.”

Tillman, who was set to go second, said he would let the “girls” go first out of respect.

Sweezy thanked Tillman and gave her opening statement.

“I’m new to the Osage Nation Congress, and I am amplifying my expertise in my higher education. I received all my education and do this for the Osage Nation. They have funded all the scholarships for me. I received my associates and bachelors in American Indian Studies. I just finished my Masters … the emphasis was Indian law,” Sweezy said. “One thing that I would like to promote for our tribe is kind of past the economic development and focus more on what we have and improving on what we have. I have a lot of experience in legal writing and legal research. I valued that and I strongly believe that our education is important to educate all our Osage students that are promoting and wanting to pursue their higher education.”

Whitehorn gave her opening statement.

“I’ve served on Osage Nation Congress, but I get excited about our government because I have the strong belief that we have this Osage government to serve you the people and the people that you elect to sit in these seats, I think they all need to have in mind that ultimately the decisions we make are in service to you,” Whitehorn said. “I have served as a Congress member before from 2012 to 2018. And in that eight years of service, I was speaker of Congress for two years. I was an appropriation chair for three years, and I’ve served on various other committees, I was the chair of the Water Rights Task Force. So, I guess by telling you all that, I’m letting you know, there’s no learning curve for me to catch up to serve you again, in this capacity as a Congressperson.”

Revard gave her opening statement.

“I’m Jodie Revard and I’m seeking to be reelected to serve another term. And I was thinking, I was telling Guy Ray this morning, I’m so nervous. And it’s a little bit scary, like, but I know why. It’s because I care. And I’m afraid I’m going to say something that isn’t maybe correct or something you don’t want to hear. Because if I could just please everybody I would, but I can’t. And I’m one person. But in that I want to talk about in 2020 when I was first elected, we didn’t get this opportunity. Myself, Second Speaker Shaw, and Congressman Keene. We filed and then COVID hit,” Revard said. “And you talk about being flexible and adjusting your schedules, your life, your everything at that time. And then I was blessed to be elected, and then it was go straight into work. And at that time, I had Congresswoman Pratt, Speaker Pratt, who walked alongside me, a second speaker to help me because I didn’t know what I was doing, it was brand new. And if it weren’t for the collaboration and working together with the people on Congress, we wouldn’t have got through that first session.”

Tillman gave his opening statement.

“I’m from Fairfax, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in communications. And I’m seeking a third term. And I go back and listen to Congresswoman Revard talking about her first days on the job. And when I first got elected … I was the only new Congress member elected and they gave me a couple of books and a codebook and said there it is, figure it out, and Kugee Supernaw looked at me and said ‘don’t trust anybody,’” Tillman said. “The issues are many. This is a very important, vital election. And I ask you please, to veteran candidates to give up their day to be able to speak and talk about, you know, the qualities and what they bring to the table to help us along. Many, many issues that are outstanding today in the Osage Nation. But in my first and foremost is our main engine of revenue, which is the casino, it only does so much. And we have sustainability issues in front of us. New buildings, utilities, salaries, upkeep, maintenance, all of the above. So we really have to be careful going forward.”

Fellow Congressional candidates Liberty Metcalf and Angela Pratt watch as group one takes the stage at the Osage News Editorial Board Congressional Candidate Debates on April 6, 2024, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska. ECHO REED/Osage News

First Question

What’s your position on the Minerals Council’s draft legislation to return headrights? Do you feel they should be returned to the Nation, or to the original family?

Jones answered first.

“It’s a touchy subject,” she said. “So many of you recently know that I lost my brother who was a headright holder. My mother left him her whole headright. My daughter is now a new headright owner. So, the minerals estate is very important to me. My opinion on whether they are doing the right or wrong thing? I believe that’s in the beholder of the shareholders. While it is important, I would say that, let’s do what’s best for the majority of the shareholders and where they believe that money should go. I don’t believe I should dictate that myself being a non-shareholder. That’s my stance. Thank you.”

Tillman answered second.

“Great question. I was contacted about two years ago from an attorney in Tulsa, who called me and said, Congressman, I’ve got two entities down here that want to return their headrights back to the Nation, how do we do that?” he said. “We don’t have a vehicle that does that, or allows that at this time. There’s got to be legislation that’s drafted and created to be able to let that happen. It could be a process where you look at the families first, if you can’t recognize the families because it’s so fractionated, but give the families a chance to reclaim those headrights, if not, then the Nation, for sure. But that is definitely an issue for the shareholders. Thank you.”

Sweezy answered third.

“I’m not a headright holder, but I would definitely say that it there should be a plan of action that should be arranged and a decision should be made whether the family wants the money, the family should have the first option,” Sweezy said. “I think it should go to them first. And then if not, and there’s no way then give it back to the tribe. But I would definitely say a plan of action would need to happen, protocol needs to happen. That would be my answer. Thank you.”

Whitehorn answered fourth.

“Well, I like this question because I think that it is one of the pertinent issues that’s happening with our tribe and with our minerals estate, which is a huge asset. And personally, I believe that right now the legislation, the draft legislation that’s out there, I’m not clear on the final copy of it. So that’s number one. We need to get a clear, we need to be open with each other, and have a clear final copy on what that legislation is,” Whitehorn said. “And number two, I firmly believe that it goes to the families that headright has been dislodged from. I’ve heard different arguments about that, that it would be messy, it’d be hard, but, you know, you have to prove lineal descent to be a member of the Osage tribe. To me, that’s not hard. The fractionation of the headright is hard. But I think that’s where the Nation comes in. With writing good law. That’s what your legislative branch should do.

“In article 15 we have general authority over all natural resources in the Nation, we have general authority, our Minerals Council has specific authority down within the body of that article. So, I believe that we should write good law as a legislative branch to help dictate what the federal law says how we’re going to bring that into fruition here at the Nation.

“And then I think a part of that legislation that was out in the article that was published in the ‘Osage News’ is that it would go to the Nation, the Nation or the Minerals Council, well, the Minerals Council constitutionally is part of the Nation, but I believe we also need to write good legislation, draft legislation to state that those shares coming back, if they come back to the Nation, they go to the Minerals Council to be added to their budget to help them improve the asset of the minerals estate.

Revard answered last.

“This most certainly falls under the authority of our Minerals Council. Where Congress would come into play, to me is either the resolution to support their efforts, or as Maria mentioned, if there’s legislation that needs to be written with regards to the procedure, but also, you know, this issue came back when I served on the 31st Tribal Council,” she said. “We had an entity that reached out to us wanting to return some headrights, but it was actually through the courts. There was an auction, they had an auction on headrights. And at that time, we were trying to figure out how much money do we put toward that bid, because there wasn’t a clear path on how you determine the value of the headright. And so that was very brand new, we lost, we didn’t put enough money aside, we lost the bid.

“But I’m glad that this is being brought up and this has been an issue for a long time now. My own family has I think, as most of us probably here, have been affected by losing headrights from our families. And so, I’m glad that this is being discussed. But I do, would love to work with the Minerals Council on addressing this issue. And if they feel they need the legislative branch to move forward with them, then most certainly, and that’s the only way we can progress and move forward. Especially on such a new important issue with our headright. I think it is important, I would return them to the family, that would be the first area that I would go to, and then secondly, to the Nation for the purpose of our mineral estate.”

Candidate Billy Keene whispers to his twin brother Joe Keene, both attorneys, at the Osage News Editorial Board Congressional Candidate Debates on April 6, 2024, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska. ECHO REED/Osage News

Second Question

Do you feel there is an inequity in appropriated money for Osage communities on the reservation? If so, how would you address that inequity as a member of Congress? – Osage News

Tillman answered first.

“Within the boundaries of the of the Osage Nation it’s pretty clear that Pawhuska, Grayhorse and Hominy are the primary beneficiaries of the most amount of money that was appropriated. The other communities, based on their population of Osages that live there, there’s so many, Avant, Barnsdall, Shidler, are we doing enough? I was just having this conversation with my wife, the Cherokee Nation, what they do with their tax dollars off their tribal tags, they take a percentage of that and give like 40% of their income from their tribal tags. And they divide that up based on population, and they give it to the schools and then let the schools do anything they want to do with it, whether it’s to improve a basketball court, buy smartboards, whatever it is that they need to do,” Tillman said.

“I do feel that some of our communities within the boundary are underserved. And there’s got to be a way we can make it equal. But it is very true that Pawhuska, Grayhorse and Hominy, those are our districts, and we have to take care of those and they’re very important to the Osage people that reside in other communities as well. And I do feel that they’re underserved. So, whether it’s through tribal tags, it’s got to be a way that we can help support … and education’s critical to be able to get into those school systems, give those children the things and the resources that they need to succeed. Thank you.”

Sweezy answered second.

“That is a great question, and I will side with Mr. Tillman here. There is an emphasis of just being here in Osage County, our reservation. Why is that?” Sweezy said. “We have Osages all over, we need to open up these different programs, whether it be the school clothes … our scholarship education is open to everybody, where all our other programs are open to everyone on and off the reservation. There are Osages that would definitely want to utilize and benefit off of these resources and this assistance. I think it’s important to not be non-exclusive. We want to include everybody. Thank you.”

Whitehorn answered third.

“That is a very good question. And I think that I see that, and I hear that a lot among our people that this one gets that match, and this one always gets this and that. So, you do hear that among our people. And I do understand that. I was raised in a family that we couldn’t do that. Our parents met our needs. And I think that the Nation ought to be more forward thinking and meeting the needs of all our people, whether they belong to our cultural districts that are in Pawhuska, Hominy or Grayhorse, or Fairfax.

“What I see and what I have seen in the past, especially serving as appropriations chair, is Congress, the body itself is not very good at budgeting. We wait till we get sent a budget from the Executive Branch, which is the practice the protocol that’s always happened. But, we’re the power of the purse and I think that we can do some budgetary planning in advance.

“For example, I think donations has been a hot topic during this session. If Congress would sit among themselves and make these decisions about portions, proportions of money, needs that our communities have whether we’re going to look at the needs of water systems in the communities, and I’m talking about all communities, and set aside in our minds, the money and the dollar that we have to help in those areas of our community outreach to people, we should do so,” Whitehorn said.

Revard answered fourth.

“Good question. How do I feel … about it. I’d say that, rather than feel, I believe that, yes, there’s some inequity, most certainly, to the amount of money that we fund our historical boundaries here. And I do believe Congress does a good job budgeting. And I do believe that we have a lot of needs. And with that the way we determine what the needs are, I co-sponsored with Speaker Goodfox a bill for a census. And what we believe in Congress that voted along and Chief enacted is that we do not know what the needs are in our households. And so, this is the first time that we’ve ever went out into our communities, and which will identify where you live, and the results aren’t done. So I can’t really answer that.

“How do I feel? It bothers me when I know there’s someone here at home, that’s homeless. And that hurts me because I know them. So it’s different. For me, I guess it’s more personal. When I know somebody struggling with addiction, or somebody struggling with the lack of housing, or when somebody’s struggling meeting their electric needs, and I know them, that’s bothersome.

“And so, how do I feel? I wish we could fix everyone’s financial issues. I really do. But right now, we are capped with projected revenue right now from gaming, the same as it was last year. And so I look forward to continuing to prioritize spending. And I do that with our folks needs in mind. So, I look forward to the results of the census. And once we receive those, then I’ll be able to make more effective decisions,” Revard said.

Jones answered last.

“So I do believe that there is an inequity of appropriated money on the reservation. I also believe that we are short on the reservation, we have needs in both. Everybody’s struggling right now, at least the real life people that I talk to, struggling to make their house payments, struggling to buy groceries, and I have a solution for that, and was the same solution I ran on a couple of years ago. And that’s to diversify our economic development. We do need somebody there to champion our economic development.

“Because I believe it’s not only the responsibility of the Congress to spend money, but it’s also the responsibility to ensure generation of revenue. And we can’t rely on our casinos to generate that revenue. Our tax commission makes little money, we finally have some money coming in from our LLCs. But the needs are over what the money that we have. And if we want to create generational wealth within our Osage tribal members, we have to have economic development that is productive and sustainable. And that’s something that I bring to the table. I work with many tribes throughout Indian Country, helping them to establish their businesses to generate a diverse revenue, that they don’t have to rely on grants.

“As long as we’re relying on grants, we aren’t truly sovereign because we’re begging for money. We need them, yes, I think they weren’t built to sustain us. Thank you,” Jones said.

Osage Casinos served a delicious Italian buffet at the Osage News Editorial Board Congressional Candidate Debates on April 6, 2024, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska. ECHO REED/Osage News

Third Question

Now that COVID-19 related federal funds have largely been spent, how should the tribe prioritize their spending going forward?

Sweezy answered first.

“We have our casinos, but they aren’t … we drive by them and there’s no one there, why? We need to go out and do other resources. We have our ranch that’s going, what else can we do? I would recommend we go after federal funding. Some might say it’s begging but I want to amplify that we should go up after federal funding,” Sweezy said. “The federal government caused the trust responsibility relationship with all federally recognized tribes. The Osage Nation needs to be going after that money. We’re entitled to that money. Why aren’t we going after it? We need to set another plan of action to go for this money, we’re entitled to it. We shouldn’t put all our emphasis, all our revenue into the casinos, we need to come up with other resources to appropriate our funds and give to the Osage people. We need to unite and give money to our people. That’s what we need to do. I would recommend federal funding, go after federal funding. Thank you.”

Whitehorn answered second.

“What next after the ARPA and CARES dollars. We’ve done a lot of expansion here at the Nation with those dollars. And, you know, to meet some of our people’s needs some of our Nation’s needs … but I want to take it back, what do we do, what do I see that we have done on the land, one of the things I’ve seen is the Butcher House down in Hominy fire industrial park there by our casino.

“I think it’s been in the newspaper that that our Chief or the Executive Branch has bought in cattle and they’re wanting to process their own cattle. So that’s all about the land, all about the land that we own in community. Good things, natural resources come off of it. So I think that with those to move forward with that we need to budget and look at how we’re going to make those dollars spent be sustainable.

“We have a small ranching operation, my brother and sisters and I, and we have a sustainable operation. We don’t have to come out of pocket and pay money to have our herd, but we feed our families with it. Now, I believe the Osage Nation can do that. But I think it’s going to take legislation and prioritization to do that. I believe we can feed our people at a discount, right we can have a protein source here on our lands for our people to meet their needs. We have the Harvest Land, we can grow produce, we can develop those to such a level that it sustains itself, that the tribes not having to come out of pocket and putting money into those programs. We can sell some and we can feed our people with the rest. But that takes budgeting, it takes planning, takes a goal and I am all for that. Thank you,” Whitehorn said.

Revard answered third.

“That’s another good question and it’s one that’s before Congress right now, during Hun-Kah … we work every year annually on a resolution to see what our projected revenue is. And in that resolution, there’s outlays for each branch. And when I was elected to Congress, I also included the Villages, which are important to me, and the Minerals Council, because I wanted to ensure that they receive some of the monies to be set aside for spending in that year, because they weren’t. And that was something that I wanted to see.

“And so we have a means through projected revenue, if you don’t have the revenue, you can’t, you can’t exceed projected revenue that’s in law, and the outlays kind of help describe to the branches, how much of it they have to spend. But again, it goes back to some of these services that Maria mentioned with the Harvest Land and the Butcher House, are they for profit? Well, right now, they can’t be because of the restriction with ARPA dollars or the CARES dollars.

“And so until 2026, then we’re going to have to decide is that a business or is that a service to the people? And I’m gonna be honest with you. When I was on the 31st Tribal Council, we had the same discussion about the grocery store in Grayhorse, or Fairfax, and that’s a hard decision. You want to be able to provide a service to your people, but at the same time you want to bring in revenue and start that economic development base that everybody’s talking about. And I totally agree with that. So how do we get there? Thank you,” Revard said.

Jones answered fourth.

“So, I love talking about money as especially when it comes to business. And when the Nation received the ARPA money and the CARES money, I knew eventually that would run out. And I also knew that would come with restriction because it comes from the federal government. Again, when we’re not making our own money, we don’t make our own rules and to how that money is distributed out limits us to the reservation, getting that money out to our people who don’t live here, for whatever reason that may be. I love the diverse conversations that are received from constituents from all over the world.

“Where my priorities would be, we have to have money to be able to take care of our people. And one of the things I listened to in the last session was that we had our cultural center just spread out through the Nation. And that was a little bothersome to me because that’s why we’re sovereign is because our culture and our language. So, I’m always going to make that a priority, because that’s what makes us who we are. And outreach needs to be there. Again, we can’t rely on the federal government forever to fund our needs and our wants. And who’s to say that someday we don’t get a president out there who’s going to say, okay, we’ve done our fiduciary duty to you, make it on your own.

“What if there’s another COVID and the casino shuts down? Then where’s our money coming from then? So those are the things I asked you to think about when casting your vote. You need somebody who will champion our businesses, champion our boards to be successful in those businesses, and I’m willing to do that,” Jones said.

Tillman answered last.

“Yes, we received $180 million for CARES Act and ARPA funding, we had until 2024, which is this year, to obligate it, we had till 2026 to spend it. We spent … I don’t think there’s much left, $70,000? So what we’re going to sustain going forward using tribal dollars again, we have to put our elders and put them first and take care of them. But we have so many new builds out there.

“We have Lost Creek Ranch that we have that’s just sitting out there. How are we going to sustain that and keep it moving forward? We have a beautiful PRT center that’s going in, how are we going to stock it with top quality doctors and counselors and keep it sustained and moving forward? Senior housing, the Butcher House, how are we going to maintain that, how are we going to maintain Harvest Land? We bought these with federal dollars not thinking about looking forward, moving forward? How are we going to sustain these? The Osage Nation Ranch. How are we going to keep it moving forward? It’s about $40 million worth of remediation that needs to be done before we can put it into trust.

“And the thing that scares me the most is this, probably a six-month survival rate? With our $30 million that we have in our savings account. If anything ever happens to the casino again, we can last for six months. Cherokees 10 years, Chickasaws 20 years, six months, let that sink in.

“So that priority of spending going forward is going to be very, very difficult to figure out. But I think you had to put our elders and our children first,” Tillman said.

[Fact Check: The Nation’s CARES and ARPA money has not all been spent. It has been obligated through Congressional appropriation and now sits with the Executive Branch.]

Group one debates at the Osage News Editorial Board Congressional Candidate Debates on April 6, 2024, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska. From left, Jacque Jones, Joe Tillman, Brooklin Sweezy, Maria Whitehorn and Jodie Revard. ECHO REED/Osage News

Fourth Question

Do you feel there are enough programs and assistance for our Osage elders? Please explain.

Whitehorn answered first.

“No, I don’t think that we could ever overdo anything to meet the needs of our elders. I’m standing here because of our elders, we’re still a Nation because of our elders. So, I believe that they still have needs. I spent a portion of my life with my elder father and I saw the needs that he had. He was fortunate because he had his three girls, I have two boys, kind of a little bit scared (laughter). But he had three girls to watch out after him. But you know, I realized that there are some Osage people that don’t have that and we need to figure out, I believe, not just government programs, but we’ll need to figure out in community how to get groups together, NGOs, whatever you want to call them, of people that have concerns for our elders, that we can help them get back and forth to medical appointments, that we can help them go buy their groceries, that it takes organization and has its people that have a heart for that.

“And I’m going to tell you, during that period my heart has changed about our elders. And not that it was a bad heart to begin with. But because I see how close it was, and I can see that there is a need out there in our elder community for more care from our Osage. I don’t believe government can do everything for people. I think that the love in our hearts, and prayer always helps but I would like to, as maybe a member of Congress, try to champion some of those outside organizations to help with our elders. I don’t know what that really looks like. But it’s a good idea.

Revard answered second.

“You know, we’re the kind of the same? I think every family here has a lot of folks that they’ve had to be a caregiver for. I can see that. Because I know you folks sitting in here, and it’s a hard role. I’ve had to do it myself. Angela [Pratt] talked about it this morning at her brunch. But she brought up the assisted living and I’m glad that she did because you would think that would have been the easiest bill to pass, but it wasn’t.

“It was not. And but it was our way to address the needs of our elders. And again, it goes back to the census. We don’t know we don’t have the results. So I can’t sit here and tell you factually, what the needs are of our elders. We’re waiting to hear that. But I can’t tell you how I feel.

“And that’s the question. I feel like we don’t do enough, and I wish we had all of the money in the world to serve our elders. I really do. But we do have some great programs there. And I think that needs to be said. We do have elderly housing and Nutrition Service and elder nutrition and we have other direct services that help them. We want the assisted living to be built, our health clinic, we’re going to have a brand new health clinic and I’m very proud of that for our folks.

“And what else do we need? I don’t know. But there’s not one person in this room that I can see that doesn’t care. We all love our elders. And I think anyone running for Congress, these 16 people will care,” Revard said.

Jones answered third.

“I don’t believe there’s enough programs and assistance for our Osage elders. I know that assisted living has been talked about and on the table for probably a decade now. Nursing homes, mental health, assistance to pay day-to-day bills. And that’s not just here on reservation, Osages worldwide.

“And again, I’ll just take it back, those things cost. They cost money that we don’t have at this point. And if we want to expand those services to not just our elders here, but our own our elders off reservation as well, then we’ve got to focus on business revenue generation, and I bring that to the table. Thank you,” Jones said.

Tillman answered fourth.

“I was very lucky in my life to be raised by my grandmother who was a fullblood Osage woman. And so my heart strings are very, very close to the elderly. If you recall a couple of years ago when I was running for office, one of the platforms that I stood on was to have an elder hotline. But we had a group that was calling to check in on our elders, and a phone number that they could call into just, they love to visit, we love to visit, and just to have that opportunity to make a short phone call, but to have a patient reaching out to them. Especially during emergencies, and bad weather, I’ve got a group of about five that I call, John Maker’s one of them. The other day, I called and said tornadoes are on your way John, what are you doing? He says, I can’t make it into my cellar, I’m gonna have to back down and I’ve got my shonke (dog in Osage) in one arm and I’m trying to back down … and I said who checks on you? And he said, you and Potts [Congressman Eli Potts].

“I’ve got a group of elders that I always call and I check on, I want to make sure they’re okay, especially when it’s hot, especially when it’s cold. I’ve delivered firewood, I’ve delivered groceries, it wasn’t just me there was a group of individuals that were going around to the villages to check in on our elders.

“We have a Title VI program here, and Pawhuska has been shut down for three months. That serves meals and gives a social opportunity to our elders to come to five times a week. And it’s shut down and it’s not going to be open until July. Where’s your priorities? That’s not a priority. Get it fixed. It’s getting back up. And let’s get it right. The other thing is transit and transportation. We could develop a system here to go and pick up our elders, take them shopping, take them to bingo, take them to whatever. But no, we’re not doing nearly enough to serve our elders, thank you,” Tillman said.

[FACT CHECK: Title VI is not currently shut down. The building sustained damage due to water pipes bursting during the last hard freeze, but Title VI is functioning and delivering meals to all registered elders out of the Osage Nation Civic Center.]

Sweezy answered last.

“No, I do not think we are doing enough for our elders myself, I am coming from a part of this younger generation, a part of my teachings and backing I have learned from my elders, these oral traditions, these teachings have been passed down. And, including my education, has made me have a better understanding of the importance of our elders. And I fully believe that we should try to get our youth involved, maybe get some youth programs going on to want to hang out with elders, the Meals on Wheels, that is an excellent program. And I would like to see that going again. There are some elders that will not eat at all. Sometimes they’ll depend on that one meal a day. That’s real important.

“Myself, I’m a caregiver. I love being able to help people. And we as Osage people need to come together, unite and have a compassionate heart for all of us and our elders should be put first. Thank you,” Sweezy said.

Candidates were offered booth space to set out their campaign materials at the Osage News Editorial Board Congressional Candidate Debates on April 6, 2024, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska. ECHO REED/Osage News

Fifth Question

If elected and you plan to keep a permanent full (or part time) second job outside of your congressional seat, will you put the Osage Congress position first and not have excessive absences during regular Tzi-Sho and Hun-Kah sessions or Special Sessions?

Revard answered first.

“Another great question. I’ve been gone for one session [day], and I’ve been absent for one committee meeting. And this is my full time job, and I chose that, I chose that it was my full time job. Nothing against anyone that has to work full time, my family dynamic, my household is a little bit different than everybody. It’s just myself, Guy Ray [her longtime partner], and our dogs. And I manage my money quite well. Very frugal, we operate off of a cash flow statement and a budget. And we have savings and he’s like ‘Oh Lordy’ (laughter) because he has to abide, and I have to as well.

“So, I just, this is my full-time job. But I am I’m going to give you an example because I have colleagues that have to have a full-time job. And that’s okay, because that’s their family dynamic. However, I work hard. And it is a full-time job. It is what you make of it. And I respect my Congressional salary. And I said that when I ran in 2020, and I still do, I will give you 100,000%. Thank you,” Revard said.

Jones answered second.

“Well, I put the Osage Congress first and my duties there if elected, absolutely. I do have a job but it’s my own business. And I’m not in startup mode anymore. I do have time to commit. And it just you know, it goes along with what I do, which is to see young people successful in their entrepreneurship and to see, to be able to provide a resource for you know, our families.

“My family dynamic, I have five daughters and all of them but one are grown. I’m very good at budgeting and making sure you know, we haven’t had our lights off and on my home for almost 20 years now. I’ve always learned to make my own way. That way I can commit to the things that I’m passionate about and I’m passionate about the Osage Nation, and I’m passionate about us being able to provide resources to our constituencies. And I think we can do that on our own. Thank you,” Jones said.

Tillman answered third.

“I do not have a full time or part time job. This will be my eighth year in Congress completing my eighth year, I think I’ve missed five times. And majority of those were to transport my father back and forth to doctor’s appointments or whatever it would be. So it is a wonderful position to be in. It is a full-time job,

“Your phone, your emails, your text messages. And you lay there at night from one o’clock in the morning to 3:30 in the morning thinking about what am I going to do down in session today? What’s the best thing for people. So, it’s very consuming. And I want you folks that are running for this office to know that glass house they talk about, yeah, you’re going to live in it. And you have to be accessible to the folks … especially about, you know, all our Osage elders and children. That makes a difference. So, Thank you,” Tillman said.

Sweezy answered fourth.

“If elected, for me, I do not have a full-time job, I am not working. I am a stay-at-home mother. I’ve dedicated my adult life to my education, my children, my family. I’m so blessed to have such supportive parents, a supportive husband, that helps me and is always there and backing me with everything.

“This is an honor to be up on this stage right now. It’s an honor to be next to these people. For me, I was a little girl, running around the hallways, tagging along and following my dad and my grandma around, listening to the meetings that they were in. I’ve been around this political environment. And I had an interest in it. I’ve had an interest in it for a while.

“What type of person of my age and stature will look at the minutes and what’s going on, I have an interest. I’m interested in this, I’m dedicated to this, this will be my job. I’m not working for myself; I’m working for the people. I have a compassionate heart and I want to be a listening ear and be a voice for you. Thank you,” Sweezy said.

Whitehorn answered last.

“That’s a good question because I do believe that being a Congress member is a full-time job when you’re in service to the people, there’s always something that you should be doing if you’re not. So, when I was on Congress before, from the eight years from 2012 to 2020, I believe my congressional record shows, and I’m pulling this out of a hat, but I think I had three absences to sessions, though I was there.

“I did keep office hours as a speaker and was in the office when I was there. And some as just a regular member, you go into your office every day, you talk to your colleagues, you have to keep your finger on the pulse of the Nation, have to go out into the departments and with the other businesses to our business entities to keep apprised of what’s going on, and how that’s going to better serve your people. So I will continue in that, those footprints, I will be a full time “Congress member with your business my only business. My husband and I do own a business in Hominy, which he’s the main worker and my son, I am moral support. We travel some with our business. But that would be few and far between when I am in session or when there are other obligations.

“I believe that the committee structure at the Nation is a good structure to help our Congress stay apprised of everything that’s going on. I believe there should be, that every committee should meet one time a month, at least, whether they need to or not. They can always find somebody to talk to about the areas that committee serves. And it just keeps you informed. So yes, and I do want to say I understand there are other people with family dynamics that have-to-have other work outside of Congress to make their ends meet. And I respect that. And for the most part, I’ve seen them all do a pretty good job at that. Thank you so much,” Whitehorn said.

Editor’s Note: Candidates Patrick Cullen-Carroll and Tina Allen could not make it to the debate.

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Shannon Shaw Duty
Shannon Shaw Dutyhttps://osagenews.org

Title: Editor
Email: sshaw20@gmail.com
Twitter: @dutyshaw
Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community
Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists. She has served as a board member for LION Publishers, as Vice President for the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education, on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (now Indigenous Journalists Association) and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive NAJA's Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.

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