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Vacancies filled on Gaming Commission and Gaming Board

Michael Kidder, who is now serving an interim term, now occupies the vacant position on the Osage Nation Gaming Commission.

Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear appointed Kidder (Hominy District) to the three-member Gaming Commission in October and he will now be subject to confirmation by the ON Congress for a full three-year term.

Kidder, who ran for the Fourth ON Congress earlier this year, works as a lubrication consultant for LE Lubrication Engineers in the Oklahoma City area, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also worked in sales for Quality Petroleum and has prior experience as a chemist and technical specialist where he worked in product research and development.

Kidder joined fellow Gaming Commissioners Marsha Harlan and Jeanine Logan for his first meeting on Nov. 14 – the same day he was sworn into office at the ON tribal courthouse in Pawhuska.

Standing Bear appointed Kidder after withdrawing a previous appointee from the position vacancy.

In October, Standing Bear appointed attorney and Kaw Nation citizen Ken Bellmard to the Gaming Commission, but Bellmard’s appointment was later withdrawn by Standing Bear. According to Osage law, all three Gaming Commissioners must be Osage Nation members.

Baconrind appointed to ON gaming board

On Dec. 4, Thomas Baconrind (Osage) took oath as an ON Gaming Enterprise Board member.

Standing Bear appointed Baconrind, of El Dorado, Kans., to the five-member gaming board after Henry Harjo resigned his seat. Harjo joined the gaming board in March after being appointed by then-Principal Chief Scott BigHorse.

Baconrind, a U.S. Air Force veteran, works as an independent professional insurance agent with 27 years experience, according to his resume. He also served as vice chairman on the former Osage gaming board when the Nation had three casinos. He served as ambassador for the Hays (Kans.) Chamber of Commerce for six years and as ambassador for Fort Hays State University during the opening of Haskell Nations Indian University when it transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university.

Baconrind’s earlier professional experience includes sales and marketing of funeral supplies for funeral homes, including caskets. He served on the Standing Bear Educational Committee for 14 years and holds certifications in estate planning for seniors.

The ON Congress will also consider Baconrind’s appointment for a three-year term.


By

Benny Polacca


Original Publish Date: 2014-12-05 00:00:00

Author

  • Benny Polacca

    Title: Senior Reporter

    Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Instagram: @bpolacca

    Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

    Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

    Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

    Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

    Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

Avatar photo
Benny Polaccahttps://osagenews.org

Title: Senior Reporter

Email: bpolacca@osagenation-nsn.gov

Instagram: @bpolacca

Topic Expertise: Government, Tribal Government, Community

Languages spoken: English, basic knowledge of Spanish and French

Benny Polacca (Hopi/ Havasupai/ Pima/ Tohono O’odham) started working at the Osage News in 2009 as a reporter in Pawhuska, Okla., where he’s covered various stories and events that impact the Osage Nation and Osage people. Those newspaper contributions cover a broad spectrum of topics and issues from tribal government matters to features. As a result, Polacca has gained an immeasurable amount of experience in covering Native American affairs, government issues and features so the Osage readership can be better informed about the tribal current affairs the newspaper covers.

Polacca is part of the Osage News team that was awarded the Native American Journalists Association's Elias Boudinet Free Press Award in 2014 and has won numerous NAJA media awards, as well as awards from the Oklahoma Press Association and SPJ Oklahoma Pro Chapter, for storytelling coverage and photography.

Polacca earned his bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and also participated in the former American Indian Journalism Institute at the University of South Dakota where he was introduced to the basics of journalism and worked with seasoned journalists there and later at The Forum daily newspaper covering the Fargo, N.D. area where he worked as the weeknight reporter.

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