Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Chief Brenda Commander
(Pioneer Times File)
HOULTON, Maine — Brenda Commander, who has been chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians for more than 20 years, has been unseated following recent tribal elections.
Results of Saturday’s elections posted at the Maliseet’s Tribal Office show Commander losing her seat by just two votes — 124-122 — to Clairissa E. Sabattis, a member of the tribal council and a registered nurse who works as a public health consultant for several tribes in the region.
The results, however, were contested during a Tuesday night meeting of the tribal council, Sabattis said during a Wednesday interview. An election committee has been formed and has three days to review the votes, she said.
“I am kind of working in a state of limbo right now,” Sabattis said. “I am trying to wrap up some things with my job as a public health consultant, but I may not need to. It’s all up in the air.”
Tribal Administrator Brian Reynolds confirmed Wednesday that the results posted on the window outside the tribal offices were official, but are under review. Reynolds said Commander was out of town and unavailable for comment. Reynolds said he is not involved with the review but noted it was unusual for election results to be contested.
Clarissa Sabattis, left, stands with Maliseet Tribal Elder, Joseph Bernard during a visit to the Aroostook Treaty Education Center in Houlton. Sabattis narrowly beat long-time tribal chief Brenda Commander during a recent election, but those results are being contested. (Contributed photo)
For Sabattis, the reasons for seeking the tribal chief position were simple.
“Growing up in our community, I have seen steady progress throughout the years since we achieved federal recognition,” she said. “I think it would be good to have change and fresh minds at the table. I have a lot of respect for Brenda and all of the leaders before her. They all deserve recognition for their hard work. I just feel like the younger generation needs to step up in leadership.”
Sabattis said should the election committee deem a second election is needed, she would welcome the opportunity.
Three seats on the tribal council also were up for grabs in Saturday’s election. Based on Saturday’s vote, John Flewelling (99 votes), Crystal Tucker (90 votes) and Susanna Wright (77 votes) were elected to the council. Others receiving votes were; Catherine St. John, 76; Jody Tomah-Clark, 69; Tina Beaver, 54; Michael Kelly, 53; Mary Tomah, 50; Jerry Hanning, 49; Darcy Gentle, 32; Beth Ford, 27; and William Tompkins, 20.
