By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News
The Tulalip Tribes held their annual General Council Meeting on April 12 at the Tulalip Casino. Over 1,300 tribal members cast votes, and 467 stayed throughout the long, eventful meeting. The day was filled with passionate discussions, essential motions, and a moment of history repeating itself.
One of the most unforgettable parts of the day came when a tie vote occurred between Ryan Miller and Jennie Fryberg. Both candidates received 288 votes, triggering a recount. When the numbers came back the same, the decision had to be made by a coin toss—something that hadn’t happened in the tribe since 1970, when Ralph Jones won his seat by flipping a coin after tying Herman Williams with 56 votes each.
Chief of Police Shawn Ledford was selected to perform the toss. The atmosphere shifted, and the room grew quiet. By tradition, the older candidate calls the coin, so Jennie called “tails.” The room stood still as the coin flipped through the air and hit the floor. Jennie rushed forward to see the result—it was heads. Jennie lost. Ryan Miller, stunned, graciously embraced her in a show of respect and unity.
“I feel so grateful to the membership and everyone that voted for me,” Ryan said afterward. Deborah Parker, who earned the most votes overall with 342, also claimed a board seat and shared her powerful message: “I’m going to challenge the United States government.”
Teri Gobin remains Chairwoman with 157 votes, Hazen Shopbell as Vice Chair with 128, Theresa Sheldon remains Secretary with 226 votes, and Glen Gobin returns as Treasurer.
Several important issues were raised during the meeting. Job requirements and adjustments to what’s needed to gain employment within various fields in the tribe were discussed. Jared Parks presented a motion to make it easier for tribal members to build on their land by easing codes and allowing the board to vote on individual cases. “We need to create an avenue for tribal members to utilize their land,” he said.
Glen Gobin supported this motion, emphasizing balance: “We need to find ways to make the lands available but using common sense to let our membership utilize those while still protecting the critical wetland areas.”
A significant motion that passed was a five-year economic development business plan. This plan will focus on economic sovereignty, responsible growth, and sustainable prosperity for future generations.
The meeting was long, but many left feeling hopeful. Tribal elder John Bagley shared, “I gave the meeting two thumbs up.” He reflected on what lies ahead, “For the tribe to be a better place, I think the board members need to work together with compassion.” He ended with warm congratulations to the newly elected board members.
In the words of Linda Gobin, capturing the energy of the day, “Pump up the jam.”