Beaver Re-Elected As Creek Nation Chief

Sunday, December 5th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Chief Perry Beaver defeated tribal House Speaker Kenneth Childers in a runoff election Saturday to win a second four-year term as leader of the Creek Nation. With absentee ballots and all 17 precincts reporting, Beaver collected 2,013 votes to Childers' 1,308, according to unofficial results released by tribal authorities.

A.D. Ellis of Twin Hills defeated George Tiger of Sapulpa in the runoff for second chief by a margin of 1,841 to 1,469. Three members of the tribal council also were elected. They are Bruce Smith, Anderson Hale and Sandra Turner Peters. The vote is unofficial pending the outcome of a one-week protest period that ends Dec. 10.

The new tribal officials will take office Jan. 1, 2000. The tribal council will set the date for their inauguration.

In the Sept. 18 primary election, Beaver led a seven-candidate field for chief with 22.7 percent of the vote, compared to 20.5percent for Childers. Beaver of Jenks won the chief's position in 1995 when he unseated incumbent Bill Fife. Childers resides in Glenpool. In the runoff campaign, Beaver called for economic development in the tribe, which has a 10-county jurisdictional area, to offsetreduced federal funding. He said the tribe made progress during the past four years and that his background in tribal affairs is a plus for the Creek Nation.

Childers outlined a campaign package that included health care, law enforcement, economic development and education. Both candidates said they would fight to save the sovereign status of the Creek Nation and other tribes.

The Creek Nation covers all or parts of Creek, Okfuskee, Seminole, Hughes, Tulsa, Okmulgee, McIntosh, Muskogee, Wagoner, Rogers and Mayes counties. The Creek Nation has an estimated 48,000 members. The chief is paid $50,000 annually and the second chief receives $8,000 plus $100 per working day.