November runoffs loom for Yurok Tribal Council

By Nicholas Grube

Triplicate staff writer

One of three races for a seat on the Yurok Tribal Council is over after Wednesday's primary election, and the other two have been whittled down to two candidates each.

Incumbent Sid Nix, Weitchpec District, handily defeated his only challenger, Frankie Joe Myers, with nearly 90 percent of the vote to retain a seat on the Tribal Council.

Nix will once again be installed on the Tribal Council at its next meeting.

In the remaining races for the North and Requa districts, the field of 10 candidates has been narrowed down to four, with the top two voter-getters in the primary facing off in a Nov. 5 election.

The run-off election in the North District will be between incumbent Marjorie Donahue Buckskin, who is currently serving her third three-year term on the Tribal Council, and Jack Mattz, a commercial fisherman of more than 25 years who has worked eight years in tribal government.

Buckskin and Mattz had 175 of the 239 votes in the North District. Challengers Yvonne Miller, Hector Natt, Sr. and John Oliphant divided the rest.

In the Requa District, first-term incumbent Ray Mattz and David L. Gensaw, Sr. will be on the November ballot.

Gensaw garnered the largest number of votes in that race, collecting 56 of the total 128 in the district. Mattz, on the other hand, only received 27 votes, edging out challenger Ron Bates' 26 votes.

Dave Severns and Sam L. Gensaw, II received 12 and 7 votes, respectively, keeping them out of the run-off election in November.

All results in the primary are unofficial until the Yurok Tribe Election Office certifies the vote on Monday.

Reach Nicholas Grube at ngrube@triplicate.com.