"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Cherokee Phoenix to host candidates’ debate

"Principal and Deputy
Chief Candidates"

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Cherokee Phoenix will host a debate between candidates running for the principal and deputy chief offices at 6 p.m. June 15 in the Tahlequah Armory Municipal Center located at 100 N. Water St.

The debate will begin with the deputy chief candidates as incumbent Joe Grayson Jr. faces Cherokee advocate Raymond Vann. Grayson is a former Indian Health Service employee who is seeking his second term, while Vann, a former General Motors autoworker, is seeking his first. The principal chief candidates debate will feature incumbent Chad Smith and former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice Stacy Leeds.

KTUL news anchor Charles Ely will moderate the event, while Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford, assistant professor of communication at Northeastern State University, will serve as timekeeper. Cherokee Phoenix staff members said the debate would aid voters in determining who to vote for in the tribe’s June 23 general election, and that it would be the first time the newspaper has hosted a debate between tribal candidates.

Refreshments will be served between the deputy chief and principal chief portions of the debate on the Cherokee Nation Courthouse lawn located across the street. Seating is limited and spectators will be seated on a “first come, first serve” basis. Tickets will be available at 5:30 p.m. For tribal citizens who do not attend, the debates will be steamed live on the Internet and can be viewed on the Cherokee Phoenix web site.

The debates will also be recorded and posted to the site after the debate. For more information, call the Cherokee Phoenix office, phone: 918-453-5269, send e-mail or visit the Cherokee Phoenix online.