Frank White Clay
Frank White Clay | |
|---|---|
 Frank White Clay in 2020 | |
| 25th Chair of the Crow Tribe | |
| Assumed office November 18th, 2020[1] | |
| Preceded by | Alvin Not Afraid Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Crow Agency, Montana, United States |
| Political party | Independent |
Frank White Clay is a Crow politician, an independent, he has served as the incumbent chairman of the Crow Indian Reservation since 2020.
Political Career[edit]
Frank White Clay was elected to Tribal Leadership for the first time in 2015, being elected as a senator in the Crow Legislature from Black Lodge District.[2] In November of 2020, White Clay ran for the position of Chair of the Crow Tribe, his campaign promised to improve the governments fiscal transparency and increasing response to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] he would win a landslide victory against incumbent Alvin Not Afraid Jr.[4] His inauguration was held on December 8th, 2020, and was live streamed by the tribe on Facebook.[5] Amid his electoral victory, the Crow Tribe Executive Branch faced a large budget deficit estimated at 80 million dollars.[4]
Weeks prior to his election, the Crow Tribal government had dissolved it's tribal police force, which had been formed 5 months prior.[6]
On February 9th, 2021, White Clay collaborated with other tribal leaders from Montana to protest Montana House Bill 241, which intended to revise hunting laws on Indian Reservations. White Clay would describe the bill as an "attack on tribal sovereignty".[7]
Following the inauguration of Joe Biden, in 2021, White Clay would release a statement in favor of the president's appointment of Deb Haaland to the position of Secretary of the Interior.[8] Later that year, White Clay met with United States senator from Montana Steve Daines to discuss providing support to tribal law enforcement.[9] In 2023, he would meet with senator Jon Tester to collaborate on construction of water systems, following Joe Biden's implementation of the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund.[10]
Electoral History[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Frank White Clay | 1,978 | 94% | |
| Independent | Alvin Not Afraid Jr. | 143 | 6% | |
| Total votes | 2,121 | 100% | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "New Crow Tribal Chairman Sworn In". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "usea.org". usea.org. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "New chairman for Crow Tribe in Montana sworn in". NBC Montana. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Caufield, Clara. "Tribe's huge deficit main concern of newly elected officials". Native Sun News. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "New Crow tribal leaders inaugurated". KTVQ. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "New Crow tribal police force lasted only 5 months". The Missoulian. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Chairman Frank White Clay Statement on HB 241". crow-nsn.gov. Crow Tribal Executive Branch. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Crow Tribe of Indians Chairman Frank White Clay statement on the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland to Secretary of the Interior". crow-nsn.gov. Crow Tribal Executive Branch. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Sen. Daines meets with Crow Chairman White Clay, Executive Committee". ABC News. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Ackerman, John. "U.S. Sen. Tester meets with Crow Tribe on Water Settlement". Big Horn County News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.