PESHAWBESTOWN -- Derek Bailey wakes up with a sense of privilege, a feeling he's had each morning since taking office as chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
"I hold that thought throughout the day," he said.
Bailey, 36, became the band's youngest tribal chairman this month, following a nearly seven-month election odyssey rife with disputes and litigation.
Two-term incumbent Robert Kewaygoshkum, 57, took the original May election 233 to 210. But that election was overturned and a redo set for September. The new election was prompted by a tribal court's ruling that the band's election board improperly censured Bailey just before the original vote with an e-mail that alleged he used his tribal computer to visit his campaign Web site.
Bailey, a former tribal councilor, defeated Kewaygoshkum 256 to 186 in the special election.
More disputes cropped up, however, and kept the tribe in limbo until all challenges were settled and Bailey took office Dec. 11.
"It's been a long journey, and a very defining one for me and my personal character," Bailey said. "But as such, it's been a long process for my family, so we're very happy that we've reached this place that we're at."
Bailey lives in Leelanau County's Solon Township with his wife, Tonia, and five children ranging in age from 6 months to 11 years. The couple's fifth child was born in June, just a month after the May election.
The lengthy and contentious race changed Bailey, but he said he's now more mature and driven to succeed as the band's youngest chairman.
"For the nation's benefit, we need to move forward," he said. "We need to unify and begin the healing process."
Tribal Councilor Joseph "Buddy" Raphael agreed.
"In any political arena, there's numerous ups and downs, and I think that's part of public service," he said. "We'll move forward."
Raphael served as chairman for 16 years and said he supports a younger leader.
"I think it's good when young people step forward to serve the tribe," he said. "They have the most to lose or gain by the tribe's continued success."
Bailey's lifelong friend Rik Yanot, 35, views the voters' choice as a good opportunity for his generation.
"With the way that the economy is and everything in today's society, I honestly feel we need (a younger) generation up there with new ideas and thinking outside the box," said Yanot, of Peshawbestown.
Bailey is the tribe's fifth chairman since the band was reorganized by the federal government in 1980. About 1,600 tribal members live in Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix and Manistee counties.
Some of Bailey's top priorities include promoting home ownership and work-incentive programs. He also hopes to improve communication with tribal members and increase cooperation with neighboring units of government.
Recently elected Leelanau County Commissioner Dick Schmuckal went to Bailey's swearing-in ceremony and told him he wants to reach out to the tribe.
"I felt it was important," Schmuckal said. "I'm very interested with the tribe and having a good relationship with the tribe as an elected official in the county. They're our neighbors."
The tribal government's operating budget is about $58 million. But the band, just as the rest of the country, is feeling the financial pinch.
"This will be definitely a numbers-driven administration," Bailey said.
Tribal-owned Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Turtle Creek Casino and Leelanau Sands Casino have seen the effects of the sluggish economy, since many people are scaling back their entertainment spending.
There's also more competition with different American Indian tribal casinos and other forms of legalized gambling, Bailey said.
He plans to evaluate government services and spending across the board, including health care policies offered to members, in order to be in a good position when the economy bounces back.
"That's the legacy I want to have during this administration, is that during a difficult time, we were able to still maintain our focus and our drive, watching the numbers, and knowing that when the pendulum swings back, we're ready to go," he said.
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