SILETZ — Robert Kentta, Gerald Ben and Judy Muschamp were elected Saturday to the nine-member tribal council of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
Eight candidates ran for the three open positions and the three who received the most votes were elected.
Kentta, who lives in Logsden, was re-elected with 399 votes; Ben, from Salem, received 296 votes; and Muschamp, also from Logsden, was elected with 279 votes.
These individuals will serve with Alfred “Bud” Lane III and Bonnie Petersen, both from Siletz, and Delores Pigsley from Keizer, whose terms expire in 2025; and Loraine Butler, Alfred “Buddy” Lane IV and Marita “Selene” Rilatos, all from Siletz, whose terms expire in 2026.
Term of office is three years for each position on the council.
Enrolled members of the Siletz Tribe who are age 18 and older are eligible to vote in tribal elections. The tribe has more than 5,600 enrolled members.
The newly elected council members were sworn in Sunday at the tribal administration building in Siletz.
On Sunday the council also re-elected Pigsley as its chair and Bud Lane as its vice-chair. Kentta was elected treasurer and Muschamp, secretary. Pigsley has been on the council for 45 years and has served 38.5 years as its chair, while Bud Lane has served 26 years; Butler, 19; Kentta, 18 years; Rilatos, four years; Ben, three years; Petersen, two years; and Buddy Lane and Judy Muschamp, each one year.
The Siletz Tribe has spent the last 46 years rebuilding its government and economic structure. The signing of Public Law 95-195 in 1977, which restored government-to-government relations between the Siletz Tribe and the federal government, started this process. The Siletz Tribe was the second in the nation – and the first in Oregon – to achieve restoration.
