Shinnecock Nation reelects Bryan Polite as chairman

Bryan Polite was reelected chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation Council of Trustees on Tuesday, in a vote that also saw Bianca Collins, a first-time trustee, elected to the governing body.

Polite won the most votes in the tribal election, with 179 votes, and so retakes the chairman’s role. Also reelected were Germain Smith, with 160 votes, and Seneca Bowen, with 165. Collins received 148 votes.

Polite said he plans to continue to build camaraderie among the nation’s more than 1,200 members, including more than 800 on their Southampton reservation, while “overcoming a lot of the challenges that face Shinnecock, and move the nation forward.”

Under his leadership, the tribe has applied for and received more than $10 million in grants during the COVID pandemic, while securing a $1.14 million road improvement grant and an $8 million grant for broadband internet connections. He and fellow trustees, including vice chairman Randy King, have led the tribe’s efforts to license adult-use and medical cannabis sales — a tribal dispensary is expected to open in coming months — and gaming and gas-station initiatives. A convention center is envisioned for the tribe’s West Woods property.

But there have been impediments, Polite noted, including a New York State lawsuit seeking to dismantle the tribe’s Sunrise Highway monument and billboards, which are a revenue generator. “We have a lot of things on the plate,” said Polite, “and we still face challenges. We’re still being sued by New York State,” four years after starting work on the billboards, on tribal land on the busy roadway. The case awaits a state appellate court ruling.

Council members serve two-year terms, with half the terms staggered.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.