Incumbent chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Cheryl Andrews-Maltais will face a challenger in one of the several contested races at the tribal elections Sunday.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais is the longest-serving tribal chairperson since the tribe earned federal recognition in 1987. She is running against tribal council member Kevin Devine on the ballot.

Tribal members are invited to cast their votes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16 at tribal headquarters off Black Brook Road in Aquinnah. Mail-in ballots should be returned to tribal officials by Friday, Nov. 14.

Kevin Devine and Cheryl Andrews-Maltais.

Ray Ewing

Kevin Devine and Cheryl Andrews-Maltais.

Ray Ewing

The election is part of a general tribal member meeting and is only open to members of the tribe.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais and Mr. Devine went head-to-head for the chair role in 2019 when Mr. Devine ran a write-in campaign. 

The tribal council chair role oversees the tribe’s overall governance, and is one of the 11 members on the council. Council terms are three years, with elections held each November.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais touted her work to lead the tribe through the Covid pandemic. She also recently led the annual meeting of the Secretary Tribal Advisory Committee on the Aquinnah homelands. The committee is made-up of 17 tribal delegates, of which Ms. Andrews-Maltais is one, from across the nation. The committee informs the nation’s health secretary on critical health priorities in their regions.

Mr. Devine was re-elected to tribal council last year and is now retired after serving 27 years of active duty service in the Army.

In an interview on Tuesday, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said that if elected, this would be her last term as chair on the council.

“I’ve been working for my tribe [and] doing this type of work for a very long time on top of my other professional career,” she said. “So now it’s time to be able to get back in the woods and do some stuff on the cultural side.”

If she is returned to the leadership role, Ms. Andrews-Maltais hopes to tie off projects she's previously started. For instance, in 2023, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said she helped secure $1.8 million in state funds to build affordable housing for the tribe’s middle-income earners. She wants to finish that project and also hopes to get the tribal offices connected to the wastewater treatment plant.

A long-term goal she’s also had since she was a councilwoman at-large in the 1990s is to get a ferry for the tribe, given the high cost of tickets and the reservation system have been a barrier for tribal members traveling to and from their homelands. She said she has had preliminary conversations about the issue with the past presidential administrations.

Locally, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said she hopes to continue strengthening the relationship with the town and assist in Aquinnah’s efforts to bolster its police department, which is fading as part of a national shortage of officers.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais serves on many federal advisory councils with ongoing projects. As a member of STAC, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said she and the other delegates are working to create a self-governance model to best meet the health needs of their individual communities.

Mr. Devine has served on the Aquinnah council since he was elected in 2022 and said that experience, and learning from Ms. Andrews-Maltais, has equipped him to be at the helm. He felt his nearly 30-year career in the Army was also integral to his brand of leadership.

“I’ve always worked in a teamwork environment, I think the ultimate team being the military,” Mr. Devine said. 

The time for change in leadership is now, according to Mr. Devine.

“We’ve been talking about the same things over and over,” he said.

One of his priorities will be mending the relationship between the tribe and the broader community. He said in his council at-large role he’s been focused on communicating with the town of Aquinnah and has relationships with the select board: he and select board member Tom Murphy served in the same unit of the 82nd Airborne Division together. 

He also hopes to educate the non-Native community on the Island about the tribe’s history and culture to help tribal members feel more understood. He hopes to work together with the broader Island community to achieve common goals.

Mr. Devine is also seeking to bridge a divide between tribal members off-Island and on-Island by encouraging participation at tribal meetings and ensuring resources needed by all are provided. 

He said the health of tribal members is also a priority and mentioned that the difficulty of getting off the waitlist for doctors on-Island is forcing many tribal members to seek primary care and dental services on the mainland. That scenario can also be challenged by ferry cancellations and limited reservations.  

Mr. Devine said he would be dedicated to strengthening the tribe’s medical center if elected, and his role as an Island veteran familiarized him with different services.

Also on the ballot will be former chairman Tobias Vanderhoop, who is running for tribal secretary against Christina McMullen.

Incumbent Linda Coombs, former chairwoman Beverly Wright and tribe client service program specialist Paul Jeffers-Mayhew are running for two open council-at-large seats.

Votes will be tallied Sunday by tribal medicine man Jason Baird and tribal Chief Ryan Malonson, who traditionally announces the results. Elected officials will be appointed Jan. 1.

Editor's note: this story has been updated with more information about the candidates.