The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) will start a new era of leadership next year after a challenger beat the longest-serving tribal chairperson at Sunday’s annual council election. 

Kevin Devine narrowly defeated longtime council chairwoman Cheryl Andrew-Maltais by a vote of 180 to 165, according to the tribe’s Chief Ryan Malonson. Ms. Andrews-Maltais has been chairperson for 15 years, the longest tenure since the tribe gained federal recognition in 1987. 

Tribal leaders said the change of hands heralds a new beginning for the tribe, which has 1,570 members living both on the Island and the mainland. Some of the top priorities for the new council members will be the affordable housing crisis that has been a barrier for tribal members attempting to remain on their homelands, and communication with the at-large community, namely the town of Aquinnah, which has been strained in recent years.

Mr. Devine is a 27-year Army veteran who has served as a tribal council member and tribe chief of staff. When he is sworn in on Jan. 3, he will be tasked with overseeing the tribe’s overall governance.

“I really want to thank the [community] for all the support that they have provided,” Mr. Devine said after the election, where a total of 346 ballots were cast.

Ms. Andrews-Maltais told the Gazette ahead of the election this would be her last time running for the chair seat. Mr. Devine thanked her for her many years dedicated to the tribal community. 

In a statement this week, Ms. Andrews-Maltais said she’s grateful for the outpouring of love and respect she’s received from tribal members and other legislators since the election results were announced. She wrote that it’s been the honor of a lifetime to represent her tribe, as well as serve in many federal advisory positions.

“Being from a tiny First Contact ‘Colonial’ Tribe, from a tiny Island off the coast of a tiny state makes it difficult for federal Indian policy makers to consider the impacts and implications of their decisions on us...” she wrote. “Being able to influence, write and/or set federal policy based upon how it will affect us and my Tribe specifically, has been so very critical.”

Ms. Andrews-Maltais added that she’s proud of her accomplishments and she hopes the new leadership will continue to build upon them for the benefit of the tribal community and all of Indian Country. 

When Mr. Devine is appointed in the new year, he said providing housing for tribal members and employees is at the top of his to-do list. 

“I’ve been saying this for a bit on the council already, but that should be our main goal and priority,” Mr. Devine said.

Part of Mr. Devine’s campaign was also focused on improving the lines of communication with the broader Island community. Those relationships have already taken shape, he said, noting that select board member Tom Murphy stopped by Mr. Devine’s doorstep Sunday night to offer congratulations.

There were several other races on the ballot at the annual election this week.

Former chairperson Tobias Vanderhoop will fill the tribal secretary seat, garnering 233 votes over challenger Christina McMullen’s 111. That experience will also help Mr. Devine as he takes the helm.

“Tobias is a former chairperson [and] I’m telling you, he and I are connected at the hip,” Mr. Devine said. “I talked to him for a lot of guidance.”

In a three-way race for two at-large council seats, incumbent Linda Coombs, a tribal historian and children’s book author, and newcomer Paul Jeffers-Mayhew beat out former chairwoman Beverly Wright. 

Ms. Coombs garnered 231 votes, Mr. Jeffers-Mayhew won 170, and Ms. Wright earned 120. There were also several write-in candidates, according to Chief Malonson. 

Mr. Devine said he’s excited for the two members, and felt the election of Mr. Jeffers-Mayhew would encourage other young tribal members to get involved.

“This is such a great team,” Mr. Devine said.

Mr. Jeffers-Mayhew, who is 29 years-old, started working for the tribe’s social services program when he returned to the Island after graduating from the University of Massachusetts Boston. 

He said he’ll stay on as the tribe’s client service program specialist in addition to his council member role. 

“Having the experience within the administration really helps with how council operates,” he said. 

Over the past few years, Mr. Jeffers-Mayhew said the administration has been able to bring on more staff and update policies, but there is much work to be done. He also named housing as a priority, and said the tribe is discussing ways it can be less reliant on federal grants for services.

“It’s good to see that this new wave of people have those same ideas, and getting people back home with housing is honestly one of the first steps we can do,” he said.

He thanked his family for helping him with his first campaign and emphasized that he’s excited to learn from Mr. Devine and other council members. 

Ms. Coombs will enter her second term in January. As a tribal historian, Ms. Coombs said she’s dedicated to teaching tribal members about their history and cultural traditions.

“We want people to be actively participating with the tribal community and the events and whatnot that we organize,” Ms. Coombs said. 

She hopes to devise a plan to have more tribal members learn their history and traditional culture, which is of interest to many. Ms. Coombs, who lives in Mashpee, said she also wants to increase participation from tribal members that live off-Island.

She emphasize the Aquinnah tribal government is soverign and doing monumental work for the Wampanoag people, who for thousands of years have lived on the Island and taken care of it’s shores.

“We’re actively working to remain as a distinct group of people - as Wampanoag people - and to maintain our land, culture, our language [and] our history,” Ms. Coombs said. “That’s the work of us.”