INDIAN ISLAND (AP) – The newly elected chief of the Penobscot Nation says one of his principal goals will be to promote economic self-sufficiency for the tribe.
Kirk Francis Sr. was elected Saturday to succeed Chief James Sappier, who did not seek another term because of family concerns. Francis outpolled former Chief Barry Dana, 373 to 172.
Francis, who resigned from his third term on the Tribal Council in order to run for chief, will assume his new post Oct. 1.
He said that with funding from federal programs becoming more unpredictable each year, the tribe needs to explore ways to create a sustainable economy and maintain an adequate level of services for tribal members.
In other elections last week, voters at the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s Indian Township reservation elected William Nicholas as governor over incumbent Robert Newell.
At the tribe’s Pleasant Point reservation, voters elected Rick Doyle as the new governor, replacing Melvin Francis, who died in an automobile accident on Route 9 last year.
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