The Trenton Indian Service Area is holding a general election on Friday to fill four spots on its six-person board, as well as the chairman position.

Four people are on the ballot for two District I spots, two people are running for the District II slot and chairman position and one person is running unopposed for the District III opening.

Among those running for board positions include current members, a past member looking to get back on it and others who think change and new blood would help give the TISA a new focus, direction and ideas.

Cheryl Donoven is chairperson of the Election Board and tribal health director at the Trenton Community Clinic. Donoven said members are elected for four-year terms.

The chairman and one member from each district are elected every four years. The other three members have staggered terms. Donoven also said there were circumstances outside of their control which led to two District I spots being up for election Friday. “One of them was up for re-election, and one of them moved away, so that’s why we have four people up for election with the chairman,” said Donoven.

Donoven said the TISA was created by a legislative act of Congress to provide funding for health, educational and economic assistance to Native American tribal members. The TISA was established in March 1975 through a Turtle Mountain Tribal Council ordinance after the federal government passed Federal Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act earlier that year.

“What the government did at that time was to put the money in their hands for contracts, etc. It’s basically putting it, control, more in the hands of the tribes,” said Donoven.

Voters in Friday’s election have several choices to make among candidates with different ideas and levels of experience. One of them is District I candidate Rose Wright of Belcourt, a retiree who worked for 27 years in optical at a clinic for her fellow members. She was a past board members years ago.

Wright decided to run after she began getting calls from people asking her to get involved again.

“There are a lot of issues right now to deal with. I’d make a good board member; I guess because I’m a good speaker and I’ve never made bad promises that are never able to be kept,” said Wright.

Wright said as a group, there should be a focus on looking forward instead of sticking with the past. As for her chances, she said nothing is ever 100 percent certain.

“But I feel I have a good chance,” said Wright.

Another candidate for District I is Williston’s Carla Couture. Couture had discussed running with her husband and friends for a couple of years and recently decided to seek office.

Couture, who has an Indian Law degree from the Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, said her legal experience might be of some help in getting funding for various programs if elected to the board.

“This last year, year and a half; it’s been a lot tougher. I’ve spent many years out there attending meetings, talking with the chair and board members. I’ve got the education and I’ve got a lot of knowledge to see what good I can do,” said Couture.

Couture said among the most important issues are funding for medicine and health care, taking care of their elders and education. She said her chances of getting elected and being able to work at fixing these problems depends on voter turnout.

“If the tribal members want a change, then I think my chances are really good and they’ll vote for me. I’m hoping for a high turnout,” said Couture.

Another District I candidate is Todd Falcon, 36, Williston. Falcon, a train operator for Black Hills Trucking, hasn’t been on the board before but feels now is the time for the new generation to step.

He also said funding is an issue that needs to be tackled.

“I have two young boys. I want to make sure all our government funding is around for them when they’re both older,” said Falcon.

Falcon also said care for the elderly and having members in the TISA area be federally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affair’s national list of tribes also are important issues.

Falcon said he is going up against people with more experience, but he feels he could get elected if people want change and youth on the board.

“I’m not afraid to try new things. I think I have a good chance,” said Falcon.

Running unopposed for District III is Kaye Tufton of Dagmar, Mont. Tufton also said the issue of national recognition needs to be tackled.

In the early 1900s, the ancestors of current TISA tribal members moved to homesteads from the Turtle Mountain reservation over 250 miles away.

They moved with the understanding they would receive the same federally funded assistance and programs as those on the reservation get as part of a 1904 congressional act, but that’s never developed.

The TISA has a handful of BIA-funded services while the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation has over 60.

“There are so many programs out there that we can’t apply for and so many grants that we can’t apply for. We’re too far away to deal with anything and it’s just not feasible to use their facilities,” said Tufton.

Tufton said the past chairmen have been told no regarding the federal recognition issue. But current Chairman Walt Moran of Trenton has been working tirelessly trying to change that and may finally be getting somewhere, Tufton said.

She said the board is not willing to accept no as an answer anymore and she’d like to remain on the board to see the work on this and other issues through.

“I’m not afraid to speak out, stand up and plead our case. I’m very outspoken,” said Tufton.

Others running for election are current chairman Walt Moran and challenger Darryl LaDue, Craig Wilkie for District I, with Delmar Falcon and Shane Moran running for District II.

Voting takes place Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Voting locations are as follows:

District I: Commissioner’s Room at the Williams County Courthouse, Williston.

District II: Trenton Indian Service Area, Trenton.

District III: Trinity Lutheran Church, Culbertson, Montana.