NETT LAKE — Bois Forte band members handed a landslide victory to Jeneal Goggleye in Tuesday’s special election to fill the District 1 tribal council seat vacated in August by former council member Perry Drift.
Goggleye outdistanced her nearest competitor, Travis Morrison, by 40 percentage points, 66.85 percent to 26.4 percent. Goggleye swept all four precincts – Nett Lake, Vermilion, Duluth, and Minneapolis – by wide margins and also captured the absentee vote.
Voter turnout was only about half of that for June’s special election for tribal chair, with 177 valid ballots cast. Over 100 of those ballots were registered in Nett Lake-District 1, where Goggleye outdistanced Morrison 70-29. Duluth edged Vermilion for the second highest turnout, 17-16.
The final vote totals were 119 for Goggleye, 47 for Morrison, and 11 for William G. Isham, who finished a distant third with only six percent of the vote.
In a candidate profile in the October edition of the Bois Forte News, Goggleye said that she brings more than four decades of experience in service to the Bois Forte community to the position, with a career spanning roles from secretary and food distribution supervisor to health and human services director and, most recently, housing director. She said her long tenure in these positions, coupled with 25 years of experience co-owning Goggleye Logging with her husband, has given her a broad perspective on community and economic development. She describes herself as a team-oriented leader who values honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and collaboration.
She said her experience as housing director, where she was on call at all hours to respond to community needs, reflects the commitment she plans to bring to the tribal council. Acknowledging that there will be a learning curve in stepping into the new role, Goggleye emphasized her readiness to invest the time and energy needed to understand every facet of tribal governance. Her goal, she said, is to contribute meaningfully by sharing ideas, finding solutions, and making informed decisions that serve the best interests of the Bois Forte people.
Tuesday’s results were unofficial, awaiting certification by the band’s election board.