All names make it to final list

All of the Kanehsata’kehró:non on the provisional list of candidates appear on the final list that was published Monday, including Amanda Simon, who announced last week she had been told she had a disqualifying Council debt.

Victor Bonspille, Brant Etienne, and Serge Otsi Simon are the confirmed candidates for Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) grand chief. For the six council chief seats, Amy Beauvais, Shirley Bonspille, Valerie Bonspille, Lynn Cataford Gabriel, Denise David, Derek Denis, Kahionhate Riley Denis, Cindy Gabriel, Mary Nicholas, Francis Phillips, Amanda Simon, and Serge Otsi Simon are on the final list.

“It’s a lot easier to complain than to throw your hat in the ring, so I have a lot of respect for people who are willing to put their name forward to serve their community,” said chief electoral officer Graeme Drew.

He is now turning his attention to ensuring candidates abide by the code of ethics for campaigning, he said, as well as forming an appeal board as mandated by the Custom Electoral Code.

Disqualifying debt

Upon being informed that MCK finance had reported she had a disqualifying debt, Amanda Simon took to social media, saying she had never been informed of owing money to Council. Following the release of the final list, she has cast her inclusion as a vindication.

“There was no debt. There never was. I remain focused on the truth and the process, and I’m grateful that due process was followed,” she said. “I’m committed to a campaign that’s rooted in honesty, good governance, and transparency, because that’s what Kanesatake deserves after all these years.”

As part of his vetting process, the chief electoral officer sought input from MCK finance; an outstanding debt to Council renders a person ineligible to be nominated for the election under the electoral code.

Drew told The Eastern Door he felt the publication of an article saying Simon had been disqualified was premature.

“The final list of candidates is posted. Amanda Simon was not disqualified (as previously reported),” he said.

“The ball was in her court to contact the finance department,” he added, saying there was an opportunity to deal with and resolve the issue.

“That’s why I shared the letter as soon as I got it, so there’s an opportunity to respond, just like I did with another candidate,” he said.

“I don’t make decisions to disqualify like a snap decision. My preference is to make sure people have an opportunity to be considered and let the voters choose as the final list reflects,” he said.

The Eastern Door’s article on the situation outlined that it was still possible for Simon to be on the ballot if she quickly resolved things with MCK finance.

“I don’t believe that there was time at all,” Simon said. “I was disqualified without any proof. I was given an email after the provisional list was published.”

Following her announcement that she had been told she had a debt which disqualifies her, Simon promptly hired a lawyer, she said, to seek clarification on the alleged debt.

In a post, she included the text of an email to the electoral officer on Monday morning from a member of MCK finance: “In my computer, I have no debt, but the chief told me she had a debt and the chiefs tried to explain to Simon, but she never came to the meeting. So I have to follow what the chiefs tell me,” it reads.

Simon characterized this as evidence of interference in an interview with The Eastern Door, echoing her previous statements on social media.

As reported by The Eastern Door following Simon’s resignation from her position as lands manager in 2024, she had been summoned to a non-negotiable meeting about her contractual agreements relating to estates, which she did not attend, instead resigning. At the time she called this demand the straw that broke the camel’s back and cited stress and health issues.

Asked about the situation with Simon this week, MCK chief Brant Etienne referred to this, saying, “When we attempted to organize the meetings multiple times, she resigned. The issues we wanted to talk to her about were not resolved.”

One name, two ballots

Many were surprised, even outraged, when the provisional candidates list came out to see Serge Otsi Simon running for two positions - chief and grand chief.

However, there is nothing in the code that prohibits such a decision. Simon said drawing attention to this is one reason he made the decision to move forward, after first considering withdrawing his nomination for grand chief.

“My intent wasn’t to further divide. I think it was more to prove a point,” he said.

“There’s so much that needs to be done in that code. We need to clarify some things in there.”

According to the chief electoral officer, Graeme Drew, it is not uncommon for election codes to permit a candidate to run for more than one position on council. He was a little bit surprised by the reaction from some, but said he took it under consideration and conferred with legal counsel to confirm his interpretation.

“In the end I decided not to allow online voting. There was no reference to it. And in the electoral code there’s no reference that restricts a person from applying for both,” said Drew.

“There was nothing in the rules that restricted that, so as a result, he didn’t do anything wrong, and his name remains on both, so his name will be on both ballots now,” said Drew, adding that others could have used the same option.

“I heard people think it was offensive to the code or the integrity (of the process). I didn’t take it like that at all. I think it was just someone who wanted to hedge their bets and put their name in for both,” he said.

The important thing, Drew said, is that a single person not be permitted to hold the position of grand chief and chief simultaneously. He said, however, that section 7.1 of the code serves as a safeguard. This clause defines Council as being comprised of one grand chief and six chiefs.

“That means one person can’t hold both seats,” Drew said.

Simon said he believes that rather than being on both ballots being an advantage for him, it could actually cost him votes, with some people potentially voting for him on one ballot and not the other, effectively splitting his own vote.

“I have no illusions about my chances in an election,” said Simon.

Besides wanting to make a point, another reason he decided to stay in the race for grand chief, he said, was to stop Victor Bonspille from winning by acclamation in the event Brant Etienne were disallowed on a technicality, whether through contestation or appeal.

Clean election

With the final candidates’ list released, the election is officially underway, and one task the electoral officer has is to ensure a clean race, free of foul play or zealous personal attacks.

“The code has a lot of weaknesses in certain areas,” said Drew. “I think in terms of section 11, the code of ethics for campaigning, it is actually quite well written.”

Candidates must adhere to certain rules, including a prohibition on intimidation and vote-buying, a requirement to respect freedom of the press, respecting the rights of other candidates to campaign, and to campaign “ethically, focusing on political issues, candidate platforms and (refraining) from conducting smear campaigns or ones of gossip and innuendo.”

“I’ll be monitoring this very closely, and if there’s non-compliance, people are going to be disqualified,” said Drew.

July 18 is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Advance polls will be held on July 26, while election day is set for August 2.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter