Tribal Council and the Board each have a new member as a result of the May 8 election. Mondo Tiger will take a seat as Councilman from Big Cypress and Gordon O. Wareham will represent Hollywood on the Board.

The rest of the ballot was a vote of confidence for incumbents. Big Cypress voters retained Joe Frank as their Board Representative; Brighton gave their stamp of approval to Councilman Andrew J. Bowers Jr. and Board Rep. Larry Howard; Hollywood residents gave Councilman Christopher Osceola another term in office.

Tiger has a list of short term goals he hopes to achieve starting with putting Tribal members to work, exploring the possibility of bringing vocational education to Big Cypress and solving the housing problem. He also is ready to tackle some longer term issues.

“I want to bring in more non-gaming money so we don’t have to rely on casinos,” he said. “Culture should be brought to the forefront. I’d like to see a successful businessperson who is very rich in culture; I think you can do both.”

Wareham’s objective is to help improve the Board’s financial health during his term. He would like to examine the existing businesses, determine what is successful and expand from there.

“I’m excited for this opportunity that my community has given me,” he said. “At the end of the fiscal year, I want the Board to be in the black.”

The purpose of the election was to elect Council and Board representatives, so only reservation residents in Big Cypress/Immokalee, Brighton/Tampa and Hollywood/Fort Pierce were eligible to vote.

The inauguration ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. June 5 under the Council Oak tree at the corner of 441 and Stirling Road in Hollywood.