Wallace wins third term as Washoe Tribe chairman

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998 | 3:35 a.m.

Wallace collected 243 votes - just over half the total number cast. Next closest was longtime critic Benny Mills with 155 votes followed by Lloyd Wyatt, whom Wallace refused to hire as tribal police captain, with 71 votes.

The two other candidates, Art George Sr., and Gerald Sam, collected just 6 and 3 votes respectively.

Wallace said that is actually a higher percentage for him than four years ago when he won the office with a plurality in a field of eight candidates.

He said he wants to continue the Washoe Tribe's efforts to expand into the heritage tourism industry and "broaden our economic reach both on and off the reservation."

He said major issues for the tribe continue to be repatriation of tribal homelands, especially in the Tahoe Basin, protection of cultural resources and historic sites off tribal lands and protection of Washoe environmental resources on tribal property.

The tribe represents more than 1,500 members in Nevada and California.

Mills led a coalition that attempted to remove Wallace from office earlier this year. The recall gathered enough signatures to force a vote but a majority cast ballots in favor of Wallace.

He has complained repeatedly that there are unexplained shortfalls in tribal assets.

Wyatt, a private security officer in Reno, was offered the job as police captain by the tribal council but Wallace overruled the vote and rejected him.

Wyatt filed saying the tribal government was "dysfunctional" and that he wanted to make leadership accountable to the people.

Wallace says his administration has been accountable and has made significant strides including reestablishing a Washoe Tribal presence in the Tahoe Basin, historically regarded as sacred by the tribe.