P. O. Box 1380
Jay, OK 74346
Home (918) 253-8966
Work (918) 253-4523
E-Mail: mshotpouch@cherokee.org
Personal background
Melvina is a native and resident of Delaware County, 4/4 Cherokee and speaks her native language fluently. She is the oldest of Mike and Jewel (Chopper) Shotpouch's nine children. Her family still resides on her grandfather's original allotment. The family, known for their "Shotpouch Hog Fry" celebrations, is very close and believes in preserving their Cherokee culture. Melvina has two sons; Kenton, a student at Northeastern State University, and Kip, a freshman at Jay High School. Melvina graduated from Jay High School, Oklahoma State Technical School and Oklahoma A & M. She has enhanced her professional development and received state accreditation by attending numerous continuing education programs in county government at OSU.
What are your qualifications for this position
Since she was 12 years olf, volunteer service has been a vital part of Melvina's community participation. She was honored by the community with the "Citizen of the Year" award for her activism. Melvin's first volunteer work was with the local Head Start program. More recently, she was instrumental in securing the area's Vo-Tech school. Melvin has served on numerous boards and committees. She was a Cherokee Nation tribal council member from 1992 to 1995, and was a member of the Jay Chamber of Commerce where she served as secretary for five years. Currently, she is serving on the Board of Commission for the Cherokee Nation Housing Authority, as the President of the Delaware County Democratic Women, on the Jay Park and Recreation Department Board, and she is in her 8th year on the Jay City Council.
Melvina has been empoyed for 12 years with the Delaware County Assessors Office. As a cartographer, she drafts maps of Delaware county. She was previously employed with Delaware County Abstract and Kingfisher County Mental Health Center.
What is the role of tribal council, in general and in relation to other tribal branches of government
The role of the tribal council is to be the voice of the Cherokee people, to serve them and to care for their needs. As the legislative body, the tribal council must be able to make difficult decisions necessary to lead our Nation. We must make important decisions that affect peoples' lives, and this can only be done through decisive leadership. With the guidance of the government, our tribal operations must ensure that programs are developed fully and delivered to the Cherokee people with quality service in a timely manner.
Why do you believe you can make a difference and what are the top priorities of your campaign platform
I have never looked upon my service as a job. To me, it is my duty to serve the Cherokee people. Through the skills and knowledge developed in my professional work as well as my community involvement, and because of the contacts I've made with state and federal representatives, I can be a competent and valuable representative for my district on the tribal council. I know the Cherokee people's needs. I know the Cherokee people's concerns, and I understand the difficult issues that face our Nation.
What are the biggest problems facing the Cherokee people today and what solution(s) do you propose
I will make decisions that are in the best interest of all Cherokees. My top priorities are plain and simple: we must follow the Constitution, uphold the oath of office, perserve our water rights, and promote our culture and language.
Our people face serious problems. We have inadequate health care, housing, education and economic development, the elderly have a special place in my hear, and we need to concentrate on programs developed with their special needs in mild I will make a strong commitment to service delivery, and work to develop new avenues for providing those services.
I would appreciate your support for tribal council. I hope to work for you in the future.
During the 1999 Elections, a candidate questionnaire was given to the
candidates addressing the following questions:
- What are your qualifications for this position
- What is the role of tribal council, in general and in relation to other
tribal branches of government
- Why do you believe you can make a difference and what are the top
priorities of your campaign platform
- What are the biggest problems facing the Cherokee people today and what
solution(s) do you propose
To see the responses to those questions, please follow this link:
http://www.cherokee.org/TribalGovernment/Elections99Page.asp?ID=e99election