Vernon Syrette re-elected in Batchewana

Vernon Syrette has been re-elected as chief of Batchewana First Nation of Ojibways.

An official count has not yet been communicated to SooToday.com, but an unofficial tally received by us shows "Champ" Syrette with 228 votes, compared to 197 for his nearest rival, Joe Tom Sayers.

Sayers, however, easily topped the list of successful candidates for band council.

Band council results

(Only successful candidates are shown. The list of successful candidates is official. The vote counts are unofficial.)

Joe Tom Sayers - 211

Greg Agawa - 156

Donna-May Sayers-Lariviere - 143

Noel Syrette - 140

Bertha Beaulieu - 138

Gary Gingras - 136

Kevin Tegosh - 135

Vernon Syrette - 131

Finished counting at 4 a.m.

Ballot-counting at the Rankin Arena polling station ended at 4 a.m. today.

Issues in this year's elections, as outlined at a candidates meeting in Sault Ste. Marie, included allegations of discrimination within the band, the respective roles of band council and administration, and conflict-of-interest issues posed by five former band councillors who are also band employees.

Only three of those councillors were re-elected today: Noel Syrette, Bertha Syrette and Kevin Tegosh.