Dupuis wins Fond du Lac District 1 special election

On Tuesday, Fond du Lac Band members in District 1 (Cloquet) elected Wally Dupuis to represent them on the tribal council - a job he's held before.

Dupuis got 53.39 percent of the vote to 46.61 percent for Patty Petite in Tuesday's Special General Election.

"My message that I believe resonated with voters was that I had the past experience to be able to get into office and get right to work," said Dupuis, who previously served on the Reservation Business Committee (RBC) for two terms, or eight years. "I have the knowledge of all programs and enterprises, along with an open door policy."

The special election was held to fill the remaining two years of the RBC seat left vacant after Vanessa Northrup was removed in July. Dupuis and Petite advanced to the general election from a crowded field of 12 primary candidates in October.

Dupuis received a total of 260 votes, with 189 of those cast on election day and 70 via absentee ballot. Petite received 227 votes, 185 on election day and 42 via absentee ballot. The total number of ballots cast was 487.

Dupuis said his start date is not yet confirmed, but he is ready to hit the ground running.

"The first thing I will do is familiarize myself with the current projects that the FDL band have in the works," he told the Pine Knot News.

In his previous response to the Pine Knot candidate profile questions, Dupuis said he is particularly concerned about the opioid epidemic that is sweeping across the entire country and the reservation. He also wants to be actively involved with the implementation of the Enbridge pipeline project, so that will be one of his first priorities. He praised the work the FDL tribal government has done in health care for band members and in natural resources.

Dupuis has more than 20 years experience in law enforcement and has more recently served as a community advocate representing the Fond du Lac Band in both the St. Louis and Carlton County treatment courts.

During his last term on the RBC, Dupuis served as Chairman of the Band for seven months after Chair Karen Diver took a position in Washington D.C. and before the current Chair Kevin Dupuis was elected.