To the Editor,

I write today to express my support for Harvey Godwin for our next Lumbee tribal chairman.

In our search for our next tribal chairman, I hope we can rise above the pettiness that afflicts so much of this country when political opponents run against one another and focus instead on positive campaigns. I prefer to presume that none of the candidates are seeking the position for any reason other than the highest goals of trying to lead our people and alleviate systemic problems they believe they are best suited to fix.

Previous chairmen have strived to address some of the issues that have historically faced our tribe, such as our lack of true federal recognition, clean annual audits of the Housing and Urban Development funds and discord within the tribal government itself. These issues have been ongoing for a number of years and a number of our leaders have tried to address them.

Going forward, I hope to see greater efforts put forth into reaching these goals and others, such as the enforcement of our tribal constitution, better transparency in government spending, decision-making and hiring, and less nepotism. That said, I believe Mr. Godwin possesses the necessary business savvy to succeed in the administration of the tribe, and the leadership and heart needed to succeed in the uphill battle that will be required if we are going to meet some of the goals mentioned above.

I have often heard criticism of past leaders, but they are simply people like you or me. As a community I agree that we need to hold our leaders accountable. However, their power is created by the power of the individual Lumbee vote and continual participation in tribal forums. I grew up in Wakulla, the daughter of Julian and Patricia Pierce, and now live in Rockville, Md., but I will be casting my absentee ballet. To our community I say, if you are Lumbee, please attend some of the forums held to meet the candidates, ensure you are registered as a tribal member, and exercise your right to vote.

Julia Pierce

Rockville, Md.