PEMBROKE — Purnell Swett says he doesn’t take the responsibility of leading the Lumbee tribe for the next three years lightly.

“I plan to give 110 percent,” said Swett, the chairman-elect of the tribe. “I am looking forward to the challenges of the job. I know I have the patience and tolerance to handle these challenges without difficulty.”

Swett, an educator who twice served as superintendent of the Robeson County public schools, before and after merger, was elected Tuesday as the Lumbee Tribe’s third chairman. He solidly outpolled his opponents, Tony Hunt, a Hoke County commissioner, and Terry Campbell, a member of the tribe’s 21-member council, receiving more than half the votes in the three-man race. In January, he will replace Chairman Jimmy Goins, who by tribal law could not seek a third consecutive term.

Although Swett says he has already started to work “quietly” on some of his ideas for improving government administration and getting services to those tribal members who need them, he said that he is not going to interfere with the last days of the Goins administration.

“Jimmy Goins is still the chairman of this tribe,” he said. “That’s what I keep telling people, and that’s what I want them to remember.”

Swett is banking on his many years of experience in educational supervision and administration — including his time in the positions of acting deputy commissioner and program manager for the Health, Education and Welfare Office of Indian Education in Washington D.C. — to help him oversee the administration of tribal business.

“Wisdom and experience are important,” the 75-year-old said. “You learn a lot of things over the years that you don’t forget.”

Swett says that under his leadership there will be some changes in the way government operates, but cautions they will not be immediate.

“Change will be gradual,” he said. “Gradual change is my philosophy. It is a philosophy that was drilled into me at graduate school, and it has always worked well.

“The campaign was good for me. It reinvigorated me and got the cobwebs out of my mind... . I have some things in mind that I would like to do. I’m a planner rather than someone who shoots a shotgun into the air and waits to see where the pieces fall.”

Swett says that it is his goal to develop good public relationships through the use of various venues. He says that a major obstacle is the perception of many tribal members that only people who are friends with council members or others closely tied to the tribal government receive adequate housing and other services.

“I don’t know if this is true or not. I have to look into it. I’ve heard some rumors just like others,” he said. “Is this real or perception? It needs to be looked into because perception is the same as being real.”

Swett said that he is committed to seeing that those who are entitled to tribal services receive them.

“We especially need to see that the concerns and needs of our seniors and veterans are met,” he said.

The chairman-elect knows that there will need to be cooperation between Tribal Council members and his administration if the government is to operate smoothly.

“I think we will all work well together,” he said. “I’m pleased already with the overall feedback I have received.”

Swett strongly disagrees with some who have questioned his ability to effectively lead the tribe. In 1997, he resigned as the superintendent of the Public Schools of Robeson County after allegations surfaced that he had received several thousand dollars in unauthorized salary adjustments. He later pled guilty to misprision, a misdemeanor, and reimbursed the school system.

“Most people understood what was going on at the time,” Swett said Friday. “It was political. By the plea I made I never admitted guilt or innocence.

“Looking at it from hindsight, I should have fought the charges and proved my innocence,” Swett said. “But at the time, I just wanted to get the school system out of the spotlight, remove the stress on my family, and move on ... . There’s no doubt in my mind that the people (voters) looked at the whole history. They also recognized that if someone is trying to steal money, they would have tried to hide it.”

Swett says that some individuals tried to make the issue surrounding his resignation a campaign issue.

“But it didn’t work,” he said. “People didn’t buy it.”

One of the first issues that the new chairman will face is the appointment of a tribal administrator. On Thursday, the Tribal Council approved an ordinance requiring that the chairman within 45 calendar days of the administrator’s position becoming vacant recommend to the Tribal Council someone to fill the position. The tribe has been without a permanent full-time administrator for the past three years.

Goins has said that should be the next chairman’s job.

Swett said he plans to hire an administrator who is already experienced in administration and capable of overseeing the daily operations of government without the need of intervention by the chairman.

“I don’t want to get bogged down with the minutia of day-to-day operations,” he said. “A good administrator will allow me the time to work on the federal recognition effort and develop a strong working relationship with the council and other groups working to better the lives of the Lumbee people.”

Swett said there is no truth to rumors he has promised jobs, or that he plans to fire large numbers of current tribal employees.

“This is absolutely not true. I believe that everyone’s job — not just administrators — is important,’’ he said. “I believe that each employee needs to know the parameters of his job and work within them.”