PEMBROKE — Harvey Godwin Jr. won a second three-year term as chairman of the Lumbee Tribe’s government in a landslide victory over Raymond Cummings and two other candidates.
Godwin, a Lumberton businessman, won all 14 precincts and garnered 67 percent of the vote.
When the ballots were counted, Godwin had 3,036 votes to Cummings’ 1,232, Randy Lynn Lewis’ 206 and Everton Chavis Jr.’s 32.
Cummings is chairman of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, having first joined it in 1996.
“I think it says a lot about the Lumbee people,” Godwin said, saying the overwhelming vote demonstrates Lumbees have “faith” in the current administration.
He said the vote shows they approve of the path along which the current administration is leading them.
“And we will continue to do so,” Godwin said.
Cummings could not be reached for comment.
Voter turnout was low on a dreary day with intermittent rain. Out of 27,703 eligible voters, 5,594 went to the polls to vote, just more than 20 percent.
Godwin campaigned on his record, and argued that the tribe has been controversy free during his administration. He also promised to revive the tribe’s culture, build on current educational programs and improve the economic status within the tribe.
Cummings tried to make the case that the current administration was not building enough homes and he would correct that.
Tuesday’s election also featured six races for seats on the Tribal Council, and three incumbents were defeated while three other races were for open seats.
In District 1, Carvicous Mitchell-Barfield was the victor with 143 votes, Audrey Revels-Hunt received 120 and incumbent LaKishia S. Sweat received just 13 votes.
Marshil Locklear, with 90 votes, defeated Janet Locklear, who had 80 votes in her bid for re-election to the District 10 seat.
In District 14, Terry L. Hunt beat incumbent Barbara R. Lowery by a vote count of 109 to 48.
In the race for the District 4 seat, Ted Woodell won with 94 votes, Jody Everette Bullard garnered 72 votes and Kindra D. Locklear 81.
Wendy Moore-Graham received 350 votes in District 5, easily defeating Robie Joe Goins, who got 123 votes.
In District 9, Dewey J. McNeill beat former tribal Board of Elections Chairperson Sheila Beck by a vote count of 300 to 148.
