Arlen Quetawki fails to advance in Zuni election
Cooeyate, Simplicio top vote getters

Zuni polling judge Vinton Zuni sets voting machines at the Zuni Tribal Office Tuesday while voters cast their ballots in the tribe's primary election. Poll workers said there was a better-than-expected turnout for the election. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Darrel Beehner
Staff Writer

ZUNI — Incumbent Arlen P. Quetawki Sr. and running mate Carmelita A. Sanchez did not advance to the puelbo's general election.

Instead, Norman Cooeyate, along with running mate Dancy Simplicio, gathered the most votes in Tuesday's primary election. They were followed by the ticket of Shirley L. Bellson and Edward W. Wemytewa.

Of the three pairs who entered the primaries, only the top two pairs advance to the December general elections.

Cooeyate and Simplicio earned 333 votes; Bellson and Wemytewa had 307; while Quetawki Sr. and Lt. Gov. Sanchez brought in 268 votes.

Only 915 voters cast ballots in the Tuesday's primary election, said Virginia Chavez, co-chairperson of the the Zuni Election Board. That amounts to less than a third of the Zuni tribe's 3,091 registered voters.

If Bellson should win the governor's office, she would become the first woman governor of Zuni. With her previous election, Sanchez became the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor.

Of the 17 people who entered the primary vying for a seat on the Zuni Tribal Council, only 12 will advance to the general elections. They are:

• Arden Kucate (incumbent), with 518 votes;
• Shelly C. Chimoni, 483;
• Carleton P. Albert Sr. (incumbent), 467;
• Dixie J. Tsabetsaye, 380;
• Charlotte T. Bradley (incumbent), 327;
• Lorinda A. Tsikewa, 319;
• Anthony O. Lucio, 317;
• Phillip Lahi Sr., 300;
• Winona Stacy Peynetsa, 293;
• Edison Richard Laselute, 254;
• Vivian H. Johnson, 250;
• Barton Martza, 237.

Of the 12 who advanced to the general election, six will earn seats on the council. Voters in the primary election were allowed to vote for up to six council candidates.

The general elections will be Dec. 12. All the offices carry a four-year term.