David Whitener, Jr.

Hi,

My name is David Whitener, Jr., and I currently serve as your Council Member Position Two.

As I reflect back on the last 4 years, I can say that it has been an amazing journey.  I am not saying it was easy; it was not.  There were many days of frustration, upset, and seemingly unending meetings and travel.

My base of experience did not prepare me for the unique organizational structure that Council is; I’m not sure anything can.  :  )

It was a steep learning curve in the beginning, and I will be honest, I sometimes wondered what I had gotten myself into.

I missed being on the dive boat and at the clam digs, but I had made a commitment and, as I learned the ropes and studied where we were at overall as an organization and tribe, I found my passion for economics rekindled and a vision for our economic future began to emerge. 

Then Covid hit, and everything seemed to change overnight.  As we progressed through this epidemic, it became clear to me that planning for our future needs to be a top priority and that a strong economic base needs to be in place to support that future.  That also means having a strong and efficient governmental structure that supports economic growth.   

This is why I chose to run for Treasurer . . . because I feel this position would best help push us forward with this planning and growth.  I feel we are at a critical time, and I don’t believe this will be the last time we deal with something like Covid. 

I will say that you have some great choices for this position.  I believe we all bring experience and skills that you can count on, but here is the one advantage I may have – I am able and committed to devoting my full attention and time to this position  

Thank you for your consideration and lets turn our visions into reality.  :  )