BRADLEY, MICH., Sept. 8, 2026 – New members of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (Gun Lake Tribe’s) Council were sworn into office on Thursday, Sept. 3. Three Tribal Council seats were up for vote in August, which were filled by Eric Sprague, Amy Austin and Hunter Levandoski.
Sprague previously worked for Gun Lake Tribe Public Safety, as well as serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the Tribal Government. Austin was a former Gaming Commissioner and Executive Assistant to Tribal Council. Levandoski served as a Gun Lake Tribal Public Safety K9 officer. The remaining members of Council who were not up for reelection are Ed Pigeon, Ben Brenner, Brian Trevan and Jodie Palmer.
Council Members who retired this election cycle are Virginia Sprague-Vanderband, who served for four years, Nicole Overbeck, who served for eight years, and Tribal Council Chairman Bob Peters, who served on Council for 12 years, the last eight as the Council Chairman. For their first order of business, the new Council elected Jodie Palmer as the Tribal Chairwoman, Eric Sprague as the Vice Chairman, and Ed Pigeon as Treasurer. Ben Brenner will continue to serve as Secretary.
“I am honored to have been elected as the new Tribal Chairperson of the Gun Lake Tribe,” said Chairwoman Jodie Palmer. “I am also pleased to welcome our three newly elected Council Members. Their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives will be valuable assets as we work together to advance the Tribe’s priorities and build a better future for our Citizens. On behalf of the Council and our Citizens, I would also like to thank retiring Chairman Bob Peters for his dedicated leadership over the past eight years, as well as Virginia Sprague-Vanderband and Nicole Overbeck for their years of service on Tribal Council.”
As a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, Gun Lake Tribe is a sovereign nation with the powers of self-government. As such, Tribal Council is the elected governing body, comprised of seven Gun Lake Tribal Citizens. Serving Council Members are elected for a four-year term, with terms being staggered based on the voting district represented. Each Council Member must run for and gain re-election during their cycle to retain their seat on Gun Lake Tribal Council.
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About Gun Lake Tribe
The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi (Gun Lake Tribe) has a rich history in West Michigan and close connection to the land. The Bradley Indian Mission, located near Wayland, is the historic residential and cultural center point of the tribal community. The Tribe’s ancestors, and political predecessors, signed treaties with the United States government dating back to 1795. The Tribe was re-affirmed to federal recognition in 1999. For more information about the Tribe, visit https://gunlaketribe-nsn.gov/.
