New Oglala Sioux Tribe President Kevin Killer was sworn in Friday and is excited to finally get to work.
Killer beat incumbent Julian Bear Runner by a 2-to-1 margin in last month’s election.
Killer, who served in the South Dakota legislature from 2009 to 2019, says “ coming in with this new council has been a tremendous experience (because) we all ran to serve our community.
He sees the “same spirit of community service and understanding that it’s a job of love and it’s a job of labor” that he saw in his years in the legislature.
Killer hopes to build unity and work together with both new and returning council members to solve issues in the community that include housing, the coronavirus, and rebuilding relationships with state and federal officials and agencies.
He wants to use networking to expand the reservation’s perspective and outreach by working with other states and organizations.
Killer served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 2009 to 2017 and the State Senate from 2017 to 2019.