By AP
Tahlequah, OK – Tribal councilman boycotts meeting in Okla.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) A Cherokee Nation tribal councilman is boycotting a meeting about changes to an election that will decide who will lead Oklahoma's largest Native American tribe.
Tribal councilman Bill John Baker skipped Friday's meeting because he says it's illegal. Baker, who's challenging incumbent Principal Chief Chad Smith in the election, protested Smith's agenda dealing with election reform, saying the issue couldn't be addressed by the council unless it had first been considered and passed out of a council committee.
Last month, the tribe's Supreme Court invalidated the June 25 election results between Smith and Baker because it could not determine with a mathematical certainty who won.
A new election has been set for Sept. 24.