Regina Gasco & Denise Petoskey for LTBB Tribal Chair / Vice Chair

07/01/2025

Gratitude.

We are filled with gratitude today as we have heard from so many citizens giving their support, love, and well-wishes.

This election season has been filled with so many meaningful conversations with citizens about the future of our tribe, hopes and dreams for LTBB, and a shared love for this community.

The work and advocacy never really stops, and elections don’t change that.

Our congratulations go out to the elected future council members and executive team. There is so much to be done. As always, let’s hope we keep the tribe moving forward in a good, positive way.

06/24/2025

We were recently asked why we think so many citizens don’t vote - and here are our thoughts:

We believe there can be a disconnect between candidates/leadership and citizens who are outside of the service area. We work to minimize that gap by sending out information, hosting virtual town-halls, and providing other digital media, but this is something we must continuously work to improve and is top of our mind.

A lot of citizens don’t realize how impactful their vote is, especially in a smaller tribe like LTBB. We want all citizens to have a voice, regardless of where you live. It is a priority of ours to ensure our people are taken care of, regardless of where their path in life has taken them. Voting and communicating your stance to us also helps us know what our people want and need and carry that with us when we are out in the communities doing this important work.

The general election is June 30th. We are less than a week away now! We ask that you help us continue this work and always an advocating force for ALL our citizens.

Mail in your ballots now, or vote in person at the LTBB Governement building until 6pm the day of the election to make your voice heard! There is much work to be done, LTBB, and we’re ready to do it. 💪🏼

05/28/2025

Wow- it’s that time already!

Ballots are out and we are able to exercise our right as citizens to vote for tribal leadership.

We wanted to take this opportunity to say chi-Miigwetch for all the support we have received from citizens and community members. Elections can be intense, and campaigning can sometimes be fierce, but we always approach each day with gratitude and a goal of moving forward in a positive way.

We have received some questions regarding our priorities and objectives for our leadership and have put together some thoughts to summarize it:

•We believe in supporting our citizens, our elders, our youth, our families - regardless of where they live. We will look out for LTBB, even if your path does not include living within our boundaries.

•We are experienced and ready to protect our sovereignty and sacred lands. We have both spent years leading and advocating for tribal rights.

•We will always push to strengthen healthcare and education. Keeping our citizens healthy and safe and providing them with educational opportunities are a priority of ours.

•We plan to focus on economic opportunities to advance LTBB and create sustainability for our programs and next seven generations. The more self-sufficient we are, the less reliant we are and the more confident we become in unprecedented times.

•We will support and promote the preservation of our language and traditions. At the core of it all, who we are as Odawa people must always remain strong and be shared with our future generations.

We ask for your vote in this election to help us do this important work and keep stability in the tribe.

More questions? Reach out to us! We are in this together for the future of LTBB. 🤍💛❤️🖤

05/26/2025

We are wishing you a happy and safe Memorial Day today. As we enjoy our day, take a moment to put semaa down and remember those who have given their lives- so many of those are our native relatives. 🤍💛❤️🖤

05/10/2025

We’ve had a lot of people asking us “How can we help?”
LTBB is stronger together, and it is so important to us to have this campaign be community based, just like our leadership style.

When we have hard decisions to make, we approach our elders for guidance. When we have training and travel opportunities, we believe in sending our staff so that knowledge stays in our government, even as elected officials come and go. When we see problems arise, we seek feedback from everyone impacted.

This campaign is not just about us: it is about our community. We are here asking to serve as voice and resource of the people.

We have had several citizens ask how they can be a part of this election journey with us, and we are so grateful.

Here are some ways to be involved:

✅Email us: Send an email to [email protected] and let us know what questions and concerns you have. We are here to advocate for you!

✅Share our posts & invite others to “Like” our page:
Help us share our message and continue to reach all citizens who may have questions!

✅Have conversations with LTBB friends & family who are voters: Talk to your fellow citizens about what is important to you in leadership and how we can all work together to keep LTBB moving forward in a good, positive way!

✅Vote Gasco/Petoskey in the June 30th general election: Make a plan to send in your ballot early so you never worry about missing the deadline and can make your voice heard. Remember, you can always drop your ballot off or vote in person from 12pm-6pm on Election Day, too!

Let’s do this together for our next seven generations. 💪🏼

05/09/2025

To us, leadership doesn’t stop after the 9-5 work day. It isn’t always glamorous, but it’s what we are passionate about. We have spent decades integrating ourselves with the community and serving in as many ways as possible!

In addition to my 24 years employment with the Tribe, I have also served in the following ways:

•2003-2011​ - Chairperson, LTBB Election Board
•2005-2013​ - Chairperson LTBB Sovereignty Day Committee
•2015-2018​ - Chairperson, LTBB Gaming Enterprise Board
•2021-Present​ - Vice Chairperson, LTBB Gaming Authority

In 2020 I was thrilled to broaden my work in the community be being elected to the School Board at the Public Schools of Petoskey, the schools my family has attended for generations. In January 2025, I was elected President of the Board. I am the first Indigenous person to serve on this Board in its 150- year history. Our students deserve representation at the highest levels.

I am also a certified mediator and volunteer though Northern Community Mediation since 2019, and certified in General Mediation and Child Protection Mediation. I frequently use these mediation skills in my work with the Tribe.

This combined experience has given me opportunity to really learn the nuts and bolts of Tribal and Casino Operations. I know what it takes to make to General Fund dollars at the Casino, and the Government responsibility to spend those dollars in a way that will have the largest impact to citizens.

We are so proud of the work we have done both collectively and separately to develop ourselves and create a well-rounded team that is ready to fight to keep LTBB strong during the most unprecedented of times.

Miigwetch,

Denise

05/07/2025

Let’s be transparent: leadership comes with hard work, hard decisions, and unexpected situations.

We have to be okay with shifting gears at a moment’s notice. We have to be ready to jump into action when we face unprecedented times.

This year’s ice storm was unlike anything we’ve ever seen and had a great impact on our community. We came out on the other side, and I am so grateful to have been so immersed in the community alongside our amazing team, citizens, and neighbors. I was honored to receive these letters yesterday acknowledging the strength our team demonstrated in proactively addressing the storm. We learned so much from this emergency and we carry that knowledge as we move forward to prepare for the future.

This is what we mean when we say tested leadership. Denise and I have both been on the frontlines through many emergencies and changes during our careers with LTBB: COVID, economic changes, sovereignty threats, the ice storm, and currently the new federal administration. We know how to protect LTBB and we want to use our skills and experience to continue nurturing a bright future for our next seven generations. I hope you’ll vote to help us do so.

Chi Miigwetch,

Gina

05/06/2025

The results for the primary election are in!

Chi miigwetch to everyone who voted - we are excited to continue on this journey! We humbly ask for your support June 30th during the general election. There is still much work to be done in protecting LTBB citizens and keeping the tribe moving forward in a good way. 🤍💛❤️🖤

04/15/2025

FYI!

https://ltbbodawa-nsn.gov/Natural-Disaster-Application

04/13/2025

Aanii,

I have had several citizens reach out to ask about current happenings on social media. While I typically don’t engage as everyone is entitled to their opinion, I was asked to offer my perspective to clear up any misconceptions.

When recently asked about the future of Stella and I’s administration, as I am running with a different running mate this election, I explained that we had decided not to run together again, and that Stella had expressed she would be taking another path (one that allowed her to spend more time enjoying being a grandma) after our term ended. I am now hearing that this was misunderstood as my saying her path had already changed and she was unable to perform her duties. This was not the case.

There have been things during our term that we have not seen eye-to-eye on, as with any team. We have always done our best to keep things moving forward and navigate any hurdles that arise. As Tribal Chairperson, it is my responsibility to make sure our executive branch continues operating and stays positive even when there is conflict. I have to listen to the concerns that citizens and employees bring to me and see that they are addressed.

There have also been several specific issues my Vice-Chair and I did not agree on. When these things happen, I can only do my best to follow our seven grandfather teachings, as well as our constitution to help me make decisions as your Tribal Chairperson. My intention is never to block, isolate, or undermine anyone - but I have an obligation to keep operations going in a productive way. I have to put the needs of the people and my staff first. Sometimes that does not allow time for my personal feelings or to address gossip, even though there are things that are being said about me that are not true.

I will not spend time arguing or spreading negativity. It is my job first and foremost to take care of our people, which I hope to continue doing. I do ask that when you see animosity on social media, you consider that we are in the middle of an election and political campaigning is at an all time high.

In the meantime, I will keep doing all the work I can to serve our people and always work to move our tribe forward in a good, positive way. My door is always open and my phone is always on for any citizen that would like to reach out.

Miigwetch,

Gina

04/01/2025

LTBB is officially in a state of emergency.

The executive department has been working to bring much needed resources to the community. We have been able to open the community center in Harbor Springs as a warming center yesterday and today, where we can provide folks with a hot meal and a place to charge their devices. Today there will be chili, meatloaf, and goulash available. The pharmacy remains open until 3PM to refill medications that are out. We also have members of our team delivering bringing in necessary resources and getting them to areas of our community where we are seeing urgent need.

Shay Elementary and Odawa Casino remain open as full-time warming centers. Please check in with loved ones and stay safe. We will get through this together.

Gina

03/26/2025

One of the points we try to emphasize to citizens is the importance of tested leadership. Here’s what we mean:

Right now, more than ever, it is critical that our elected officials are experienced and prepared to advocate for LTBB in conversations with the US Government. We are seeing funding, land, and even our sovereignty at risk, and leadership is responsible for making sure that our community is not being pushed backwards— but continuing to move forward in a good, positive way.

This team has years of experience working with other Indigenous communities, as well as States and the US Government. This experience comes from holding the position of LTBB Tribal Chair, serving on several other diverse commissions, emergency crisis management, and more.

We always welcome other candidates and for members to be involved in elections and exercising their rights as citizens to run for office— but we also know the severity of the political climate we are living in within the United States.

When we ask for your vote, we are asking for an opportunity to represent you because we are experts in these government relations with backgrounds designed for this hard work. We are in the thick of it and ready to continue fighting for LTBB to be safe and represented in all levels of government. To us, tested leadership means two strong Odawa Kwe who know what tribal nations are up against, and have experience facing it in this capacity, head on.