Marcus Grignon, Daynell Grignon, Kaycee Wayka Elected to Three-Year Tribal Legislature Terms

Marcus Grignon, Daynell Grignon and Kaycee Wayka were elected to three-year terms on the Menominee Tribal Legislature, earning 319, 310 and 260 votes respectively, according to the Tribal Election Commission. The general election was held Jan. 14-15.

The Tribal Election Commission reported the full ranked totals: Marcus Grignon 319, Daynell Grignon 310, Kaycee Wayka 260, Craig Corn 202, Margaret Snow 176, John J. O’Kimosh 158, Gunnar Peters 114 and Michelle Pocan-Gonzalez 95. Those results determine which three of the nine legislative seats will shape policy and budgets for the next three years.

Members of the Menominee Tribal Legislature serve three-year terms, with three seats up for election each year. That institutional structure, noted in past tribal releases, is designed to preserve continuity while allowing regular voter input. The newly elected legislators will join the remaining six members to address tribal priorities including housing, health services, education and intergovernmental relations with Menominee County and state and federal partners.

The 2025-2026 election cycle followed schedules set by the tribe’s CH63-6 notice. The notice established a write-in candidacy window from 8:00 AM on Sept. 23, 2025 through 4:00 PM on Nov. 7, 2025, and it scheduled primary voting at the Neopit Police Precinct on Nov. 12, 2025 and at the Menominee Casino Convention Center on Nov. 13, 2025. Those primary steps preceded the Jan. 14-15 general election that produced the reported totals.

Some procedural details remain unconfirmed in published material. The Tribal Election Commission is the attributed source for the vote counts, but available reports do not show a certification date for the Jan. 14-15 results. A swearing-in date and reorganization meeting for the 2026-2029 term have not been announced in the materials reviewed; historical precedent shows the Legislature has sworn in new members at an annual reorganization meeting and then selected internal officers. The CH63-6 notice also listed Spencer Gauthier and Gena Kakkak as seats on the ballot for the 2025-2026 cycle, but those names do not appear in the published general-election totals and their status is not specified in the available materials.

For Menominee County residents on and near the reservation, the election changes who will vote on tribal budgets, local program priorities and services that intersect with county responsibilities. Watch for official notices from the Tribal Election Commission or the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin about certification, swearing-in, and the Legislature’s reorganization meeting, where leadership positions and early agenda items for the new term will be set.