Mike Shambaugh

Summary

Mike Shambaugh is an American and Cherokee Nation politician, baseball player, and police officer who has served on the Cherokee Nation tribal councilor representing the 9th district since 2017 and as speaker of the Cherokee Nation tribal council since 2021.

Mike Shambaugh
Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council
Assumed office
August 26, 2021
Preceded byJoe Byrd
Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the 9th district
Assumed office
August 14, 2017
Preceded byCurtis Snell
Personal details
Born (1964-12-22) December 22, 1964 (age 59)
CitizenshipAmerican
Cherokee Nation
Political partyDemocratic Party

Early life, education, and baseball career edit

Mike Shambaugh was born on December 22, 1964.[1] He was raised in Jay, Oklahoma and graduated from Jay High School.[2][3] He attended Oral Roberts University, but he did not graduate.[2]

Baseball career edit

Shambaugh played on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles baseball team from 1984 to 1987.[4] He was selected by Collegiate Baseball magazine as one of their pre-season All-American team members in 1986.[5] He played in the National Baseball Congress World Series championship games in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. The first two years for Liberal, Kansas, followed by the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, and finally for the Wichita Broncos. His team won the championship in 1985 and 1986.[6] In 1988, he signed with the Boise Hawks for a season.[7] In 1990, The Oklahoman named him as one of the 1980s "all-decade" Oklahoma high school baseball team members.[8] Shambaugh retired early from baseball after an injury.[2]

Police career and campaigns for sheriff edit

After retiring from baseball, Shambaugh returned to his hometown of Jay, Oklahoma in Delaware County to work as a police officer.[2] In 2000, he ran for Delaware County sheriff in the Democratic primary against Lynden Woodruff, Jerry Littlefield, and Mike Dilbeck.[9] Shambaugh and Woodruff advanced to a runoff, which Shambaugh lost receiving 46% of the vote.[10] By 2003, Shambaugh served as Jay Chief of Police.[11] Woodruff would later resign as Delaware County Sheriff after pleading guilty to driving under the influence; after his replacement, Rick White, was criticized for a racist joke during a stump speech in 2004, Shambaugh forwarded five complaints his office had received against White to the district attorney.[12] In 2007, Shambaugh was Jay Chief of Police during the 2007 ice storm, during which half the city did not have power and the area was under a Boil-water advisory.[13]

In 2016, Shambaugh ran Delaware County sheriff as the Democratic Party's nominee; after incumbent Harlan Moore won the election by seven votes, Shambaugh requested a recount.[14] After the recount he lost the election by 5 votes.[15][16]

Cherokee Nation tribal council edit

In 2017, Shambaugh filed to run for the 9th district of Cherokee Nation tribal council. Incumbent Curtis Snell was term-limited and four candidates filed for the general election: Shambaugh, Anthony Cochran, Edward Crawford, and Clifton Hughes.[17] He advanced to a runoff election alongside Hughes after leading in the general election.[18] Shambaugh went on to win the runoff election with 55% of the vote.[19] He was sworn into office on August 14, 2017.[20]

On August 13, 2020, after the McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, principal chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. appointed Shambaugh to the Commission for the Protection of Cherokee Nation Sovereignty to examine the effects of the decision and make recommendations to the nation on how to allocate resources.[21]

In June 2021, Shambaugh ran for re-election and faced challengers Lawrence Panther and Joyce Nix McCarter. He won re-election with 59% of the vote.[3] He was sworn in for his second term on August 14.[22] On August 26, he was elected speaker of Cherokee Nation tribal council and Victoria Vazquez was elected as vice-speaker.[23][24]

In 2022, Shambaugh criticized the Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta decision as "another broken promise."[25]

In 2023 after Governor Kevin Stitt appointed former Cherokee Nation tribal councilor Wes Nofire as the Oklahoma Native American Affairs Liaison, Shambaugh published an op-ed in the Cherokee Phoenix comparing Nofire to General George Armstrong Custer's Native American scouts and criticizing his appointment because of his "peddl[ing] in fact-free unhinged and ideologically extreme conspiracy theories that pose a danger of political violence" such as the Jewish Indian theory, implying principal chief Hoskins is "the biblical 'beast'" otherwise known as Satan, and accusing the Cherokee Nation of "child trafficking."[26][27]

References edit

  1. ^ "Meet the Hawks". The Idaho Statesman. June 16, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Hayot, Marc (July 5, 2023). "Shambaugh helps out local communities". Siloam Springs Herald Leader. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b Hunter, Chad (June 6, 2021). "Shambaugh retains Dist. 9 seat for 2nd term". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ Tramel, Jimmie (July 19, 2011). "Then & Now: Mike Shambaugh trades his glove for a badge". Tulsa World. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Two Titans, Razorback On Early All-American List". Tulsa World. January 9, 1986. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mike Shambaugh: NBC's good luck charm". The Wichita Eagle. August 15, 1987. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Hurrle, Ron (June 8, 1988). "Hawks sign five players, complete 1988 roster". The Idaho Statesman. p. 15. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "The '80s All-Decade High School Baseball Team". The Oklahoman. January 1, 1990. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Clark, Jann (August 20, 2000). "4 Demos battle for sheriff". Tulsa World. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  10. ^ "County Runoffs". The Daily Oklahoman. September 20, 2000. p. 7. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Stogsdill, Sheila K. (August 13, 2000). "Brothers fight convict's release". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Luthy, Brenda (August 18, 2004). "Delaware County sheriff denies prejudice amid Indian flap". Tulsa World. p. 16. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  13. ^ Morgan, Rhett (January 20, 2007). "Recovery in Jay Slowed as melting ice causes outages". Tulsa World. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  14. ^ Stogsdill, Sheila K. (November 12, 2016). "Challenger to seek recount in Delaware County sheriff's race; trails by 7 votes". Tulsa World. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Delaware County sheriff wins election recount". The Journal Record. Associated Press. November 18, 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  16. ^ "November 08 2016 Delaware County Official Results". results.okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  17. ^ Murphy, Jami (February 11, 2017). "Tribal Council elections draw 35 candidates". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  18. ^ Bennett, Brittney (June 4, 2017). "Hughes, Shambaugh in Dist. 9 runoff". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  19. ^ Kidd, Chandler (July 23, 2017). "Shambaugh wins runoff election for Dist. 9 council seat". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  20. ^ Boston, Stacie (August 15, 2017). "9 Tribal Councilors sworn into office". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Hoskin establishes sovereignty commission in wake of McGirt decision". Cherokee Phoenix. August 14, 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  22. ^ Rowley, D. Sean (August 17, 2021). "9 Cherokee Nation councilors take oath of office during ceremony". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  23. ^ Rowley, D. Sean (August 27, 2021). "Cherokee Nation's Rules Committee keeps votes public, picks Shambaugh as Council speaker". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  24. ^ "Cherokee Nation Tribal Council elects speaker, deputy speaker, secretary positions". Cherokee Phoenix. August 31, 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  25. ^ Hunter, Chad (July 13, 2022). "SCOTUS hands down 'terrible' jurisdiction decision, AG says". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  26. ^ Mike, Shambaugh (September 8, 2023). "OPINION: Custer had his scouts. Governor Stitt has Wes Nofire". Cherokee Phoenix. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  27. ^ Krehbiel, Randy (September 8, 2023). "Political notebook: State tax revenue continues lower". Tulsa World. Retrieved 10 September 2023.