| Mary Baker Shaw | |
|---|---|
| Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor for the at-large district | |
| In office August 14, 2017 – August 2021 | |
| Succeeded by | Johnny Jack Kidwell |
| Personal details | |
| Citizenship | Cherokee Nation United States |
Mary Baker Shaw is a Cherokee politician who served as an at-large tribal councilor for the Cherokee Nation from 2017 to 2021.
Career
Baker Shaw won the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council's At-Large seat in the June 3, 2017 election. She secured a victory with 56.77% of the vote, receiving 847 votes out of the total cast. This margin was sufficient to avoid a runoff election. Her closest competitors in the election were Shane Jett, who received 19.64% of the vote (293 vote) and Linda Leaf-Bolin, who finished third with 11.33% of the vote (169 votes). Baker Shaw was one of nine Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilors sworn into office on August 14, 2017, at a ceremony held in the Sequoyah High School gymnasium. She represented Cherokee citizens living outside the tribe's jurisdictional boundaries as one of two at-large councilors alongside Wanda Hatfield.
Baker Shaw co-sponsored legislation with fellow at-large councilor Julia Coates to provide glasses to at-large Cherokees who have their eyes examined at Cherokee Nation health clinics. She served as chair of the Health Committee, where she addressed the issue of physician turnover. She formed a subgroup that implemented solutions, resulting in a reduction in provider turnover from losing 100 out of 125 physicians in a 5-year period to less than 4% turnover. Baker Shaw supported the launch of cherokeesatlarge.org to provide timely information to the at-large Cherokee population. She did not run for reelection when her four-year term concluded in 2021. She was succeeded by Johnny Jack Kidwell.
References
- ^ Bennett, Brittney (2017-06-04). "Baker Shaw wins At-Large seat". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ "Cherokee Nation has swearing-in ceremony for Tribal Councilors". The Cherokee One Feather. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ Rowley, D. Sean (2021-07-04). "Baker Shaw says 'much to be done' for at-large members". cherokeephoenix.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.