LdF town supervisor Gloria Cobb resigns following election to tribal council

The three-member Lac du Flambeau town board is now a two-member board, at least for the time being, following the resignation of town supervisor Gloria Cobb during the Oct. 16 meeting.

The ongoing dispute the town has with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians regarding expired easements on tribal land on four town roads was the reason for her resignation, she explained. 

A member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Cobb was elected to the tribal council on Oct. 1.

Elected to the town board in April, 2019, earlier this year she began recusing herself from any discussions or decisions at the town board level regarding the road dispute.

She was on the primary ballot for treasurer of the tribal council, which she lost, but did earn a seat on the tribal council. 

Following her win in the tribal council election on Oct. 1, her resignation from the town board was anticipated by many. 

At last week’s town board meeting, Cobb stood and read from a statement to town chairman Matt Gaulke and those in attendance. 

“As a result of this election, I regretfully need to inform you that I resign from my position as town board supervisor,” she said. “Although in the past I have simultaneously ran (for and) sat on the town board and the tribal council, I do not, with a full heart, believe that it would be ethical for me to continue to do so due to the roads issue.”

The road issue, Cobb read from her statement, “is obviously one of the most significant items facing the town at this time and one that I feel strongly about.”

“Unfortunately, by virtue of my membership on the tribal council, I would have to abstain from voting on any matters related to the roads issue,” she said. “Because of the small size of the town board, it would be patently unfair to the citizens of the town of Lac du Flambeau for me to remain as a member unless I could fully represent their best interest by voting on all matters without any constraints.”

Cobb said she’s enjoyed her time on the town board and “remain committed to the betterment of Lac du Flambeau.”

“In the future, I hope to return to the town board to once again represent the residents, the citizens and my home, the town of Lac du Flambeau when the roads issue is resolved and is no longer an impediment to my service,” she added. 

After reading from her prepared statement, Cobb said the decision to resign from the town board wasn’t an easy one. 

“I thought long an hard before I put my name on the (tribal) ballot but there are reasons behind doing that,” she said. “I’ve been labeled a ‘voice of reason’ and I hope to continue to do that but this wasn’t an easy decision to make and today will be my last official (meeting).”

Cobb’s final official act as a Lac du Flambeau town supervisor was to make the motion to adjourn the meeting which was seconded by town chairman Matt Gaulke. 

After the meeting, Cobb told The Lakeland Times she’d be available as a community member “to advise the town board.”

She referenced the time before the tribal council barricaded the four roads on Jan. 31, 2023. 

“I can help,” Cobb said. “I wanted to say because of this position, I will be taking the same stance at the tribal council level. I will recuse myself. I did it today.”

She said the tribal council held a special meeting earlier in the day regarding legal issues, the road issue among them. 

“I sat in on what I could and then I left when the roads came up,” Cobb said. “I removed myself. I didn’t sit and listen, I didn’t do anything. I left and I will continue to do that because of my position sitting here when the roads issue became what it has. It’s only fair. Ethically, that’s the right thing to do.”

“It’s a definite loss to the town board and the town,” Gaulke said of Cobb’s resignation. 

As for as finding a successor, Gaulke said one way to determine that is to advertise and then he, town supervisor Bob Hanson and town clerk Susan Schoonover would review the candidates and make a decision. 

Whoever is chosen will be in office for a short time before the town board expands to five members in the April election, something town electors approved during the town’s annual meeting on April 16. 

Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected].