Charlie Vig
| Charlie Vig | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community | |
|
Assumed office August 25, 2012 | |
| Vice President | Keith B. Anderson |
| Preceded by | Stanley Crooks |
| Vice Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community | |
|
In office January 2012 – August 25, 2012 | |
| President | Stanley Crooks |
| Preceded by | Glynn Crooks |
| Succeeded by | Keith B. Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse(s) | Donna Vig |
| Children | Five |
Charlie Vig is Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota. Vig served as the Vice Chairman from January 2012 until August 2012.[1] He became the Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community following the death of Chairman Stanley Crooks, on August 25, 2012.[1][2] The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is the most influential Native American tribe in Minnesota.[1]
Vig was the youngest of his family's nine children.[1] His grandmother, Minnie Otherday, was a descendent of John Otherday, who saved many settlers and U.S. government employees during the Dakota War of 1862.[2] Vig was raised in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.[2] He moved to the region around Prior Lake in 1969 when his parents became some of the founders of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.[2] His father died from cancer when he was nine years old.[1]
He began a career in construction, specifically masonry, once he graduated from high school.[1] Vig married his wife, Donna Vig, a social worker, in 1981; they have five children - four sons and one daughter.[2]
Vig first worked for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in 1992 as a project manager for the tribe's new Mystic Lake Casino, where he oversaw just three employees at the time.[1] He became Vice President at the casino within just three years and supervised more than 800 casino employees.[1] He served on the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux's board of gambling directors for seven terms.[1] The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community now employs 4,000 people, making the tribe the largest employer in Scott County, Minnesota.[1]
Charlie Vig was elected Vice Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in January 2012.[1] He succeeded outgoing Vice Chairman Glynn Crooks, who had served in the office for the prior sixteen years.[1]
Chairman Stanley Crooks died in office of a respiratory and lung ailment on August 25, 2012.[1] According to Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, the vice chairman becomes chairman in the instance of a death, so Vig became chairman.[1][3] The tribe's treasurer and secretary, Keith B. Anderson, became the new Vice Chairman.[3] Vig noted that Crooks' death was a shock, but not entirely unexpected, "The chairman's health had been failing for a while, and this wasn't totally unexpected...One of the reasons I stepped up is because most of the people knew the chairman might not make it to his next term. They had the confidence in me to follow through.[1]
As chairman for the remaining three years of Crooks' term, Vig planned to continued Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community's commitment to charitable donations.[1] The SMSC has donated nearly $272 million to organizations and causes between 1992 and 2013, including more than $29 million in 2012.[4]
Outside politics Vig constructed his own campground along Bear Butte Creek, located six miles south of Deadwood, South Dakota.[1] The campground includes six cabins and 3 and a half acres for tents and RVs.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Brown, Curt (2012-08-02). "Powerful tribe has new face, Little known outside of Shakopee Mdewakanton, Charlie Vig steps into the limelight to succeed Stanley Crooks.". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "About Charlie Vig". Minneapolis Star Tribune. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- 1 2 "Stanley Crooks, Chairman of Minnesota Tribe, Dies". KAAL. 2012-08-26. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ↑ "Tribe says it donated more than $29 million last year to charitable groups". Shakopee Valley News. Southwest Newspapers. July 16, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.