Mohegan ― Four candidates for Mohegan Tribal Council seats ― three of them incumbents ― won election Sunday after the end of weeks of secret-ballot voting among tribal members.

Reelected to four-year terms were Thayne Hutchins Jr., council treasurer; Joseph M. Soper, corresponding secretary; and John Harris. Elected for the first time was Kim Baker, a longtime executive assistant for the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Commission.

Those elected were the top vote-getters among eight candidates. The field also included Brian Bozsum, Chuck Harris, Deb Maxeiner and Christopher Strickland.

Council member Patricia LaPierre, whose term is ending, did not seek reelection. Five council seats were not up for election.

The nine-member council oversees tribal government and serves as the management board of Mohegan, the corporate entity that operates the tribe’s gaming and entertainment enterprises, including Mohegan Sun, its flagship casino. Mohegan also owns or manages casinos in New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Washington state and Ontario, Canada, and is developing a resort in Incheon, South Korea.

Hutchins, who won a fifth term, was first elected to the council in 2007 after working as an accountant in the Mohegan Tribe’s finance department. Soper, first elected in 2019, previously spent 15 years with Mohegan Sun and Mohegan, first as a senior financial analyst and then as director of sports and entertainment. Harris, also first elected in 2019, worked for Pfizer for more than 30 years before joining Mohegan Sun as grounds supervisor in 2013.

The newly elected council members will begin their terms after a swearing-in ceremony Oct. 2.

The other council members, whose terms extend to 2025, are James Gessner Jr., chairman; Sarah Harris, vice chairwoman; Mark Brown; William Quidgeon Jr.; and Ken Davison.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com