Muscogee (Creek) Principal Chief A.D. Ellis said he has done all he could for his citizens over the past 20 years.

Ellis, who has served for the past eight years as Creek Chief, is prevented by term limits from seeking office again and will not back any of his replacement candidates.

“I won’t be supporting anybody,” Ellis said. “I had to make some big decisions in my last term here, and I stepped on a lot of toes. I’m not very popular around here. I don’t want someone’s vote to be swayed by me coming out for them.”

Filing for office began Monday and will end Wednesday. Members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation will vote for principal chief, second chief and eight seats on the national council.

Ellis was elected to a second four-year term as principal chief in November 2007. He previously served as second chief from January 2000 to December 2004. Prior to that, he served four consecutive two-year terms as a national council representative from the Okmulgee District. After so many years in office, Ellis said he’s glad to see much progress for the Muscogee (Creek) people.

“We now have the College of the Muscogee Nation, we have a new $1 million administration building, we’re building housing, our minimum wage of $10.50 an hour is the highest, we have a combined basketball gym and business center which will accommodate 2,000 people for the games and 2,500 for a concert or something.”

Preservation of Muscogee (Creek) culture was a special point of pride for Ellis.

The last major accomplishment was gaining ownership of the Muscogee (Creek) Council House, Ellis said. The structure has been a tourist attraction in downtown Okmulgee for many years.

“Our Creek Council House, which was built in 1878 — it was taken from us, he said. “We bought it back after over 100 years. We had to pay $3.5 million to get it back, but it’s ours now.”

Ellis’ entry into politics occurred in 1990 when he ran for national council.

“I had tried to get some help from the tribe, and I was turned down,” he said. “I saw a lot of people being turned down for reasons that I thought were unfair. I served eight years on the council, and then I went from there.”

Ellis said he feels satisfied with what he was able to accomplish.

“I did the best I could,” he said. “I didn’t do it by myself. My national council had to be involved.”

Ellis said he has no plans to take on another leadership role in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

“I’m 75 years old,” he said. “I’m going home. I have a hobby; I raise cows and I farm. I’m going to sit under a tree and drink iced tea.”

Reach Keith Purtell at (918) 684-2925 or kpurtell@muskogeephoenix.com.