Odawak for Change Issues
August 2, 2007
The decision to establish a website for the purpose of informing our tribal membership was inspired by The Red Letter website maintained by Wes Andrews some years ago. It has been many of the people’s perspectives that the current tribal newsletter is restricted as to the information approved by the tribal administrator for publishing. It appears that the intent is to use the tribal newsletter as another political tool to help ensure the stability and control of the present administration.
The membership approval of the new constitution is another issue. Tribal members were forced to reregister in order to vote on whether to bring the new constitution into force. For those tribal members living away from the three county area of Emmett, Charlevoix, and Cheboygan County members had to register by going to a Notary Public in their area for signature verification. This placed an additional hardship on some members because of the cost involved. It did not matter that these members were already members of the tribe. The new voting regulation was intended to fractionalize the membership reducing the number of voters eligible to vote and improve the chances of the new constitution being approved.
The new constitution gave the executive officer absolute power. Although any veto or action the executive officer acts on can be turned over by the tribal council, the override would take seven out of the nine council members approving the decision. When the new constitution was established it allowed enterprise employees to sit on tribal council compromising the council’s ability to act on any legislation, especially that legislation related to the casino operations, citing these councilors participation as a conflict of interest. It is our belief that this legislation was purposefully placed in the new constitution knowing the conflict it would create and furthering the personal agenda of the executive officer. This legislation was also discriminatory because it allowed salaried enterprise employees the additional income that comes from sitting on tribal council and denied it to the employees who work under the tribal government’s employment jurisdiction.
The new casino now standing was never voted on or approved by the tribal membership. While we applaud the effort to create more revenue for the tribe it appears that the decision to go ahead with this project far exceeds the original 200 million dollar price tag and has placed the financial welfare of the tribe in jeopardy. This is evidenced by the amount of budget cutbacks to tribal departments that provide services to tribal members and the number of layoffs and terminations which include Human Services, Substance Abuse, and Healthcare.
When the current executive officer was elected prior to the reelection that took place because of the new constitution he announced in his effort to garner votes, that the tribe had just won a 500 thousand dollar grant from HUD for new Elder housing. He said that new housing units on Murray Road and on the property off of State Road were going to be built as a result. Nothing happened until a couple of month ago when HUD threatened to retrieve the money because of the lack of any progress. Now it is heralded in the tribal newsletter that a new community building is being built on the property off of State Road for the Elders when there are only five or six Elder families living in housing there.
The executive officer directed me to do a survey of Elder needs. Questionnaires were sent out and data compiled as a result. This information was submitted to the executive officer and tribal council and to date not one of the issues has been addressed.
There were complaints of abuse of funds prior to the executive officers second term. When the election was completed it was recommended that an independent audit be done of all of the transactions of the tribal accounting department from the time funding was first received by the company called NORAM to this present time. The executive officer refused.
The following issues are not necessarily in chronological order, nor are they comprehensive of all of the issues and questions we have as members of the Odawak for Change:
1) failure to respond to Elder needs after survey
2) cutting funds to assist college students
3) program services cut and employees laid-off
4) construction of new casino without membership approval
5) no increases in profit sharing even though casino revenues have increased substantially over the past six years
6) contract violation costing the membership over 50 million dollars in penalties and interest with no accounting to tribal membership
7) the appearance of the deviate intentions of the designers of the new constitution ensuring that the tribal council would be weakened in any effort to address tribal needs
8) destruction of King’s Inn without tribal membership approval
9) no published record of land purchases and the costs
10) approval of tax agreement splitting the membership living on the original reservation in half benefiting some and denying others the same service
11) tribal administration and support staff has grown in numbers and salaries increased while government employee’s positions have decreased
12) the systematic dismissal of tribal employees who opposes any policy of the executive officer
13) recognize the 27 country service area required by federal mandate for funding, but fail to provide defined services for tribal members living in that area with most of the funded services going to those members living in the three county area of Emmett, Charlevoix and Cheboygan Counties.
14) failure to initiate construction for housing units for Elders
15) continued compromising of treaty rights in negotiating away the reservation boundaries in the reaffirmation process without membership approval
16) one-third of management positions continue to be occupied by non-Natives despite mentoring program and tribal preference hiring policy
17) questionable financial transactions using tribal funds and refusal to have a complete independent audit completed
18) failure of executive officer and tribal council to respond to complaints and questions except to say, “You can ask, but we don’t have to answer!”
19) construction contracts established outside of the tribal policy
20) failure to honor the LTBB Tribal Government Mission Statement-dereliction of duty
It is our contention that there is more than enough evidence to initiate a recall of the present administration. We know there are those sitting on the present tribal council and working for our tribe that are doing so with honor and integrity, as well as sensitivity to our tribal membership. However, the consistent indifference to the needs of the tribal membership and the responsibility elected officers should display are not evident in their ongoing performance. This evidence necessitates that this effort be initiated and encouraged.
It is not our intention to publish false information or allegations. We ask the executive officer and tribal council to respond with the correct information and we will publish a retraction. To date, neither the executive officer nor any member of the tribal council has responded. It is my opinion that to respond would give us, the membership of Odawak for Change, credibility. They do not want to do this.
We are asking tribal members to join us in holding our elected officials accountable to us for their actions and decisions.
Miigwech!
Warren Petoskey
Waganakising Odawa Nation
Spokesperson: Odawak for Change
Email: bidosige2001@yahoo.com
Odawak for Change website: www.redarrow.homestead.com
 | ||||||
