The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1990-07-18

              2nd White Earth Sec/Treasurer
election tentatively scheduled
A new election for the White Earth
post of Secretary/Treasurer has been
tentatively scheduled for Sept. 11.
The general election board is in
the process of setting the date and,
according to Jerry Rawley
incumbent SecretaryATreasurer, the
Tribal Council "indicated to (the
board) that we would have a date of
September 11 for the election to
coincide with the state election
process."
According to Carley Jasken,
Election Board Judge, several things
have to be organized before the date
can be officially set. The printing of
ballots and agreement on the
election date from the Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe office in Cass Lake
are necessary before the election can
proceed.
Jasken explained that filing for the
election is unnecessary for the three
candidates who ran in the first race.
Rawley will run against Eugene
"Bugger" McArthur, who lost the
race for Secretary/Treasurer after
over fifty ballots cast for him were
examined by Tribal Judge Richard
Tanner. The ballots were deemed
questionable and thrown out along
with the validity of the election.
McArthur had won the June 12 race
by 12 votes.
There was some question as to
whether Oscar "Sunfish" Oppegard,
third place candidate, would be
permitted on the ballot.
Judge Tanner gave the council the
option to permit more that two
candidates on the ballot
According to Rawley, who
successfully protested the first
election, the council has decided to
permit Oppegard on the ballot.
Red Lake election case delayed
Due to a request by the parties.
Red Lake Tribal Court Judge
Margaret Treuer has agreed to delay
the Red Lake Election case until
August 2, 1990.
Information has it that the delay
was requested by the defendants,
Gerald "Butch" Brun et. al.,in order
to respond to a motion filed by the
plaintiffs, Roger A. Jourdain et. al.
resisting their motion to dismiss.
The defendants had earlier filed a
motion to dismiss the election suit
on the grounds that the Red Lake
Tribal Court lacked the authority to
handle the case.
The election suit had originally
been brought by former Red Lake
Tribal Chairman Roger A. Jourdain,
who has alleged that the May 23,
1990 Tribal Election was conducted
in an illegal manner. He had asked
the court to order a new election as
soon as possible.
Red Lake, Minn. - Senator Rudy
Boschwitz (R.Minn.) announced on
Thursday, July 12, that the Red Lake
Tribal Council is being awarded a
grant in the amount of $1,090,400
by the Department of Commerce,
Economic Development
Administration to improve the
reservation water system, according
to Tribal Chairman Gerald Brun.
The project involves construction
of water filtering, treatment
facilities, an elevated storage tank,
pumphouse facilities, watermain
and project engineering. Three new
wells are being installed by the Red
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
This is a multi-phase project which
will also be supported by Indian
Health Service and Housing and
Urban Development funds.
This activity will result in the
creation of approximately fifty jobs
for about three years as well as
vastly improving the quality of the
reservation drinking water.
Chairman Brun reported that
lead staff people for the project
were John McCrady, Tribal
Economic Development
consultant; Rod Jourdain, Tribal
Planner; George Gaasvig, Housing
Director; Craig Larson, IHS Field
Engineer and Adrian Omen,
Sanitation Manager.
Construction is to begin later this
summer.
Red Lake receives
federal grant to improve   ■
reservation water system
Leech lake Reservation swears in
new Tribal Council Members
<\
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1 .   ^^r                    *m**W^m*        jifcsi
Al Fairbanks (District I), Gladys Drouillard (District il), Jim Michaud (Secretary/Treasurer) were sworn into office last week at the Tribal
Headquarters in Cass Lake. Thai ceremony was conducted by Larry Aitken. (submitted photo)
Fifty Cents
1 Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1990
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Renovation
scheduled
for the
White
Earth
Mission
School
i
llllf
nsi
Plans to renovate the Old St Benedict's Mission School got off to a good start
last month when State Senator Roger Moe visited the site, which is expected to
receive a face lift. Dilapidated and in desperate need of repair, the main
structure has not been occupied in decades. According to the Anishinabe
Dee-Bah-Gee-Mo-Win newspaper, the complex of buildings (located south of
the White Earth Community,) an estimated $5 million will be needed to renovate
the structure. Eventually, the three-story building, designed in the early part of
the century, will become the home of a White Earth historical and cultural center.
Last month a "Clean Up the Mission Day" was sponsored. The effort helped to
remove debris that had collected over the years on the lower level of the main
structure that is designed with a central courtyard and well. Vandalism, water
damage, and foundation problems have plagued the french-designed Mission
School that was once a boarding facility for children from throughout the
reservation. The Mission is on both the state and federal Historic Registers.
Pine Point's Emahiser leaves McArthur, Dist II WE, indicted by grand jury
Roble acting administrator
By Mark Boswell
Editor
"Where could you go where the
challenge is any greater?" said
Robert Roble, newly appointed as
Acting Superintendent of the Pine
Point School on the White Earth
Reservation in northern Minnesota.
The Pine Point School, embattled
by financial strife and a high
turnover in adminstrators, lost its
last administrator to internal
problems. Eugene Emahiser,
previous administrator for the
experiemental school had come
under criticism by both the Pine
Point Community and Pine Point
School board. Several lawsuits and a
decision to relieve the administrator
of his duties at the school left a
vacancy at the helm of the school's
administration.
"The board relieved him of his
assignment here at the July 2nd
School Board meeting," said Roble,
"and I think he saw that happening."
No official posting of the position
of administrator has been made.
"The position will be posted," said
Roble, "but I think that the Tribal
Council and the School Board are
going to make sure Emahiser is gone
before they open the position for
hiring."
Roble, who worked the last school
year as the 7th and 8th grade
teacher, has over 30 years
experience in school administration,
including work in the Morton area
on the Lower Sioux Reservation in
Southern Minnesota. Cedar
Mountain Schools in Morgan and
Franklin, both are near Indian
communities in the state. The
administrator was a ciriculum
specialist and the principle of the
elementary school. He also held the
principal's post in River Falls,
Wisconsin until hearing about the
position as instructor at Pine Point
last year.
"I understand the need to be more
sensitive to the cultural needs in
education," said Roble, who believes
that Emahiser did a fair job of
promoting the school but believes
wouldn't admit that he had a lack of
education in the cultural differences
between white and Indian schools.
"He forgot that that culture
impacts totally on what the kids'
academic experience is," said Roble.
Emahiser, who could not be
reached for comment is rumored to
be in South Dakota.
By Mark Boswell
Editor
The stormy atmosphere
surrounding last month's White
Earth General Election just got
worse. Steven R. McArthur, 43
incumbent winner of the District II
race, was charged by a federal grand
jury with ten counts of theft from the
White Earth Reservation Tribal
Council's accounts.
At the initial appearance and
arraignment before U.S. Magistrate
Floyd Boline yesterday in
Minneapolis McArthur plead
not-guilty to ten felony counts
against him.
According to a press release from
the United Staes Attorney's office
for the District of Minnesota,
"McArthur allegedly converted the
funds to his personal use over a
three month period from January
1989 through March 1989."
Each of the ten felony counts
carries a maximum potential penalty
of five years imprisonment and/or a
$250,000 fine.
The indictment, made by a federal
grand jury on July 11, comes as part
of any investigation into the
handling of funds by the White
Earth RTC; the investigation has
been on-going since late last year.
According to the indictment,
McArthur allegedly embezzled
$3420 of tribal funds "willfully and
knowingly to his own use" in ten
separate amounts ranging from $240
to $720. The alleged illegal
withdrawls were from the Tribal
Council's travel budget.
According to Karen Jambor of the
U.S. Attorney's office, McArthur
was released on a $10,000 unsecured
bond. No trial date has been set.
The District I winner for White
Earth, Ricky Clark of rural Lengby,
was sworn into office at the RTC
headquarters in White Earth by
Tribal Chairman Darrel "Chip"
Wadena on July 16.
McArthur, who won the District II
race by a wide margin, was present
in the RTC offices but was not
swom into office at the meeting.
Provisions for not seating
McArthur are unclear. The MCT
constitution states that remove from
office entails "convistion of a felony
in any country, State or Federal
court while serving on the RBC."
Since a decision on whether or not
the charges of felong theft has not
been made against McArthur, there
is no apparent reason to not swear
him into office.
Wadena, who officiallly swears
new candidates into office, was
unavailable for comment.
A News contributor examines the Vietnam War through
the eyes of Native American servicemen and the irony
of fighting a war as an "Men Wanhf, See page 8.