The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1991-03-06

              BIA Evaluation Team Finds Lack of Leadership at MAO
By Eva Spindler
Staff Writer
A Management evaluation of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Minneapolis Area Office found that
"perhaps the financial and human
resources required to fulfill
management and programmatic
responsibilities are insufficient"
The report dated December 14,
1990, was the first of a series of
management evaluations in each of
the ten Area Offices of the BIA by
the Central office. Complaints had
surfaced regarding executive
direction in the Minneapolis Area
Office.
This was the first of a series of
management evaluations in each of the
ten Area Offices of the BIA. Four
areas of concern were discovered
within the area offices: Resources,
Planning and Organization, Area
Office Technical Assistance Program
Management and Oversight, and
Leadership and Direction.
In the area of Planning and
Organization, "Clearly stated goals,
objectives and priorities are not
adequately developed and
communicated. The use of planning
and evaluation processes are not
evident to assure that direction and
intended results are achieved."
It was found that there was "a
general lack of confidence by Agency
Managers and staff regarding
technical competences and abilities of
Area Office program staff to provide
technical assistance, management
direction, evaluation and oversight."
It was found that the "overall
effectiveness of the Area Office
management team has been eroded
by lack of leadership, absence of
cohesion between the Area Director
and Assistant Directors, and less than
effective use of existing financial and
human resouces. Failure of the Area
Director to be responsive and take
necessary action to address
management deficiencies has had a
negative impact on the Area Office's
ability to meet agency and tribal
needs."
The latest evaluations were brought
about by several articles in the news
media and complaints that had
surfaced regarding executive
direction in the MAO.
The Evaluation team consisted of:
Robert Baracker, Director, Office of
Administration, Woodrow Hopper,
Chief, Personnel Management
Division, Alan Young, Central Office
Personnnel Officer and John
Nicholas, Director, Office for Equal
Opportunity Programs.
Six specific recommendations were
developed to improve the MAO.
• "Management should review the
situations discussed in the report and
determine appropriate actions
warranted."
• "Initiate review of MAO to assure
that sufficient financial resources are
available to meet mission
requirements."
• "Establish requirement for Area
Office management review on three
year cycle to be conducted by new
office of audit and evaluation."
• "Office of Deputy Commissioner
issue specific directives to Area and
Program Directors to develop and use
annual work plans."
• "Review land acquisition policy
regarding environmental surveys for
hazardous waste.
• "Establish evaluation team for
review of Red Lake agreement."
In the Red Lake Agreement of
August 1,1989, the BIA entered into
an agreement with the Red Lake
Band of the Chippewa Indians to
allow the Tribal Government to
assume the day-to-day executive
direction of the Red Lake agency.
The  survey  team  reviewed
coordination, comunication, technical
assistance, and oversight within the
Red Lake agency.
Two team members held a joint
meeting with BIA key staff and the
acting tribal administrator to discuss
seven points of concern.
The conflict of interest designation
of Barbara Brun, Agency Credit
Officer, as Acting Agency Administrative Officer and her husband,
Francis Brun, as Acting Tribal
Administrator, was of foremost
concern.
The confusion over delegation of
authority to agency and authorities
withdrawn to area; the Area Office
management role and responsiblities;
evaluation and oversight of
agreements; management and supervisory responsibilities of agency
staff; Area Office technical assistance
and Tribal administrator role and
responsibilities were also discussed.
The key issues "confirmed that the
Wadena wins 2nd runoff by 23 votes
White Earth, Minn. - It appears longtime White Earth Chairman
Darrell "Chip" Wadena has consolidated his personal base on the
reservation with the final vote count - 350 for Tony Wadena and 327 for
Kelly Bunker - which wasn't known until 11 a.m. Wednesday when the
combined election day and absentee voter ballot counts were announced.
On Dec. 11 the two tied for first place in a five-way race for the District 2
seat on the reservation Tribal Council. That special election resulted when
former District 2 Representative Stephen McArthur was removed last fall.
Bunker, from Naytahwaush, was a student at Moorhead State and talent
search coordinator for the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. Concentrating on
the election campaign, he dropped out of MSU and then learned that
funding expired for his tribal job while he was on a leave of absence.
Bunker went against Wadena, manager of Wadena's Convenience Store
in Naytahwaush and son of "Chip" Wadena. The election board counted
129 election day votes for Wadena plus 221 absentee votes, for a total
of 350. He managed to take only one precinct in the on-reservation
election, in Waubun by an 8 to 5 margin.
Bunker received 203 votes at polling stations in Mahnomen, Waubun,
Naytahwaush and Elbow Lake, plus 124 absentee votes, for a total of
327. Bunker said he was certain that 207 absentee voter ballots for him
were turned over to election officials by himself and three friends, and
he said that other absentee votes were mailed in by family members and
friends. Stopping short of alleging wrongdoings in the vote counting.
Bunker and his campaign workers "worked hard to be sure everything
was done right" with absentee voter ballots and signatures.
He filed a protest on Feb. 26 for eleven reasons. He alleged that tribal
funds were used to buy votes, the White Earth General Election Board
closed their doors early on the Saturday preceding the election, and the
Election Board members are not handwriting experts when it comes to
signatures on ballots. A pre-trial hearing was held at White Earth on
Feb. 28th with Judge DeAnna Fairbanks, Attorney at Law from
Bemidji, presiding. Fairbanks will rule on the matter on or before Mar.
7th, seven days following the pre-trial hearing.
Bunker was uncertain why about, 100 more absentee voter ballots for
him were not credited to him. At age 32, without a job and not having a
tribal council position, Bunker said he intends to re-enroll at MSU and
continue with his planned major in business administration. With two
elections behind him, Kelly Bunker thinks he's had enough of White
Earth Indian Reservation politics.
Court sides with Vizenor
After nearly two years, it appears Erma Vizenor will be reinstated as
administrator of Pine Point School. Vizenor and the Pine Point School
board have been at odds since 1989 when Vizenor took a leave of
absence to attend Harvard University. While she was gone, the board
terminated her contract for fiscal malfeasance which she denies.
The Minnesota Appellate Court, meeting in January, ruled that Vizenor
was not given time to prepare a defense or even to request a hearing
before her termination. According to Vizenor's attorney, John Smith from
Park Rapids, the court reversed the termination, and she was reinstated
with backpay.
Pine Point school administrator, Bob Robles, says that the grounds for
termination remain legitimate, and she could be fired again. He pointed
out that the board would have to make that decision. Chairman of the
board, Ed Miller, declined to comment on trie situation.
White Earth receives funds
St. Paul, Minn. - Funds totalling $2.76 million have been allocated to
26 state community action agencies, two county offices and seven Indian
reservations, among them White Earth which received a grant of $14,217,
to provide energy conservation assistance to low-income households, it
was announced by the Minnesota Department of Jobs and Training. The
allocation represents transfer funds from the Low-Income Energy
Assistance Programs as authorized by the state legislature.
Provided under the program are weatherization assistance, energy-
conservation-related repairs, improvements in heating systems (including
furnace replacements when necessary) and client education. The program
will provide help for approximately 1000 homes in Minnesota.
Racial bias task force
An
St. Paul, Minn. - The Minnesota Supreme Court recently announced
the establishment of the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Racial
Bias in the Courts and named 31 members to serve on it The task force is
modeled after the court's gender fairness study that examined how the
courts treat men and women. This task force is charged with studying
how the state courts treat members of racial and ethnic minority groups,
determining whether statutes, rules, or practices cause unfairness or
hardships on minorities. Public hearings, one-to-one interviews, analyses
of documents, and surveys of court personnel will be used to collect
information. The task force has received $50,000 from the legislature,
$100,000 from in-kind services from the Supreme Court, accounting for
about 50 percent of the anticipated expenses, and hopes for private
donations for the remainder remaining $150,000 needed.
Bureau and Tribal management and
administrative roles are not clear,
coordination and communication
between the Area Office and agency
are poor, technical assistance and
monitoring from the Area Office is
sporadic and is not reflective of any
management planning or direction,
and that the Area Office has taken a
'hands off approach to the Red Lake
agreement and allowed agency
operations to succeed or fail on their
own."
Since 1984, there have been seven
reviews of the Minneapolis Area
Office operations which have
highlighted "management
deficiencies and illustrated the lack of
communication, planning,
coordination and general pro-active
management neccessary to properly
operate the Area Office."
The first survey (Nov. 1984) found
"material weaknesses in contract
administration." Thirty-four specific
recommendations were handed down.
None was corrected.
The next report (Jan. 1985) found
"material weaknesses in property
management." Of the 22 specific
recommendations none was corrected.
The EEOC review (Aug. 1987)
resulted in findings that the MAO
Handicapped Emp oyment Program
required under EEOC Management
Directive 712 was essentially nonexistent. A follow-up review (Aug.
1990) showed no significant improvement in the Handicapped Employment
Program.
The Office of Administration report
(Sept. 1987) indicated general
noncompliance with published
policies and directives in virtually all
administrative areas.
The Office of Indian Government
follow up (Sept. 1987) of two
previous OIG audits noted that the
Management deficiences of previous
reports had not been corrected.
An informal management review at
the direction of the Assistant Secretary
regarding the WELSA project, found
"the roles and responsibilities of the
Area and Project Manager were not
adequately defined and the project was
behind the legislative tuneable."
As a result of the review, the
reporting channel for the WELSA
Project Manager changed from the
Area Director to the Director of the
Office of Trust and Economic
Development. The project manager
delegated specific authorities to
facilitate the project.
In Oct. 1988, a joint programmatic
and administrative review of Area
operations was conducted by the
Trust and Adminstration division.
The Program Review focused on the
five management aspects of planning,
organizing, staffing, directing and
controlling. The report highlights the
need for more "aggressive, pro-active
leadership by the Area Director."
"*V"c>:io;<e?   of *Jr*.«s   y*VTr*.istl-i.:i:rna.t>e
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 3 Issue 16
March 6,1991
' Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1991
A Bi-Monthly Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Joe Sayers dissolves NAIAD
By Eva Spindler
Staff Writer
Clarence "Joe" Sayers formally
dissolved the group, Native
American Indians Against
Discrimination (NAIAD). The
group, initiated about five years
ago with 20 or more people, has
more recently consisted of about
four active members.
The group, formed to counter
alleged police discrimination
against American Indians, was
instrumental in getting the
problems of racial discrimination
in Bemidji noticed by the local,
community as well as throughout
the state.
The Chamber of Commerce
recently organized a new task force
made up of area representatives of
both Native American and white
backgrounds with the purpose of
fighting racism.
Native Americans appointed to
this task force include: Joe Aitken,
Larry Aitken, Joe Day, Erv
Sargent, Gerald Brun and Tom
Goldtooth.
Joe Sayers, with his grass roots
following, was not asked to
become a member of this new task
force.
Sayers is not backing out of the
struggle to curb racism. He plans
on sitting back, observing and
waiting for the right opportunity.
"I'm not going to shut down
because a bunch of apples want to
get involved."
Hejias accused Joe Aitken,
Larry "Aitken and Joe Day of not
adequately representing the Indian
community affected by the
racism. "They don't know what is
going on in the Indian community.
They've never experienced racism
because they fit right into white
society."
Sayers recalled that 5 years ago
the three members did not want to
get involved in NAIAD because
they felt it was too militant.
According to Tony Walzer of the
Bemidji Chamber of Commerce,
"The task force was formed to
coordinate and organize various
efforts within the community. The
task force members were drawn
from a broad base of organizations
to identify and address the issues."
Sayers believes that "the
Chamber of Commerce is trying to
be a martyr in the situation and
save the city (Bemidji) from an
economic boycott."
Sayers has also been critical of
the City of Bemidji and Beltrami
County for ignoring his
organization's efforts, believing
that the people involved don't care
enough to do anything about the
racism. "No one wants to stick
their neck out. Personnel should be
told racism will not be tolerated."
Sayers is quick to illustrate the
differing perceptions on how to
best end racism in Bemidji. "Right
now, Bemidji is covering up by
forming some sort of group and
eventually nothing will ever get
done."
Currently, Sayers is
concentrating on law enforcement
discrimination and beatings.
Bush cuts meat instead of fat
Washington, D.C. (AP) -
Poverty and poor health are
rampant among Native Americans.
That makes President Bush's call
to cut $50 million for Indian health
and housing programs misguided
at best and callous at worst.
Another proposal to increase
spending for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs by $12 million compounds
the poor judgment.
The BIA, the principal
government agency responsible for
Indian programs, was so riddled
with fraud and mismanagement
that a special Senate committee
called for its abolishment a year
ago. The committee recommended
that Indian tribes be granted the
power to govern themselves.
The BIA is moving in that
direction, but it shouldn't cost
more money to shift
responsibilities. The increased
spending is earmarked for
education and "improved" BIA
management.
Why Bush would propose to beef
up funding for an inept bureaucracy
while chipping away at vital human
services is a mystery.
In fairness to Bush, the special
committee also found fraud and
mismanagement in Indian health
and housing programs. But Bush's
cuts are aimed at vital needs. If
waste is the target of his cuts, he's
starting in the wrong place.
This year, $166 million is being
spent to build health clinics on
reservations. That would drop to
$12 million in 1992, and to nothing
in 1993, under Bush's plan.
Funds for Indian housing would
be cut to $121 million in 1992.
Congress approved nearly twice
that amount to build 3,000 homes
this year.
Poor health and inadequate
housing are major problems for
Indians. Three out of eight Indians
die before their 45th birthday,
compared with one out of eight
non-Indians. And it's estimated that
93,000 homes are needed to meet
Indian needs.
Administration officials blame
the federal deficit and the Persian
Gulf war for the proposed cuts in
health and housing funds.
Under Bush's 1992 budget
proposal, BIA spending would
increase to $1.8 billion while Indian
Health Service spending would be
cut to $1.5 billion.
One administration official
defended Bush's proposed budget
for Indian programs as a "major
breakthrough" since it's only the
second time in the last 12 years the
administration earmarked money
for Indian housing.
It's a strange form of bureaucratic
logic that defends stinginess by
comparing it favorably with total
neglect.
Community meeting concerns election improprieties
By Mark Boswell
Staff Writer
Another White Earth Reservation
election has come under scrutiny after
allegations that there were
improprieties in the handling of
absentee ballots in a Feb. 19 election.
Kelly Bunker, who ran against the
son of the chairman of the Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe, believes that there is
a great deal to be questioned in the
handling of the election and called a
meeting last Saturday at the
Naytahwaush school to discuss his
grievances.
Bunker, who lives in Naytahwaush,
lost the election to Tony Wadena,
manager of Wadena's Convenience
Store in Naytahwaush, by a 23 vote
margin, despite handily carrying the
on-reservation vote by a large
majority.
The White Earth Tribal Council was
represented by Dan Stevens, District
III Representative. Darrell 'Chip'
Wadena, White Earth Chairman, Jerry
Rawley, Secretary-Treasurer, and Rick
Clark, District I Representative, were
not in attendance.
"The people have lost their voice in
the election system," said Bunker to
the 25 people in attendance. Bunker
believes that a lot of voters in the
District II area on the reservation
blame the absentee system for
Wadena's win, a blame that has been
echoed in nearly every election for the
past two decades. Bunker also blames
low voter turnout as another symptom
of the pervasive mistrust of reservation
elections.
Bunker has submitted a petition with
arguments he'd like to be taken into
consideration by White Earth Tribal
Judge DeAnne Fairbanks, who will
determine the legitimacy of the
election. "We want the rest of the
Tribal Council to intervene in the
swearing in of Tony (Wadena) as
District Representative until we've
been given an explanation of what's
going on and we want a federal
investigation into the checks that
surfaced," said Bunker.
Two checks were allegedly made
out to individuals in exchange for
votes for Tony Wadena. One of the
checks was cashed at Pinehurst Resort
to Roy Lovelace, a Leech Lake
Reservation resident who, according
to Dick LaVoy, owner of the resort,
told an employee that the check was in
exchange for an election vote.
The check, made out for $150, was
produced from the reservation's
Meeting / see page 2
Pow Wow Trail Resumes
Seepage 11
Wounded Knee to be studied
Seepage 12