The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1995-03-10

              Am. Ind. Health Care Assoc, financial
management questioned by funders
By Gary Blair
Allegations of financial mismanagement continue to surround the 20
year old American Indian Health Care
Association (AIHCA). Just how this
organization raises and disburses program funds is now being questioned
by both members and funders.
Last fall, this national non-profit
corporation that once employed 15
full-time staff and eight part-time
workers moved its operation from St.
Paul, Minnesota to Denver, Colorado
in the wake of organizational infighting.
AIHCA once represented 34 urban
Indian health care clinics nationwide
but recently lost some of its members
due to the internal unrest and lack of
performance.
Last summer Norine Smith, then
chairman ofthe AIHCA board of directors, was removed from that position Apparently, Smith's concurrent
positions as director of the Indian
Health Board in Minneapolis and
AIHC A' s board chair were viewed as
a conflict of interest. Smith is reported
to have been AIHCA board chair for
nearly five years before the dismissal.
Carol Marquez-Baines, then
ATHCA executive director, later resigned under pressure from the board.
Reports say she was seen as having a
conflict of interest with Smith's organization because she served as a board
member for the Minneapolis Indian
Health Board.
According to public documents and
statements by former staff, the Association left St. Paul owing creditors,
staff and funders nearly $200,000.
However, a $25,000 loan owed the
Norwest bank that was part of a debt
restructuring plan for an earlier
$50,000 loan to cover staff salaries is
reported to have been repaid.
Francis Miller, AIHCA's present
director said in an interview, "We had
to pay Northwest what we owed them
before they would release our assets
out of state," he said.
Miller blames Smith, Marquez-
Baines, government cutbacks, and
the Michael Angelo computer virus
that he says struck two years in a row
for the organization's present situation.
"You heard of that virus haven't
you, itdestroyed our financial records,"
he said. However, former ATHCA
staff who asked not to be named say
AIHCA cont'd on pg 3
Finn pulls guilty plea, faces felony charges
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - State
Sen. Harold "Skip" Finn withdrew
his guilty plea to a federal
misdemeanor charge Friday after
he learned he could face more time
in prison than he anticipated.
His attorney said the withdrawal
came because the Cass Lake DFLer
wanted to salvage his reputation.
Finn was to be sentenced in federal
court for misusing more than $ 13,000
belonging to the Leech Lake Band of
Chippewa. While he could have
served no more than 12 months in
prison under his plea agreement,
prosecutors said he now faces much
more prison time under felony charges
that may be brought against him.
"His exposure is now going to be
substantially greater," said U.S.
Attorney David Lillehaug.
Finn, the first and only
American Indian to serve in the
Minnesota Senate, said outside the
courthouse Friday that he would
consult with Senate leaders about
his political future.
The 46-year-old senator had hoped
to avoid prison time altogether, federal
sentencing guidelines for the
misdemeanor to which he pleaded
guilty recommend four to 10 months
in prison.
But U.S. District Judge James
His argument that his
actions didn't amount
to abuse, Rosenbaum
said, "is a sophistry, a
trivial piece of piffle."
Rosenbaum said he found a
preponderance of evidence that Finn
had obstructed justice and abused the
public trust, which boosted the
guidelines to at least 12 months.
Federal prosecutors argue that Finn
used his position as an attorney for
the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa to
Tribe to vote again on nuclear waste storage
By Tom Meersman,
StaffWriter
Minneapolis Star Tribune
For the second time in five weeks,
the Mescalero Apache Nation in New
Mexico will vote Thursday on whether
to accept nuclear wastes from Northern States Power Co. and more than
two dozen other utilities around the
country.
The tribe rejected the idea Jan. 31 by
a 490-362 vote. Opponents of the
project held a victory party. Tribal
President Wendell Chino, who had
championed the plan, said he and the
Tribal Council would "accept the will
ofthe people" and break off all negotiations with the consortium of 31
utilities and 2 private firms.
But the tribes' hosing director and
others mobilized quickly and went
door-to^door asking tribal members
to sign petitions authorizing another
vote. The Tribal Council verified 710
signatures on the petitions — more
than enough to reconsider the matter
— and scheduled the second referendum for Thursday. At stake for the
utilities in the consortium is whether
they will find a home for the highly
radioactive spent fuel that nuclear
plants have been producing for the
past quarter-century. The wastes have
accumulated in underwater pools at
the plants, but nearly all of them will
run out of storage space long before a
national disposal site is available.
Federal officials are considering a
site in Nevada for a permanent national nuclear waste repository, but
even if it's approved, it would not be
available until at least 2010.
Also at stake is the prestige, and
perhaps even the presidency, of Chin|.
who has directed the 3,400-member
tribe for more than three decades.
Silas Cochise, Mescalero project
manager, said that the second vote is
appropriate because his people didn't
understand the implications of their
vote in January, and that now they will
be better informed. The tribe had a
general meeting to discuss the proposal and held the election five days
later.
"Evidently the information was just
beginning to be digested," Cochise
said. "Now more people realize how
this is a one-time opportunity that will
Nuclear cont'd on pg 3
Red Lake advances to title game
By Pat Miller, StaffWriter
Bemidji Pioneer
Few forms of entertainment can
match the drama and excitement of
high school tournament competition
and Tuesday afternoon at the Bemidji
State University gym Red Lake and
Park Rapids lived up to the tournament tradition in the semifinals ofthe
Sub-Section 8-1A boys' ranks.
The Warriors entered Tuesday's
contest with a 22-0 record and the
burden of carrying the banner of the
top seed. Park Rapids was only 11-12
overall but arguably had played a
tougher schedule. And when the dust
settled, Red Lake preserved its unbeaten status and advanced to
Saturday' s 8:15 p. m., sub-section title
game against Bagley by nipping
fourth-ranked Park Rapids 65-59.
For much of the game, however, it
appeared that the Panthers would
claim the upset win as they led 15-10
after one period and 30-25 at the
break. Red Lake caught fire in the
third quarter and used a 23-14 scoring
edge in the period to manufacture a
48-44 lead heading into the final eight
minutes but Park Rapids regained the
lost ground and owned a 55-54 advantage with four minutes remaining.
But Red Lake proved the equal of its
billing in the waning stags as the
Warriors used a three-point play by
Robert Barrett to gain a 57-55 edge
and hung onto the lead the rest ofthe
way.
Sam Lindeman and Ben Gehrts provided a potent one-two punch for Park
Rapids but their leadership was countered by Red Lake's trio of Shane
Garrigan, Randy Holthusen and
Barrett. Lindeman and Gehrts combined for 43 points but the Warrior
threesome scored 52, including 20 by
Garrigan and 16 each by Holthusen
and Barrett.
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Invoking
the memory of ancestors and lost tribal
lands, the Coeur d' Alene tribe of Idaho
announced plans Monday for
America's first national lottery.
Introduced with a fanfare of Indian
drums and dancers at a National Press
Club news conference, the National
Indian Lottery is expected to begin
operations in the fall, according to
David J. Matheson, general manager
of the project.
With the gaming industry "Indian
tribes are looking to preserve their
lands, to preserve their identity," said
Coeur d'Alene tribal chairman Ernest
L. Stensgar, recalling what he termed
broken promises by the federal
government over the years, including
taking tribal lands.
The lottery is an economic tool,
Matheson said, and "economic tools
do not visit the reservation very often."
The lottery will be available to
residents of the 36 states and the
District of Columbia where lotteries
are currently played.
The closest thing to a national lottery
in the United States at present is
played in 16 states and the District of
Columbia.
Matheson said the tribe hopes for
an initial jackpot of dlrs 50 million
for a winner picking six of 49 numbers,
Ellis Sentencing set for 11:00 today
Everything you wanted to know about "Finngate"/ pg
LLTC hide truth from members/ pg 4
District 4 callers want Finn to resign/ pg 1
Allegations of abuse by Dept. of Correct./ pg 3
Voice of the Anishinabeg (The People)
1
set up an insurance firm that handled
tribal business and enriched Finn and
his partners.
Prosecutors said Finn made nearly
$600,000 through his participation
in the fund, and Rosenbaum told Finn
that his involvement pointed to ar,
abuse of public trust because he stood
to "benefit, and to benefit richly."
His argument that his actions didn't
amount to abuse, Rosenbaum said, %
a sophistry, a trivial piece of piffle."
The judge then asked Finn if he
wanted to withdraw his plea. After
conferring with his lawyers, attorney
Douglas Kelley withdrew the plea for
him.
"He thought, 'This is my future, and
I'm not going to let it be decided in
summary fashion,"' Kelley said later
Asked why his client had pleaded
guilty in the first case, Kelley said,
"It's seductive to have all this stuff
alleged against you and be offered a
misdemeanor. That's why this is such
a gutsy move."
The Warriors converted only 10 of
their 21 free throw attempts but the
hot hand from the stripe in the waning
minutes provided the cushion for
Tuesday's victory. Barrett started a
run which produced seven successful
free throws in eight attempts with his
charity toss which capped his three-
point play. The teams traded buckets
as Holthusen converted an in-bounds
pass and Gehrts drained a rebound
hoop but the Warriors padded their
lead in the final minute as Keveon
Kingbird hit both halves of a bonus
situation and Holthusen swished four
straight charity tosses around a 15-
foot basket by Lindeman.
Against Laporte in the quarterfinals
Red Lake bolted to a 14-0 lead and its
domination was never in question.
Tuesday, however, Park Rapids held
the early aces as Lindeman canned
three buckets and Gehrts added a short
Game cont'd on pg 8
The
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity Far All People
Founded   in 1988
Volume E    Issue 37 March IO, 1995
1
A weekly publication.
Copyright, The Ojibwe Mews,  1995
Indian tribe announces first national lottery
and the prize would be paid in a lump
sum, rather than over 20 years as
most other lotteries do.
The lottery has been approved by
state authorities and the federal
Interior Department and the National
Indian Gaming Association.
Seventy-percent of the profit will
go to the tribe for education,
repurchase of tribal lands and other
needs, Stengsar said.
Matheson said that estimating total
revenues is difficult because a national
tele-lottery has never been done. But
annual sales of several hundred
million dollars should be possible, he
said.
NAPP spokesperson Wally Storbakken, confronts Sen. Finn, at State Capitol. Photo by: Gaiy Biain
District 4 caller's overwhelmingly ask for
Finn's resignation
By John Rainbird
Staff Intern
Should Sen. Harold R. "Skip" Finn
resign from the Minnesota State
Senate for pleading guilty to
misapplying tribal funds in an
insurance scheme on the Leech Lake
Reservation?
That was the question asked in a
week long survey conducted last week
by Bemidji's "Oldies 98" FM Radio
station. News director Tom Robertson
told the PRESS in a telepbone
interview that the responses to the
survey were overwhelming over 50 to
1 that Finn should resign. He went on
to say that the responses varied from:
"He should be punished for what he'd
done; he should be held responsible
and dis-enrolled; banished from the
tribe, disbarred as a lawyer and
impeached as a Senator ofthe state;
hang him."
Other responses by the public were
acknowledgments of unethical
senatorial conduct, Sen. Finn should
have known or been aware of before
he committed the alleged incidences.
Robertson told the PRESS that "This
is the largest response we ever got to
one of our radio surveys." Robertson
further stated that from listening to
the tapes of voices " the callers appear
to be from a wide segment of the
population."
Most responses by the public asked
for the resignation of Finn, as stated:
"A public official should exemplify
their office, when dealing with the
public's trust, not take advantage of
people by perpetrating these kinds of
things against them."
Finn, had previously pleaded guilty
to a federal misdemeanor, changed
his mind when Judge James
Rosenbaum was about to give him a
year in prison for his actions of
applying a phony insurance scheme
to pocket Leech Lake tribal insurance
funds.
The PRESS contacted Sen. Finn, by
telephone at his St. Paul office to get
his response to the week long survey
conducted by the "Oldies 98." He
replied that he hadn't heard of it,
even though he was home this past
weekend in Cass Lake. The PRESS
informed him of the outcome of the
survey and that out of over 50 callejs
to the station, only one thought he
should stay in office, whilethe others
thought he should resign.
However, in an article in Monday's
Star Tribune by Robert Whereatt
quoted Finn, as saying that he is
under no pressure from constituents
to resign. "The people I've talked to
have been unanimous in support of
me," said Finn.
It seems strange that Finn's
supporters haven't made him aware
of this survey while he was at his
home in Cass Lake last weekend.
Campbell's first visit to Colorado since
switching parties
By Robert Weller
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) _
Spinning Western jokes and warning
his new party that he's no political
prostitute, U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse
Campbell got a standing ovation
Saturday at his first public appearance
in his home state since switching
political camps.
The ex-Democrat picked an ideal
location, a Western Colorado
lobbying group that has been
dominated by Republicans in the past,
and whose members consider
Washington the enemy.
He told Club 20's annual meeting
that Washington had kept a base open
next door in Utah until five years ago
to "ward off Indians." Campbell is a
member ofthe Cheyenne tribe.
He's an iconoclast who has tried to
get the buffalo nickel reintroduced,
and Saturday wondered aloud whether
the Colorado squawfish might ever
be called "the old white lady fish."
Federal laws protecting endangered
species, including the squawfish, have
become an obstacle to construction of
a dam that would benefit Colorado
Indians.
A Durango businessman, Jasper
Welch, told Campbell his penchant
for "telling people to go to hell was
appreciated."
The pony-tailed, motorcycle-riding
senator, who has been criticized for
chumming with Hells Angels, was
greeted with hugs and comments like
"Thank you for being a Republican,"
and "You're still a good senator."
Two Democrats at the meeting,
former Mesa County Commissioner
Jim Spehar and Joe Sand, a Summit
County commissioner, both said they
value Campbell's integrity.
Spehar said he doubts Campbell
will find Republicans are any more a
mainstream party than Democrats.
Sand, who once worked for
Campbell, said, "Ben is Ben. Pro
wrestling is more important to
Colorado than party affiliations."
Eric Johnson, a Redstone sculptor
and newly elected chairman of Club
20, introduced Campbell, saying, "I'm
disappointed, but not with Ben."
Even Democrats praised him,
including Club 20 Chairman Eric
Johnson.
Johnson said Campbell isn't the
problem _ it's the Democratic Party.
He said Democrats need to return to
the middle ofthe road "or get run over
by a Mack truck."
Campbell told the club members he
has never been one to be in the middle
of the road.
"The only things there are yellow
lines and dead skunks," he said.
He said he had asked for no special
favors from Republicans from
switching and would accept none to
avoid "marking myself as a
prostitute."
The senator, who had to fly around
a major snowstorm to get here from
his hometown of Ignacio, said "I really
apologize to those I disappointed, and
for those who are really thrilled, they
should remember I'm an independent
cuss."
It's unlikely House speaker Newt
Gingrich counts himself among the
Switch cont'd on pg 3