Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1996-12-06

              ■'
■mBHBIHSH^BB
City Affirmative Action director calls for
reinstatement of dismissed fire cadets
B) G»r> Blair
rhe     C ic>     of     Minneapolis'
affirmative action director, Larry
Blackwell, has called for the reinstatement of seven fire cadets
terminated last week for failing a
psychological examinations that said
me) were unfit tor duly as firefighters,
rhe former cadets, five African
Americans, one Native American and
one European American, were
dismissed six weeks into their braining
to become Minneapolis firefighters.
The) were accused of having gang
affiliations and were said to have had
tights amongst themselves \\ bile at the
fire department's Fridley, MN, training
center. At the lime that the former
cadets were given then termination
notices, tWO Minneapolis police cars
were parked across the street from the
fire training center
rhe) likewise were accused of
selling drugs and using drug! Bl the
naming center by bigb ranking fire
department   training   personnel.
allegation! thai the former cadets deny
Occurred and are not tine I he former
tire cadets say thev plan to tight their
dismissals.
1 ast Tuesday, former fire cadet
Montgomery l eon, who is from the
Pine Rulge reservation, told those m
attendance at a special Minneapolis
firefighters steering committee
meeting: "1 was asked if I had ever
seen a v ision," lie said I con savs ih.n
question was |ust one Ol 2,200 such
questions lie was asked to answer as
pari of his psychological testing.
Leon directed his comments tot !ity
human relations officials Mary Ann
Starks and Brian Isaacson, steering
committee members w ho were present
at the meeting  " l hat's a bighl)
insulting cultural question,' I eon
continued "A vision in my cultural is
Cadets cont'd on 8
HUD missed signs of waste, then gave tribe
more money      Focus - White Earth Reservation
Bj trie Nalder, Deborah Nelson
and Alei 1 i/on
The Seattle Times Si\utU- P
Intelligent
CbkagO   It 'federal officials had bothered to look, the clues were main
(.11 I Uthough the Department of
Housing and Urban Development had
given a Minnesota Indian tribe more
than S4 million to build 50 houses for
poor ti ibe members. onl> hall a oV
bad been built thro net
CLUE: rhe 6 ithor
it>, which wa ted to ovet
how the was
It, hadn't met in two ye .
rill    I he tribal leader and two
Of Ills lieutenants had been CUM
with stealing nearly $900,000 from
their tribe and its casino and were well
on their way to conviction m federal
court
Hut somehow, it seems. HI D didn't
have a clue
Even in tl ill this, the \lul
west regional oWwc ol III ID'S Indian
housing program in May gave the
White 1 Bfth Hand oi Chipp
other "S2.7 million ot la>
mom
, must have been sitting on their
brains." said I mu Vi/cnor. a Harvard
educated a-tormer w ho recently became
ctuurwoman of the White Earth Band's
housing committee
■
•nstruclion, aie being batteied In
the vicious stoinistli.it mark winter on
the While Earth Indian I n in
the lake COUnt!) ol northwest Mn
ground
has I
Workmen Uietl lo i
some ot the frames, but that a
Mopped abruptly two wc<
n III 1) orYicals discovi
som. needed to finish the
the original Vt 4 null ion grant ha» t
spent and (he tnbe has produced only
seven livable dwellings
I he vacant, damaged houses at
Waste cont'd on 3
High court tackles problem of tiny parcels
her
w kJSHBN It started
as an exercise in democracy    The
ernmenl diwicd up Indian
and gave each tribal
member a pai d on which lo
But a century later, many of the
par*. has been divided by
■ mes dial the
■
It s very hard for anyone lo take
mid e thai the land is put to
productive use." Justice Department
eldman lold the
Supr ■ on Monday
dnun defended • la* that req
small shares of resenation land to
rev cri to tribes when the ow
intended to help inbes
dale reservation land
generate income, he said
Hut an attorney for the heir
Montana Indian. William Von,
at—ed thai it'a eaxwiariluticaai t.
compensation. "A taking of small landa
ill a taking." said attorney Rene
Martcll of PopUf. Mont
Al tsauc arc 34 parcels of land on the
Fort tcrvatton in Montana,
the Spirit Lake Reservation in North
and the Manding I
Kcseoalwri.whKhslracWJoilK North
Dakota-South Dakota bolder
The parcels, which rant'
i» "That » a wgnifkanl art    >m
of money "on the p
Parcels cont'd on 6
From deregulation to disgrace
B) I ri*.  Nalder, Deborah Nelson
and  \lt \ I i/on
The Seattle Tm
Intel!
i vjw how more than 100.000
American families arc h.
you'd probably want lo help them
Children, parents and grandparents
lleeping in dilapidated I
teetering trailers and rotting, one-room
have no clcctricit
toilets. n.> running water
You probably wouldn't mind thai
•o   *
federal program aimed al helping
these people get into decent homo,
especially because it's designed lo
help them help themselves
You wouldn't mind     unti
learned how millions of those dollars
have been spent
In Snohomish the money
went lo build a spacious manor for a
couple making S'O.OOO a year.
venture
MroUed by a millionaire
professional-football player.
mli houses for
men ibe that
*» the nation - in inS
tribe, stale afler state - Ihc Indian
housing program is riddled with fraud.
abuse and mismanagement
Disgrace cont'd on 8
Baird for better Leech Lake government
Vii. line is Hnice H.nrdand
>uld like to be your Secret
i Mirer I am running for the o
for i numl
I I KM.  '.'.    i n ourselves
into one hell of a mess and we are the
only ones who can straighten it out,
no one else is going lo. < )ur problems
are internal and can only be
straightened out internally I have I
reputation as a problem solver St
an effective administrator 1 have been
rccogni/cd by my peers, the
Minnesota Indian I ducation
on. as the (hitstanding Indian
Administrator of the Year for 1995. It
is going to take people with good
administrative backgrounds to work
this out I bch be an asset lo
the \-.
SECOND our
problems seem to be fmaiuial and it
will lake someone with the final
knowledge and the ability to applv it
m order to straighten it out I believe
thai we have a good accounting stall
who are as anxiou •■■ to solve
our problems, and with their help I
believe I can do it  We can no lot
afford to work on the premise thai
there is one big bag of monev and von
spend until it is gone
With the exception of the general
fund and a few others, most ol the
programs and divisions operate on a
fixed budget or federal and Matt grants
Director calls for reinstatement of fire cadets
HUD missed signs of waste, then gave tribe more $
More Leech Lake Candidates declare candidacy
Agency grants background-check extension/ pg 3
All Nations Church to host holiday art sale/ pg 8
Voice of the People
1
which require quarterl) nnual
and annual reports on how ihe funds
were spent Hudgcl overruns seem to
be common (he I Iderlv
Nutniiot ■ It was reported in
the minii Kl(  me
thai the program w
budget W ho monitored the pTOgi
Who accounted for iheexpenditu
I'll make sure that program managers
do not over spend budgets and are held
intable lor their programs.
I here seems to be a general la.
oversight and supcrv isiofl on the pa it
of the Secretary   Ireasurcr position
I his should come as no surprise as we
Baird cont'd on 5
Linda Johnston-Eduction, Experience, Energy
I wonder if other people look at and
understand the responsibilities of the
Secretary-Treasurer. It's really two
with multiple responsibilities
I he secretarial job involves the
keeping of the records These records
arc our public law and will become
part of our recent history. The
Secretary must assure the people that
their history will be recorded properly,
cataloged by subject such as the
library system, and available to the
people in their communities.
The Treasurer responsibilities have
an impact on and are at the core ol all
growth, progress, and stability fbl
leech Lake I would set up
"Accounting Procedures" that will
ensure an open and accurate reporting
process ot all our finances. This means
public access to accounting records by
concerned constituent I'an of this
|oh is educating the stall and people
0 why we need pn We
have already lost federal gram dollars
because ol major disriepam u-s m <>m
financial audita bom previous vest ■
We nerd Internal i ontrola Anyone
can talk about accountability. I have a
proven work record that demonstrates
my ability to make difficult decil	
and enforce them. Our current lack ol
enforcing accounting procedi.
encourages tfaefl and mismanagement.
We need a uniform budget process.
Wc need program budgets approved
before their fiscal year begins. These
changes and direction have to coin,
from the top, I've had over 20 \
oi administrative experience working
with tribal, stale, and federal bud-
Indian gaming in governed by the
Indian (iaming Regulatory Act which
also states tribes mUSl spend gaming
proceeds for purposes which do noi
violate the Indian < ml Rights Ac I ol
I9AS Presently this is ocurring within
out casino management I will insure
iiiai tHis type oi \ iolation and
di.i iiminalion is halted
i * in't make an) Indh idual
promises Mm i can promise to be an
honest,   fair,  and  hard-worktag
i ,uiei  ( live men h |
to prove myself I want to bring honor
and pride to our people. We've all had
enough shame in 0UI lives  I el's woik
thet i" stop the shame spiral! All
ot these procedures we can do without
compromising our spirituality, out
land, and our children. We can only
improve Ihe quality ol lite. PleaseVOte
on Thursday, Decembei 19 in I eech
I ake's first primary. Remember, I w in
Cities residents, you can vote in
person al  the  Minneapolis  Indian
Center from 8AM-8PM,
If you have any questions, concerns,
or need absentee ballot request t ards
don't hesitate to call mo at 218 ! 15
7665 oi I BOO 484 9632, "0422.
Native
Fifty Cents
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
I minded  In 1 988
Volume 9   Issue 8
December 6, 1996
1
A  wrrkly  public at Ian.
Copyright,  Motive American  Press,   1996
Taw I*»tvm7 l.«s«h I akr tribal ( ollcsr Mutfeal Senate n were Installed on October 25. 1W6. The
•jfHtrrt thai will b* *»ntag Ihdr mttltation thh >rar art; from left to ri^hi air Helen Jackson - President
Ramona AgpTWS vldrnt. Norma Jackson - Night Delegate. Richard letMS   I nil I mu l)..v Delegate.
*■ - EMer Defecate. Elk* Je«c Delegate and Laurie Harper - Secretary
M iaUaJJatioS) event «i« »cr> well attended. BtidsntS and family members ptbered for the
<nd potluck meal. TbecvetM abo featured a I crch I akr tribal I I  shirt giveaway; the luck)
err Joalc Jofcatoa. William Staple*. I 'aula V* bite. Melanie Harper and ( hris Kincdav. I he Student
Km-luMv^rdtoavrnvucccssliilvrarC hi-Mi(, witch!:
Bob Goggleye, Sr. announces candidacy
for Leech Lake secretary treasurer
1 am announcing   my   candidacy
;■• nil
!i I akc
Reservation I was bom and raised
ben- ecch Lake Reservation
and ha\ i and have been
employed in I Lake area
the past |r»vears  The problems and
our people are facing today
omplex rhe time is coming
when we will have to deal with the
I he I edcral  and Stale t iov ernments
rams  and passing
islation thai are affecting our
we can make
a difference by improving Ihc
condition". OO our reservation
fhe Anishinaabe ot I eech I akc
Reservation need -someone in office
wlm is m good health and has a pi oven
track record ol continuous
employment
I believe I have the integrity, work
ethics and credibility to hold the office
lliei of I eech I ake
Reservation
PI RSOM M DAI v
I \IM k 11 m I       ll years as ■
recfcnkal College Instructor for the
. h I ake Resenation I ducation
Program i acility
Manager for the Leech Lake-
Reservation 15 years as a Stationary
I ngmeer with" of those years m
Management in off-reservation
employment.
I Hit UION Itasca (. "ommunity
C oil mpletion   of Welding
Technology Course.
Bemidji Sttte University; Completed
Course Requirements fbrMmnesott
State vocational Education Instructor.
Goggleye cont'd on 5
Frank Reese, a Decade of Commitment to
Change
Since 1987 I have been working for
and committed to election reform md
11 onstilulion.il convention thiourhoiil
the   Minnesota   ( hippewa   Tribe
(Mi 11 Recently, primary elections
bat amc i realit) i he naps to tins
Important election reform I
neai Iv 10 years ago when I was
involved with the campaign 10 deleal
■ Secretai ial election w huh is known
as Amendment )(tothe current M( i
< onstitution).
Amendment ) gave full judicial,
executive, and legislative powers to
the III. I was against this
Amendment and helped w ith the fight
lo sikcessiuiiv defeat it.
Ibout 8 i 2 yean ^-87),
the ll(   held a special meeting at the
Bingo Palace in I ass I akc. There, the
I 1 i made a motion for election
reform to include primaries Ihe
motion was passed by a unanimous
roll Call vote In order for the election
reform and primaries to be in effect
the I EC also needed lo enact a new
election ordinance They did not.
which is why On 11-7-96, the current
111 Changed the election ordinances
lo include primaries, Although the
motion    foi    ■    Constitutional
Convention was passed at the same
special 1IV meeting S-l 2 years ago.
tribal members are still laboring and
lobbying for this convention.
On 11-7-96, the TEC passed a new
election ordinance, Flection
Ordinance No. 6; Article I A.
PRIMARY I 1 1 ( 1 U INS." \ primary-
election shall be required if more than
two people tile for candidacy for any
one position. The primary election
shall be held for regular elections on
the second Tuesday in April of even
Reese cont'd on 5
Tribal advocates push to safeguard ruling
JUNEAU, Alaska (AIM     I he state
is appealing b federal appeals conn
ruling thatcouldgive Maska'sNative
lubes imc.iter authority over their
communities,
A three |udge panel of the 9th t I.S,
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last
month that the Interior villages Ol
Venetie and Arctic Village are Indian
country ,a legal term that carries broad
implications of sovereign!) rights. The
appeals panel reversed a ruling b)
U.S. DistrictJudgeH.Russel Holland
in Anchors
"As a result of this decision." says
the state's appeal, "any o\' Alaska's
some 226 lubes ma\ be able to
establish  that they occupy  Indian
count!) simply by virtue of receipt of
some soil o( federal benefits for
Indians ami being located on or near
land set aside for B village (Native)
corporation undei \NCSA (the Alaska
Namei laimsSettlement Act)."
"Our argument is that ANCSA did
and intended to extinguish most Indian
country in Alaska." said Barbara .1.
Ritchie, the state deputy attornev
general who heads the civil division.
I he other principal argument is that
Alaska's   Native   corporations
separated the administration of the
land from the tribes themselves, and
their special  relationship with  the
Ruling cont'd on 5