chippewa

GTB Constitution Reform Proposals (Uggh!)

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Leelanau News:

Problems apparent during the last tribal election are among factors spurring the Tribal Council of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians to call for establishment of a “Legislative Drafting Committee” which will review procedures for amending the Tribal Constitution.

Hundreds of GTB members last year signed a petition calling for an amendment to the Tribal Constitution following a highly contentious 2006 election process that delayed the seating of newly elected Tribal Council members until 2007 and resulted in the elimination of two of the top vote-getters from the race.

A proposed constitutional amendment would allow tribal members to vote for the position of Chief Judge and Appellate Judges of the Tribal Court, the Tribal Prosecutor and Tribal Police Captain. Currently, those positions are filled by political appointees hand-picked by elected members of the Tribal Council.

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GTB Primary Election Results

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Traverse City Record-Eagle:

PESHAWBESTOWN — Voters selected eight finalists for leadership positions in the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians’ primary election.

Two-term incumbent Chairman Robert Kewaygoshkum and council member Derek Bailey were the top two finishers in the tribal chairman’s race, according to preliminary election results, said Sam Evans, who heads the tribe’s election committee.

Those two candidates will square off in the May 21 regular election.

Former council member Thurlow “Sam” McClellan finished third in the chairman’s race, but unofficial vote totals for each candidate were not made available.

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Former Sault Tribe Appellate Judge Speaks

Matthew L.M. Fletcher3 Comments

From the Soo Evening News:

SAULT STE. MARIE – Local Attorney Michael Winnick explained that his resignation from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Court of Appeals came for one reason and one reason alone.

Integrity.

“My name is the only thing I truly own and I do not want it in any way shape or form dirtied by what is taking place on that reservation,” said Winnick. “I owe it to myself, my profession and to any mentor I have ever had who took the time to teach me right from wrong.”

Winnick said recent allegations that he stepped down because he was not named chief judge – a position the Appellate Court took in a 15-page memorandum dispensed at a recent meeting of the Sault Tribe Board of Directors – are simply untrue.

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GTB Election Coverage (from Indianz)

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan are voting in a primary election on Wednesday.

Twenty candidates are vying for three seats on the tribal council. Three candidates are running for chairman. The general election will be held May 21. The two top voters from each race will be on the ballot. For chairman, incumbent Robert Kewaygoshkum is facing a challenge from Derek Bailey and Thurlow “Sam” McClellan.

Get the Story:
Tribal voters to narrow field (The Leelanau News 4/8)

News Coverage of BMIC/Sault Tribe Off-Rez Gaming Bills

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Detroit Free Press:

WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee is set to work on a couple of bills on Wednesday that would allow for two new Indian casinos in Michigan – even though another committee has already approved them.

It could set up an interesting jurisdictional question for the House.
A couple months ago, the Natural Resources Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of the two pieces of legislation, which would authorize land swaps with two tribes, resulting in new casinos in Romulus and Port Huron. That vote was expected to send the bills to the House floor.

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Clash of Titans over Off-Rez Gaming in Michigan: Dingell v. Conyers!

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From The Hill:

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) is clashing with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) over the thorny issue of Indian gambling, setting up a standoff between two of the oldest bulls in Congress.

Conyers has stepped into an Indian gambling dispute that is dividing the Michigan delegation and the Democratic Caucus. After teaming up with Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the 22-term House veteran has used his position as chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee to oppose two bills that would settle tribal land disputes and clear the way for new casinos to be built near both lawmakers’ Detroit-area districts.

Conyers argues that the bills would change the way casinos are approved by allowing Congress to get involved in land dispute claims that the U.S. Department of the Interior routinely determines. He also cites the concern that the casinos would be located more than 350 miles from the tribes’ reservations.

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AP: Michigan Tribes Object to Michigan Water Legislation

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the AP:

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — An American Indian tribe says bills pending in the Legislature to regulate high-volume water withdrawals would violate its rights by reducing fish populations in some rivers and streams.

Officials with other northern Michigan tribes also are raising concerns about the measures, pending in the House and Senate. The two versions are similar, but have differences that sponsors are trying to work out before floor votes are taken.

The bills would regulate withdrawals of more than 200,000 gallons per day from rivers and streams — or from underground aquifers — for commercial uses such as farming and manufacturing.

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Interviews with Michigan Tribal Chairs @ United Tribes of Michigan Meeting

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are videos of interviews with Fred Cantu (Saginaw Chippewa), DK Sprague (Gun Lake Band), Frank Ettawageshik (LTBB), Matt Wesaw (Vice-Chair, Pokagon), and Aaron Payment (Sault Tribe).

Link to videos on the Saginaw Chippewa website.

Grand Traverse Band Opposition to Michigan Water Withdrawal Legislation

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Thanks to Bill Rastetter.

GTB Letter to House

GTB Letter to Senate

GTB Election Preview

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Leelanau Enterprise:

Three candidates have tossed their hats into the ring to serve as tribal chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

In addition, 21 other tribal members are running for three seats on the Tribal Council.

The GTB will hold a Primary Election on April 9 to narrow the field of candidates to two running for tribal chairman and six running for seats on the Tribal Council. The Regular Election is slated to be held on May 21, with newly elected or re-elected officials taking office the following day.

Tribal Election Board chairman Sam Evans said that the deadline for candidates to declare their candidacy was March 3. He explained that a list of candidates will not be available until after March 17, the deadline for completing a background check of all candidates. The background check, which includes fingerprinting, eliminates any convicted felons from running for office.

Although no candidate list was available this week, it’s clear that at least one incumbent tribal councilor, Derek Bailey, is hoping to fill Tribal Chairman Robert Keywaygoshkum’s seat. Lawn signs declaring Bailey’s candidacy for tribal chairman have appeared along roadways near the reservation in Peshawbestown. Bailey’s four-year term as a tribal councilor is slated to expire in May.

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