PAGE 8 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - OCTOBER 19, 2011
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Shining the light
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Diane Sawyer of ABC news may be the next reporter sought out by a group of St. Croix Tribal members who recently watched Sawyer’s moving piece on the Lakota Tribe of South Dakota. The Lakota people live on one of the 565 federally recognized Indian Nations in the United States, some in the shadow of Mount Rushmore on a reservation the size of Connecticut. Sawyer’s reporting is being praised as being both hard-hitting and positive, profiling young members of the Tribe and their aspirations. Unfortunately many members of that Tribe live amidst poverty levels (47 percent) that rival those of a Third World country. A member of the Lakota blogged on ndnnews.com recently that he was sick to his stomach as he tuned in to watch the report, afraid of how it may portray his Tribe - but he was pleasantly surprised. “The few problem areas that were showcased in the allotted time slot were, of course, no more than the proverbial ‘tip of the iceberg,’ given the magnitude of human suffering that is to be found there,” he wrote. “Still, ABC News is to be commended for at long last shedding some much-needed light on a very obscure and dark corner, so to speak, of this country of ours. In short, I was quite pleased with what I watched as I was granted some appreciable degree of hope for our future as a tribe as conveyed in the lives of those four individuals.” Several St. Croix Tribal members have approached us over the years - hoping to shed light on various issues of concern of their own. Primarily issues surrounding the Tribal constitution and how it allows for a lack of transparency in their government - more specifically, the five-person council and Tribal court. Our stories this past May and June, just prior to the council elections - muddied the waters as accusations were met with accusations, not unlike any political showdown in this country today. But now, armed with a legal firm’s independent investigative report which used IRS documents and credit-card statements, some members of the St. Croix Tribe are wanting to go public with the information in hopes of bringing some kind of accountability to some Tribal leaders. Leaders who appear very irresponsible in this report. While there are members of the 1,200-member Tribe who are seeking public assistance, unable to pay their utility bills and watching their monthly per capita payments dwindle, one Tribal leader racked up $90,000 in ATM cash fees in one year at casinos nationwide, using a Tribal-issued credit card - all while collecting a six-figure salary for serving on the council, the report says. There is no record of authorization from the council for those expenditures - or explanation as to what the cash was used for. The report also outlines embezzlement of state and federal program monies, minor trust account monies and more. “For fear of retaliation against ourselves and our families, we would like to remain anonymous in our reporting,” the members state. The report outlines “the use of St. Croix Chippewa monies for personal expenses, unauthorized or improper loans to members of the nation, violations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 and other Indian Gaming laws,” the members stated in a letter to the Department of Interior, the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. During 2008, the IRS “was correct in assuming the misuse of gaming proceeds in the millons of dollars,” the letter states. Some copies of the 11-page summary, with dozens of pages of credit-card statements, have found their way to some Tribal elders and others - but just the cost of making copies of the hefty report is prohibitive for these members and they have asked us - and other media - to publish a story. It should be noted there are council members shown to be responsible in their use of Tribal assets by this report. And members of the newly elected council, meanwhile, have promised better transparency in their government, which could mean, in practical terms, a revision of the Tribe’s constitution. Tribes across the nation are going through difficult transitions in adapting to management and government changes that can meet the demands of a multimillion-dollar operation. And the bravery of those Tribal members - who stand to gain nothing politically or financially in coming forward with this information, is a stand for all members of the Tribe who wish to shed more light on the dark corners in order to better conditions for all members. Editorials by Gary King
• Where to write • President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500 www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Gov. Scott Walker Wisconsin State Capitol Madison, WI 53707 transition@wisconsin.gov Congressman Sean Duffy (7th District) 1208 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202-225-3365 U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl 330 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 715-832-8492 senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov
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Rep. Erik Severson (28th District) Room 6 North State Capitol Madison, WI 53708 608-267-2365 • 888-529-0028 FAX: 608-282-3628 rep.Severson@legis.state.wi.us Rep. Roger RIvard (75th District) State Capitol Room 307 North P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 608-266-2519 • 888-534-0075 rep.rivard@legis.wi.gov U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson 2 Russell Courtyard Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-5323
Sen. Robert Jauch (25th District) Room 415 South, State Capitol P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707 Sen.Jauch@legis.state.wi.us Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (10th District) State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 608-266-7745 • 715-232-1390 Toll-free - 800-862-1092 sen.harsdorf@legis.state.wi.us
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Rep. Nick Milroy (73rd District) Room 8 North, State Capitol P.O. Box 8953, Madison 53708 rep.milroy@legis.state.wi.us
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