March 2017
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The Comanche Nation News
Comanche Nation Audit Report FY 2015-2016 Chairman Nelson Address to the Nation
Comanche Nation People (NUMUNU): This is an informational writing to all enrolled members. These are facts over innuendo and speculations. My hope and belief is in our ruling law, The Comanche Nation Constitution, which I will make reference to within this briefing. Please join with me as the only hope of our Nation is; transparency and accurate accounting of all our Comanche Nation affairs. This will be a four (4) part briefing of where we were and where we’re at: (1.) Elections and the Annual Meeting, (2.) The Annual Budget for fiscal year 2018, (3.) Financial state of affairs. ELECTIONS AND THE ANNUAL MEETING: EXAMPLE OF TURMOIL: “November 2009: A Chairman is recalled; a later recall removes six (6) others. November 2010: Eight Business Committee members are elected. The Bureau of Indian Affairs considers it the last legitimate election. February 2011: All Business Committee members were recalled except one (1), the BIA recognizes the committee as elected. July 2011: Chairman resigns his position; an acting chair is assumed. November 2011: Acting chair resigns. 2012: four (4) members left without a legal quorum. December 2012: election conducted was
considered “seemingly illegal,” according to the BIA, results were not recognized. 2013: another election conducted, the BIA deemed illegal. Appeal was filed in March 2014. Continuation of no legal quorum to conduct tribal business, according to the tribe’s by- laws. The supreme governing body of the tribe is the Indian Council, lack of an authorized Business Committee means no one is able to appoint members to the election or hearing boards. Both the election and hearing boards are not filled or functioning. Jan. 2015: Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Director issues a letter invoking the agency’s authority to call an emergency election for the tribe. 2015: The tribes Constitutional Revision Committee submits a petition with 546 signatures of eligible voters to the BIA requesting a secretarial election on May 7. The request was denied the next day. Feb. 2016: The BIA rejected recognition of Chairman as leader of the Tribe and said this person continued use of tribal resources may violate some tribal and federal laws; September 2016: A legal quorum of Business Committee is finally recognized and certified.” What does this eight (8) year timeline of our neighbors to the North tell us? Biased and radical elections can & will dissolve a Nation just as it had for eight years to
this tribe and its people. Last year the Comanche Nation got “very close” to this same scenario, thank God this didn’t happen. The Comanche Nation Constitution is VERY CLEAR in its wording on elections: Article 6, Section 7 (b) DUTIES OF THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE: “To determine qualifications of candidates nominated for office and to conduct election of tribal officers and business committeemen pursuant to the provisions of Section 2, Article VII, of this constitution.” This is a very daunting task with an adult membership close to 12,000 voters. In May of 2005 an idea was voted on in a monthly business committee meeting to have “nominate and elect” election board members to get rid of the Chairman self-appointed election board members as had been the past practice of the previous 37 years. Last year did prove that this process hadn’t and didn’t work with mailing OFFICIAL BALLOTS to members without a REQUEST to vote. This “In Mass” had some definite repercussions with deceased members getting official ballots and first time voters going to the polls and being told, “You already voted by Absentee Official Ballot.” The decade long “nominate and elect” election board process had other flaws such as, board members (documented) received up to
$50,000 individual stipends within one year. The past election year went totally against itself when a misprint within the election ordinance saw a two (2) nominated race go to a run off after the General Election saw an obvious winner with most votes. The Comanche Nation Constitution Article 6, Section 7 (g) DUTIES OF THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE: “To appoint such subcommittees as are needed to develop the proposals suggested herein or any other worthwhile endeavors, including delegation of such authorities to these subcommittees as in commensurate with their responsibilities.” It’s hard to see a subcommittee formed under our governing law to; take the elected business committee and the Comanche Nation to a Court that the Comanche Nation doesn’t and hasn’t recognized, for their own self-determining amnesty and self- recognized autonomy as a (Program over Duty). In retrospect this Business Committee today believes in all honesty, professionalism and total impartiality that an outsourced, non-Comanche affiliation election service is the best form of democracy for the Comanche Nation. The Company is out of Bethesda. Maryland, its name is “True Ballot.” This will be a historic year to any Comanche Nation election of past. This year we the Business Committee will
LIVESTREAM the entire count for total transparency to the Comanche People. Not only is this a first, I believe it will make International News of what Real Democracy is all about. The cost factor of “True Ballot” is half of what we’ve paid in the past for our elections. The upcoming Annual Meeting (April 15, 2017) is for the Tribal Council to conduct business for the upcoming fiscal year of 2018 which starts October 1, 2017. Adoptions and Nominations are in order, plus, the Annual Budget will be adopted for us to take to the international General Election or what’s often defined as the Referendum Vote. I do hope the Comanche Nation has seen value in the, “Budget Summits”, that show the Programs and (just what are we voting on). I hope this process continues, we have to mature as a Nation and not pass anything without a closer look. This year at the Annual Meeting the position of Business Committee No. 3 has termed out, and is up for nomination for its first term of a three (3) year duty. Business Committee No. 4 is scheduled for its second term. Also, the position of Secretary/Treasurer is up for nomination for its first term of a three (3) year duty. Get your nominations ready for this 50th Annual Meeting Continued on Page 17