VOLUME 18 EDITION 9
Tribal Voters Will Decide the Fate of the Constitutional Amendment
September 2017
Comanche Nation Public Information Office, Lawton, OK www.comanchenation.com
Comanche Nation Establishes Tribal Court
I Can See the ECLIPSE!
Candace Todd/News Staff
Tribal members view Solar Eclispse with Elder
Submitted by Office of the Comanche Nation Chairman
One of the most important elections in Comanche history is underway and voters could determine the fate of the Tribe for generations to come. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is accepting ballots through September 8 from registered voters who will decide whether to change the Comanche Nation constitution. "Making this important change is critical to the success of the Comanche Nation,” said Comanche Nation Chairman, William Nelson. “Our outdated recall petition process puts every service we offer in jeopardy. The right to petition isn’t the question, it’s the numbers that has to reflect the majority opinion and their rights as the majority.” The Comanche Nation has one of the weakest recall petition systems among tribes in Oklahoma. Just a handful of members, only 200, are able to demand a recall hearing against any elected representative no matter how frivolous the claim might be. That is just 2% of the Tribe's eligible voters. The proposed amendment, if passed, would raise that threshold to a reasonable 10%. "The Comanche Business Committee has worked hard to get rid of corruption while operating with transparency and accountability. But we also need stability," Chairman Nelson stated. "Stability is a critical element of any successful government. But a handful of people are determined to cause problems because they no longer have unlimited access to tribal money. If members want better benefits and services, such as the $478 checks we were able to send out to everyone in July, we need everyone to vote Yes on the amendments. Our money can go directly to members who desperately need help or our money can pay for non-stop, frivolous recall hearings. I believe our members are much better off with that money in their hands." Other tribes around Oklahoma have reformed their recall petition processes to great success, but the Comanche Nation is far behind. For instance, the Chickasaw Nation requires 25% residing within the area from which the official was elected, Kiowa Nation requires 30% and the Choctaw Nation requires signatures from 40 percent. Consequently, the Comanche Nation has problems the other tribes don't. One person alone has verifiably filed 27 recall petitions in recent years costing the tribal government more than a half-million dollars. "Think of all of the social services we could have provided with that money," Chairman Nelson pointed out. "We could’ve served children and elders major needs. We See SECRETARIAL ELECTION, PAGE 3
Courtesy Photo
99-year-old Comanche tribal elder, Anna Tahmahkera, center, is surrounded by employees from the Comanche Nation Child Support Program, from left, Tami Steen, Llori Goombi, Deann Nibbs, Kelly Wilkinson, Lanette Tahchawwickah and Kirby Edwards, while viewing the total solar eclispe August 21. The eclipse on Aug. 21 was viewed by thousands of people across the United States, and it reportedly followed a similar path, during the Solar Eclipse of 1918, which was the year Tahmahkera was born. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Eclipse website, the next solar eclipse in the U.S. will happen April 8, 2024.
Comanche Nation Casino Make Improvements for Customers; Prepare for Free Concert By Stacey Heminokeky/News Staff
Improvements have been made to the Comanche Nation Casino (CNC), and it is a breath of fresh air. The major change is the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, AirConditioning) system. “We listen to our customers and team members and realized that we had to do something about the smoke in the casino. We went through a engineer and we created what we think is the most efficient air filtration system that we could have done for CNC. The customers and team members are now pleased,” said Michael Starr, Comanche Nation Casino’s CEO. The make-over also includes, new carpet, which is now much brighter and easier on the eyes, a new floor plan, to help open up the aisles so it’s easier for guests with scooters or elderly who may need more room. New menus at both of the restaurants with lower prices and improved quality of entrees. A changed layout with more cash out machines, so its more efficient. The Comanche Nation Casino has increased profit margins from
The Comanche Nation will make history coming within the next fiscal year. The Nation will have its very own tribal court, built from the ground up, and located at the Comanche Nation headquarters north, of Watchetaker Hall. Construction started in early February, but is now sitting idle while waiting to be inspected by the Fire Marshal to insure the safety of the people. Capital Improvement Director, Louie McCarthy, estimated the time of completion to be in November of this year. It has been a decade since a discussion about a tribal court was brought up among the Tribal Council. Chairman William Nelson recalls the day during the Comanche Nation General Council meeting of April 2007. “We cannot accept the Court of Federal Regulations as our tribal court because we get no justice,” said Nelson. “The Tribal Council in assembly voted that we would never recognize the CFR court; the tribal council said this; it was voted on.” Nelson pointed out that cases heard within CFR court are provided the same response “It’s an internal dispute, and no justice is rendered.” Funds to establish a tribal court have been voted on and allocated to the Comanche Nation tribal budget for years but it was not until recently that the Comanche Business Committee (CBC) passed a resolution to direct the Tribal Administrator (TA) Jimmy Arterberry, to the task of establishing a court. “There are federal opportunities for tribes to actually develop their own courts, it’s not something new, we are just taking advantage of it. With our Grant Program, they have written grants to actually establish it and help fund the whole set and the initial operations,” said Arterberry Once Arterberry was assigned the task of gathering data to formulate a tribal court, he assembled a core team to help him. CN Chief of Police, Vern Griffin; CN Compliance officer, Denise Karty; CN Children’s Court Clerk, Brian Wahnee and CN Grants facilitator, Shannon Nagel, have all been tasked to do Request for Proposals on behalf of the Nation for the committee to make selections. It was important that the CBC reSee TRIBAL COURT, Page 10
Courtesy Photo
month to month, according to Starr, “We made great strides improving our top line revenue while controlling and managing our expenses, and improving our operating profit. The profit goes to the tribe. 60% goes to Social Services, Government, etc., and 40% goes to Per-capita,” said Starr. The Comanche Nation Casino is also hosting a Festival Extravaganza at the casino, located at 402 SE Interstate Dr., Lawton, Okla. The Extravaganza is a free concert that is open to the public during Labor Day weekend. There will be six bands
including, a Meet-and-Greet with Thomas Smith, from Misfit Garage; Jesse Matlock, the builder of the car, “Striker,” the owner of Jesse’s Auto Body in Dewey, Okla., and a Barracuda Car Show, and lots more. “We want it to be fun and make sure everyone enjoys playing at the casino. It’s all about entertainment for our customers, so we want to do everything we can to make it pleasurable for not only our customers but our staff as well. My theory is the better we treat the staff the better they treat the guests.” said Starr.
Special Section 26th Annual COMANCHE NATION FAIR Pages 16-20