Folks, this is being shared within Facebook by Mr. Shawn Augare, the brother of Mr. Shannon Augare, who is a current, Blackfeet Tribal Business Council member. Shawn Augare is offering to furnish the original for people who want it, so judging by the fact that he has the original and also because of the writing style, I am guessing that it was written by his brother, Shannon Augare. I have concerns to address related to certain content, but that will have to wait, because I am extremely busy right now; however, continue to watch if you are interested, because I will definitely be posting my concerns in the near future. Until then, do not believe everything that you read in it…! “BLACKFEET NATION P.O. BOX 850 BROWNING, MONTANA 59417 (406) 338-7521 FAX (406) 338-7530 EXCUTIVE COMMITTEE BLACKFEET TRIBAL BUSINESS COUNCIL Willie A. Sharp Jr., Chairman Willie A. Sharp Jr. Forrestina Calf Boss Ribs, Vice Chairman Forrestina Calf Boss Ribs Roger ‘Sassy’ Running Crane, Acting-Secretary Roger ‘Sassy’ Running Crane Tinsey Birdrattler-Kennedy, Treasurer Earl Old Person Shannon J. Augare Cheryl Little Dog Leonard Guardipee Paul J. McEvers William ‘Bill’ Old Chief October 24, 2013 To the people of the Blackfeet Nation Blackfeet Indian Nation Our dear fellow citizens, Today marks the eighth day of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council impasse. On one side, a majority of the Council, Councilman Roger ‘Sassy’ Running Crane, Chief Earl Old Person, Councilman Shannon Augare, and Councilman Leonard Guardipee are working together to ensure the Blackfeet Tribal Government remains in full operation. The other faction of our Council, Councilman Willie A. Sharp Jr. and Councilwoman Forrestina ‘Frosty’ Calf Boss Ribs, remain busy trying to create their own rules of governance and terminating some of our major department heads and other staff for political purposes. We, together, acknowledge the breakdown of our Council’s governance after a significant vote only two weeks ago. The vote was proposed by Councilman Sharp and Councilwoman Calf Boss Ribs and it was to award certain Blackfeet Tribal Headstart employees a significant bonus. A majority of the Council, along with our talented Finance Department, agreed that these bonus’ were unnecessary and a frivolous waste of Headstart’s federal dollars. It is important to note, that the chairman and vice-chairwoman were bullishly pushing these bonus’ through the system to benefit the chairman’s wife, Denise Sharp, and the vice-chairwoman’s son, Pat Calf Boss Ribs, Jr. as well as their close personal friends, Theresa Calf Boss Ribs, Shane Goss, Kay DeRoche, and Ethel ‘Sissy’ Grant. These bonus’ were expected by the employees because they worked to submit a simple fill-in-the-blank grant and this was to be apart of the director’s normal working duties anyway. A majority of the Council and our Finance Department determined that this is an un-allowable expense and should not be granted. Our decision went unrecognized by Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs and they, together, pushed through 60 hours of overtime to those select Headstart employees without proper justification or approval. The funding agency confirmed that this was a simple one day grant, and so, how can we justify 60 hours of overtime per person for the submission of this grant. This action violates the Council’s Code of Conduct as well as our Oath of Office when we each pledged to not favor our family or friends. On the morning of Thursday, October 17, 2013, at 9:00am Councilman Sharp called members of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council into a meeting in the Council Chambers. At the meeting, Councilman Sharp called for the suspension of Councilmen Leonard Guardipee and Shannon Augare. Councilmembers asked whether the Council was properly notified of this meeting, which a majority agrees that we were not properly notified. According to the Plan of Operations, 48-hour meeting notice is to be given to each Councilman by the Secretary of the Tribe, who is Acting-Secretary Roger ‘Sassy’ Running Crane, in writing. Because the majority of the Council agreed that proper notice of the meeting was not given and we agreed that the content of the meeting was pure political retaliation, Councilmen Running Crane, Guardipee, and Augare chose to leave the meeting. Councilman Earl Old Person also chose to not attend this meeting. A majority of the Council, Councilmen Running Crane, Old Person, Guardipee, and Augare, agreed to remain united and work to ensure the continuity of the Blackfeet Tribal Government remains productive. Under our authority, we called certain Tribal Directors into a meeting to discuss safeguards and protections that need to remain in place under our normal standards and practices. These same directors were either called or sent text messages by Councilman Sharp who threatened their jobs and potential removal from their positions. We, a majority of the Council, disagree with the Councilman Sharp’s action and have assured our directors and their staff there will be no terminations sustained. After Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Rib’s failed attempt to pass a vote on the suspension of Councilmembers Guardipee and Augare, Councilman Sharp announced he would be using his authority as chairman to implement such suspensions. As many of our fellow members know, the Blackfeet Constitution and Plan of Operations makes no mention of the chairman having any authority to implement a suspension of another councilman. Chief Earl Old Person who has served in the Blackfeet Tribal Government more than 50 years and many of those years as chairman agrees that there is no such recognition of power or duties bestowed on the chairman. Councilman Sharp has mentioned to the media who have reported his statements, that he is in un-chartered waters and does not know whether or not his actions are legal. He further has mentioned that he is head of the personnel board and as such he has the authority to make these suspensions valid. We disagree. The personnel board is comprised of the executive committee. In order for any committee to be called to order, two things must occur: A) a 48 hour notice must be provided to each committee member and at least three members must be present to conduct the business of any committee. There was no notification no proper quorum at any recently called executive committee meeting. It is also important to note, this is for personnel (or employees) only and it does not effect or include elected officials. In short, Councilman Sharp has no legal authority to suspend Councilmen Guardipee or Augare. The majority of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, Councilmen Running Crane, Old Person, Augare, and Guardipee have consistently attempted to meet with Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs. Our attempts have been ignored and have gone un-answered. We have, however, met consistently with various departments and staff to designate a clear line of communication to ensure the operations and services of the Tribe continue. Instead of commending our employees for adapting to this unique circumstance (the impasse) and working to implement a system of efficiency, Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs had our employees illegally reprimanded or illegally terminated. These employees are Blackfeet Members and have Blackfeet Families. The hardship that Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs have pushed onto these families are un-necessary and easily preventable. On October 21, 2013, Councilman Sharp directed Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services to remove Councilmen Guardipee and Augare from Councilman Earl Old Person’s Office. A majority of the Council, Councilmen Running Crane, Old Person, Guardipee, and Augare directed law enforcement to stand down on Councilman Sharp’s request. This request was un-necessary as there is no criminal element to this matter. Chief of Police Henry Devereaux agreed to stand down on Councilman Sharp’s request. We also expressed our concern of the protesters who were banging on the building and heckling people who were attempting to due business at the Tribe. Due to the decision of Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs to allow protesters to roam freely among the tribal building disrupting our employees and the general operations of the Tribe and to further threaten, reprimand, or terminate employees who report to Councilmen Running Crane’s or Councilman Old Person’s office, we decided to move our meeting location to the Siyeh Building. We, along with many of our program directors and key staff, have continued to meet daily and to figure out opportunities to move us beyond this impasse. On October 22nd, 2013, we received numerous excerpts of Council action from Blackfeet Tribal Documents Department. This illegal action began with Councilman Sharp using his authority as chairman of the tribe to reinstate suspended Councilmen McEvers and Old Chief. We strongly disagree that Councilman Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs have the authority to reinstate suspended Councilmen McEvers and Old Chief. In order to be reinstated, a proper quorum of the Council must be called to order in a duly called meeting and there must be six yes votes to rescind such action. We are of the strong opinion that any action by Councilman Sharp, Calf Boss Ribs, and suspended Councilman McEvers and Old Chief are null and void. Including the action that awarded suspended councilmembers McEvers and Old Chief $81,000.00 each for back-pay this past fiscal year. Further, the only councilmen who have voting powers at this time are Councilmembers Sharp, Calf Boss Ribs, Running Crane, Old Person, Guardipee, and Augare. On October 24, 2013, Councilmembers Sharp, Calf Boss Ribs and suspended Councilmembers McEvers and Old Chief took illegal action to terminate the Treasurer of the Tribe, Tinsuwella Birdrattler-Kennedy. The Treasurer had refused to implement a directive to issue a check to suspended Councilmembers McEvers and Old Chief in the amount of $81,000.00 each for a total of $162,000.00. This is reckless spending which is further not authorized by a proper quorum of councilmembers. The majority of the Council, Councilmembers Running Crane, Old Person, Guardipee, and Augare agreed with the Treasurer that she should remove her name plate from the finance department due to the many illegal financial transactions that Councilmen Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs are trying to push through. We further instructed our banks to freeze all spending of the Tribe. We agree that we must protect the assets and finances of the Blackfeet Tribe until a proper quorum of six members transact any business. We hope Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs comes to the table and cooperates with us so we can work together to pay our employees and to pay the Tribe’s bills. We hope Councilmembers Sharp and Calf Boss Ribs realize that they are affecting the lives of 800+ people and their families and they are going to cause further harm on our local economy. They need to come back to the table and work with the four of us to conduct the proper business affairs of the Blackfeet Tribe. On October 23, 2013, members of the Council received a letter from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Acting Superintendent Thedis Crowe. In this letter, the ‘BIA Blackfeet Agency formally recognizes the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, in its entirety, as the governing body of the Blackfeet Tribe…’ This is an important statement, as both Councilman Sharp and the media have in-correctly mentioned that the BIA recognizes only the Willie Sharp Administration. This is clearly not true. As members of the Council know, the Council had taken formal action in a duly called meeting to suspend Councilmembers McEvers, Old Chief, and Little Dog. They cannot be reinstated as members of the Council until a duly called and quorum meeting takes place with six members (Sharp, Calf Boss Ribs, Running Crane, Old Person, Guardipee, and Augare) voting to rescind the previous action. While we do acknowledge they are members of the Council, we further acknowledge they remain on suspension with no powers. As the BIA letter continues to read, all actions taken by Councilmembers Sharp, Calf Boss Ribs, and suspended Councilmembers McEvers and Old Chief, are not recognized by the BIA as they lack a sufficient quorum. A majority of the Council, led by Councilman Old Person, along with Councilmen Running Crane, Guardipee, and Augare have requested the BIA to mediate this matter in its entirety. As they began to design a process of mediation to bring resolve on this matter, we hope and pray that our colleagues will regain their sense of professionalism and do what is right by the governing documents of our Blackfeet Nation. We each need to re-commit ourselves in the name of service and to provide the leadership our members expect of us and to ensure the continuity of our government is preserved. Most sincerely, we are Councilman Roger Running CraneCouncilman Earl Old Person Blackfeet Tribal Business CouncilBlackfeet Tribal Business Council Councilman Shannon J. AugareCouncilman Leonard Guardipee Blackfeet Tribal Business CouncilBlackfeet Tribal Business Council cc:btbc tribal departments and programs 4”
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 08:54:22 +0000