Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 4.9.14

6 | APRIL 9, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

As Divisions Persist, BIA Worries Upcoming

Blackfeet Election in ‘Jeopardy’
READER

POLL
Federal oicials raise erate in chaos?”
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Sharp said that Augare’s concerns are
concerns about upcoming
irrelevant because in his opinion Augare
Would You Support a Tech election while tribal chairman is no longer a member of the tribal coun-
Levy for the Kalispell School tries to suspend two more cil. In October, Sharp’s faction tried to
District?
remove Augare and Guardipee from the
members of the council, council but the legality of that move was
including long time chief
questionable. On April 3, Sharp tried to
terminate Chief Old Person and Running

Crane as well, but again, it’s unclear if that
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
was even legal. Sharp said he had given
the two members plenty of opportunities
For months, members of the Blackfeet
Sun shines through American and Blackfeet lags in to return to tribal headquarters and re-
Tribal Business Council have said the di- Browning. BEACON FILE PHOTO
join his side of the council. In documents
visions that have plagued its government obtained by the Beacon, the tribal coun-
60% YES 40% NO for nearly two years would be sorted on cil said it was terminating Old Person be-
their own or resolved during the 2014 elec- Person, Shannon Augare and Leonard cause he had damaged the tribe’s inancial
TOTAL VOTES: 109
tion. Now, it’s unclear if that election will Guardipee, who don’t recognize the mem- stability, failed to attend meetings for over
even happen and the Bureau of Indian Af- bers appointed or reappointed by Sharp’s six months, tried to appoint his own elec-
Should Individual Contribu- fairs has raised serious concerns that the administration. Because the council is tion board and claimed to be chairman of
tions to Federal Election June primary is in “jeopardy” because a split, neither side has a quorum of seven the tribal council.
proper election board has not been seated.
members, as required in the constitution.
“They’re done,” Sharp said of the
Campaigns be Limited?
In a letter to Blackfeet Chairman Wil- The BIA recognizes all members ex- Blackfeet Nation chief and Running
lie Sharp Jr., the acting superintendent of cept the two appointed by Sharp’s faction, Crane. “Six months is a long time to wait

the BIA Blackfeet Agency said if the full Goss and Vielle.
for someone to come back to work.”
tribal council did not agree on an elec- On March 18, Sharp’s faction appoint- In an interview with the Beacon, Old
tion board by April 3, it would be hard ed a ive-person election board. Sharp said Person said Sharp’s attempt to terminate
for the government to organize and run a that the election will go forward and that the chief was invalid. Old Person is the
fair election on June 3, as required by the an election board does not have to be se- tribal council’s longest serving member
Blackfeet Constitution and election rules.
lected by the entire tribal council. He said and was irst elected in 1954. In 1978, the
“Failure to do so puts the 2014 Tribal in the past, the tribal documents director family of the last Blackfeet chief, John
69% YES 31% NO Election in jeopardy,” Acting Superin- has selected the ive-person board. Sharp Two Guns White Calf, who died in 1934,

TOTAL VOTES: 167
tendent Thedis Crowe wrote. “This time- also said he has invited the BIA to observe bestowed the lifetime honorary position
frame leaves the Tribal Election Board the election, but other than that the fed- of chief upon Old Person. The chief has
with a compressed schedule of approxi- eral agency should have no role in how it also served as the Blackfeet Nation’s rep-
mately 60 days to coordinate, organize, takes place. On April 3, Sharp sent a letter resentative to the outside world and has
Do You Think Climate Change advertise, certify candidates, order bal- back to the BIA informing it of his posi- met every United States president since
is a Pressing Issue?
lots, and schedule the primary election to tion.
Harry Truman and was even invited to
occur on June 3.”
“The election will go on and the BIA Iran in 1971 to celebrate the 2,500th anni-
The Blackfeet government has been has no right to intervene on an internal versary of the Persian Empire.

plagued with problems for more than two matter,” Sharp said. “We are striving for a Old Person said the situation that has
years, but it took a turn for the worse last fair and honest election.”
divided the tribal council is the worst he
fall when the nine-member tribal council But the faction of the tribal council op- has seen in his 60 years in government.
split. On one side are Sharp and Forrestina posite the chairman disagrees and says “I’m not surprised by anything they’ve
Calf Boss Ribs, who reappointed suspend- the election board that was appointed by done and none of it is valid,” he said. “This
ed tribal members Bill Old Chief, Cheryl Sharp on March 18 is illegal. Augare said is getting out of hand. I’ve been here for a
22YES 78NO Little Dog and Paul McEvers. Sharp’s fac- that if the two sides cannot agree on an long time and this has never happened be-
% %
TOTAL VOTES: 605
tion also appointed two new tribal council election board then the last legal one from fore.
members last year, Allen Goss and Leon 2012 should be reappointed.
He added, “It’s not good for the Black-
Vielle.
“If we can’t appoint an election board feet Nation.”
On the other side of the council are then we’re in uncharted waters,” Augare [email protected]
ONLINE POLL RESULTS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
Roger Running Crane, Chief Earl Old
said. “Does this mean we’ll continue to op-

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