SAULT TRIBE FACTS - If it is not a fact it must be fiction................................

Bouschor back on the ballot


Story created Mar 26, 2008 - 12:09:48 EDT.

Tribal Court of Appeals clears way for shot at Unit I seat

By SCOTT BRAND

SAULT STE. MARIE - Bernard Bouschor will get another chance to run for political office.

The former tribal chairman had been planning to run for the Sault Tribe Board of Directors, but a referendum and previous court decision appeared to prohibit him from participating in the process.

That all changed Tuesday when the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribal Court of Appeals ruled that a ban on Bouschor's candidacy violated the Tribal Constitution.


“All Tribal members should hail this decision because the court upheld vital constitutional doctrines designed to protect citizens from illegal government action,” said Attorney Paul Shagen representing two voters, Janet Liedel and Betty Freiheit, in court proceedings. “This case was not about Bouschor but, more importantly, involved the fundamental notion of defending collective democratic rights.”

“The ban was an illegal ‘bill of attainder' as applied to Bouschor and two other Tribal members because it deprived them of the right to seek Tribal office,” said Shagen. “The ban arose out of a purely civil matter, which remains undecided, and no defendant has been found to have done anything wrong.”

Shagen explained “bill of attainder” is a legislative act that directs punishment of a particular person without a judicial trial and is prohibited by both the U.S. and Tribal constitutions. Courts, Shagen added, have consistently found that a statute inflicts punishment if service in employment or in a position of trust is denied.

Bouschor has been embroiled in a lawsuit since leaving office almost four years ago after losing chairman position to Aaron Payment, and the current chairman expressed some dismay with the court's decision.

“The Tribe is suing Bernard for $2.66 million, Bernard is suing Greektown for over $3 million; in the eyes of the membership we voted 74 percent to not qualify Bouschor to run,” said Payment. “Seventy-four percent of the people cannot be wrong. The fear in the eyes of the membership is, if elected, he would have a vote to dismiss our lawsuit against him.”



Shagen's take on the matter was very different.

“A lot has changed in four years,” said Shagen. “Members will once again have a chance to compare Bouschor's qualifications to everyone else's. Bouschor remains extremely popular because Tribal members recognize his role and leadership in building the Tribe.”

The plaintiffs in this matter both expressed satisfaction with the Appeals Court ruling.

‘This decision is historic because this is the first time the Tribal Court has ruled a Tribal Board enactment to be unlawful, and shows that the Tribe's institutions can work if given the chance,” said Janet Liedel.

“The Tribal Board had been told many times that the ban was illegal and refused to take action, but the Court rejected Payment's effort to sweep aside the Tribal Constitution for political gain,” added Freiheit.

The Tribal Court order requires the Tribal Election Committee to certify Bouschor as a Unit I candidate.

“I am thrilled that Unit I voters will now be able to make their own choice about who represents them - we must focus on the future,” said Bouschor in a news release announcing the Tribal Court's ruling.



Conflicts run deep on tribe board
SAULT STE. MARIE — Fred Paquin is the Sault Chippewa chief of police. ... Beside Paquin, who is paid as a board member and police chief, board members ...
detnews.com/specialreports/2001/chippewa/sooconflicts/sooconflicts.htm - 15k - Cached

HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY FOR THE BUFFALO AARON?

DO YOU HAVE A RECEIPT?

For the entire life of the Sault Tribe the Chairman has been the CEO. This arrangement has crippled the average Tribal Member. The only ones that seem to benefit from this arrangement is the hierarchy of the Tribe.

POLITICS AND BUSINESS

A deadly mix for the financial betterment of the Tribal Membership across the board. Failed business ventures and missed opportunities have left the Tribe in the red. This is nothing new. It is an ongoing cycle designed to keep the select few in control of the assets of the Membership.

USING WHO’S MONEY FOR VOTES? DON’T BE BUFFALOED!

In Aaron Payments latest campaign ploy, he claims he is going to buy 7 buffaloes.

GREAT BUFFALO GIVE-A-WAY 2008

The average weight of a Buffalo is between 900 and 2,000 pounds and up 2,500 pounds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Bison

So the question is where does all this money Payment claims is his coming from? A $100,000.00 a year gross salary will only go so far. Let’s go on the light side and say the average weight of the buffaloes purchased is 1200 pounds. 7 buffalo would be 8,400 pounds. Cost analysis. Say the buffalo costs on the cheap side $2.00 per pound. That alone would be a cost of $16,800.00. Remind you that is for a cheap buffalo. The cost could easily exceed $20,000.00.

TRAVEL & ADDITIONAL EXPENSES

Now let’s go to the traveling all over the State while the Tribe is in deep financial debt.

Aaron Payment has been traveling all over the State campaigning in his so-called Town Meetings.

At a rate of 47.5 cents per mile plus food and lodging. He claims he drives everywhere, but this is not true. He does stay overnight on some of these Campaign trips at a cost of $347.00 which includes 3 meals.

A typical round-trip to Detroit from Sault Ste. Marie is about 700 miles. That adds up to approximately $330.00 total just for mileage. With 3 meals included that adds up to around $380.00 total all in one day. That adds up to about the average gross income per Tribal Employee per week.

Amazing? That is just what we know about. These expenses could be much higher.

Many of the Board Members car-pool when traveling to Detroit. This in turn saves the Tribe money. Not Aaron Payment, he has a chauffeur to take him to all his destinations.


NOTHING NEW

This spending has been going on for years. Bouschor had the same luxuries that Payment has. Wreck-less on political personal betterment is the norm for the Tribal Chairman/CEO. This position has yielded the Tribal Members zero benefit and more debt.


QUALIFICATIONS

Aaron Payment reportedly has a MPA with no prior business experience.

The Tribe is a billion dollar corporation that is in dire need of experienced business people who have an impeccable track record in successful business ventures.

The people of the Tribe need this to sustain self-sufficiency. We are in no position to have someone running our business ventures whom is unqualified and tries to learn as they go along.

Bernard Bouschor is no different than Aaron Payment. Bouschor supposedly has a degree in business. Bouschor managed to buy all the businesses he could, to have them ran in the ground.

Aaron Payment learned from Bouschor, by hiring all his friends in top paying positions regardless of their qualifications. This practice of cronyism, nepotism, and favoritism needs to stop.


THE PEOPLES SOLUTION

Separate the Chairman/CEO position and hire a qualified CEO to run our Tribe to places we have never been.

There is an upcoming resolution if passed that will send this to a vote of the people via Secretarial Election.

If anytime at all your vote on this will count the most. The people of Tribe need to vote to separate this hypocritical practice once and for all.

VOTE TO ELIMINATE THE CHAIRMAN/CEO POSITION!

Below are two different versions of the Election Code. The 2004 Code and the 2006 code.

These changes were made when Ernie Walker and Steve Morello tinkered with the Codes before getting the boot from the Tribe.

To make drastic changes in the Code like this without the consent of the Tribal Board is Autocratcy at it's best.

These changes are unfair to the common Tribal Member seeking to run in an Election. These changes are geared towards the Ruling Party.

This is corruption people and it needs to be stopped forever.

2004 Edition

(2) No candidate may file a Letter of Intent until after the Election Announcement is posted pursuant to section 10.106. No candidate may file a Letter of Intent for more than one office in any election.

2006 Edition

(2) No Candidate may file a Letter of Intent until after the Election Announcement is posted pursuant to Section 10.107. Candidates may submit a Letter of Intent for both a position as a member of the Board of Directors and Chairperson, but may only proceed with one position of the Candidate’s choice in writing submitted to the Designated Representative at the Designated Office no later than the end of the contest period for the primary election held pursuant 10.117.