An Animal Of Opportunity
Aaron Payments only motive for his recent actions is his self promotion. Below under Payments statements, the facts will outline the truth about Aaron Payment.
FY 2008 Year End Reconciliation - This modification has the Board budgeting for the over expenditures made in 2008 without prior Board approval. The amount? $3,166,464.93! Pretty far off the mark. Not since Bernard Bouschor was Chairperson has the budget estimation been this far off. During the Payment Administration, the budget was balanced every year. Remember, when the administration overspends, they are spending into the next fiscal cycle as the funds have to be appropriated to reconcile the budget. So, where is this $3 million going to be cut? The Elder Fund is already gone (spent on Greektown).
Were the payouts of Marta Diaz, Steve Morello, Ernie Walker, and Mike Lumsden submitted for the budget? Was this a projected (premeditated by Payment) cost or was this just surplus? funds? How about the Employee bonuses?
Mutual of Omaha Benefits – This resolution deals with extending a contract for life and disability insurance for a two year period for Tribal and Casino Team members but it only refers to an attachment for the rates and grants discretionary authority to the Chairperson to modify the plan. The entire plan should be posted for employees to review to see what the rate changes are and to see what changes may occur to the benefits team members receive. The McCoy Administration snuck the changes to the employee 401K (eliminated employer contribution) without consulting with team members. What surprises are in store for the life and disability insurance?
Under Payments leadership, his Cousins husband was injured on the job while working for the Tribe. Payment was told they would be suing the Tribe. His comment was "good". This could have been avoided had the Tribes workers comp. representative negotiated with the injured Employee and Payment had issued the directive. This was prior to Payment being stripped of some of his authority.
FY 2009 Minimum Wage – This is great for our lowers wage earners. This will bring them to match the MI minimum wage at $7.40 per hour. However, with several key administrators making at or over $100,000……why is the McCoy Administration ignoring those who are just above minimum wage - otherwise classified as the working poor? Anyone who makes more than say $75,000 in the Eastern UP is in the top 5% of income earners and consider wealthy. Why not re-factor these folks and others to share the wealth with those at the lower end? Refactoring the top individual to $75,000 and every other individual listed above by the same percentage decrease would save a total of over $600,000 which could then be used to increase the wages of the working poor.
The other problem with this resolution is that it purports to have the minimum wage increase come from existing budgets. If we are to believe that the budgets were set at actual expenses, the only place these increases could come from is from vacant position created by laying off more team members.
Upon Payment entering Office he could have brought forth legislation to terminate or reduce the top earners salary. He didn't. He gave them all raises just like McCoy is doing. At one time Payment was friends of all those he complains about. In his eyes they could do no wrong.
Approving Service Agreement: Ogitchiida Qwe, Inc. – In 2008, this contract, for one person, was budgeted to receive over $120,000. The person does an excellent job, but $120,000 when we are already paying Mike McCoy $120,000?! The work performed by Ogitchiida Qwe is far superior to than Mike McCoy’s work product with is absolutely nothing. Why not lay off McCoy, and retain Ogitchiida Qwe at the savings? Oh, that’s right, his name is McCoy.
Again Payment did nothing with Mike McCoy when he took Office.
FY 2009 Recreation - Youth Program Budget Mod – This is a move in the right direction, but under the Payment Administration, all tribal youth who were willing to work and applied for a summer job, got one. This program does not cost a great deal. Certainly, keeping our kids working and out of trouble to earn money for school clothes should be a higher priority.
When Payment was on his way out he did nothing to promote Youth employment. The program was cut and reinstated after most of the Youth obtained employment elsewhere. Payment did nothing about it. He was to busy pouting after he lost the election.
FY 2009 HR – Admin/Employment Budget Mod- This resolution is stated in such a convoluted way, it’s difficult to tell who is getting a raise, and who is being brought back from layoff. Insiders report that Lauri (McCoy) Henry is getting a raise and promotion as the Assistant HR Director. In 2005, when she initially did not qualify for the position, DJ Hoffman and Cathy Abramson (Henry’s son and sister) got Fred Paquin and Lana Causley to lower the qualifications for the HR Labor position so Lauri would qualify. Was this the reason Cheryl Bernier was moved out?
Payment speculates on this. Cheryl Bernier was terminated because she is incompetent. Payment put her in the position she was in and she did what Payment told her to do.
FY 2009/FY 2010 Legal Assistance Budget Mod – This resolution refers to an increase in a position but does not designate which position and what the justification is for increasing that position? This process should be open and transparent. In fact, all wages should be published like all other public entities. How else would you know whether or not the Chairperson and/or Tribal Board is not lining the pockets of key officials to buy their loyalty or increasing their family member’s salaries?
Why was Morello's process not open and transparent? Payment had the opportunity to have the wages published and failed to do so. He even shunned Todd Gravelle for bringing forth a resolution to do so.
FY 2009 Lakefront Inn Budget/ FY 2009 Lakefront Inn Cap Ex – For years, the Lake Front Inn has not even kept pace with its debt package. Why then did we hold on to such a loser? The property is managed by none other than Fred Paquin’s ex-wife Wanda Paquin. The Board has seen the budget projections that show that the Lake Front will never post a profit. Bob LaPoint was proactive in 2005 in reporting several hotels in St. Ignace were closing down due to the economic downturn. If the market is constricting further, and the projections do not show a profit, it’s it time to sell the property? At least closing the doors, will eliminate labor costs. Fred’s gone so why cater to his ex-wife?
Prior to the Tribes purchase of the property this business flourished. Payment knew in 2004 that Wanda Paquin was incompetent. The only reason he did nothing about it, was he had Fred Paquins vote. Even after Payments and Paquins cat fight, Wanda was still employed. She was even promoted to Hotel Manager of the mistake by the lake. Good old Bob LaPoint had his relatives working on the Construction, and he had to set aside his differences with Paquin to keep the money pouring in.
The Sneak
Payment sneaks around like nothing negative ever happened under his leadership. Just like the current and past Chairman, many negative things have occurred. Aaron Payment is no different than Bouschor or McCoy. He is dangerous to the Tribe like they are. He's another con-artist like Bouschor, who is trying to sneak back in like Bouschor did. Lest the Members forget!!!
Let Greektown Flagship Sink With Rats On Board
Tom Biron wrote:
Degree 1: Let's begin with our error in making payments on time. Aaron Payment is our namesake on this issue and a realistic moment in time to start detailing our own satire. During his watch we fell behind more than ever before on critical payments required to keep our Greektown business holdings firmly under our own Boards control. He inherited the problem but he was already heavily invested in it as a sitting Board member when he took the oath of office. I assume our Tribal Chairpersons do take an oath.
Degree 2: So, the first degree of separation between us and Greektown became a fact of reality when we failed to meet requirements set forth by legislation which eventually led us into bankruptcy. The next degree is found in our Board structure. The separation of powers is non-existent. Our Board does whatever it wants no matter. This administrative monster is uncontrollable and has been out of whack since our current tribal structure was recognized by the feds about 30 years ago.
Degree 3: The one consistent member of this structure is Bernard Bouschor. He has been there all along and is still there. The only leave of absence he has taken was during the "Err-in-Payments" watch. I like this metaphor because it emphasizes the relationship between Aaron's administration and the bankruptcy problems created while he presided over them. Bernard's role can be followed throughout this historic era of Casino development and loss. During this time our tribal Board became nothing more than a mouthpiece for the tribal chair and it still remains that way today.
Degree 4: Bonnie McKerchie led the Casino development surge here locally and set up the most successful Casino to date right here in Sault Ste. Marie long before Greektown was ever conceived (based on initial decade of development). This relationship is critical because without our local Casino profits we would never have been able to buy our way into Greektown. Our credibility was both peaked and ruined by the Greektown fiasco. A careful review of those days will show the real figures of how much money was being drained off our tribal resources in order for Bouschor to get involved in Greektown. That is when he and his lawyer convinced the Board to give him full decision making power over anything and everything the tribe would become involved in. And they agreed. Look at who was on the Board at that time to see who was involved. Also, look at their administrative managers for the rest of the story.
Degree 5: Detroit was looking for ways to develop their economy at that time and went out of their way to become the Casino market in this state and region. The Bouschor administration went out of its way to make deals that would limit the market to just our tribe at first but soon found themselves in a deal that included big time Casino developers who eventually opted for a third of the market and our tribe had no choice but to tag along since we had already burned so many bridges with other tribes and agencies who could have been even better partners than what we ended up with. That was when all hell broke loose and the money in Detroit reportedly started flowing to the tune of $300 million a year. Aaron stated at a Board meeting that our annual profit would be about 45 million. This was before any deal was made or Casino was built. All of our development efforts were directed away from our local communities and downstate without any accountability whatsoever.
Degree 6: Detroit is still in trouble and we are in much more trouble because we allowed ourselves to become wholly dependent upon that economy during the Bouschor and Payment eras. Had we focused on local development and stayed out of the big time Casino games what might have happened? Well, what is happening in Detroit will also happen here soon because that is the way of this administration. GM, the Auto dealer, is being scrutinized mercilessly and being told to get rid of the Board as it stands. I must venture a guess that we have also been told to get rid of our weakest links but because of the Bouschor and Payment influences it seems we cannot, probably because our elected officials will not leave. The ties are too deep. The only way out of the quagmire for our tribe appears to be to let it all go. Let it go down and the people connected by these six degrees of separation will go down with it. That is their payoff. These are the real ties that binds us to this fiasco. It all comes back around to letting the Greektown flagship sink with the Rats on Board. Until we do that we will have to accept the relationship that we have with that fiasco and the Rats on Board.
Now there is some talk about Aaron calling for the Boards removal. If this is true then he is correct but he should rethink his role in spearheading the effort. The work is already done on this no brainer. We are the biggest losers in this reality show. But the extra weight hanging around will be there until we let our Board members go. They will continue to drag us down as long as they are in place. So, while the Board continues flailing around doing the "End of the era dance" with each other there really is nothing we can do but wait until another court decides it is over. How long will it take? It depends on how much more tribal resources become available to this Board. If they can muster another loan or sell what is left etc. etc. than we will have to deal with their incredible denial problems for some time but I think the word is out on these guys. The new tribal chair has also been fooled and looks as though he is in it for the long haul which means we probably have another 3 years if they can stay in power.
I for one think the court will take this Greektown Casino away fairly soon for one reason and one reason only. Our Board is inept and cannot manage it no matter what comes. That is obvious and the other relationship that we cannot deny is that they are not willing to resign or accept blame for the failure of so many ventures during the past 30 years. Others see this and wheels of justice are grinding so we should see a takeover soon. It might be called a sale or hostile but six degrees of separation are at work here no matter what anyone calls it. Our Board structure is defunct and will continue to ruin our tribal credibility as long as it is in place.
Lets take the hint from GM Auto and other big organization who are either recognizing the need for change or are being forced into it by others who can think outside the box for them. Lets get rid of this Board now. The best way to do this is to ask that each Board member and the new Chair turn in a voluntary resignation with a stipulation.
The stipulation can read something like this:
I know my role in the tribal Board of Directors is corrupt by the history of developmental problems caused by past Board members and that they are being carried on within the faulty Board decision making structure that I now participate in. Should the community desire, I will resign but I ask that my role be carefully evaluated for merit and fault in matters that are causing this tribe to lose their credibility and resources to the tune of nearly 1 billion dollars. Should the tribal citizenship decide they want me to continue in my role I will carefully consider that option but I can not promise that my role as tribal leader has not been damaged sufficiently enough to affect my responsibilities as representative of our 30,000 plus citizens. Until the final evaluations of my actions as Board Director is completed I will take an unpaid leave of absence but remain available for all hearings and audits as required by court order and tribal community mandate.
Did Referendum 2008-262 Hit 30% Mark?
The below article was posted in the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Tribal News Paper (Win Awenen Nisitotung) on the front page.
Sault Tribe referendum approved by 71 percent of voters
Written by Jennifer Dale-Burton
Monday, 23 March 2009
SAULT STE. MARIE -Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians voters have approved Referendum 2008-262 so that the Sault Tribe Board of Director retirement plan will come into compliance with new federal tax laws. Over 70 percent of ballots received approved the referendum.
On March 20, the tribe’s Election Committee conducted a count for the referendum. Of the 4490 ballots received, 3187 approved the referendum and 1280 opposed the referendum. There were 23 spoiled ballots.
“As required, we received in excess of 30 percent registered voters who cast ballots, therefore, the membership has chosen to have the plan stay in compliance with the new federal tax laws,” said Election Committee Chairman Michael McKerchie. “Referendum 2008-262 is valid and binding in accordance with the Referendum Ordinance, notwithstanding a valid contest.”
As you can see by the article they would like the members to believe that Referendum 2008-262 passed by over 70 percent of the voters.
That percentage is derived from the formula below:
3187 Approved
1280 Opposed
+ 23 Spoiled ballots
______________
4490 Total ballots received. Then they deducted the 30 percent from the 4490 ballots received to get 3143, which is roughly 70 percent of those who voted.
According to the Constitution and Bylaws below the 30 percent should come out of those entitled to vote in such referendum and not the number of ballots received.
So what was the total number of those entitled to vote? As you can see from the above news article the Election Committee, Chairman and Board of Directors fail to mention the total number of registered voters in this Referendum.
When Tribal members tried to retrieve that number they were told that they had to fill out the proper paper work and say why they are requesting this information.
Many who called and left a massage for a return call went unreturned from Election Committee Chairman Michael McKerchie and the committee members, along with the Tribal Board of Directors.
However, some of those who were asked to stuff ballots said that they had to stuff 15,500 ballots for Referendum 2008-262.
So until we are told by the Election Committee or the Tribal Board of Directors how many Tribal members were registered to vote (thus giving us the real number of voters) I will use 15,500 as the number of voters.
30% of 15,500 equal 4,650
The amount received by the Election Committee was 4,490. That is 160 votes shy of 30%.
Again, the Chairman and the Board are running the Election Committee.
Let’s see the actual number of registered voters in the Sault Tribe!
Can anyone clarify the number of registered voters eligible to vote at the time of Referendum 2008-262 and how many ballots were mailed out?
ARTICLE IX – RIGHT OF REFERENDUM
Any enacted or proposed ordinance or resolution of the board of directors shall be submitted to a popular referendum upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the board or when so requested by a petition presented to the board bearing the signatures of at least one hundred (100) eligible voters of the tribe. Such referendum must be held within sixty (60) days after receipt by the board of a valid petition. A vote of a majority of the majority of the eligible voters voting in such referendum shall be conclusive and binding upon the board of directors provided, however, that at least thirty (30) percent of those entitled to vote shall vote in such referendum conducted pursuant to tribal ordinance.
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
This constitution and bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the eligible voters of the tribe voting at an election called for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, provided that at least thirty (30) percent of those entitled to vote shall vote in such election, but no amendment shall become effective until it shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to call an election on any proposed amendment upon the receipt of a resolution passed by a majority of the board of directors, the chairperson having the right to vote thereon.
ARTICLE XI - ADOPTION
This constitution and bylaws when ratified by a majority vote of the adult members of the organization known as the Original Bands of the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Indians, voting at an election called for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, provided that at least thirty (30) percent of those entitled to vote shall vote in such election, shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior and, if approved, shall become effective from the date of approval.
