On easternband.com, Bill Killian had readers vote on how well Michell Hicks was doing with his top 10 initiatives. While I'm sure plenty voted on each one. I will comment on each and give a grade from A-F, with F of course being failing and A being excellent.
* To further enhance a judicial system that will provide equitable, fair, and competent (sic.) I assume there's to be added "treatment." I have a wrongful termination lawsuit against Hicks and tribal government pending, so I have a "wait and see" attitude to make a full judgment. That the court hasn't thrown my entire suit out is a good sign. But the court, particularly the Supreme Court, has made two bone-headed decisions, in the 2003 and 2007 elections. In 2003 it ruled it was o.k. for Michell Hicks to violate election laws. In 2007 it ruled that it was o.k. for an election board made up of Michell Hicks puppets to disenfranchise registered voters, resident ones at that. The court still lacks independence needed to truly provide the level of justice needed and to truly separate the powers of tribal government. Chief Hicks hasn't been in a hurry to rectify this problem and would likely even deny that it is a problem. At this point, I give Hicks a D+.
* To preserve and protect our natural resources. The tribe needs to have a natural resources program. There are some good programs, Fish & Game for example, but can Chief Hicks really take credit for that program's success? There are a couple of areas to note where the chief has failed miserably. One is with the water quality of Soco Creek. The other is, ahem, the Painttown Water Tower, never functional because its placement was based more upon what would benefit the chief's family rather than functionality and practicality. The water tower never came into use, something that could've really helped the tribe when gasoline leached into the main water source intake and during all the times of drought. Based on the water issue alone, Chief Hicks gets an F.
* To provide strategically planned infrastructure for economic and community development. Housing still remains a problem due to the bureaucracy in the process. He hasn't rectified that. Nice townhomes were built next to a major federal highway designed to make Indians used to living on their own homesteads live in clusters, which most don't want to do. That's not to mention they're charging well below the cost of construction for these homes. In the development of townhomes in Soco, which were completed a couple of years ago, they haven't even filled half of the project. Traffic flow still stinks. No road widening has occurred, not even by the proposed Wal-Mart location, so far the only tangible idea for economic development the Hicks administration has conceived. The wonderful two-screen theater complex which cost the tribe who-knows-how-much, typically has less than 10 vehicles parked there at night, even on weekends. The chief faced legal action over a proposed location for the new Women's Wellness building which turned a neighboring campground into a mud hole when it rained. While the chief can't be blamed for the downfall in tribal levy, occupancy and casino revenue, his administration certainly deserves jeers for painting a rosy picture for the public, which anyone doing a little bit of research could've found out the truth. For this initiative, Chief Hicks gets an F.
* To enhance the quality of life for enrolled members who are senior citizens. For starters, the seniors in Cherokee County certainly have been forced to take a back seat. The senior center promised to them took more than four years while the chief and current Cherokee County and Snowbird council members sat on their hands. A major issue for senior citizens, health care, continues to be plagued with problems, and tribal side of managing health care has been disastrous, particularly with closing programs that actually worked well. Tsali Care Center, the tribally-operated nursing home, received poor ratings from Medicare and made one senior citizens advocacy organization's watch list. The chief even had the gall to call for the removal of Cherokee Times from Tsali Care Center, which had been donated to the residents free of charge. His argument to Painttown Rep. Tommye Saunooke was that it wasn't a tribal publication. Chief Hicks again gets an F.
* To provide comprehensive health care for all enrolled members. He's not quite there is he? Not even close. Granted this has long been a tough issue with the tribe's dependence upon an underfunded Indian Health Service program, and with decreases in levy and casino funding that can be expected the tribe can't be expected to accomplish this goal. However, under Chief Hicks, the tribe lost its own pharmacy that would fill prescriptions that Cherokee Indian Hospital wouldn't. It also lost the Urgent Care Center that was turned over to the casino. There also is of course the aforementioned Tsali Care Center matter that neither Hicks nor his Deputy of Health and Medical Susan Leadingfox seem to want to address, at least not publicly. One plus, the Cherokee County Indian Clinic does have a doctor there two times a week, and has a great dental clinic. Here, the chief gets a D+.
* To continue state gaming compact negotiations without compromising tribal sovereignty. This is what led to the infamous Chief Hicks Temper Tantrum. The chief tried to expand the tribe's gaming compact to include table games and a second casino (likely in Cherokee County). Former Gov. Mike Easley asked for concessions from the tribe that intruded upon its sovereignty. While Chief Hicks was right to refuse, his reaction was embarrassing. He had the tribe's PR coordinator Lynne Harlan (I'm using the term PR loosely here), draft up a hate letter targeting Easley disguised as a press release and sent it to all of the area media. Easley criticized Hick's professionalism, to which he responded paraphrasingly "I know you are but what am I." Sure Chief Hicks didn't compromise the tribe's sovereignty. But he did compromise its integrity and its dignity.
When I posed the question about gaming compact expansion to then candidate Beverly Perdue, she wouldn't answer what she would do. Now Gov. Perdue is supportive of the tribe. She's even made trips to Cherokee personally. But it's hard to believe that she wouldn't ask for some kind of concessions from the tribe, especially given how cash-strapped the state is. Will the chief act more maturely then? We can hope, but so far tribal government under his direction has been hopeless. Chief Hicks gets an F in this initiative.
* To provide access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for enrolled members. Some of this has been addressed in the economic and community development initiative. All that can be added is that Qualla Housing was selling formaldehyde-riddled FEMA trailers, and Hicks said nothing. His housing division demolished a Snowbird woman's home, leaving her homeless, in hotel rooms, forced to rent some locations and even a formaldehyde-riddled FEMA trailer. It took major exposure in the media and embarrassment before any action was taken to fix her home. Chief Hicks gets an F here too.
* To revitalize cultural identification through language and traditions. There's not much that can be said here other than he separated the tribe's language preservation programs from the tribal historic preservation office, and the two really are intertwined. The only attempts at tradition from him have been what have been laugingly referred to as his "Sequoyah clothes" and a half-assed attempt to appear to speak Cherokee. Chief Hicks gets a D here.
* To enhance and expand educational opportunities for enrolled members. There are some new programs that students can use to pay for education. A couple of universities, most notably the University of Tennessee, have agreed with the tribe to drop non-state-resident tuition for tribal members. The Hicks administration deserves some credit for that. However, he introduced and had passed legislation that removed tribal levy funding for higher education and placed it into Marketing & Promotions. He likes to hire unqualified individuals for certain positions as well, even when qualified, educated tribal members apply. Here Hicks gets a C-.
* To eliminate illicit drug use and sales from the reservation. It's not fair to judge the chief on this one. Drugs were a problem long before Michell Hicks was chief, and they'll continue to be a problem long after his term ends. He certainly isn't anywhere near accomplishing this goal, but I can only give the chief an incomplete on this initiative.
If this were college, the chief would be given an overall grade point average (GPA), and based upon his marks here, that gives him a 0.56 GPA. That's a failing cumulative grade folks. A student at any university usually is kicked out for doing so poorly. In 2011 we need to remember this "student's" performance. The last thing he or we need is to keep him pulling down the curve. We can and should do better.
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