Asheville Citizen-Times Does Piece on Chief's Election

I've been pretty hard on the Citizen-Times lately. I have friends who write for that publication, and I hope they don't think I'm picking on them, but frankly, that paper has really diminished into what is a spineless publication. Gone are the days of bold reporting of tribal news based on the model of "If your mama tells you she loves you, get a second opinion."
My criticism is based upon a desire that this paper:
1. Get back to reporting on Cherokee and the portion of North Carolina that is west of Waynesville on a regular basis. The paper's motto is "Voice of the Mountains." Be that voice again, particularly since the voice of the people in Cherokee has been silenced.
2. Hold those in power accountable. The Citizen-Times was a really ballsy publication under the direction of Virgil Smith and George Benge, with some credit given to Bob Gabordi as well. When it comes to reporting on the Eastern Band of Cherokee, please remember that. The tribe's "newspaper," and I use that term loosely, is not allowed to be a newspaper. I don't see letters criticizing those in power at all, but I see plenty of fluff designed to make the incumbents appear as though everything is wonderful under their leadership. Some of this fluff has made its way into the Citizen-Times.
That said, the piece written by Jon Ostendorff, who in the past has done some pretty hard hitting stuff, was fairly done, but I'd like to see more in-depth pieces, particularly in regards to how bad the economic situation in Cherokee really is, which Ostendorff did touch on.
I bring up the economy because Michell Hicks would like to pretend everything is just milk and honey there. For verification one only need to read this story, which appeared in the weekly Smoky Mountain News. Hicks' comment was "I’ve helped bring us through the worst economy we’ve ever seen, and the tribe is doing great." We're far from being through the worst economy. Tribal entities have put out press releases claiming that Cherokee is bucking economic trends, despite evidence from countless sources, even other tribal ones that state just the opposite. Tribal PR Coordinator Lynne Harlan wrote in the Citizen-Times, that in Cherokee people don't even realize there is a recession. Add to this the fact that Cherokee's tourist-based economy was in trouble during good economic times.
Someone (other than me) needs to call tribal government on its BS, and the Citizen-Times is just the paper to do it. First of all, they're a privately-owned publication. Second, they're a daily newspaper, and dailies don't exist in western North Carolina west of Asheville.
Come on Citizen-Times. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee depend upon you.

The Manufactured Controversy Over Patrick Lambert's Salary

Some are making a huge deal over how much Patrick Lambert gets paid as director of the Tribal Gaming Commission. I don't know exactly how much he gets paid, and to me it isn't really an issue, not anymore than what Chief Hicks gets paid (and unlike Chief Hicks, the director of the Tribal Gaming Commission does not set his salary).
This is a whole lot to do about nothing, even manufacturing quotes from Lambert. (It's an old tactic of this administration.) To me it seems like a smoke screen in hopes that people won't focus on real issues, like Chief Hicks' lack of ethics, his irresponsible spending, his hiring of his unqualified friends and family members for positions for which they aren't even remotely qualified, along with his governing style that borders on racketeering.
Whatever Patrick Lambert is being paid, it pales in comparison to what the tribe is going to have to cough up when Chief Hicks is finally sent into retirement (which will hopefully be this year), and Chief Hicks set that up too.