Why Support Patrick Lambert?

I'm not going to argue why I'm not supporting Michell Hicks, as that could fill a 1,000-page book. Instead I'd rather focus on why I'm supporting Patrick Lambert. First of all, I've taken my past with Michell Hicks out of the equation, looked at the state of the tribe now and what's he's accomplished over the last eight years and decided, well before the primary, that Patrick Lambert was the best choice for Principal Chief. Here's why I came to that conclusion:
* Patrick Lambert supports our civil rights and will back a constitution to recognize that.
* Patrick Lambert supports transparency, sunshine laws, access to information and a free press.
* Patrick Lambert supports the rights of possessory holders and life estate holders to enjoy their property.
* Patrick Lambert already has good relations with the only decision maker in Raleigh on expanding the gaming compact to include table games, that being Gov. Beverly Perdue, which can go a long way toward making table games happen.
* Employees who excel at their jobs, are qualified to hold their jobs and conduct themselves professionally, can be secure in their jobs in a Patrick Lambert administration. The low turnover rate and high employee morale at the Gaming Commission demonstrate that Patrick Lambert is capable of creating a positive working environment.
* Patrick Lambert, through his work safeguarding the tribe's assets with the casino, has already established a reputation for strictly adhering to standards when it comes to accountability. That's exactly what's needed at the tribe.
The ultimate reason I've decided to support Patrick Lambert is my son. I want a better tribe for him than what exists now. I want a better tribe for us all. Patrick Lambert gives me hope that we can achieve that.
I know there's a certain clique that's been going out of its way to try to make Patrick Lambert look bad, but I've ignored the personal attacks and attacks on his family and pathetic attempts to discredit his campaign. Patrick Lambert is the best choice for principal chief, and I urge all who seek a better future for our tribe to vote for him on Thursday.

Pro Free Press Commentary Rejected By Citizen-Times

I've questioned the Asheville Citizen-Times' commitment to objectivity in its coverage of the Eastern Band political scene. So far, they've done nothing to convince me that they are indeed committed, among other things, "holding those with power accountable." Here's the piece the paper rejected:

Tribal Free Press? Not Under This Leadership

In the recent tribal atmosphere of mudslinging, this chief’s election, it’s all too easy to lose focus on what’s important. What should matter more than anything to tribal members is the ability to hold their elected representatives on Tribal Council and the chief and vice chief’s offices accountable.
They need a watchdog, and with a free press there is such a watchdog. There is no free press in Cherokee.
Yes, there is a free press law. Yes, there is an open meetings law. Yes, there is a public information law. However, those laws aren’t worth the paper on which they’re printed if there’s no enforcement.
Under our current tribal leadership, there not only is no enforcement, but there have been circumventions, blatant violations, and there were no consequences.
Take a look a the One Feather and what it’s turned into since Principal Chief Michell Hicks directly took a meddling role in its editorial process:
* There is no editorial.
* Rarely, if ever, are there published critiques of the chief or Tribal Council.
* There is nothing to encourage a free exchange of ideas.
* The free press act was watered down to remove independent and professional oversight of the paper through an editorial board.
* An award-winning reporter and writer has been reduced to writing propaganda designed to puff up a tribal deputy with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
* And as evident in the July 21 edition, the chief can use this publication to denigrate an entire family who did nothing more than to have the chief’s challenger as one of their own.
The changes in the publication have not resulted in the community having a better paper. It has lost circulation. It has lost credibility. It has lost respect, and a look at the paper itself will show that advertisers have noticed.
We need elected officials who support a free press and will back up that support with strong legislation to ensure it. We need elected officials who will resist and oppose pressure to censor or shut out the media, whether tribally owned or otherwise. And we need elected officials who realize that the One Feather belongs to 14,000 + people, not 14.
Any candidate who doesn’t support a free press, open government and transparency does not care about your best interests.