Who's Paying the Bills

The Sylva Herald had an article about how no one seems to respond to invoices sent to the tribe. Hmm, that's no way for a government led by an accountant to act. Someone needs to rectify this situation or else the tribe stands to ruin its credit, if it hasn't already.

The Uproar of the Cherokee County Land Deal and the Casino

There's not much that I feel like commenting about this issue, but many in the public feel that something wrong occurred, and in large part, this can be attributed to the closed-door manner in which it was handled. Chief Hicks still doesn't get it. When you do things while hiding, people get the impression you have something to hide. Do you chief? If not, then open the doors.
That said, I look forward to what a gaming facility can do for Cherokee County, which has the highest unemployment rate in the state.

Oh, So Now Wal-Mart is Bad

The tribe's PR coordinator, Lynne Harlan, has a zinger of a piece bashing Wal-Mart in the Asheville Citizen-Times. Not that I disagree with the assertion that tribal members shouldn't shop at Wal-Mart, but her piece, as I've become accustomed, only looks at the issue from one point of view and makes an entirely false assertion, "Our community was disappointed." No, the Cherokee community's opinions were mixed. Some suppported it, but others opposed it.
Harlan is once again towing the line of her bosses, who never sought public opinion to see whether people in Cherokee actually wanted the damn store. It's not only basic marketing, it's basic public relations.
What would be nice is to see why so many businesses don't want to do business in Cherokee or on tribal land. I won't hold my breath waiting for that column from Harlan because it shines a negative light on her bosses, for whom her columns in the Asheville Citizen-Times have puffed up.
Many businesses don't want to operate in Cherokee because they have to seek permission from politicians, and it's from politicians who have a reputation for not playing fair.
That likely has more to do with why Wal-Mart didn't locate in Cherokee, not as Harlan suggested, that money spent by Cherokee people isn't valued. That's not to mention that for those who support Wal-Mart locating in Cherokee in the future, which Wal-Mart has not ruled out, Harlan's piece just may have ensured that the mega-store giant will bypass Cherokee for any future locations.
And for the record, I feel that Wal-Mart would've ruined Cherokee. I opposed it.

World Press Freedom Day

Amnesty International is shining a light on journalists who fight for press freedom. The human rights organization has been focusing this effort on journalists in countries like China, Iran and Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately, there's no focus other than that from the Native American Journalists Association, on the fight for press freedom in Indian Country. While native journalists who challenge tribal governments aren't being jailed, nor executed, the struggle for press freedom is still just as elusive as it is in the autocratic countries where Amnesty International puts its focus.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, for whom I worked until a chief, who questionably got reelected to office, didn't like the fact that I challenged the legitimacy of his reelection, among other issues for which he didn't approve of my coverage, fired me. It's the perils of working for a tribally-owned publication, despite laws to guarantee tribal press freedom.
I was hired in 1996 to act as a journalist. My job description never changed. I followed the profession's code of ethics to the best of my ability, among which was to give a voice to the voiceless and hold elected officials accountable. The ones who fired me in 2007 didn't see it that way. The current administration even attempted to censor non-tribal media as well through closed sessions, denial of information and threats.
There is no Cherokee medium holding Eastern Cherokee officials accountable now as the tribal newspaper is a shell of what it once was. It'd be nice to see Amnesty International look in its own back yard.

Wal-Mart Bails on Cherokee

I hate to say I told you so, Chief Hicks, but I told you so. So far, other than a few face lifts to a handful of souvenir shops, and a tribally-funded movie theater built for a cost well above for what it could've been done, Wal-Mart seemed to be the only real economic development initiative Michell Hicks had for Cherokee. Well, as Wal-Mart has done to the city of Clyde, it bailed on Cherokee with the tribe holding the costs of site development, and I'm willing to bet, construction as tribal government bent over backwards trying to bring the Mecha Godzilla company to Cherokee. How much has the tribe spent trying to bring it here? Good luck getting an answer, as chances are your council members probably don't even know, and Chief Hicks isn't known for being the most transparent chief.
The sad thing, just as it's been with so many of the chief's controversial initiatives, the tribal members who lived in Cherokee were never even asked whether they wanted Wal Mart there. Many of the retailers in Cherokee clearly didn't want it.
Here's a thought though, since so many pushing for this monstrosity argued it would save tribal members a trip to Sylva, how about charging tribal levy on gasoline, which would make a huge difference in price, plus actually and noticeably increase tribal levy? Chief Hicks, if you can make that happen, I will definitely have words of praise for you, something that hasn't happened often during your "proven leadership."

Rest in Peace Carolyn Rose

Carolyn Rose, passed away April 21. She was the wife of Don Rose. Don Rose helped fund the way-too-short lived Cherokee Times, taking a major risk. Don was extremely generous in that endeavor.
Don was also extremely supportive of me, particularly after I was forced out of the One Feather. He's definitely one of the most generous people I know.
My heart and prayers go out to Don and his children during this difficult time.

Tribal Job Fair Wednesday

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is holding a job fair at the casino Wednesday.
At the risk of sounding bitter, like the vast majority of former tribal employees, this is what I encountered during my 11-year tenure of tribal employment (I'm not singling out Chief Hicks for this one. These problems were prevalent under all four chiefs for whom I worked.):
* Nepotism - family members of politicians are often pushed upon those making recommendations for hiring, regardless of qualifications;
* Cronyism - friends and supporters of politicians are often pushed upon those making recommendations for hiring, regardless of qualifications;
* The most hostile work environment - especially if it should be known that you didn't support the elected officials currently serving;
* Incredibly frustrating bureaucracy and waste - if you're a manager of any tribal program, expect some pencil pusher to look at the surface of what you're doing and need to do, and then use some guideline or procedure to interfere;
* Incompetence abounds - because of the first two problems mentioned, it's quite common for those who've obtained credentials to do certain jobs (degree, certifications, licenses, etc.) to have to answer to a supervisor, manager, director or deputy who knows absolutely nothing about what they're supposed to do. In many cases such individuals admit their shortcomings, but in some cases they feel that their unmerited placement in their positions makes them experts who know more than the professors, certification boards and licensing agents who bestowed those hard-earned credentials.
* Many tribal officials hold the opinion that American citizens give up their rights when they obtain tribal employment. The fact that Tribal Council passed an ordinance drafted by the tribe's attorney general that bans unions is proof of that.
* Politicians make the final determination on hires, which leads back to the first two problems listed. Qualifications have taken a back seat with this process and there exists examples of individuals hired for important positions who lacked the necessary credentials to do the job. Some of these have been in justice and health care.
Now the situation is different at the casino since a different entity makes those decisions, and theoretically, tribal politics plays no part. However, the work environment at the casino can certainly use some improvement as well.
I understand the current economic situation will have people looking for work wherever they can find it, but it's only fair to let those know the baggage that comes along with tribal employment.