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Returning Democracy to Tribal Members |
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NEWS |
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Who are the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance? We are Enrolled Tribal Members just like you who are fed up being messed with by a corrupt few who have run our tribe into the ground. We are former Tribal Chairmen, Council members, Elders, and just plain enrolled worker bees. We are all volunteers all who want to see our tribe succeed, regain our democracy from so-called self-proclaimed tyrants of the tribe who call us “Crackpots” for opposing their views, and finally, to return our stolen constitution and laws back to the Little Shell People. |
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Click Links below for copies of the Ballot, Amendment Language and Cover letter:
Amendment Election Cover Letter: CLICK HERE Dec 28 2009 Ballot: CLICK HERE Proposed Amendments language: CLICK HERE
Press Release about Election: CLICK HERE |
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March 13, 2010 These are unofficial Results of the Little Shell Tribal Council Elections, The Election committee should be sending out a press release soon. What's next? This week, if there are no challenges, recounts or anything else to delay it, the Little Shell Election Committee will be swearing in the new Little Shell Tribal Council Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the Moose Lodge in Black Eagle Montana at around 11am. Please come to see and visit with your new Constitutionally Elected Little Shell Tribal Council. Chairman Position: Winner: John Gilbert 369 Votes x: Iris Kill Eagle 71 Votes x: Scott Olson 29 Votes
Vice Chairman Position: Winner: Gerald Gray 343 Votes x: Caroline Fluery 126 Votes
2nd Vice Chairman Position: Winner: Leona Kienenberger 347 Votes Writein: Gary Pronto 3 Votes
Secretary Treasurer Position: Winner: Bob Rudeseal 168 Votes x: Betty Hofeldt 151 Votes x: Tamra Hayes 145 Votes |
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At Large Councilpersons: Winner: Alvina Allen 304 Votes Winner: Richard Parenteau 289 Votes Winner: Clarence (Clancy) Sivertsen 246 Votes x: Glen (Rusty) Zimmerman 216 Votes x: Joe Overton 177 Votes
January 21, 2010 PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Robert Rudeseal 868-5588 James Parker Shield 590-1745
State Holds Little Shell Chippewa Stimulus Funds
In a January 20 letter from attorneys for the Montana Department of Commerce and Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe was informed that the Tribal Infrastructure and Energy Efficiency Reinvestment Program funds, known as “stimulus” funds along with Tobacco Prevention funding would continue to be held by the state over concerns about the tribes lack of accounting and management.
The State also raised questions about the relationship between the tribe and its non-profit organization, according to leaders of the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance. “Mr. Sinclair tried to snow the state government about how he has mismanaged programs and monies that are vital and needed by our people,” stated Robert Rudeseal of the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance. “More importantly, as more of this mess comes out, people will be able to connect the dots between how Sinclair is trying to establish a tribal government that operates on intimidation and made-up “tribunals” and secretive financial dealings.” added Rudeseal. “The Little Shell people applaud the state governments due diligence and over-sight in this matter.” Click below for the Letter: Letter from Montana Department of Commerce and Department of Public Health and Human Services to Sinclair in PDF Format January 13, 2010 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Gilbert (406) 750-2494 James Parker Shield (406) 590-1745
Deadline for Absentee Ballots has been extended by 2 weeks
(Great Falls, MT) Little Shell Tribal members have asked the LSCA to extend the deadline to get in their Absentee Ballots for the Constitutional Amendment Election and the LSCA has responded by extending the Deadline by 2 weeks. What this means is that on Friday, January 15, 2010, at 1pm, there will be a preliminary count of received ballots and to allow in-person voting at 300 2nd Ave S., Suite #2, Great Falls, MT 59401. The New Deadline that the Absentee Ballots must be received is 1pm Saturday, January 30, 2010. Ballots must be mailed to:
Little Shell Chippewa Alliance Attn: Constitutional Amendment Ballot PO Box 308 Black Eagle, MT 59414-0308
Ballots can also be dropped off during normal working hours till Jan 29th and on January 30th before 1pm at: 300 2nd Ave S. Suite #2 Great Falls, MT 59401
Copies of the ballots are available by emailing the Alliance at Contact@LittleShellChippewaAlliance.org, or by downloading copies off of the Alliance Website at http://www.LittleShellChippewaAlliance.org and at tribal member websites at http://www.LittleShellTribe.com and http://www.LittleShellTribe.us. The Ballots will be counted on January 30, 2010, 1pm at 300 2nd Ave S., Suite #2, Great Falls, MT 59401. The Public is Welcome to view the counting.
December 31, 2009 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: James Parker Shield Tel: (406) 590-1745
LITTLE SHELL CHIPPEWA ALLIANCE RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS BY JOHN SINCLAIR
The Little Shell Chippewa alliance is more than a “Splinter group”. According to John Gilbert, its Chairman, the Alliance represents the feelings and frustrations of the majority of our tribal members who are sick and tired of John Sinclair’s threats, his made up “Tribunals”, his “Sanctions”, and his attempts to disenroll and disenfranchise citizens from the tribe. We are enrolled tribal members who are fed up with those who claim power and tribal office without any constitutional authority.
Sinclair is very worried about the ballots that were mailed out to tribal members amending our Tribal Constitution, according to Article III, Section XI of that very same constitution which states:
“Any rights and powers heretofore vested in the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana but not expressly referred to in this Constitution shall not be abridged by this Article but may be exercised by the people of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians through adoption of the appropriate by-laws and constitutional Amendments.”
Mr. Sinclair claims that only a referendum authorized by him can amend our constitution. Mr. Sinclair needs to actually read our constitution as a referendum is only used to change resolutions passed by the council. The authority to amend our constitution is founded with the Tribal People themselves. Not a council or a deluded tribal member who claims he is the president nor has any constitutional authority to claim such an office.
Sinclair is in opposition to having open, fair, and honest elections and a foundation for a Tribal Judicial System. It is very obvious Sinclair does not want the tribal members to exercise their constitutional right to vote and participate in their own governmental process; instead he threatens and is bound and determined to disenfranchise all tribal members.
It reminds us of the quotation used by President Obama only a few days ago when speaking about the Iranian Government Repression and the Killing of 15 protesters. Obama said “It is telling when a government fears the aspirations of its own people”. Sinclair is afraid of the aspirations and expectations of Tribal Citizens and is lashing out at his own people.
It is very important that our people fill out the ballots and mail them back in order to stand up to this act of tyranny and to show that we will not be threatened or frightened by a bully. December 30, 2009 The State of Montana releases notes about December 1, 2009 meeting between John Sinclair and the MT Government. The State released copies of the letter and notes made during the December 1, 2009 meeting between John Sinclair and the State of Montana. Several revelations about how Sinclair mishandled hundreds of thousands of Dollars of Tribal grant monies. 2009-12-16 Letter to Sinclair From MT Govt 2009-12-01 State-LST Meeting Notes
1) The state is concerned that Sinclair has not explained to the state how the Tribal Secretary of the Treasurer position is to be filled if vacant. Sinclair has replied to the state that he is unaware of the Tribal Procedures to replace council members. Our tribal constitution specifically says that if a Council position is vacant then a SPECIAL ELECTION MUST BE HELD to fill the position. Sinclair has violated our laws and Constitution by either appointing someone illegally to the position, in particular direct family members, or he has failed to comply with our laws and has refused to hold a special election and in fact and in reality, Mr. Sinclair has illegally assumed the duties of Secretary/Treasurer himself including taken control of all accounts and monies from the tribal office and put them into his personal control at his home with no accounting, reporting, and transparency. This has allowed hundreds of thousands of Tribal monies to be unaccounted for as noted in the Limited Audit of the Tobacco programs by the State of Montana of which is documented and available here:
Sinclair Tobacco Audit Report Part 1 Sinclair Tobacco Audit Report Part 2 Sinclair Tobacco Audit Report Part 3 2) The State asked Sinclair why his council does not use Resolutions to document decisions, laws, and approvals for financial payments as done with other tribes. Sinclair answered Sinclair stated that he DID NOT KNOW HOW TO PREPARE TRIBAL RESOLUTIONS. This is proof how incompetent John Sinclair is. Resolutions have been used since day one in our tribe, with the exception of his tenure it seems. Sinclair is telling the state that he does not know what our own constitution and laws are and that he is unable to figure them out so he has completely disregarded Tribal Laws, By-Laws, and Constitutional limitations. 3) The State has told Sinclair that the Contracts that awarded the Grant Money from the State strictly forbid using any of it for political purposes. Sinclair has stated that “No Money has been used for Political Purposes”. Anyone who has read ANY of the Newsletters published by the tribe where on the newsletter it states “This newsletter is provided by the Little Shell Tobacco Program”, and has read Sinclair's “Presidents Corner” knows that this statement that Sinclair told the state is a bold face lie. Every article of Sinclair’s is Political in nature, especially the last two that were published in March and April of 2009 where Sinclair published bank accounts and records and made false accusations against Tribal members in which John Sinclair must now face a State District Court Lawsuit that accuses him of Slander. Sinclair made these statements while he was beyond his term of office and was not authorized to spend ANY TRIBAL MONEY as there was and still is no legal and authorized tribal council. This is just three items showing how incompetent John Sinclair is and how he tries to hide the fact that he cannot account for over 70% of the monies the Tribe has received from the State of Montana. The sorry part of all this is, is the fact that this is just ONE small grant. The tribe has had dozens of Grants awarded to it from both state and federal funds, if you add it all up, it will come to several hundreds of thousands of dollars that John Sinclair cannot account for. This money belongs to the tribal members. Not to Sinclair, not to any “Appointed” council he creates, or even those he decides are “Deserving” of this money. Only the Tribal Members and their Representatives have the power to decide what to do with this money, and the tribe itself is obligated to honor the contracts it enters into with the State and Federal Agencies and the majority of the money must be spent and allocated as per the limitations of the individual contracts. John Sinclair has been caught with his furry paw in the cookie jar and he and his cronies must be held accountable before the Tribal Members. And that is YOU! Tribal members have two choices. Allow this incompetent person to continue his actions, or stand up for yourself and your Tribe and return our government to whom it belongs, the people themselves. If you take a stand, vote to amend our constitution to allow for special elections called for when those in our government take it upon themselves to commit treason against our people. Vote for a New council that is subservient to the people and not a Self-Declared Tyrant. Once you allow for a Judicial system in our Constitution, you can redress your grievances, civil rights violations, and other things you feel that Sinclair and his cronies have committed against you or other tribal members. Also, you have the RIGHT and the Obligation to file complaints with Federal and State agencies (FBI, US Attorneys Office, State Attorney General, State and Federal IRS Agencies, Federal and State Labor Boards, Federal Social Security agencies, State and federal Worker’s Compensation services) if you feel that Sinclair has misused these State and Federal Funds, if you feel he has violated State and Federal Non-Profit laws. No one can do this for you. Simply write a letter, send an e-mail, call these state and federal agencies and file formal complaints against Sinclair and hold him accountable for his actions.
ABOVE ALL.. YOU must make sure your voice will forever be heard in our Government and not suppressed by a Tyrant. You must use your power of the VOTE to replace the corrupt who control the keys to our Governement.. YOU MUST VOLUNTEER and RUN FOR COUNCIL to ensure these corrupt people are held accountable. ONLY YOU can take the reigns of our tribal government and lead our tribe to success. If you don’t then the corrupt will succeed and not only will we NEVER receive Recognition, but our Tribe will forever be shamed and forgotten.
December 28, 2009 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Gilbert (406) 750-2494 James Parker Shield (406) 590-1745 Robert Rudeseal (406) 868-5588
Little Shell Chippewa Constitutional Amendment Ballots Mailed
(Great Falls) On Monday, Dec 28, 2009, over three thousand (3000) letters containing Information, ballot, and Tribal Constitutional Amendment language were mailed to Little Shell Tribal Members. The Constitutional Amendments will allow for new fair and balanced Tribal Elections and the foundation of a Tribal Judicial System.
“We need to settle this on-going dispute over our last few tribal elections where the right of tribal members to vote were cancelled, and candidates running against former chairman John Sinclair and his council were either ‘disqualified’ or even ‘dis-enrolled’ from the tribe and where tribal member were not allowed to even ask for an appeal or review of Sinclair’s actions. We decided to go back to the people with these proposed amendments to our tribes Constitution”, stated John Gilbert, Chairman of the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance.
“The language in our tribal constitution clearly provides for an amendment process that is voted on by the people. This process does not need the approval of the Tribal Council, nor is the ballot process under the council’s jurisdiction in any way. Because our last election was clearly fraudulent and because we cannot have the question of John Sinclair’s claim to be our ‘duly elected’ tribal leader, heard in either a federal or state court, we believe it is necessary to amend the language in our constitution to allow for new fair and unbiased tribal elections.
“These amendments provide for a more democratic and detailed election process and provide for a judicial system that will allow tribal members to exercise their rights to redress their grievances.” said Gilbert. “We encourage all tribal members to fill out the ballots and mail them back quickly. This is their chance to take back control of their own tribal government”.
Copies of the ballots are available by emailing the Alliance at Contact@LittleShellChippewaAlliance.org, or by downloading copies off of the Alliance Website at http://www.LittleShellChippewaAlliance.org and at tribal member websites at http://www.LittleShellTribe.com and http://www.LittleShellTribe.us.
The Ballots are due back on January 14, 2010. They will be counted on January 15, 2010, 1pm at 300 2nd Ave S., Suite #2, Great Falls, MT 59401. The Public is Welcome to view the counting.
NOTE: Please feel free to forward this E-Mail and attachements to other Little Shell Tribal members. October 1, 2009 The Little Shell Chippewa Alliance has been working over the spring, summer, and fall to correct problems with our Tribal Government, part of that has been following an Audit by the State of Montana concerning the handling of Federal and State Grant Monies by Sinclair and his cronies. On Sept 22, 2009, the State of Montana has released the results of the Audit for Public Review. We are making this available to Tribal Members and other entities interested in how Sinclair used this money as his personal Piggy Bank/ATM machine instead of to programs this money was intended to be used for the betterment and enhanced services for Tribal Members. As a result of Mr. Sinclair’s mishandling of Federal and State Funds, the State of Montana will NO LONGER provide any further state funds to the Little Shell Tribe until Mr. Sinclair returns the missing money and the tribal government sets up and institutes major changes to they way we handle public money. This includes the Stimulus Money. Tribal members are already demanding a full accounting and the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance will keep working to ensure that the money that was to go to our children, our poor and disadvantaged, our addicted, goes to who needs these funds the most and not to the personal whims of a single person or their co-conspirators. Click the Link below for a copy of the Audit. March 21, 2009 Little Shell Tribal Members overwhelmingly make their Voices heard; Votes out unconstitutionally Appointed Council and authorizes new Constitutional Elections for Tribal Council. From the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance. Little Shell Tribal members participated in a Constitutional Referendum that asked Tribal Members if they felt that the Tribal Council was beyond their Constitutional Term-Limit, and if so, should they be allowed to stay in office, and if an election must be held to elect Tribal Members to the Council in a Constitutional manner in doing so making their vote legally binding upon the council itself. In an Overwhelming showing, the Tribal Members voted their Constitutional power in the following manner: Question 1: I believe an election by the people should be conducted by the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance to elect Tribal Council members and Tribal Officers for the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. 94% Voted "YES", the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance is Authorized to hold Constitutional Elections For Tribal Council. 6% Voted "NO", the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance is NOT Authorized to hold Constitutional Elections for Tribal Council. Referendum Question 1 Passes. Tribal Members authorize a NEW Constitutional Tribal Election Question 2: I believe the last elected Tribal Council and Tribal Officers of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana are beyond their Constitutional term limits, which expired according to the Constitution on January 1, 2009 and thus all actions taken by them after January 1, 2009 are neither legal, nor binding. 92% Voted "YES", The Tribal Council members are beyond their Term-limit and are therefore no longer Authorized to Speak for the Tribal Members nor act as the Government of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. 8% Voted "NO", The Tribal Council members are authorized to remain in office. Referendum Question 2 Passes. The Tribal Council has been Constitutionally Voted out of office and it's members are no longer are authorized to operate or represent the Tribal members in any manner. The Little Shell Chippewa Alliance feels that this is a Historical Vote by the Tribal members who exercised their Constitution Rights under Article III, Section X and Article IV of the Little Shell Chippewa Indians of Montana Constitution. This is the first time in the History of the Tribe, since being reorganized September 19, 1977 that tribal members needed to exercise their Constitutional Power to reign in an out of control Council of whom decided to strip tribal members of their civil right to an elected and representative government. 365 Total physical Ballots mailed in. Of these, the official Votes for: Question 1 is: 349 Total Validated Votes, of these: 329 YES Votes or 94.26% of the Q1 Validated Votes (329/349=.9624) 20 NO Votes or 5.74% of the Q1 Validated Votes (20/349=.0574)
Question 2 is: 348 Total Validated Votes, of these: 321 YES Votes or 92.24% of the Q2 Validated Votes (321/348=.9224) 27 NO Votes or 7.76% of the Q2 Validated Votes (27/348=.0776)
March 3, 2009 The Little Shell Chippewa Alliance has sent out a Referendum to over 3000 Little Shell Tribal members to allow YOU to vote on whether or not YOU want to allow people, like John Sinclair, to hijack our Tribe and violate our Civil and Constitutional rights by arbitrarily cancelling our elections and suspending our tribal constitution so they can stay in office indefinitely. To allow the Little Shell Chippewa Alliance to hold UNBIASED and FAIR Elections that will allow ALL the Tribal members the opportunity to run for Council and to vote for a Candidate that you think should lead our Tribal nation and not allow only a handpicked few to lead our tribe and keep you in the dark. The Referendum needs to be returned to us no later then March 14, 2009. We will convene on March 21, 2009 to count the Ballots and will announce the results to the Media and on this and other websites.
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Little Shell Chippewa Alliance PO Box 308 Black Eagle, MT 59414-0308
E-Mail: Contact@LittleShellChippewaAlliance.org
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To contact us: |
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