Rocky Boy special election delayed, apparently

The special election scheduled today to select a new chair of the leadership of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation apparently has been delayed, although the reasons are unclear.

The election was scheduled to start at 8 this morning to select a new chair of the Chippewa Cree Tribe Business Committee, to take the place of Ken Blatt St. Marks, whom the other committee members removed from office March 25.

A representative of the tribal government, who did not identify himself, said this morning that the Chippewa Cree Tribe Election Committee made a ruling delaying the election and was considering all items submitted to it. He asked if the Havre Daily News had received a press release about the issue and then said he would send that release to the newspaper.

By printing deadline this morning, the Havre Daily editorial department had no record of receiving the Election Committee press release.

A person answering the telephone at the Business Committee office hung up on a Havre Daily News reporter Monday, twice, when asked about the topic.

When the reporter asked if the election was being held today, the woman said she didn’t know and hung up. When the reporter called back to ask if anyone was available to answer that question, she said there wasn’t and hung up.

Ken Blatt St. Marks said Friday a judge in the Chippewa Cree Tribal Court was holding a hearing that day at 3 p.m. to rule on a request to delay the election and to put St. Marks back on the ballot.

A clerk of the court said this morning the writing of the order on those requests had not yet been completed, although it was expected to be completed this afternoon. She said that, as a civil matter, the proceedings are sealed in Chippewa Cree Tribal Courts and the Havre Daily would not be able to receive a copy of the order. She recommended the Havre Daily contact the parties involved.

St. Marks could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon or this morning.

The Business Committee removed St. Marks, who was elected last fall, for what it said was “neglect of duty and gross misconduct,” which is specified in the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s constitution as a reason an elected official can be removed from office.

A press release issued by the Business Committee at the time said the charges against St. Marks included employee harassment including sexual harassment, financial misconduct, unauthorized expenditures and illegal employment practices.

St. Marks has said his removal — and previous suspension from office — was in retaliation for his investigating and attempting to stop what he said was misconduct by tribal officials, including misuse of federal funds. His cooperation with federal investigators looking into issues on the reservation was part of his being removed, he said.

April 18, the U.S. government indicted six people on charges of, from January 2010 through July 2010, embezzling money allocated to the regional water project being constructed by the tribally owned Chippewa Cree Construction Corp.

The people indicted included Business Committee member and former chair John “Chance” Houle, also vice chair of the construction company’s board and construction company CEO, Tony Belcourt, a former Business Committee member and state representative.

The Election Board originally certified St. Marks as a candidate in the election scheduled for today, then ruled him ineligible after a protest was filed.

The board cited a tribal ordinance ruling that an elected official removed from office for neglect of duty cannot run again for two years.

St. Marks has said that ordinance was passed in 1966 and has since been repealed, or at least was not listed in the eligibility requirements provided to him this year by the election board when he filed as a candidate for the special election.