News you can use
News you can use
(Correction: An earlier version of this story said the meeting ws Thursday. It was Wednesday.)
Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation Business Council held a special meeting Wednesday to explain their move to remove Tribal Chair Ken Blatt St. Marks out of his position again.
Councilmembers said they signed the notice that was served to St. Marks because of actions he took Tuesday. Soon after he was sworn in after two years of waiting, he wrote letters of termination to two Rocky Boy judges, Chief Judge Storm Olson and Associate Judge Melody Whitford.
The council then wrote up the charges they originally held against St. Marks, with the new charge of failing to properly work with the council before making the decision to fire the two tribal employees.
In the letters of termination, he wrote he was firing them for “reasons being you are failing to recognize me as the Official Chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe.”
He wrote to Whitford, telling her that she was hearing cases for family members where she should recuse herself, in addition to creating a hostile work environment.
He terminated Olson additionally for firing Van Four Souls and for creating a hostile work environment.
At the special meeting Wednesday, the council emphasized the need to move forward and address the charges against St. Marks properly.
Around 9 a.m. Monday at tribal chambers in Agency Square, St. Marks will have the opportunity to speak to the multiple charges against him, which include allegations of breaking protocol when making decisions as tribal chair, misappropriating tribal funds, sexual misconduct.
St. Marks said his supporters will attend the Monday meeting en masse to show support.
He defended his firing of the two judges. Olson, he said, had fired Four Souls because he had served St. Marks with a court document telling him an appeals court said he was entitled to be sworn in as chair.
He said court and tribal officials wanted to prepare papers to impeach St. Marks before he knew he could be sworn in.
Reader Comments(2)
rbcitizen writes:
These judges/council are run by Chance, this guy still runs the show. Until he goes to prison then we will be free of him, running to our culture the way he uses it just doesn't work that way, He and They will find out at the end of all this corruption, and this goes for all corrupted people on The Rez. Like they said, the Good will out do the bad. Gerald 30 votes. Ted 140. Ricky didn't even run, whata Joke. they don't have no business at this tribal office. Lets run'em OFF!
11/29/2014, 7:23 am
glittleowl writes:
Good will defeat evil. Hang there Kenny. You are a good testimony to the Rocky Boy people.
11/28/2014, 3:40 pm