Tribal Issues

NO DEAL, NO SETTLEMENT

2010-07-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Once again the members have spoken....NO DEAL, NO SETTLEMENT for Bernard Bouschor. Deb Pine, daughter of Jolene Nertoli and relative of Bouschor's was not allowed to vote because of the obvious conflict of interest. Denise Chase made the motion but the remaining details regarding who voted pro-tribal members or pro-Bouschor is unavailable at this time.

FRED PAQUIN

2010-07-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

With the recent announcement of a guilty plea by Fred Paquin to ripping off the federal government and the Sault Tribe members as well as the release of details of his plea agreement, some are concerned that Paquin will get a slap on the hands, a free ride past 'Go', a 'Stay Out of Jail' card and the option of having his criminal record expunged in the future.

It's a federal crime...he pled guilty to a felony...expunged isn't going to happen. No judge (with the exception of a judge appointed by crooks) would expunge the record of a former police chief for federal crimes. A lot of good 'expunged' would do when Paquin's crimes have been all over the news. Fast Freddie will do some prison time, fines and restitution will need to be paid. His reputation isn't worth a pound of dirt. He won't be able to show his face ever again since he will be tossing out the names of his former friends and associates as perpetrators of crimes like trick or treat candy in order to keep his daughter out of prison and himself serving less than he would otherwise. Prison...a year or more...doesn't matter because he is done, ruined, as he should be and just as he has done to others.

The feds were listening, they built their case and thanks to that slime ball Fred, there will be more arrests to come. Knowing that the tribal embezzlers, who have stolen money that belonged to all of us-that was meant for education, healthcare and jobs for tribal members, might be lining up for their day in court and will be ruined just as Fred is now, makes me pretty darned happy. Justice, regardless of jail time, has been done-will be done. They will be ruined just as they have done to many innocent tribal members and former employees.

The feds have their eyes on those in this tribe who stole federal funds so if anyone has anything to say, the time is now. Do something great for your fellow tribal citizens and point the feds in the right direction. Several, past and present, who serve on the committee of the Mackinac Bands have knowledge of and access to numerous documents that support past allegations of misuse of federal funds...approximately $800,000 in ANA grants not to mention those under the Department of Health and Human Services has a familiar ring to it...a reminder to the feds may be in order.

Sault Tribe Board about to Drop $2,660,000 Case?

2010-05-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings!
On Tuesday - May 18, 2010 the Sault Tribe Board will hold a secret closed door meeting to discuss settling with Bouschor letting him off the hook for the $2,600,000 he stole from each and every member of our Tribe. Where's the meeting? At the Ojibway hotel in the Sault. Was this done to limit the number of Members who can attend? Why is there a settlement conference happening at all? This already happened in 2007. We have all but won the case with positive legal rulings at the lower court, appellate court, and MI Supreme Court levels. With how close we are to winning, only a corrupt Board can mess it up now.

With a legal opinion obtained by the Tribe that proves that Bouschor was not eligible to run in 2008, the Board is unwilling to do anything about it. They argue that they are listening to the voters. Well what about the 74% across all voting units who said no to Bouschor. The Tribal Constitution stipulates that referendums are final and binding. What part of that doesn't the Board understand?

In the 2010 Tribal elections there are several candidates who are working directly with Bouschor to increase the number of Board members who will vote to throw out the $2.66 million litigation. Those candidates are commonly believe to be:

Denny McKelvie -DJ Hoffman -Debbie Pine -Lisa Burnside -Shirley Petoskey

Can you really risk voting for any of the above and have them vote to erase Bouschor's $2.66 liability? Can we afford to find out? Debbie Pine is Jolene Nertoli's daughter. Remember - Jolene stole $455,000 from every man, woman, child, and elder of this Tribe. Her ancestors would be ashamed! Did Debbie shelter this money by laundering it into her husband's animal clinic or bar in Brimely. Debbie claims to be holier than thou but serves alcohol to Tribal members she calls drunks!

Call a Tribal Board Member to insist they stand our ground! Protect our future. Draw the line in the sand. If the thieves who stole your money are let off the hook, what's to stop someone else from doing the same. Let's send a clear message and hold accountable those who would steal from their own people.

Board Cell # Home #
Unit 1------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis 440-3932 632-7267
Cathy 440-7613 635-3054
Joe 440-5728 632-8567
DJ Hoffman 322-3801
Unit 2------------------------------------------------------------
Lana 440-5726 484-2954
Bob L. 440-7741 493-5311
Unit 3------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Massaway 643-6981
Pat Rickley ?
Unit 4------------------------------------------------------------
Denise Chase 440-7647 341-6783
Tom Miller 440-5737 644-2527
Unit 5------------------------------------------------------------
Shirley Petoskey 322-3803 387-2101

Aaron A. Payment, MPA
Fellow Tribal Member

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

2010-02-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Recall signatures turned in:

Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010, 8:37 am
By Christina Rohn News-Review Staff Writer

Tribal elders await validation of recall petition to have an election to oust current chairman and vice chairman

For the past four months, several members of the have been circulating a petition to recall their recently elected tribal chairman and vice chairman.

At 6 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 19, the group turned in its signatures to the tribal election committee — 171 each for both chairman Ken Harrington and vice chairman Dexter McNamara — which is the required 20 percent of 856 voters who voted in the last general election.

The election committee is now tasked to either certify the validity of the recall petition and its signatures, or return it to the submitting party with a written explanation of the deficit within 10 business days.

If the petition is deemed valid, the election board is required to schedule a recall election within 90 days.

Read Petoskey News Here

Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians submitted their constitution.

2010-02-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

On February 5th 2010 the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians submitted their constitution for federal recognition-reaffirmation to the federal government. This is the first time in history that this has been achieved. We are meeting on February 11th with Brandon Fewins, an aide to Debbie Stabenow's office to start the process rolling. We want to take our rightful place along side of the other twelve federally recognized tribes in Michigan.

Cheboygan news: 02 / 12 / 2010

Michigan Supreme Court Rules

2010-01-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

Media Release for Immediate Release
January 29, 2010
MI Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Plaintiff – Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
In case of Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians v. Bernard Bouschor; and Miller Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.; Daniel T. Green; Paul W. Shagen; Joseph M. Paczkowski; David E. Scott; Jolene M. Nertoli; James M. Jannetta; Daniel J. Weaver, jointly and severally C/A CASE NO.: 276712 – L/C CASE NO.: 04-7606-CC

Lansing, MI – Today, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in the so-called 7+1+1 case which was originally filed in Chippewa County (50th Circuit Court) but presented to Judge Charles Johnson, 57th Circuit Court, in Emmet County as visiting judge when Judge Lambros recused himself. At the lower court level, Judge Johnson ruled back in 2007, that the defendants were not terminated, that Bouschor did not have the authority to grant severances (in the amount exceeding $2.66 million), and that contrary to Bouschor’s claim, Bouschor did not hold ‘executive immunity’ a status typically held for State Governors or the President of the United States. This latter filing by Bouschor is what qualified the defendants for an automatic appeal in the Michigan Court of Appeals and has delayed the case since the initially filing in 2004. At that level, the MI Court of Appeals threw out the legal malpractice and conspiracy claim. The MI Supreme Court’s ruling today reinstates the Sault Tribe’s complaint with regard to malpractice and may qualify the Sault Tribe for injunctive relief to recover not only the amount Bouschor and defendants conspired to take on election night of 2004, but also ‘treble damages’ which is up to three times the amount. Given the Tribe filed jointly and severally, once a final judgment is granted (possibly via a summary disposition given there now appear to be no facts in dispute) there may not even be a need to go to trial at the district court level. Judge Johnson could, instead, rule in the Tribe’s favor and award damages and legal fees. In the Supreme Court’s ruling, the justices ruled that Bernard Bouschor did not have executive immunity and as such, reinforced Judge Johnson’s earlier ruling that Bouschor is individually liable in this case. If Judge Johnson does not grant a summary disposition judgment, the case will go to trial in the 50th Circuit Court with Judge Johnson presiding as visiting judge. In a prepared statement, former Chairperson Aaron Payment said,
“With all of the legal wrangling by Bouschor and the defendants over the last 5 ½ years, it is no wonder tribal members are dispirited. The rulings by the MI Supreme Court and the prosecution of Paquin give tribal members hope that the rule of law will prevail and justice will be served. Those who would steal from their own people, need to be held accountable. Maybe 2010 will be the year of tribal justice.

DOWNLOAD SUPREME COURT RULING HERE

Plan for Greektown bankruptcy approved.

2010-01-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

Jaclyn Trop / The Detroit News
Judge OKs move that ends tribe as casino owners

A plan approved Friday to lead Greektown Casino out of bankruptcy protection will repay most creditors and strip ownership from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Judge Walter Shapero of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit confirmed the plan, pending state and city approvals on other issues that must be obtained by June 30. The plan, the third proposal since Greektown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2008, was approved by creditors last week.

"Greektown Casino is now approaching the finish line for its exit from bankruptcy," said Charles Moore, the casino's lead restructuring adviser with Conway MacKenzie Inc. in Birmingham.

From The Detroit News:

The United States Attorney's Office

2010-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

FORMER CHIEF OF POLICE FOR SAULT TRIBE OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS
CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES

Download File here

Paquins Bond Conditions and Order

2010-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Paquin has a "$5000 unsecured bond (attached here), must surrender his passport, no contact with witnesses, no travel, cannot possess a firearm and must reside in the Upper Peninsula at all times, but for visits to his legal counsel in Cheboygan."

Fred Paquin Indictment

2010-01-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS

Former Sault Tribe Chief of Police Fred Paquin arrested on 12 federal criminal indictments. Source report that both Paquin and his daughter Mary Cullen were arrested yesterday in St. Ignace and transported to U.S. District Court in Marquette for process and possibly held without bond. The actual indictment document is attached.

This news comes on the heels of the announcement by the City of St. Ignace who received hired Fred Paquin as their Chief of Police despite being under federal criminal investigation which resulted in the 12 indictments and since it was clearly known by St. Ignace that Paquin was named as a co-conspiritor in a federal indictment handed down on 12-23-09 for which Paquin's former secretary acknowledge both her role and Paquin's role in committing these crimes.

Former Sault Tribe Chairperson Aaron Payment stated, “Justice dictates that anyone who conspired to commit or allow criminal activity, be investigated and brought to justice. That includes Tribal Board members and Tribal administrators if necessary. No one should be immune.”

While the Tribe’s government should have been vigilant in protecting the Tribe’s assets, several Council members acted to shield Paquin from discipline including overturning his termination in October 2007 and by returning Paquin from employment suspension during the federal criminal probe days before he allegedly attempted to destroy evidence”, Payment added.

Payment concluded, “under the Sault Tribe’s current structure of government, no separation of powers exists to effectively hold individuals of such crimes responsible. A separation of powers, with a separate judicial branch and an elected inspector general are desperately needed. Paquin’s impending indictments clearly demonstrate this.

Fred Paquin Indictment
Download 47 page pdf here.

Grand Traverse Band authorizes 'extensive' budget cuts

2009-09-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Council says reductions are needed to balance spending.

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE
lvanhulle@record-eagle.com
Published: September 25, 2009 07:35 am

PESHAWBESTOWN -- Leaders of a local American Indian tribe authorized "extensive budget cuts" to balance spending for the upcoming fiscal year, but would not discuss reduction specifics.
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians' Tribal Council members accepted salary cuts and some government programs have been rolled back to accommodate a budget shortfall, tribal Chairman Derek Bailey said.

The council sent a letter to all tribal members, dated Sept. 18, and said cuts were needed "to control deficit spending and to safeguard assets for our present membership and future membership."

The 2010 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. The band operated with a roughly $3.9 million deficit this year, according to the letter. The shortfall amount for next year is unclear.
Even though the band is sovereign, "we're not immune to the state and federal government woes," Bailey said, citing a decline in gaming revenues as the motivation for cuts. "If you look at the United States, all the other leisure and consumer-based enterprises (have struggled)."
Tribal law required council members to take 10 percent and 20 percent pay cuts, the letter states, but it is unclear which members took which cuts and when.

Bailey was in Lansing on Thursday and could not be reached for additional comment.
He deferred comment on council salary cuts and gaming revenues to two other tribal members, neither of whom responded to calls from the Record-Eagle.

The Tribal Government Reduction and Reorganization Act, as the upcoming cutbacks are known, was approved in late August after a recommendation from a committee comprised of the tribe's manager, human resources director and chief financial officer.

Eligibility criteria for some government services has been made more stringent, particularly for human services, education and health services, tribal manager Jane Rohl said.
She did not elaborate on how that will contribute to reducing a deficit and said the full Tribal Council would need to approve the release of budget figures.

"We still provide the same services we did before," Rohl said. "We're anticipating it's not going to affect people in need of the services, but we're not going to have any verification of that until we get into the next fiscal year."

About $1 million was cut from the roughly $11 million budget this fiscal year, according to a band newsletter from March 2009 posted online.

The council this year voted to suspend its practice of matching employees' 401(k) contributions, saving $65,158, the newsletter stated.

Story here

Bush on Sovereign Immunity

2009-08-26T03:18:00.000-07:00

Court hears pitch to save Greektown Casino

2009-08-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 6, 2009
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Lawyers for prominent businessman Tom Celani made their first official pitch to take Greektown Casino out of bankruptcy Wednesday, marking his third attempt at taking a piece of the casino.

At a bankruptcy court hearing, lawyers tossed arguments for and against the plan announced last week by Celani of Bloomfield Hills, whose Luna Entertainment firm is based in Novi.

A one-time investor in MotorCity Casino who sold out his stake to Detroit business maven Marian Ilitch in 2005, Celani told The Detroit News last week that he's partnered with Connecticut-based hedge fund Plainfield Asset Management to quietly acquire a $10 million stake in Greektown's pre-bankruptcy debt, a move the partnership says allows them to intervene in the court proceedings to file a plan to exit Chapter 11.

The casino's current owners, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa, sunk the casino in Chapter 11 in May 2008 to ward off threats from the state's gaming regulatory board to force a sale of the property. It had fallen out of compliance with state-mandated debt covenants and secure bankruptcy loans to pay for the final construction of Greektown's permanent casino and hotel complex.

The only other plan before bankruptcy Judge Walter Shapero, which would have to be approved by a number of parties involved in the case and the Michigan Gaming Control Board, would give the casino to a group of secured creditors represented by banking giant Merrill Lynch. Lawyers for the Celani/Plainfield partnership said their plan would use bankruptcy exit financing to pay off secured creditors who put up money for casino's expansion and hotel construction, while offering cash or equity in Greektown to other creditors.

In what was viewed as a victory for Celani, Shapero ordered the businessman to present his detailed plan to the bankruptcy court by Tuesday.

The Sault Tribe would receive nothing in either plan currently before the court.

News link

Tom Celani - Luna Entertainment

2009-07-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

1:42 p.m., Jul. 29, 2009

Casino investor Celani to file plan to buy Greektown Casino
By Daniel Duggan

Novi-based casino investor Tom Celani said he plans to file court documents Thursday to make a play for ownership of the Greektown Casino Hotel.
Celani, a former investor in the MotorCity Casino, has been public about his intentions to own a controlling stake in Greektown.

“This is something I’m very passionate about, and I believe, very strongly, that you need to have local ownership in that property,” said Celani, CEO of Novi-based Luna Entertainment .
During an interview, he said he plans to file an alternate plan of reorganization for Greektown as part of its bankruptcy restructuring process. Under that plan, he will eventually have a controlling ownership stake in the property.

Celani said that he is able to file the plan because he has been acquiring debt from Greektown investors recently, but declined to say how much of a stake he now has.

“I’ll say this: I have enough debt that I can file my own plan of reorganization,” he said.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is the last owner of the casino.
“The worst thing that can happen is that Greektown will be owned by a group of bankers,” Celani said. “Right now, I want the banks and the court to look at how to bring this property out of bankruptcy. Either the banks need to be licensed owners, or they need a partner or they need to sell it.

“My end goal is to be able to acquire it from the lenders.”

Read full article

Luna Entertainment / Charlotte Beach

Plan has secured creditors taking over Greektown Casino-Hotel

2009-06-06T06:10:00.001-07:00

In the next 30 days, it’s possible a new ownership group will control the Greektown Casino-Hotel.

But the identity of that group will remain undisclosed for the time being.

On June 1, attorneys involved with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings for the casino filed a plan for reorganization in U.S. District Court.

Under terms of the plan, ownership will go to the group of secured creditors, those who have loans backed by liens against the casino’s property, said Charles Moore, senior managing director at Birmingham-based turnaround firm Conway, MacKenzie & Dunleavy, the casino’s lead restructuring adviser.

New York-based Merrill Lynch is the agent for the group of secured creditors, Moore said, but the actual investors or companies in that pool have not yet been disclosed in court filings.

The next step is a July court hearing, which will begin the process of getting votes from creditors for an approval of the reorganization plan, Moore said. At least one class of impaired creditors must approve the plan.

If that is successful, the ownership change must be approved by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

“If the owners are not approved by the gaming board, then the plan is vacated and we’re back to the drawing board,” Moore said.

The board performs in-depth background checks on people who have any ownership interest in a casino. The ownership will need to be approved by the board, which holds open meetings, so the identity of the secured creditors will likely be made public at that time.

Other options for the casino are still available, however.

A request for bids from investors was issued as part of the bankruptcy process, though the bids were considered too low and were less than the $500 million in secured debt, Moore said.

The total debt on the operation is close to $790 million.

If a higher bid is made, it will still be considered, Moore said.

Another possibility is that one of the previous bidders could decide to team up with the secured creditors in a joint venture, he said.

By Daniel Duggan
5:45 p.m., Jun. 5, 2009
Crains Detroit Business Article

McCoy Violates Election Laws?

2009-03-26T09:51:00.001-07:00

Upper Peninsula - casinos report a profitable year

2009-03-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Kewadin gambling halls post a 2.5% increase in profits, netting $31.28M.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

Even though its Greektown Casino fell into bankruptcy, 2008 proved a bumper year for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa's five casinos in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, tribe officials announced Monday.

The 2.5 percent increase in profit compared with 2007 brought in $31.28 million for the tribe, and came as the Sault's Kewadin Casinos arm, which operates the U.P. gambling halls, went through a year of cost-cutting.

"In a state and national recession and at a time when revenues and profits are down significantly in gaming markets across the nation, we are proud to report relatively strong performances at our five Kewadin Casinos in Northern Michigan," said Joe McCoy, chairman of the Sault Tribe, in a statement.

The increases there contrast with the performance at Greektown, the Tribe's largest casino holding, which ended 2008 with revenues down 7.33 percent from 2007. All told, the casino took in $316.3 million in 2008

Full story

Millions vanish with developer Anthony Defeo

2009-02-16T03:22:00.001-08:00

Investors sue, feds get involved as St. Clair County casino plan tanks

BY CHRISTY ARBOSCELLO • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER - February 9, 2009

Anthony Defeo was a charismatic businessman and a developer with a vision, offering investors an opportunity for the chance of a lifetime
But that dream deal quickly soured for financers who say the $600-million project presented by the entrepreneur proved too good to be true.
Defeo, who claimed riches from other financial undertakings, convinced them he had the inside track on a casino project with the federal government and an American Indian tribe. The project, he boasted, had received the personal stamp of approval from none other than then-President George W. Bush.

He showed them paperwork, eased their fears with thorough answers and gingerly maintained relationships -- until he got at least $2 million from investors, according to more than 20 lawsuits in Macomb County Circuit Court.

Now, with his plans for the development of a casino and entertainment hub in St. Clair County at a standstill, investors don't know where Defeo -- or their money -- has gone.

And they're not the only ones interested in tracking down the 57-year-old New York native whose last known address was in Bloomfield Hills. Federal authorities also are trying to find him, the Free Press has learned.

"I think Mr. Defeo is very elusive. ... I can't substantiate unofficial reports that he's in different states throughout the country," said Warren-based lawyer Anthony Penna, who represents Defeo's landlord, Grillo Properties of Chesterfield Township.

The company said Defeo owes more than $500,000 in unpaid rent and improvements made to an office he leased on Dalcoma Drive in Clinton Township.

Investor Thomas Frank, 53, of Washington Township said he's out $100,000. He served as a project manager for the entertainment hub and casino.

Frank said Defeo gained the trust of influential businesspeople, doctors and lawyers for the five-year development by showing them contracts and meeting with them weekly at another one of his offices, at 19 Mile in Clinton Township, and other places, such as the Troy Marriott.

It wasn't until last summer that anyone doubted his ability to bring the project to life.
"We repeatedly called. We repeatedly left messages. We trusted him. He seemed like a nice guy," said Frank, who was hired for his 30 years of construction experience.

full story

ANTHONY DEFEO: Businessman got $2 million from investors, according to more than 20 lawsuits in Macomb County Circuit Court.

Related articles
Allegations against developer Anthony Defeo mounting -- 2/10/09
Millions vanish with developer Anthony Defeo -- 2/9/09
Michigan had to shut Defeo-run clinic -- 2/9/09

ATTENTION SAULT TRIBE MEMBERS!

2009-01-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

IMMEDIATELY:
CONTACT THE MICHIGAN GAMING CONTROL BOARD
TO HALT BOUSCHOR'S MI GAMING LICENSE FROM BEING ISSUED.

While the 7+1+1 Case is winding its way through the MI Court system, the danger is that the Michigan Gaming Control Board could grant Bernard Bouschor a gaming license. They will do so in the absence of a judgment against him for violating his fidicuary duites as Tribal Chairperson in 2004 when he, under the cloak of secrecy, paid out 7 of his to political supporters over $3 million. This case is not dead as it is scheduled to go in front of the MI Supreme Court. Very likely, Bernard will be found responsible for what he did, and be ordered to pay back the entire amount. The tribe filed 'jointly and severably' so even if Bernard doesn't have $3 million, the other defendants and Miller Canfield may be ordered to pay up the money. Also, unlike Madoff, Bernard will be forced by the judge to repay through garnishments and by through seizing his assets.

However, the Michigan Gaming Control Board needs to hear from you about whether or not you feel Bernard Bouchor violated the public trust and breeched his fidiciary duties as an officer of the Sault Tribe. In order for Bouschor to gain a MI Gaming License, the MGCB have to agree that he has good business probibity, and that he has not engaged in any acts of theft or dishonesty. The manner in which Bouschor ordered the checks to be cut, then deleted this information off the system so the comptroller or the auditor would not catch this, is clearly and act of dishonest. Did you know that Mickey Bouschor's niece - Shelly (Krull) Shellby cut the checks? Mickey is Bernard's brother and married to Shelly's aunt.

Each and every one of you is urged to call the MGCB - State Police Investigative Unit in Detroit Michigan to express your opinion as a stateholder in the Tribe's largest asset, the Greektown Casino. Tell them that Bernard Bouschor violated his fidiciary responsibility and the court will rule on this. Insist that they deny him a temporary gaming license and ask them to wait until the case is resolved before taking further action.

Just Call: 313-456-4008

Or email by clicking on this link: MGCBweb@michigan.gov

The Fine Point Group Named Management Consultants at Greektown Casino

2009-01-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

Event Date: 01/09/09
The following press release is being distributed today by our newest client, the Greektown Casino, in Detroit, Michigan. Rather than putting out a separate announcement, we decided just to forward theirs.

Wishing you the best of luck in 2009 -- RandyDETROIT - The Fine Point Group, a Las Vegas-based consulting firm led by casino industry veterans who have worked with more than 200 gaming properties across the world has been retained to provide comprehensive operations and marketing consulting at Greektown Casino, pending necessary approvals. Click here to read the full press release.

MI SUPREME COURT TO HEAR BOUSCHOR $3MILLION THEFT CASE OF SAULT TRIBE FUNDS - URGE BOARD TO ESCROW HIS $234,500 BOARD PAY

2009-01-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Though the case has taken over four years, and my entire administration as Chairperson (7/04 - 6/08) members should rest assured that the lawsuit to recover the nearly $3 million stolen by Bouschor and his top political supporters in 2004 is still in process.

Unfortunately, we do not control the scheduling of the Michigan court process. Bouschor has delayed the process by filing frivilous appeals that were dismissed in November by the Circuit Court of Appeals. He is delaying the process in hopes of building a coalition on the Tribal Board to vote to dismiss the lawsuit against himself. He has a conflict of interest here as he has a total of $3 million at stake personally. Don't forget, also pending is the lawsuit Bouschor filed against Greektown for $3.4 million!

In his appeal, Bouschor actually claimed to have had 'executive immunity' in his role as Chairperson. Funny thing is there is no such thing and when you are acting outside your scope of authority, you have no insulation from suit. Recall that the lower court judge rule that Bouschor did not have the authority to grant severances to the 7 who stole nearly $3 million and that he was individually liable. Also recall that the lower court judge ruled that the folks were not fired but had quit their jobs and were therefore not entitled to anything. With the Appellate Court rejecting Bouschor's claim to 'executive immunity' the court is establishing a line of personal liability for Bouschor. He could end up having to pay the entire $3 million back.

Just think of how far that $3million would go today with bringing the Elder checks back from the anticipated $200 to $600 to $1,600 when I was Chairman.

Please call, write or email your Board member to insist they escrow Bouschor's Board salary to at least recover the roughly $234,500 compensation left in Bouschor's Board salary through the end of his term. Think about it, the money our Tribe is paying him as a Board member ($67,000 a year X 4 years) is paying for his legal fees to defend himself against the our Tribe in the lawsuit to hold him accountable for the $3 million he stole from you.

The Tribal Board has a responsibility here, don't let them off the hook. Send them and email to tell them to write a resolution and vote for escrowing his pay:

Jmccoy@saulttribe.net

Unit 1 (Sault, Kincheloe, Sugar Island, Brimley)
cabramson@saulttribe.net
dwm@30below.com
josepheitrem@yahoo.com
djwhoffman@hotmail.com
Unit 2 (Hessel, Drummond Island, Detour, Newberry, Nabinway)
boblapoint@yahoo.com
lcausley@saulttribe.net
Unit 3 (St. Ignace, Mackinac Island)
kmassaway@msn.com
prickley@saulttribe.net
Unit 4 (Escanaba, Manistique, Cooks, Rapid River)
dchase@saulttribe.net
tgmiller@saulttribe.net
Unit 5 (Marquette, Munising)
shirleypetosky@yahoo.com

download pdf

Members kept in the dark!

2008-12-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

Holiday greetings from Aaron Payment

2008-12-28T04:28:00.000-08:00

Ahneen, Boozo:

What a difference a year makes. When I heard that the Tribal Christmas Card would not be sent to you this year, I just couldn’t believe it. Even though the Tribe is facing tough times due to the Greektown casino debt, there are some things that could and should continue. The cost of the Christmas greeting was minimal as I designed the card on my own time and only included the postage at .42 cents each. I am in complete disbelief that the Tribal Children’s Halloween and Christmas parties were also been abandoned. I am equally dismayed that the Elder Thanksgiving dinner was cancelled, as well as, the elder gift cards, birthday cards, and the Elder dividend to be reduced to between $200 and $600!

The new Chairman even asked you to endorse your check back to the Tribe!

His pay remains the same.

When I became Chair, I lowered the salary from $856,275 to $100,000. If you factor out Greektown, I lowered the salary from $240,000 to $100,000. Over four years, this was over a 1/2 million savings.

For over a decade, our recreation facility has been an 'alcohol and drug free' place for our tribal youth to congregate. In order to make room for a bar to be installed in the Big Bear, our Youth, Education and Activities program was evicted and moved to a delapitated run down old house that is not handicapped accessible. Prior to this, Kristi Little, the Tribe's Executive Director refused to let other programs occupy this building because of the condition. If it was too poor of a condition then, why would it be acceptable now? For nearly two decades, our Tribe has celebrated the coming of the New Year by holding a sobriety pow wow. This year, the Big Bear Bar will be open during the sobriety pow wow, presumably to draw customers from the sobriety pow wow as both are located in the Big Bear.

It seems our Tribe has lost its heart and soul. No one from the social services division or the cultural division are speaking out as they are afraid for their jobs. Over 150 people were fired in the weeks after the 2008 election after the new administration urged the Board to vote to suspend the few labor protections we had in place. They suspended the employment termination appeals procedures and the anti-retribution policy. Now, you can be fired for any reason - opening the door for the union to step in and provide the protections the Tribal government has taken away.

Probably most disheartening is that the government of the Tribe has completely abandoned any notion of improving our weak corporate charter constitution. Those Members who live ‘At Large’ have long waited for equal representation and a true balance of power with checks and balances and government accountability. Sadly, this dream has been halted as evidence in no dialog in our paper regarding representing you, no member meetings where you live, and no plan for your future in our Tribe.

Still, with hope and the guarantee that the movement of a people will continue, it is just a matter of time before unity of purpose replaces the current challenges we face. We have come too far to go backward. Please keep the faith. Below, I leave you with the preamble to our Tribal Constitution which intended you to benefit from your Membership in the Sault Tribe.

Download pdf

No action taken on salary-cut petition.

2008-12-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

The Evening News -- Dec. 17, 2008

Sault Ste Marie--Petitioners finally received their answer more than a month after submitting a document requesting the Sault Tribe board of Directors to cut their annual salaries from $67,200 to $30,000 or allow tribal members to determine the board's salary.

"I have been asked to kindly inform you that the Board of Directors has determined to take no action on your petition," wrote tribal attorney Aaron Schlehuber, in a Dec. 10, letter to Sault Tribe member John Hatch, who submitted the petition.

Schlehuber advised Hatch that the petition "is not a petition requiring action pursuant to Tribal Code Chapter 12: Referendum Ordinance. But rather is best described as a request to the Board of Directors for one of two voluntary actions to be taken, a stipend reduction, or the letting of an advisory referendum.

Hatch and the 100 plus tribal members who signed the petition argue that the Sault Tribe is in dire financial shape. The Board has cut hundreds of member-jobs, reduced member services, cut the annual elder dividends and ended the tribe’s Children’s Christmas party. The Board has not included its own salary that amounts to more than $1 million a year.

“We’re a loosely knit organization that wants to see fair and balanced policies out of the tribal government,” said Hatch, calculating cutting board salaries would save about $300,000. This is a way to pump money back into the system.”

The petitioners will re-circulate the measure for the tribal ballot. “This time we are not asking the Board to do the right thing,” Hatch said. We will make this a legal matter using the Tribe’s Constitution.”

The tribal board just passed its 2009 governmental budget, triggering member rights to hold a referendum on board salaries. Another petition is planned this month.

Hatch contends it’s not the failing national economy that hurt the tribe’s pocketbook, but the board’s poor management of its tribal businesses and casinos. “We are paying for their incompetence,” Hatch said. It is time they put some skin in the game”

(For more information place email johnhatch1@charter.net)

Greektown, creditors sign bankruptcy pact

2008-12-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Greektown Casino and a consortium of creditors have signed a pact that will effectively allow the casino to pave its own path out of Chapter 11 protections before February, court documents filed late Friday show.

Dubbed a "co-exclusivity" agreement, the motion approved by Judge Walter Shapero will allow only two parties to file bankruptcy exit plans to the court before Feb. 1: the casino itself and a consortium of six creditors which includes the city of Detroit and the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
Both parties have the right to refuse the other's plan, and in doing so would end the exclusivity.

Full pdf

Where'd The Sault Tribe Go?

2008-12-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Sault Tribe website contains very little up to date information.

The meetings are no longer videotaped or televised.

It is understandable that they would not want to be televised so that the non-Indian community can no longer watch this disaster in action but with no current meeting minutes or resolutions on the website, tribal members are left in the dark about the state of their own tribe.

I am offering to video tape the meeting for free and post them on the web, on a different note I could also video conference the meeting with my web cam and my laptop so the members could tune in live to watch the meeting and you can do it all for free on the internet.

64 percent tribal members live outside the service area and they would like to know what is happening?

With so much secrecy, will the majority of the members suddenly find out some day that the Sault Tribe disappeared.

Check out the not so current Sault Tribe download section for yourself no more Meeting Minutes, Resolutions, workshops, Board Videos posted, Why?

From Feb 2005 --- Election Sept 9th 2008

$2.66 Million Gone.

2008-11-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

7 + 1 + 1 Case makes front page of Evening News"

Sources say, that at the December 2, 2008 Tribal Board meeting, upon submission of a resolution drafted by certian board members they will will introduce the resolution to dismiss the lawsuit against Bernard."

Those expecting to dismiss the lawsuit include: Lana Causley, DJ Hoffman, Cathy Abramson, Shirley Petoskey, Keith Massaway, Bernard Bouschor, and possibly Joe Eitrem.
If either Bernard or Joe do not vote or vote against the measure, it will result in a tie at which time, Joe McCoy, like Lana Causley has suggested the case is a waste of money.

Note that Joe McCoy is part of a family voting block with Cathy (McCoy) Abramson, and DJ Hoffman (whose mother was a McCoy and Cathy's sister).The loss? $2.66 million and granted permission that to steal from your own people is acceptable for elected tribal officials.

We also have a video that suggest opinions from the Sault board about whether or not to continue with the case, I will post that soon.

STATE OF MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS

2008-11-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

November 18, 2008

SAULT STE. MARIE TRIBE OF CHIPPEWA
VS
BERNARD BOUSCHOR

and DANIEL T. GREEN, DAVID E. SCOTT, JAMES M. JANNETTA,
and DANIEL J. WEAVER,
and PAUL W. SHAGEN, JOSEPH M. PACZKOWSKI, JOLENE M. NERTOLI,
and MILLER CANFIELD, PADDOCK & STONE, P.L.C.,PER CURIAM.

Defendant Bernard Bouschor appeals as of right the trial court order denying his motion for summary disposition based on governmental immunity, MCR 2.116(C)(7). Defendants Daniel T. Green, David E. Scott, James M. Jannetta, and Daniel J. Weaver, defendant Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C., and plaintiff Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians all cross-appeal. We affirm, in part, and reverse, in part.

Download file

Turtle Talk

Sault Tribe Tribal Tattler News

2008-11-10T02:37:00.000-08:00

I recieved this in the mail and I thought I would post it for the people who have not seen it.
I am not sure who mailed these out I am just trying to post the news for all members to decipher.

Pay cut & pay back 2.7 Million

2008-10-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am unable to travel and make it to the meetings so I always enjoyed watching the video online however now I am not able to find them and when I do I cannot even see or hear it, does anyone know if the board voted to cut their pay at this meeting?

MACKINAC BAND DESCENDANTS

2008-10-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

Are you a member of the Mackinac Bands?

Want to find out?

Start here by clicking on the link below for the Mackinac Bands and find family names.

If the link does not work, copy and paste to your internet browser.

Mackinac Bands Web Site

Mackinac Bands Durant roll listings

look for your family Descendents

YOU ARE INVITED

2008-10-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

To Join,

DENNIS BANKS and two of the NAVAJO CODE TALKERS for dinner.

The MackinacBands will be donating a chef & fresh venison for this event.

Tickets are only $15.00 each in advance or $20.00 at the door.

For details contact: MackinacBands.org

Wild Bald Eagle

2008-09-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Mackinac Bands Fall Feast Sept 21 Cheboygan

2008-09-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Aloha State Park

Mackinac Bands Group Attempts Tribal Separation

2008-09-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

By Ryan Schlehuber

December 11, 2004

It has been a nine-year effort so far, but the organization of the Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is getting closer to being federally recognized as a tribal government. A large obstacle was cleared Tuesday, November 16, when the board of directors at Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians said it would remain neutral in the Mackinac Bands’ quest for independence. The resolution will allow the new organization to break away from the Sault Tribe without a fight, if it can get federal recognition.

Other obstacles lurk on the horizon. The organization must meet a number of federal requirements before its case will even be reviewed.
Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, which now is only a nonprofit organization, they have registered members. About 40 percent of them are also Sault Tribe members.

Mackinac Bands is eligible for federal acknowledgment, He said it meets the most basic requirements of blood quantum, and Mackinac Bands contends its ancestors signed the 1820 and 1836 treaties with the U.S. Government as a distinct group and were granted a large tract of land in the Eastern Upper Peninsula and the right to fish under tribal authority in treaty-ceded Great Lakes waters. As a separate group, the Mackinac Bands enjoy the benefits and rights shared by the Sault Tribe’s six other historical bands.

The Sault Tribe, according to its constitution, is comprised of six historical Indian communities: Sault Ste. Marie, Grand Island, Point Iroquois, Garden River, Sugar Island, and Drummond Island. When the Sault Tribe ratified its constitution in the 1950s, however, Mackinac Bands’ name was not included with the other six historical bands, an error or omission on the part of the Sault Tribe, said Tribal Chairman Aaron Payment.

Mackinac Bands’ nine-person board of directors initially asked the Sault Tribe board to support its cause, but, to retain its healthy enrollment numbers and to protect its federal funding resources, the Sault Tribe board revised the resolution to where it would not object to Mackinac Bands’ efforts for federal recognition, but it would not support it, either.

There are roughly 33,000 members of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Of those, 14,636 are descendants of the Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Another 17,000 Mackinac Bands’ descendants are not registered with any tribe at this time, according to the Bands estimates. The Mackinac Bands, he said, is one of the largest of the unrecognized bands in Michigan with which the early European settlers sought treaties.

With Mackinac Bands’ descendants comprising close to half of Sault Tribe’s membership, and with the potential for 17,000 more to register, it is not surprising that Sault Tribe Chairman Aaron Payment fears the departure of Mackinac Bands members could devour federal funding that would otherwise go to the Sault Tribe.

Many of the Sault Tribe board members individually support Mackinac Bands’ efforts, including board member Rob Lambert.

“I always thought the Mackinac Bands should be separate,” he said at the November 16 meeting.

If it does, Mackinac Bands’ descendants will have a choice of continuing its membership with the Sault Tribe or switching to the Mackinac Bands.
Despite circulating rumors, said Mr. Payment, a descendant of the Mackinac Bands’ can remain a member of the Sault Tribe, rather than to join the new group, and, despite other rumors, they do and will continue to receive the same benefits as any other Sault Tribe member.

It will be awhile before Mackinac Bands descendants will have to make the choice to stay with the Sault Tribe or join the Mackinac Bands, however, as the process to gain federal recognition is long, arduous, and far from a sure thing. It took the Sault Tribe more than 20 years to break away from the Bay Mills Indian Community in Brimley.

Mackinac Bands has hired a historian to aid in gathering more information about its history, and the board will soon hire an attorney to assist it in obtaining federal recognition. Once the group has submitted its documents, the United States Secretary of Interior will send a group to the area to validate the historical research.

With federal recognition comes the availability of land claims and trusts, federal grants, and federally funded programs and services. It could also put the Mackinac Bands in line for a casino.

“Do we want to fractionate ourselves and have separate markets?” asked Mr. Payment to about 150 Sault Tribe members at an informal meeting Saturday, November 20, at Little Bear East conference center. “If Mackinac Bands separates, we’re going to have another casino. The question is, where will that casino be? Mackinaw City?

We have a fragile and delicate balance in our budget. Can we afford that?”
Even though the Sault Tribe board voted to remain neutral in the issue (by a 9-1 vote), Mr. Payment said he will continue his efforts to persuade Mackinac Bands’ descendants to stay united as one tribe, to remain as Sault Tribe members.

“I don’t support anything that takes away our land trust fund,” he said. “As chairman, it’s my responsibility to protect all resources of the tribe. I was not elected to separate these; I was elected to protect them.”

Another issue that could be detrimental to the Sault Tribe, said Mr. Payment, is the possibility of the other five historical bands wanting separation, as well, if the Mackinac Bands succeeds in its attempt.

He and other Mackinac Bands members who attended the meeting spoke of how they once had their own chiefs and an autonomous voice.

The organization’s main priority is to provide Mackinac Bands elders with more and better health services and other programs, something he believes the Sault Tribe has overlooked with the continuing growth and success of its casino business.

“Our elders are not getting the services they deserve,” “The Sault Tribe has lost sight of its goals and objectives. The casino is their priority now. We want to provide more health and education benefits to our people, our elders.”

There are 562 federally recognized tribal governments in the United States, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which administers and manages 55.7 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska natives.

Sault Tribe Retaliation Layoffs?

2008-08-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

One hundred and one individuals lost their jobs. It is projected that an additional 300 will also be terminated. With the 101 who lost their jobs, the projected savings is $2,202,000. What was apparently off limits was $1,220,400 the Board and current Chairperson receive for their salaries. Recall that during the March 18, 2008 Tribal Board meeting in Hessel, the Board voted to reduce their salaries with a vote of 6 to 5 but then simply ignored this when Tribal Members were not present and ordered the Chief Operating Office to keep them at the higher wage. Each Board member receives $67,000 a year plus benefits for a total cost to the Tribe of about $90,000!

Retaliation Layoffs? How do we know these were done in retaliation? In a memo from the HR director to all employees, the policy (see below) was specifically suspended to eliminate employee's rights to appeal (see for yourself below). One hundred percent (100%) of those laid off were done in retaliation for those who supported Aaron Payment as Chairperson or who had 'run-ins' with their supervisors.

One example is Renee Robinson, a Tribal Member with a Masters Degree in Public Administration who was paid through "Indirect" and BIA dollars. Eliminating her position did not save any Tribal dollars as this position was not funded with Tribal dollars. What is really egregious is that Renee Robinson was on medical leave for a broken back she sustained coming to work in the Tribal Administration parking lot!

Tony Osterhout, also funded by "Indirect" dollars so no savings here as well.

Darryl Brown, funded by advertising sales to the Sault Tribe news, no savings here.

Clarence Hudak - funded by Indirect, fired for being a Payment supporter? No savings here.

DJ Malloy - funded by Indirect, fired for being a Payment supporter? No savings here.

Krista Payment- funded by Indirect, fired for being a Payment supporter? No savings here.

Jan Manning, fired for being a Payment supporter?

Nathan Wright, candidate who lost by just 3 votes, fired for being a Payment supporter or for opposing certain Board members politics?

Greg Collins, budget director who holds an employment contract - fired for working closely and cooperatively with Payment? This termination will result in a contract liability of about $350,000!

None of these positions saved Tribal dollars. Therefore what was the real reason they were terminated?

Now more than ever Tribal employees need labor protections. Rather than evolve to the point where these protections exist, the new Chairperson and Board have moved backward which will certainly fuel the desire to organize and unionize.

What is most telling is those who did not make this list because of their close affiliations with the Board or new Chairperson. Just some of the worst examples:

Fred Paquin - suspended for theft. Under investigation by the FBI and the BIA. Previously suspended for assaulting the Tribal Prosecutor's secretary. Due to the duress, both the Prosecutor and secretary have resigned working for the Sault Tribe. Fred is paid over $90,000 a year so his gross pay for two weeks is nearly $3,500!

Mike McCoy - Paid as the Tribe's Legislative Director for Lansing. Paid over $100,000 a year to do absolutely nothing. The Tribe and/or Greektown also employs a lobbyist (Cusmano Kandler and Reed) at about $200,000 a year. At the federal level, the Tribe employs three lobbyists: Capitol Group, Sonosky and Chambers, and Ogitchtakwe at a collective $600,000+ In total, the total amount spent on lobbyists is nearly $1,000,000! Is Mike McCoy off limits because he is the Chairperson's cousin or because he is Cathy (McCoy) Abramson's brother or because he is DJ Hoffman's uncle?

Alan Bouschor - revenue in the UP Casinos is decreasing yet the Marketing director is still paid over $100,000 a year. Recently the Board hired the outside marketing firm Red Circle at about $300,000 a year yet continues to employ Alan Bouschor. Why because he is Bernard Bouschor's son? Did Alan apply for the position? Who signed his employment contract? None other than Bernard Boushcor - his father.

Michelle Bouschor - Keith Massaway's niece and Bernard Bouschor's daughter in law. Paid about $70,000 a year to do absolutely nothing. Again, she appears to be off limits.

Cecil Pavlat - Hired as a repatriation specialist under a grant. The grant is now gone so he is paid exclusively under Tribal dollars. He has repatriated tribal remains maybe once over the last seven years. If he is not actively repatriation remains, what does he do on a daily basis?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: All Team Members
From: Cheryl Bernier, Human Resource Director
Date: 8/10/2008
Re: Policy Revisions

Please be advised that several policy revisions were approved at the July 29, 2008 Tribal Board of Director’s meeting. These changes became effective immediately. I have listed a summary of the policy revisions below.

Appeal Policy

Individuals will no longer have the right to appeal either temporary layoffs or elimination of positions during a time that restructuring must occur due to business needs.

Complaint Resolution Process (for Current Team Members)

Layoffs, demotions, reassignment of duties, etc. due to a legitimate restructuring and/or layoff plan are not subject to challenge through the complaint resolution process.

Layoff Preference Policy

In the event that management wishes to retain an individual that would have been laid off by placing the individual in the higher level position into an entry level position, a wage review will be completed on the individual.

Retaliation Policy

Layoffs, demotions, reassignment of duties, etc. due to a legitimate restructuring and/or layoff plan are not subject to challenge through the complaint resolution process.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Sault Tribe Layoffs

2008-08-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Election Complaint

2008-06-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

Sault Tribe Paper 6/4/08

2008-06-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Call to action

2008-05-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Call to Action
Primary Defeated Must Continue Campaign

Contact the successful candidate from your unit and give them your support.

Unit 1...give your support for Brown, Gravelle and Wright
Unit 2...give your support for Robert Horn
Unit 3...give your support to Patrick Rickley

Chair....give your support to Aaron Payment

Wayne Geotz, Bud Biron, John Biron, Lona Stewart, Amy Kerchaert, Catherine Hollowell, Rob Lambert, Leonard Adams and James DeKeyser must continue their campaign efforts to bring about the change that they wanted to be a part of when they decided to run for office. What will be different, this time, is that they will be campaigning for those candidates that share in their political views.

The primary election wasn't just about them!
Had they made it to the general election, they would be looking for support from those that didn't make it. They would ask the candidates that share in their vision, to continue the fight. They would ask them to stand with them and help get the message out to the voters know that "real change is possible".

Change from the "Old Guard" that brought the tribe to its knees. Cathy
(McCoy) Abramson, Joe Eitrem, Benard Booschor, Fred Paquin, Lana Causley...and, now, another McCoy, Joe McCoy. I am not sure if it is true...but, I heard that they want to change the name of the tribe to the Sault Ste. McCoy Tribe.
Look at the baggage that these individuals carry with them.
Paquin ...a two time suspended police chief...suspended CEO..suspended gaming license. Charged with assaulting a tribal woman and currently abiding by the court rules of behavior. Don't step out of line, Fred!

Boooschor 18 years of squandering tribal resources.. flagrant abuse of power, 2.6 million dollar pay out and currently suing Greektown for 3 million...
Abramson spent 12 years deferring to Boooschor..saying "what ever Benard wants is fine with me". Despite several challenges...she has never been able to provide the membership with one positive piece of legislation, proposal, or resolution that would benefit the tribe.
Joe Eitrem is a mean spirited disrupter and has nothing to offer except lip service.
Joe McCoy....where do you think they found him? What did it take to persuade him to run? Nobody ever heard of him...yet, he gets Abramson, Paquin and Boooschor's support.. For a newcomer he received a disproportionate amount of votes. How did that happen Mike M.?
These people mean business and it will take the entire collective to defeat them in the general election.

So, Wayne Geotz, Bud Biron, John Biron, Lona Stewart, Amy Kerchaert, Catherine Hollowell, Rob Lambert, Leonard Adams and James DeKeyser you must continue the campaign efforts to bring about the change that you wanted to be a part of when you decided to run for office.
Remember....if you are defeated by a couple of votes.."it was because of effort"
Don't be outworked and don't give up on the citizens of the Sault Tribe.

Rj

Mac

Zoom Zoom Zoom

2008-05-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

No wonder he wants back in !

2008-05-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

This guy had his fingers in the pie from the beginning.

Chippewas, Greeks have long history of secret ventures.

2008-05-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

By Melvin Claxton and Mark Puls /

The Detroit News

DETROIT — Many Sault Ste. Marie Chippewas still have no idea how Detroit businessmen Ted Gatzaros and Dimitrios Papas parlayed political connections, mortgaged properties and $24,500 into $265 million of the tribe’s money.

When Gatzaros and Papas ran into major snags last year in their attempts to obtain a Michigan gaming license, their involvement in the Greektown Casino was clearly in serious jeopardy.

A litany of past financial troubles threatened to end the longtime partners’ bid to become 40-percent owners, along with their wives, in the city’s third casino. The two Greek businessmen faced a dilemma.

If their application for a gaming license was rejected, state law would compel them to sell their shares for no more than their original investment. If they sold before the Michigan Gaming Control Board reached a decision, there was no limit on the selling price.

Because Gatzaros and Papas had brought very little cash to the table, their options appeared to dwindle as the deadline for the board’s decision neared.

With the clock ticking against the two businessmen, in stepped their longtime partner — Sault Chippewa Chairman Bernard Bouschor.

Under Bouschor’s direction, the tribe, which already owned 50 percent of the casino project, opted to buy out Gatzaros and Papas. The tribal chairman and the Detroit businessmen have a longstanding relationship, dating to 1987 when they began working together to get a Detroit casino.

Sault Chippewa tribal members who are footing the bill are not allowed to know why the tribal leadership gave the Greeks a 40-percent stake in the casino deal in the first place or why the tribe paid so much to buy them out. Bouschor reached the deal behind closed doors.

Ten percent of the Greektown Casino is owned by local black investors. The Greektown deal highlights one of the major concerns tribal members have about their government. They complain that leaders repeatedly hide or conceal details of business deals, leaving them in the dark about decisions that could affect not only their lives, but those of generations to come.

Bouschor says many details of the negotiations are proprietary and cannot be revealed. Not even, he says, to the people he represents.

Gatzaros and Papas too have refused to talk about the deal and their relationship with Bouschor.

Bouschor insists the tribe made the best deal it could. He said that when the deal was struck the tribe already had invested more than $240 million in the construction of the casino and couldn’t afford any delays in its opening.

“We were building a project we wanted to open,” Bouschor said. “We had to make the choice, do we want further delays, or do we want to take some action in order to acquire that interest in that property in order to open?”

But tribal members say their leaders misspent millions of dollars of their money.

“It is ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous,” said tribal member Thomas Bruning of Rogers City. “This absolutely came out of my pocket. There was no referendum on this money. Members had no say.”

The Greektown deal followed a long history of secretive business ventures between Bouschor, Gatzaros and Papas.

Although Bouschor and the Greeks began working on plans for a Detroit casino in 1987, Sault Chippewas — including board members — knew nothing about the negotiations until they were revealed in newspapers and on television in 1992.

At the time, the tribe and the Detroit businessmen wanted to create an Indian reservation in Greektown for a casino. Gov. John Engler eventually killed the deal in 1995.

Tribal spokesman John Hatch defended the secrecy of the deal with Gatzaros and Papas, saying the tribe’s leaders didn’t want to tip business competitors of their plans.

This wasn’t the only time that tribal leaders made sizable investments with the Greeks and kept it hidden from members of the tribe.

There also was a deal in Greenville, Miss.

In April 1996, Bouschor, Gatzaros and Papas formed Sunstar Resort Casino to operate a floating casino in Mississippi. Although the Greeks and the tribe were listed as the shareholders, it was the tribe which put up all of the funds — more than $1 million — to purchase a casino barge. Even after the money was spent, tribal members were told nothing of the venture.

The only public announcements were legal notices that appeared on April 28, May 5 and May 12, 1996 in a Mississippi newspaper, the Delta Democrat-Times. The notices, required by state gaming laws, listed Bouschor as chairman, president and chief executive officer; Gatzaros as secretary and chief operating officer; and Papas as treasurer and chief financial officer.

Mississippi Gaming Commission records show Sunstar’s application on the agenda for its May 16, 1996, meeting. But no casino license was ever granted to Sunstar because its officials failed to turn in necessary documents, according to the commission’s records.

The Mississippi deal was shelved when tribal leaders and the Greeks decided to put their efforts into a state-wide referendum to approve gambling in Detroit, spokesman Hatch said.

Although the tribe was paying thousands of dollars in security and maintenance for the boat, tribal members were still clueless about their out-of-state investment.

In August 1997, officials in Mississippi’s secretary of state office suspended Sunstar corporation for failing to file an annual report. Three months later, when it was clear that the company had no intention of doing business in Mississippi, the secretary of state dissolved it.

Still tribal members were told nothing.

A news release written in 1996 to announce the purchase of the barge was never made public, said Hatch. It was slated for release, he said, only if the tribe obtained a gaming license in Mississippi. The tribe never got a license and leaders never bothered to tell members how they spent their money.

Tribal leaders continued to keep their silence until the barge was put up for sale in 2000. It was sold earlier this year for a loss of more than $800,000.

Once again, tribal members were left in the dark as to why they had to foot the entire bill for a business venture in which their partners brought little to the table and would share in the profits.

“In the case of Mississippi,” Hatch said. “The Greeks brought the deal to us. We thought at the time it made sense and decided to go after it.”