Accountability Watch, Part 2: When in Rome Edition

Thanks to the fine folks at the Native American Times, we can all read the text of Bill John Baker’s inauguration speech.  From reading it, we can see why some of the folks that went spoke highly of the event.  The speech was well written.  We’re sorry he didn’t take the opportunity to tell us what policy he was referring to that kept employees from talking to their council members, but instead told us that it existed and we should believe him.

He said he made five promises during the campaign that he planned on keeping, so we’ll take this as a challenge for all of us to keep him accountable.

#1: He’s selling Cherforce One and is currently taking bids.

#2: He’s going to have Cherokees build houses for other Cherokees by reactivating the Housing Authority to build hundreds of homes.

#3: He will ‘more fully audit the nation’s books to find more money to help our people,’ having Lacey Horn replace Callie Catcher.

#4: More money for contract health

#5:  A $200 elder stipend every six months for Cherokees ‘in need.’

We’re glad Baker is willing to be held accountable to these, and possibly other promises.  He, of course,  has to find money to pay for these new projects, and if Lacey Horn finds it all in her audits, she will definitely be earning her keep.

16 Days Until the New Election: Barney Frank Edition

News on Wednesday is that the smart folks at HUD can’t figure out what the law is, so they are holding up $33 million of housing funding that was set to hit the Cherokee Nation’s bank account.  HUD told the Tulsa World they had “suspended disbursements to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma while we seek additional guidance on an unclear statute involving the Freedmen. The funding can be restored once this issue is resolved.”

Cherokee Nation Attorney General weighed in with a strongly worded letter, telling HUD that if they don’t understand the law, it doesn’t mean the Cherokees don’t get their money.  It might just mean that the folks at HUD are dumb.  Channel 6 posted Hammons’ letter, and for us was the part where she said: “If Congress wanted to deny funding to the Cherokee Nation, it would have done so…. Congress made a choice that did not side with a particular party, but instead maintained the status quo until the tribal courts decided the matter.”

So just to be clear to the folks at HUD:  Congress could’ve denied funding to the Cherokee people, but they didn’t.  So go ahead and make that check payable to Cherokee Nation, Acting Principal Chief S. Joe Crittenden (APCSJC), and don’t even think about back dating it.

Speaking of APCSJC, we heard from him on this issue, and both candidates as well, in a Smoot article in the Muskogee Phoenix.  Crittenden told us everything’s going to be all right, he’s got it under control, which is good to know.

Baker said it’s all Smith’s fault, saying he could’ve kept congress from choosing sides.  Of course, Hammons says that’s what the law says already, and Crittenden apparently thinks so too, because he says the Nation is complying with the law and he’ll get our funding.

Smith challenges Baker to fight for Cherokees-- and that the Freedmen, who publicly support Baker, are the only people actively seeking to cut services to the Cherokee Nation if they can’t win their legal arguments (or the constitutional votes of the Cherokee people). 

Congressman Barney Frank, (D) Mass.

And of course, this wouldn’t be the Barney Frank edition of the Cherokee Truth if the Massachusetts congressman didn’t weigh in, because, after all, this is a big issue up in Boston.   Frank, according to Indian Country Today, told HUD not to part with a penny for the Cherokee Nation.

Of course, Frank is an expert on the legal intricacies of this case because…?  If you are not familiar with Frank’s track record, google him up.  For instance, last year a tribal leader in California said one of Frank’s proposals was ‘the biggest threat to Indian gaming in 20 years.'

We’ve had a little fun with this, but it’s not really a laughing matter.  There’s $33 million that’s supposed to be heading to Tahlequah to pay employees and help Cherokees.  As much faith as we have in APCSJC, that’s a whole lot of rental assistance, so we hope that gets worked out soon.

36 Days Until the Election- Cherokee Housing

One thing that was apparent in the Principal Chief's debate is that Baker and Smith have very different plans for spending the Cherokee Nation's housing money. Baker claims we can build houses like we used to and it would help the economy. Smith says the old system was broken and resulted in a 50+ year waiting list.

So what is the truth?  For this one, we pause from our mocking of the Cherokee Phoenix to sing their praises for researching this one.

Turns out it is true, there used to be a 50+ year waiting list, because the fine folks at the Housing Authority were putting about 93 families a year in houses and there were 5,204 people on the waiting list. (Scroll down to page 10.)

So… the perfect high school graduation gift was a spot on the housing waiting list.   That way, you’d have a house about the time you got a hip replacement at Hastings. 

Smith also claimed that Cherokee Nation puts 287 families in homes annually now, and way back in the day before he took over it was 23.  The Cherokee Phoenix says the 287 number is true, and so is the 23, if you look at it for just the years he claims, which were 1996-1999   (when Byrd was Chief and his Housing director went to prison), it was 23 houses.  From 1993-1995 (when Wilma Mankiller was Chief) the Housing Authority built an average of 136 houses.    Smith likely wasn’t railing against the Mankiller way of doing things, so by selecting the Byrd/Thompson/federal prison years, it throws the 23 number into sharper contrast.

Baker has presented ideas of using alternative funding to build houses without cutting into Smith’s existing programs.  He has identified $20 million at the Housing Authority that he says MUST be used for this purpose  (scroll down to page 8).

The Cherokee Phoenix says that’s not exactly true, but that there is around $20 million at the Housing Authority that COULD be used for that, but it could also be used for other housing activities.  Baker’s plan seems more housing-friendly than having money sitting in a bank, and it’s yet unclear what Smith’s plan for that money is.