From the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin’s website:
From the OTIW Facebook page:
Please note, on November 5, 2014, enrolled tribal members filed a Complaint with the Appeals Commission seeking a stay of the election scheduled for November 22, 2014. On November 10, 2014, the Oneida Appeals Commission issued a temporary stay on the election. This stay means that the Tribe cannot conduct the election until the Appeals Commission resolves this issue. As of November 17, 2014, the Appeals Commission has not yet rendered a final decision. As a result, the Election Board is cancelling the election previously scheduled on November 22, 2014. We will notify the membership when we receive a final decision from the Appeals Commission. At that time, we will be able to determine when/if the Election Board can reschedule this election.
– Oneida Election Board
November 22, 2014 OBC Special Election Cancellation Notice (click to enlarge)
Should the Trial Court of the Oneida Appeals Commission not find in favor of Plaintiffs Michael Debraska, Leah Dodge and Franklin Cornelius, the Plaintiffs will obviously appeal the Trial Court’s decision at the Appellate Court level.
Facts are facts:
- As seen in the GTC Meeting Action Report Draft and in the video, at their October 26, 2014 Meeting, General Tribal Council only voted to “reconsider” – not to “adopt” – an option to address the OBC vacancy, and Robert’s Rules of Order As Used by the GTC makes it undeniably clear that a “Motion to Reconsider” is not the same as a “Motion to Adopt,” therefore the November 22, 2014 Special Election was scheduled unlawfully.
- The Sample Ballot issued by the Election Board listing 16 candidates for the OBC vacancy, which is exactly what was printed on the Official Ballot for the unlawfully scheduled November 22, 2014 Special Election, shows an illegal amount of 16 candidates for the OBC vacancy, which is prohibited by the Oneida Election Law at 2.2-1 & 2.2-2 which requires that a primary be held 60 days prior to an election “whenever” there are 16 or more candidates for the at-large council member positions.
- Given the Oneida Tribe’s ongoing financial crisis that led OBC to adopt a Resolution for a hiring freeze & wage increase freeze as well as a Resolution requiring Tribal employees to accept additional duties for no extra pay, it only makes sense for GTC to impose a hiring freeze on OBC and require the eight current OBC members to fulfill all of the OBC’s duties for no extra pay.
- Danelle Wilson, the clearly preferred choice of the majority of OBC members to fill the OBC vacancy, already works for OBC Council member Ron ‘Tehassi’ Hill as his Executive Assistant and can therefore readily contribute her ideas and considerations to OBC via her current position, and she and OBC should be undeniably aware of and deeply concerned about the Tribe’s budget situation enough to agree that the best option is to leave the vacant OBC position vacant, which OBC and the Oneida Law Office agreed was a Constitutionally viable option that would save the Tribe money.
See also:
