Letter to the Editor

Transparency is about having an open decision making process; it helps strengthen respect, relationships and promotes efficiency and effectiveness in our government. This statement was made in the Tribal Council’s open letter to the community. However, I question whether OUR Tribal Council believes what they write. TCR 2017-18 has to do with council’s creating and appointing members to the Elders Benefit Working Group. I guess the community has not been transparent enough when they overwhelmingly supported the referendum vote on Dec. 3rd to give Elders 62 and older $200 monthly. When the community voted to have members appointed to the working group BE appointed BY the Elders Benefit Committee, I guess that was not transparent enough to council.

This Tribal Council has made it no secret that we have no money for this program but are they transparent about WHY we have no money? Where did they find 3.5 million to invest without asking (or being transparent) with us? Buying property off the reservation at above fair market prices and then because we can’t pay the TAXES we apply to put the property IN TRUST so that the federal government owns it. Oh, we have use of the property BUT if the federal government should want it for their use they can just take it from us! Ask the Indians out west about land into trust. Has Tribal Council been transparent to the community about that?

I will give Tribal Council some credit for the amount of transparency they show in TCR 2017-18. They state that the SRMT Elders Benefit Working Group will cease to meet and be dissolved WHEN the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council IS SATISFIED that the Group has fulfilled its responsibilities and mandate. NOWHERE in the TCR or the Terms of Reference does it say WHEN the program is created only recommendations and find realistic and reasonable options. What this says to me is that we will never see this program started until we get a new Tribal Council and that is why we have started to circulate a RECALL petition for the removal of the 3 chiefs. Anyone who would like to see the TCR or has questions please come the community meeting held at the Seniors Center on Thursday Night at 6 p.m.

Ruth Bell