Copyright © 1998 NLThomas
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TAHLEQUAH – Cherokee chief Joe Byrd addressed accusations of judicial collusion and financial misdealings during a somewhat contentious meeting of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council Monday night.

[Audio Clip] Chief Joe Byrd on the bonuses
[Audio Clip] Cherokee Council member Troy Poteete
[Audio Clip] Poteete's concerned about tribal finances
[Audio Clip] Chief Byrd on the appointment of Judge Littlejohn

Several councilors, led by Troy Poteete, demanded an explanation of some $750,000 in bonuses paid to certain high-ranking tribal officials late last year.

According to Poteete and councilor Barbara Starr-Scott, 75 administrative employees received bonuses averaging about $10,000 apiece. That was odd, Ms. Scott told the AP, since the tribe’s “rank-and-file” employees “didn’t even get a ham because (tribal leaders) said they couldn’t afford it,” according to Scott.

But Principal Chief Joe Byrd said Monday evening that bonuses are a common practice in private business and in government, and are necessary if the tribe is going to attract quality employees.

[Photo: Chief Joe Byrd squares off
with councilmember Troy Poteete.]

Byrd administration officials had initially refused to divulge information about the bonuses, claiming that such disclosure would violate the privacy of the employees involved.

Even Harold DeMoss, the chairman of the tribal council’s executive and finance committee, was denied access to the figures.

Demoss went to the tribe’s highest court, the Judicial Appeals Tribunal, last week and asked that the tribe be ordered to release the information.

The tribunal ruled that information about the bonuses is indeed subject to disclosure, since the money for the bonuses and salaries involved comes from tribal funds – which are budgeted by the tribal council, and subject to its approval.

DeMoss told reporters that his major concern is to find out who determines bonus recipients, and what criteria they had to meet to qualify.


[Photo: Councilmember Troy Poteete]

And Poteete says several Cherokee leaders want to scrutinize the case of Jennie Battles, the tribe’s chief financial officer.

Battles is currently under FBI investigation for allegedly embezzling money from the tribe’s housing authority when she headed that agency.

Byrd also addressed allegations of judicial collusion Monday night.

It recently surfaced that an arrest warrant issued by Byrd by the tribe’s highest court had been dismissed by a judge which Byrd had just appointed to the bench.

The appointment was to replace another judge, whose term – according to the chief – had expired.

Other officials say that in fact Judge Drew Wilcoxen’s term doesn’t expire until February of 1999, and that it’s no coincidence that it was Wilcoxen who issued the arrest warrant for Byrd in the first place.

To observers, it appeared that Monday’s council meeting did little to calm the troubled waters upon which the Cherokee ship of state is sailing.

[Photo: It was standing room only
at Monday's council meeting.]

Still, others note, the fact that a dialogue is taking place, and publicly, is a hopeful sign for the future.