Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

TULSA, OK - KOTV, CBS channel 6 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, invited Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) candidate for chief Chad Smith and incumbent Joe Byrd to a live debate, concerning financial and other issues facing the tribe. Chad Smith readily accepted. Chief Joe Byrd declined on Wednesday.

"We have had open forums and Cherokee citizens have had opportunities to ask questions and express concerns directly to their chief and other elected officials of the tribal government", Byrd said adding that he knows the issues and intends to concentrate his efforts in that direction.

Smith said KOTV's offer was accepted four weeks ago because "I thought it was an opportunity to allow the Cherokee people to have an open and honest debate on the issues." Smith commented that he was not surprised that Byrd declined the offer.

Byrd contends that the records show the CNO to be in a very strong financial condition and said that this was fortified by federal audits, both past and present.

The federal governments audit, however, resulted in the CNO being put on an allowance of federal funding. The Byrd administration was also ordered to pay back federal funds that were found to have been misspent. The tribe will remain on the allowance status until missing financial records for 1998 are produced.

Byrd said, "To debate outlandish allegations regarding the financial condition of the Cherokee Nation serves only to be divisive and destructive."

Smith spoke of a report that was issued by an outside auditing firm that stated the books were "unauditable". The report cited missing records as one of the reasons. Smith also said that the accounting firm did find that $800,000 in attorney fees had been paid without contracts.

"The tribe's own accountant reported in February that, when Byrd took over in 1995 there was a $3.5 million surplus, and that there now is a projected deficit of $18 million for this fiscal year." The fiscal year ends September 30.

Smith, said that the chief couldn't defend a record that has "set himself up above the law, tried to destroy the tribe's court system, created division among council members and brought us to the edge of financial ruin."

KTOV6, the "Spirit of Oklahoma", broadcasts live by way of broadcast.com and RealAudio over the Internet. This would have enabled eligible Cherokee voters 'at large', to have watched the debate by way of their computers.

The CNO run-off election will be held Saturday, July 24, 1999!