TRIBE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH REFORMS

AKWESASNE – With the constitutional referendum behind it and the adoption of the 1995 constitution having failed, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council has begun formulating plans for how it can best engage enrolled tribal members in the development and review of proposed governmental reforms.

The Tribe has mapped out a strategic plan for how it will set about developing reforms and the process by which it will invite community participation and meaningful dialogue throughout the process. The Tribe proposes to develop a new governance document that would potentially be put to a referendum in June 2008.

Last week the Tribe met with members of the Governance Committee to present them with this new challenge that will focus attention on developing further reforms as well as ways for generating greater public involvement in the development process at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.

The Tribal Council is accepting additional names of individuals who are interested in participating in this important reforms process. Interested parties must be willing to dedicate themselves to the many hours of discussion and the extensive work that will be required to develop a final governance document intended for a referendum vote. The Tribal Council will announce members of the expanded Governance Committee once final selections are complete.
 
The expanded committee will also be tasked with the responsibility of developing and proposing more opportunities for public consultation and creating a forum for meaningful dialogue with enrolled tribal members. At Saturday’s Tribal Monthly meeting, a community member suggested the development of several community think tanks that would also propose additional ideas for needed reforms. Tribal Council is open to this recommendation and will pursue it further with members of the Governance Committee.

While the referendum brought out strong opposition to the Constitution, Council is also aware that Tribal members are not happy with the three-Chief system either. “What is readily apparent is the need for reforms. Tribal Council is committed to exploring a range of possibilities and looks forward to working with community members, think tanks, and a governmental reforms committee to discuss their ideas. We expect there to be many stimulating conversations in the future and we are confident that this process will serve to strengthen the governance structure of the Tribe, improve communications internally, and provide the leadership with a firm idea of the needs, desires, and concerns of our membership,” said Tribal Chief Lorraine White.

“What has been missing is the effort of the Tribal membership and we have been undertaking to improve governance. Since 2004, we have been holding yearly referendums on governance issues.  We are committed to continuing that work,” said Tribal Chief James Ransom.

Over the past four years, the Tribe has held referenda on terms of office, on a tribal court system to separate the judiciary from Tribal Council responsibilities, and the establishment of a family court. Most recently, this year a referendum was passed by the Tribal membership to adopt an Ethics ordinance.

 “The Tribe is at an important crossroads right now,” said Tribal Chief Barbara Lazore. “We have an opportunity to make further changes that will lead us into the future. There are many things to consider before we implement changes, and it will be hard work and take some time. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we are dedicated to the process.”

The Tribe would also like to inform community members that the constitutional research report has been finalized and is available at the library. It will also be available online on the Tribe’s website on Monday.

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