SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - A regular meeting of the Sault Tribe Board of Directors will be held Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at the Kewadin Casino and Convention Center in Sault Ste. Marie beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting will be preceded by “Matters Raised by the Membership” from 5 to 6 p.m.

The board will consider the following resolutions: USDA Rural Development grant chairman signature authority as well as a number of budget modifications - Munising Rural Health, IHS Renovations-ARRA Funds; Health Center-American Indian Substance Abuse and IHS Aftercare; Trap Net Operations; Law Enforcement; and Governmental FY 2010 Capital Purchases Budget.

Under new business, the board will discuss a corporate charter and an organization chart.

A workshop open to all tribal members will be held in Sault Ste. Marie prior to the meeting, with Housing Water Usage at 1 p.m.; Conservation Committee Bylaws at 3 p.m.; and Review of Agenda Items at 3:30 p.m.

For more information, call Joanne or Tara at (906) 635-6050 or (800) 793-0660, ext. 26337 or 26338.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Sault Tribe Election Committee has announced unofficial primary results for this year’s tribal board election. The primary election has narrowed the ballot to four candidates running for representative in Unit 1, and two candidates running for Unit 2, Unit 3, and Unit 5 representatives. Unit 4 incumbent, Denise Chase, is running unopposed. 

The candidates in bold will be listed on the 2010 tribal ballot. They are listed in alphabetical order with the incumbents’ names in italics. The number of votes is listed in parentheses next to the candidate’s name.

Unit 1 —Wayne Goetz (728), DJ Hoffman (956), Dierdrie J. Malloy (889), Dennis McKelvie (774), Debra-Ann Pine (1,082) and Barbara Smutek (454). There are two open seats in this unit.
Unit 2 — William Baker (137), Lisa Burnside (133), James Kelley (203), Duncan MacArthur (80), Margaret Rounds (69) and Catherine Hollowell (230). There is one open seat in this unit.
Unit 3 — Douglas Goudreau (332), Keith Massaway (765), Wayne Pemble (218). There is one open seat in this unit.
Unit 4 — Denise Chase. This candidate is deemed elected pursuant to Tribal Election Ordinance.
Unit 5 — Joan Carr-Anderson (127), Charles Matson (99), Shirley Petosky (152) and Boyd Synder (126). There is one open seat in this unit.

Any contest regarding the vote count for the primary election must be received by May 24, 2010. Results will be certified and deemed official at the next board of directors meeting or within seven days of all contests being resolved. General election ballots will be mailed to voters on June 3, with the official vote count taking place June 24. 

The term of all representatives is four years. Elections for representatives from Unit 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as the chairperson will be held in 2012. These results are the unofficial results of the primary election for Units 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 representatives.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - A regular meeting of the Sault Tribe Board of Directors will be held Tuesday, May 25, 2010, at the Kewadin Casino and Convention Center in Sault Ste. Marie beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting will be preceded by “Matters Raised by the Membership” from 5 to 6 p.m.

The board will consider resolutions requesting budget modifications to Library Services, Health Center Pharmacy, Health Center Medical Nursing and the St. Ignace Clinic; and a resolution to amend resolution 2010:33-Health Center Employee Policies.

Under new business, the board will consider committee resignations and appointments, National Congress of American Indians dues and the organization chart.

The board will then adjourn to executive session to address a business issue.

For more information, call Joanne or Tara at (906) 635-6050 or (800) 793-0660, ext. 26337 or 26338.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, P.L.C., will pay $1 million to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to settle part of the tribe’s “7+2” lawsuit.

The tribe’s board of directors adopted a resolution to deposit the funds into the tribe’s Land Claims Fund after a 12-hour negotiation with the firm and its attorneys. The agreement with Miller Canfield does not end the Tribe’s lawsuit against other parties in the case, which will go to trial in October.

“On behalf of the board of directors and myself, I’m confident to say this is the best possible outcome for our tribe and the status of the case,” said Sault Tribe Chairman Darwin “Joe” McCoy. “I’m pleased we were able to hold one party responsible for its role in the litigation and that we are free to continue on with the other defendants, soon we can put this behind us as a tribe and move forward.”

The settlement allows the Sault Tribe to recover a substantial amount of money without the uncertainty of trial. It also preserves the tribe’s ability to continue its lawsuit against those most responsible for the unauthorized transfer of tribal funds to key employees.

Sault Tribe v. Bernard Bouschor, et al, known by many as the “7+2” case, dealt with the propriety of termination agreements exercised by then-chairman Bernard Bouschor with regard to key employees of the tribe.  Seven Sault Tribe employees collected about $2.66 million. The tribe contends in the lawsuit the chairman did not have authority to approve the payments and seeks repayment of the funds to the tribe.

Earlier this year, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians could continue pursuing the “7+2” lawsuit.