Rocky Boy council removes St. Marks

Two people are acting as chair of the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation tribal council.

St. Marks, who was sworn in as chair Thursday after winning a two-year-long legal battle, was served Friday with papers signed by four council members charging him with 10 counts of misconduct, removing him from office and ordering him to stay away from tribal headquarters.

St. Marks said the papers and the council members who signed them are illegitimate, and he is continuing to show up for work every day.

St. Marks said while he was at tribal headquarters Monday, he ran into Rick Morsette, the interim chair before St. Marks was sworn in. He said Morsette told him “You’re not supposed to be here, I can have you arrested.”

“I said ‘you’re not supposed to be here, I can have you arrested,’” St. Marks replied.

When St. Marks stepped out of the building, Morsette issued an order giving all tribal employees the week off with pay.

Tribal council refused to comment on the controversy except to say that the weeklong vacation was because they wanted tribal employees to be able to spend the week with their families. They said the tribe would make a further statement today, but none had been issued by deadline today.

St. Marks said the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs regional director told him that the agency has stopped forwarding funds to the reservation for its day-to-day operations. The last drawdown request was signed by four council members, but two of them are holdover members and thus have no authority, he states BIA officials said.

BIA’s district office in Billings said questions about such matters would have to be addressed by the central office in Washington. Calls to BIA’s public affairs office in the nation’s capital this morning were not returned.

The two disputed council members’ terms expired last month, but they remain in office because the tribe’s election committee barred newly elected council members from taking office because of a separate election controversy.

Morsette did not seek re-election to the council but says he remains interim tribal chair.

The first eight allegations against St. Marks are identical to the ones served on him when he was removed from office in 2013. Two new charges allege that he stole nearly $2 million from the tribe through his construction company for work following reservation flooding.

St. Marks said he was furious about the allegations, denied them and urged his accusers to turn over evidence they have to federal prosecutors who are investigating tribal corruption.

“They won’t do that because there is no evidence,” he said.

In the past, he said, tribal council members weren‘t removed from office until they were formally charged.

St. Marks contends that tribal council wants him out of office because he is cooperating with federal officials probing corruption on the reservation. At least a dozen people have been charged in the probe.

Dustin Whitford, a Rocky Boy tribal council member, said the tribal council would be issuing a statement today about the closure, but did not know when.

“I would like to encourage the Chippewa Cree Tribal Employees and the people of the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation to take this time during the extended Tribal Thanksgiving Holiday to spend with your families and relax,” Whitford wrote in a text message. “Also, please keep our tribe, people, land and future in your prayers. The Chippewa Cree Tribal Government will resumes business on December 1, 2014 and wishes you all a happy Thanksgiving.”

Whitford added that not every department will be closed while the tribal offices are shut down, and this morning, they would be making Thanksgiving baskets to serve to every household on Rocky Boy.

Calls to the tribal offices went unanswered.