The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa holds its general election Tuesday. Seats to be decided are the leader of the Reservation Business Committee, the Band's governing body, and the District 1 (Cloquet) RBC seat.
In addition, a primary election will be repeated for the RBC seat from District 3 (Brookston) because the results of the previous primary were contested. It was found someone voted in the wrong district, while one of the winners had won by one vote. A general election will be held for that seat in August.
HEAD of Reservation Business committee
Incumbent Karen Diver and Patty Petite are running to lead the Reservation Business Committee.
Diver, 43, has held the seat for one year. She lives in the Brookston District on the Fond du Lac Reservation with her husband, Arne Selnes. She has one daughter and a stepson. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
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Petite, 49, is president of the Fond du Lac Tribal College and lives in the Cloquet District of the reservation with her husband, Fred Petite. She has three grown children. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth and a doctoral degree in policy and administration from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
1. What are the three most important issues facing Band members today, and how do you plan to address these issues?
Diver: Financial stability: Before the end of summer, plan for refinancing or prepayment of the casino debt service and adhere to budgets. Enrollment: The Band needs to continue to work with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe on developing information to share with the Bands on future demographics so that the people can decide on realistic enrollment criteria. Strategic planning and management: Develop short- and long-range goals and revise the structure to support the plan.
Petite: Financial stability: Protecting per-capita payments while ensuring the right decisions are being made in regard to Band resources and financial management practices. Ensure that the Black Bear and Fond du Luth casinos are providing quality customer service and marketing. Develop long-term financial plans with checks and balances. Safe and healthy communities free from violence, drugs and crime: Work with the Fond du Lac Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies to have a greater presence in our communities. Work with various reservation programs to provide prevention/intervention programs and activities for youth and young adults. Re-establish trust, faith and confidence in our leadership for the Fond du Lac Reservation by investing in our Band members and recognizing their skills and strengths, and encourage upward mobility and self-determination.
2. How would you address the housing shortage on the reservation?
Petite: Our housing division needs to develop plans that will ensure our current housing is maintained, with major and minor repairs completed in a timely manner. A greater team effort is needed for planning additional projects, enforcing and following housing policies and regulations. The elders have requested an assisted living complex; preliminary work has been done on this project. We must honor our elders by moving forward with the complex so they won't worry about having to leave Fond du Lac.
Diver: Housing needs to develop additional options beyond low-income rentals and homeownership units. Some options include affordability gap financing, the currently being planned supportive housing, assisted living and other elder housing options. The Band also needs to aggressively seek other sources of funding to supplement its federal funds. For example, tax credits and rural housing funding.
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3. Should there be any conditions attached to band members' monthly or yearly per-capita payments? If so, what conditions?
Diver: No. Per-capita distributions are the most equitable means of supporting band members with the priorities that they choose.
Petite: I don't believe the role of Fond du Lac is to attach conditions to anyone's per-capita payments. However, I do believe our role can be to provide opportunity for education for those who would like additional information or assistance on financial planning, and money-management skills. Early interventions should also be extended to the band members who will receive large sums of money upon turning 18. We must provide guidance for these young band members to make informed and responsible decisions regarding their finances.
Reservation Business Committee District 1 (Cloquet) seat
Incumbent Eugene Reynolds and Wally DuPuis are running for the District 1 Cloquet seat on the Reservation Business Committee. DuPuis is director of law enforcement for the Fond du Lac Tribal Police. He is married with one daughter and lives in the Cloquet District on the reservation. Reynolds did not return the News Tribune's questionnaire by the Saturday deadline.
1. What are the three most important issues facing band members today, and how do you plan to address these issues?
DuPuis: The No. 1 issue facing Fond du Lac Band members as individuals is the enrollment issue. The No. 1 issue facing the Fond du Lac Band as a whole is financial security and casino debt and, with that, continued per-capita payments. My plan to address the issue of enrollment is to work hand-in-hand with the Tribal Council, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Tribal Executive Committee, and Minnesota Chippewa Tribe in efforts to develop a plan for descendants. To address the financial security of the Fond du Lac Reservation, active budget and debt management along with aggressive marketing of casino operations will need implementation. We need to look beyond the casinos and hotel to establish financial security. With that, continued per-capita payments will follow hand-in-hand.
2. How would you address the housing shortage on the reservation?
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DuPuis: We need a good understanding of what the housing shortage is (i.e. low-income, single-family, multi-family, etc.) In this effort, we need to work directly with our housing administration to implement a policy system that will hold accountable the tenants, and at the same time cater to those that truly desire housing on the reservation.
3. Should there be any conditions attached to per-capita payments? If so what?
DuPuis: Per-capita payments are not a gift from the reservation. These payments are distributed as a share of ownership. As such, no conditions should be attached to the payment. However, I feel that the reservation has an obligation to provide those coming of age some type of financial training and opportunities for investment as well as incentives for using their initial payment toward continuing or higher education.
