TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) -- Elaine Philemonof enjoys the silence.<br> <br>The gift shop worker said she hasn't heard much coming from the<br>Cherokee Nation's tribal office just a few blocks away.
Sunday, August 29th 1999, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) -- Elaine Philemonof enjoys the silence.
The gift shop worker said she hasn't heard much coming from the Cherokee Nation's tribal office just a few blocks away. Not one conspiracy or confrontation. No arrests or accusations.
But, then again, it's only been two weeks with a new chief.
"It's been quiet so far," she said. "I guess my vote mattered this time."
The first phase of transition into office has ended for Chief Chad Smith, just one month since he was elected to lead the nation's second-largest tribe.
He arrived when the legislative council had halted, the law enforcement was shut down and how much money the tribe had was uncertain.
Thirty days post-Smith, the council has met, action has been taken to regain tribal law enforcement and records show that the tribe is in debt about $2 to $6 million and not $18 million, which Smith estimated in his campaign against former Chief Joe Byrd.
"It's work -- long, hard work," Smith said. "But, our goal is to keep an eye on the vision."
Perry and Kathy Vanbuskirk's vision is for the Cherokee people to become a tribe again.
"It's been all politics, no culture," said Perry Vanbuskirk, who is a tribal member. "People knew each other for which political side they supported. Like so many others, our heritage has gotten away."
Working at the Cherokee Heritage Center, Vanbuskirk said the past two years of political turmoil is still "like a hound that keeps snipping at the back of your legs."
"We are just waiting -- waiting to see if it will change," he said.
The fighting began in 1997 with allegations of misspending in Byrd's office. Warrants were issued to search the chief's office, but Byrd fired the marshals. Tribal leaders then took sides, bringing ouster attempts and boycotts that kept the tribe's legislative body from meeting and brought the federal government to take over law enforcement.
Smith, a 48-year-old lawyer, still faces county charges of inciting a riot and assaulting a police officer for trying to stop Byrd from closing the tribe's courthouse.
Now as chief, Smith said his top priority is writing the tribe's first fiscal budget in two years. The tribe has been allocating money on a continuing resolution since fiscal year 1997, which has frozen funds to that year's allowances.
A fiscal year 2000 budget lets the tribe adjust its roughly $150 million budget to include increases in government funds and other programs. The hard part has been trying to determine how much money the tribe has and needs, said Julian Fite, acting Cherokee general counsel.
"We have found very lax and confused policies of who has had the authority to enter into contracts," he said. "Everyone was doing their own thing. We anticipate large shortages of money."
Fite said former Chief Joe Byrd's administration did not clear construction projects with the finance office, including a $1.5 million for a new emergency services building. As a result, Smith's administration is working on a policy that requires department heads to clear "significant amounts of money" through the finance office.
Kathy Harmon said the last two years have been especially hard because Byrd is a full-blooded Cherokee. Smith is a half-blood.
"I don't believe you are a better leader because of your blood, but it was so disappointing with Byrd," she said at a Cherokee museum. It helps her that Deputy Chief Hastings Shade is full-blooded.
Heading into the second transitional phase, Smith said his goal of the 60-day phase is to fill administrative jobs including positions in education, community development and operations.
The third and final phase is 120 days to look at function details of the tribe. Smith said the transition should be complete in 18 months
"In 50 years from now, I don't care if they remember my name. I want them to remember we had a dynamic team.," Smith said.
Fite said it all will take time.
"The national reputation of the Cherokee Nation has been tarnished. It used to be a model of tribal self government for the country," he said. "We are working to make the Nation a model again, of coming out of this situation striving."
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