Recently a gathering to celebrate the election of new directors was held at Aaron Payment's home on Shunk Road in Sault Ste. Marie. As usual, Aaron was the ultimate host, greeting each and every guest with a hug or a handshake accompanied by eye to eye, face to face friendly conversation.
DJ Malloy, Cathy Hollowell and Deb Pine, three of the newly elected directors, attended to greet those they will be representing. Malloy and Hollowell were clearly at ease conversing with the individuals in the crowd as the guests gathered around them.
Pine, although friendly to some, appeared to be uncomfortable in the presence of some guests....myself for one. That's understandable considering I don't pull any punches when it comes to setting the record straight or voicing my opinions. It's not a secret that my opinion of Pine is less than positive.
Pine did mention in her ads that she is a relative of Aaron Payments but she failed to mention that her mother is Jolene Nertoli and one of the recipients of your money that was paid out when Bernard Bouschor was ousted as chairman. She also didn't mention that Bouschor is her uncle just as she didn't warn voters of the position she takes on the 7 + 2 lawsuit. Should we judge our elected representatives based on who their relatives are?...of course not or we would all be in trouble.
But once elected, the director's job is to represent all tribal members without prejudice since it is our money that pays them for their service. So far, Pine has shown disrespect to all those who question her stand on the 7 + 2 lawsuit. Again, I am not at all surprised and can certainly see which side of the family Pine derives her attitude from.
On the bright side, and there is a foreseeable bright side, Malloy and Hollowell will put out the necessary effort to work with those directors who have your best interests at heart.
Once Denise Chase and her family arrived, the mood lightened even more. As we gathered around to listen to their ideas and plan for the tribe, the concern over the direction our tribe has taken seemed to lift somewhat. The knowledge that flowed between the minds and out of the mouths of these three comrades renewed my faith that there is hope and that most of the newly elected and several of the sitting directors will unite in their efforts...all in the best interest of the Sault Tribe.
No comments:
Post a Comment