Hot Air or Hot Water

The attempts to take over the tribe by several members of the Board of Directors are being met with more opposition than they are prepared to handle.
Members of the Sault Tribe are fed up with these directors trying to shuffle what remains of the tribe into their own pockets.

For more than two decades, we have been held hostage by the former chairman, Bernard Bouschor, and his lawless band of renegades. The current constitution and tribal code were manipulated and interpreted to meet their needs and to put the shaft to the members of the tribe.

There are those that will argue "but look what we have....a medical facility and crappy jobs with meager wages and housing that is difficult to heat with much of it in slum condition. We have a couple of casinos with more low wages but at least we have jobs and free medical."

Bouschor's friends and family did well receiving free college educations after they were hired for well paying jobs they were unqualified for. Some are said to not even have attended university but only registered. They were placed in supervisory positions so they could control and keep a watchful eye over those members that relied on the tribe for their livelihood and medical needs.

Express an opinion that did not comply with Bouschor's corrupt regime and out the door you went. Some claim they were even denied health care when appointments were cancelled or dates changed without notice to the patient, giving the health service the option to suspend service to the member for not showing up for their appointments.

The day came when the election process was closely monitored and Bouschor was sent packing by the voting members of the tribe. Those extra 'misplaced' ballots bearing the name Bouschor could not be submitted as valid votes. The person in charge of the ballot counter was also monitored very closely eliminating any opportunity to make a few 'adjustments'. Two years later the members were given the opportunity to tell Bouschor they were not taking the chance to let him even run in the next election. 84% of the voters said "not a chance"....for both Bouschor and Paul Shagen who took an illegal payoff when he quit his job.

Since the day Bouschor was run out and Aaron Payment stepped into the chairman's position, Bouschor has retained his own form of corrupt power by using his loyal remaining directors and well-placed stooges to do his dirty work for him.

Bouschor has been up against honesty, integrity and strength of character. Payment and Todd Gravelle have proven to be a tough team to fight and a force that corruption has found impossible to penetrate.

The Bouschorite directors have made every attempt imaginable to destroy Payment and Gravelle and have now resorted to complete lawlessness. Meanlingless resolutions in violation of the Tribal Constitution, Code and Bylaws are consistently presented. Violations of civil rights are being used to threaten the honorable remaining board members as well as members of the Sault Tribe that dare to speak up in support of the current Chairman or against the Bouschor regime.

There have been resolutions to investigate tribal members who state their opinions or even ask the "wrong" questions of the Bouschorists. DJ Hoffman threatens members regularly with lawsuits. Cathy Abramson has used the power of her seat on the board to intimidate and influence employers to take action against members with a voice and an opinion she didn't like. DJ Hoffman, Cathy Abramson, Lana Causley, Joe Eitrem and Fred Paquin have proven to be tyrants in the worst possible way.

Paquin's reputation as a sexual predator and an accused woman abuser has not swayed their loyalty because they seem to fit right into the same lawless mold. Family members of Paquin's accuser have been threatened with retaliation prompting the watchful eye of the public onto his activities. Eight directors on the board have shown strong support for Paquin's unscrupulous activities by contributing their vote to ridiculous resolutions.....one being to investigate the date change of the Tribal employee picnic by Payment (so that more members could conveniently attend) and the misappropriation of hot dogs. Paquin and Hoffman have come up with one stupid plan after another to stop Payment.

The only directors that seem to still maintain their integrity is Gravelle, Miller and Chase who have stood firm against the Bouschorites. Shirley Petoskey, according to several of her constituents, was warned against her involvement with the Bouschorists as was Causley. Former Lapoint loyalists are also expressing their disappointment in his odd, newfound loyality to the Bouschorists. I can't help but wonder if his greatest fears have affected his decisions which are the threats that he has received in the past. Could be he just wants to survive his term without any further stress and the resulting harmful affects on his health.

Regardless of the logic, all the hot air blowing out the mouths of eight wayward directors full of retribution and retaliation is jeapordizing the financial success of our tribe. While they are playing their board games of who can successfully achieve the most power, who is watching out for the real business end? They are leaving us wide open for anything, from misappropriation of funds to flat out embezzlement because they are the wrong people for the job and incapable of doing the right thing. All their hot air is just putting the tribe in hot water, but on the bright side....their hot water is deepest.