Recognition was a great reward for the hard work of the ancestors. But instead of a good life, the shaming continues as the worst of us runs our community into the ground.

It’s sad that we don’t celebrate our federal recognition.  It is so significant. Various people keep fabricating all these events instead of deference to the event that matters most.  But then again that great day in February 2007 is a haunting reminder that we have been in reverse, full throttled since 2009.

Think about it. Former Chairman Cedric Cromwell presented us random budgets, but at least he started out following the law. Under Brian Weeden’s administration we have never approved a budget. So, for about 11 of 16 years, we have been operating a government that has been spending money without our authorization. Violating the Constitution to give the officers a paycheck and ignoring the law.

The scandal of misappropriations hangs over us thanks to the former treasurer Bobby Foster who is now CEO of the Gaming Authority.  Bobby has the job because they say he knows about slot machines.  Well okay, we all know how slot machines work. We have never officially seen the results of the investigation of the misappropriation of funds. There’s a lot we do know and haven’t revealed, all covered up by Bobby. He is still working his magic with great pride.   It’s so absurd you can’t get your head around it. Perpetuating the corruption is the Child King who averted the humiliation of returning to Dunkin Donuts, thanks to Genting.

So, let’s get to the loan they got.  Keep in mind, not a single person on that council, particularly the officers have brought in any new unencumbered funding.   Nor do ANY OF THEM HAVE A PROPOSAL TO GENERATE CASH FLOW. They travel all around, party on borrowed money or grants and are completely derelict in the most basic responsibilities…..like maintenance. Ahem

Ok so here’s what they got.  Notice we said “they, not we.”

($20m) $16M  (Genting takes interest off the top)

Where it goes.

$5m Operations The Tribal government burns through $400k a month. This is about a 10-month reprieve.  On what? We don’t know. You can count on your hands the employees paid out of the general fund, who actually work, never mind the people who don’t. And the Council officer’s ridiculous salaries are outrageous.

$1.5m Land in Trust Lawyers. (Ya, we still owe these guys. You know who gotta get paid first)

$5m – 100 new slot machines etc. Getting the slots going was to show some movement toward the full-fledged casino. Without new backers for the next two phases of the casino, all the money from the slots goes to pay off the debt. And now we don’t know what that is. If we had serious people in charge, we would have had investors for the casino, resorts, businesses, our fish market….on and on. We got continued incompetence instead.

$1m – Indirect Costs in the red

$3m – Debt to Taunton These guys never seem to get paid.

?  Gaming Authority: We have never known what’s in this pot.  It’s really a slush fund controlled by CK. Paying for Paula’s Mittark, votes, Rebecca, and other sundry extravagance.

Genting is about business. They are tired of us but must get some of their money back. So it’s in their best interest to spend as little as possible to keep our raggedy government in place, because we own the casino…technically.  So, you have a bunch of officers and Bobby, with no business acumen in charge of our future. Their focus is a paycheck only.

And there’s the little problem of the federal government hovering like bad breath.  What? Them have a plan? Poor Fenton, running around like he really knows what to do.  Still pontificating about things, displaying his ignorance instead like…. bringing Nancy Joseph into his shop.  Well, she came from the judicial branch where she didn’t belong.  Another one who can’t write or speak a complete sentence let alone function as a judicial administrator. The court did it’s best to get someone competent into the shop by trying to contract with a tribal member well known for her decades of expertise in the Barnstable County court system. The woman didn’t last a week because Nancy was so obnoxious. Well, her grant money ran out anyway, so Fenton took her in as his assistant and the building went nuts. But mainly CK. It was back to the court for Nancy. How and why are they paying her?

More ridiculous is her bid for the Council seat vacated by Nelson Andrews. Working in the judicial branch and serving on the Council is disqualifying for Miss Charming. Ya, she’s on the Sunday ballot.  She should not be running but if she made it, we’d have to get a translator to understand what the hell she’s talking about. But wait….maybe we could find a translator to give us a bogo deal to do Winnie too.  Now that’s a bargain.

A self-proclaimed authority on everything. Winnie is proficient in humiliating herself and us.

In the Falmouth courtroom, the judge looked out into the audience and asked if anyone had seen Winnie Johnson Graham. The bailiff was told to look outside. Nothing.  The irony was that three of the former Tribal Vice Chairmen were among those in the audience….Aaron Tobey, Carlton Hendricks Jr, and David Pocknett who Winnie claimed she needed the restraining order against. She wasn’t there to defend the complaint she filed. That would have been tough.  It was another embarrassing moment for sure. Because the complaint was riddled with false accusations and grammatically challenging storytelling that resembled the writing of an 8-year-old.

Needless to say, the judge dismissed the case. She knew she could not win with her frivolous claim.  Winnie is good for nothing but shaming us.

She has never brought a grant, donation or funding source to the Tribe.  Of course, her predecessors, brought in millions. At the end of his term David Pocknett left an $800k reserve fund the majority to be used for tribal youth.  Of course that disappeared.

We won’t dwell on the absurdity of Winnie (the so called Vice Chairman) because you know she will soon outdo herself all over again.

We say that because you clearly don’t want to know what’s happening so ….we won’t force you out of your “ignorance zone.”

Anyway, more bad news, and we have no defense.  We do have a so called leadership team that never comes to work, sketchy on duties but diligent on getting that weekly check. Didn’t take long did it? And cash flow? Countdown to meltdown.

Winnie’s in charge and the government center resembles a funeral parlor.

March 17, 2025 Trump order targets CDFI Fund, threatening Native American access to capital President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to drastically scale back the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, potentially eliminating a critical source of capital for Native-owned businesses and economic development in tribal communities. Read more. Tribal clean energy projects halted as EPA cuts $1.5B in grants for Indian Country The Environmental Protection Agency announced it terminated $20 billion in clean energy funding agreements, including $1.5 billion earmarked for Indian Country, amid lawsuits from grant recipients and escalating political tension. Read more. ____________________________

You didn’t have to be a genius to see what was happening in the General Body Meeting Sunday. The Treasurer was the designated target.  He was the focus of all the incoming shrapnel and rightfully so.  Well, on the surface it looked like he had some sense of the problem by repeatedly talking about the Tribe’s “dire” financial situation. He said there was only $307K available. That was the same amount reported a week before the election (February 3) even less according to some sources and it certainly is not accurate now.

Apparently, meeting attendees did not know that Canal Street’s finance hand outs were the preliminary findings reported on February 3. That

Canal Street is aging before our very eyes. Soon, very soon, he’ll be walking with a cane and barking at the moon.

report made by the TA, the Interim Comptroller and the Tribal consultant was a bombshell that revealed that “fraudulent entries were made for those large expenditures.” The final phase of the investigation, (initiated by Carlton Hendricks Jr) was supposed to reveal what “fraudulent entries” were made in that tranche of $4.3M. That never happened.

We just don’t know do we?  The women investigating the wrongdoing were fired soon after CK’s crew took over.

It brings to mind the contentious discussion at the General Body

Maddas holds a sign on a pitch folk asking  “Where’s the Pow Wow money?” Ask TAT, he’s an expert on missing Pow Wow money. Brian made him Exec Director of the Gaming Authority. The height of absurdity.

Meeting about the missing $113K Pow Wow money raised and deposited into the general fund. It disappeared. The committee had receipts, and the Tribal members voted to force the Council to return the money. That is a rare action taken in this kind of meeting.  It may need to happen more often because CK’s Council sycophants are either department heads or holed up in finance.  They are loyal only to the chairman. And when you have a Council like this one, dominated by Cliff Walkers, bad stuff happens. As it stands, it’s unclear if the Council voted to restore the money to the committee at last nights Council meeting.

You have a Treasurer who depends on a consulting firm (without a contract) and Mark Harding to direct him. Another rarity was Harding’s presence at the General Boby Meeting. He was there to make sure the treasurer followed the script. And he did. When asked about finance, he explained that the Tribe pays one of the consulting firms $120K a year vs the comptroller’s $140K. So, since they fired the comptroller, he saves $140K because he relies on the firm (that charged us hundreds of thousands for audits 1 year out of 3. He forgot to calculate the 4 (out of 5) women in finance who make a total of $360k a year. They have no degrees, or accounting expertise, just related to the chairman or the Fryes. As a matter of fact, 90% of the professionals hired to clean things up gets harassed and fired. Check the record. We could CONTRACT with an accounting firm for about $100K a year (to do the job of the 4), pay the Comptroller $140K and save $120K. We could also reduce the salary of the Treasurer by $30K.. SAVING $150K — Take the money and expand the (sorely lacking) college and vocational school scholarships and hire a credentialed professional to run the homeless shelter.  You know, do something that helps our kids and members in “dire” need.

CS’s plan to get tough on slackers sounded good.  Department heads would have to pay their salaries out of their own grants, if not they are fired in 30-days. But then you realize he’s saying what you want to hear and what we have endlessly pounded on REEL WAMPS. He will never follow through.  Here’s why. Magpie hasn’t upped his grant in many years.  Natana has not either. Both are controversial figures who struggle to adhere to the most basic job responsibilities.  Weeden has never received certification as a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer because he has no Bachelors or Masters degrees. But he still gets paid from other grants Indirect Costs. Natana relies on the same source, CK and the general fund to keeps her controversial school open. Moreover, you’re not going to fire the chairman’s uncle and cousin. That’s not in the Paula/Markie script.

Understand that years of paying these two out of grant Indirect Costs is one of the reasons that fund is in the red $700k. That kind of misappropriation gets the attention of you know who. Thus no budget. No budget for the Gaming Authority. No TA, HR Director, Housing Director or Comptroller. No reports on meetings or events on travel. The management structure in non-existent. 

WINNIE’S REVENGE TOUR

It was a busy week for the old girl. Her penchant for getting in everyone’s business was on blast. Ladylike she is not and for that she was summarily cussed out.

Poor Winnie.  She’s so busy reminding us that she’s the vice chairman, she actually confirms her ineptitude. While Fenton was making his presentation at the meeting, she was running up and down the gym risers hugging people like she had just been released from an institution. Instead of reporting on what she’s doing to improve government services, she rattled on about her fabricated list

THE TRUTH IS NON-NEGOTIABLE

A master of setting bonfires under shady regimes, Pocknett watches for the white flags.

When David Pocknett shows up to a meeting, Council members brace

for impact. Pocknett’s candor is unbridled, as he is guaranteed to ask the questions Tribal members are afraid to ask. After hearing a lot of excuses, Winnie’s nonsense, Fenton’s dog and pony script he asked the obvious. Why are the officer’s taking a salary when we don’t have money. No answer…To Roxane Mills he said, “I’m ashamed of you. Sitting up there agreeing with them on all these things.” Roxanne’s adoration of the chairman and his team is baffling to most. It’s a huge turnaround from her distain for the youngster after the Plymouth Plantation robbery.  To the chairman he said, “Say something Brian. Why don’t you say something?” Course Brian told Pocknett to “call me.” To that he said, ” Why should I call you when you’re right here?”

TOTAL RECALL

If you close your eyes and someone reads you the following paragraph, you will swear Cedric Cromwell is still chairman.

Thursday March 13: After crying broke, the treasurer, the chairman and the executive director of the gaming authority headed to the Logan airport by limousine to catch a flight to New York. They ghosted Genting a few weeks ago when they came to town.  Now they are desperate to meet with the gaming moguls to beg for money to pay their salaries. Maybe they will do the right thing.

We doubt it. Because we don’t know what they did with the $13 million last year.  Why would they course correct now?

You can open your eyes.  We’re reliving the nightmare.

We warned about this.  Do you really think that

Sometimes winners are actually losers. In this case, Brian could care less as long as he keeps getting paid. The thought of going back to his old job makes him break out in hives.

 CK, Winnie, Fenton and Talia can launch a proper strategy to defend our nation? Even if we hire professionals, they would take advantage of the inexperienced officers who are unable to understand the most rudimentary elements of the crisis. Proof of this is what happened in finance with consultants who punked us, charging $500k for the 2022 audit that the Interim Comptroller could have done for $40k. All under CK’s watch.  He’s too busy partying and overrunning tribal police to even pretend to do his job. Keep going down this rabbit hole folks.

 As DOGE lease terminations hit Indian Country, concerns mount about vital services

A USDA Farm Service Agency office. These mostly rural facilities face potential closure under the DOGE initiative, threatening access to essential services for Native American and rural communities.(Photo: USDA)

By Chez Oxendine

February 28, 2025

 A sweeping plan to cancel more than 7,500 leases under the General Services Administration (GSA) has begun to claim Native-serving government offices in six states. The lease directive comes as part of major changes to federal operations under President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech mogul Elon Musk. The organization’s website points to cancelled leases for six Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices across Oklahoma, Utah, and Arizona, as well as four Indian Health Services offices in New Mexico, Minnesota, California and Oklahoma.

The same website lists closures for Farm Service Agency offices in North and South Dakota — where the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) serves numerous Native American producers.

In Oklahoma alone, five Native-serving offices are affected by the lease terminations, though the impact varies.  A spokesperson for the Kiowa Tribe told CBS affiliate KWTV that the BIA office in Carnegie had been empty for multiple years, making the lease cancellation largely a formality.  In Seminole, however, seven employees reportedly lost their jobs when that office was shuttered earlier this month, with phone lines now disconnected.

The lease cancellations appear to be part of a systematic effort outlined in a Feb. 26 Office of Management and Budget memorandum. The document, which provides guidance on agency workforce reduction and reorganization plans, calls for “a reduced real property footprint” as agencies implement the DOGE initiative. The memo instructs federal departments to “close and/or consolidate regional field offices to the extent consistent with efficient service delivery” while working to achieve “reduced budget topline targets.”

Former USDA and BIA staff who served during the Biden administration expressed concern that regional offices from both agencies would be shuttered as part of the DOGE effort, a move that would have significant impact on Native communities that rely on localized, in-person support for essential services related to economic development and Native agriculture.

When contacted by Tribal Business News today, the BIA provided this statement: “The Department of the Interior is committed to upholding federal responsibilities to tribal communities. Indian Affairs offices remain open and continue to provide services. The Department of the Interior is working with GSA to ensure facilities will be available for the continued delivery of BIA services.”

‘A lot of confusion’

What this means for offices serving tribes — especially BIA and USDA outposts on reservations — remains unclear. Among the GSA’s portfolio of more than 8,300 buildings nationwide are 55 federally run Bureau of Indian Education schools and 83 on-reservation Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, as well as hundreds of USDA locations that provide essential services to Native farmers, ranchers and producers.

Wizipan Garriott, former principal deputy assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, told Tribal Business News the situation has created “a lot of confusion on multiple levels” as tribes grapple with whether or not trust obligations will continue being honored.

“People are asking a lot of questions,” Garriott said. “One, what are employees working remotely supposed to do? There’s been a push to get them to return to the office, but they could be shuttering those offices. And then we have to wonder about those who are receiving essential governmental services, especially those receiving services under treaty and trust responsibilities – that’s more concerning.”

The GSA has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Tribal Business News.

Garriott said federal offices on reservations provide localized and in-person support that couldn’t be replicated through remote work, assuming the services weren’t shut down entirely by a lease termination. Functions such as leasing, land titles, and range management are central to many tribes’ economic development and agricultural operations.

“A lot of that happens in those offices, and I think if you would ask the people doing that work, I think they would tell you it’s virtually impossible to not do the work in those offices,” Garriott said.

It’s not just Indian Country at risk, according to Janie Simms Hipp, CEO and President of ag credit nonprofit Native Agriculture Financial Services. Rural communities across the country could be “royally screwed” if GSA begins shuttering crucial local support, Hipp said.

“If you’re just willy-nilly terminating leases, where is the conversation about disruption of services? It’s not just tribes … everyone around us isn’t going to have a prayer, either,” Hipp told Tribal Business News. “It’s about anybody who lives rural and remote — they will literally be cut off from the possibility of walking into an office and getting a question answered.”

‘A pretty good cause of action’

James Meggesto, partner at law firm Holland and Knight, told Tribal Business News that at least some of the leases tied to tribal services would be difficult or illegal to terminate outright. If a federally-recognized tribe owns a building, or the facility is used for services related to self-governance, the lease falls outside of standard procedure. Instead, the contract has its own statutes and rules under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

“If they were to breach that contract, that would not be legal, and tribes would have a pretty good case to seek reinstatement of the lease or damages or both,” Meggesto said. “I think it would be disruptive obviously, and I think tribes would have a pretty good cause of action.”

In addition to agency offices, GSA-managed buildings include federal courthouses, post offices, and data processing centers. All told, the organization manages 8,397 buildings across 2,200 communities in the United States. That includes USDA buildings in every county in the country – a crucial resource for especially remote or disconnected agriculture producers, Hipp said.

Eliminating USDA offices would severely impact rural communities across America, Hipp said.  She noted that USDA has conducted numerous studies on office usage and visitor traffic, showing these locations provide essential services to people with limited internet access.

“There are places where you can make it more efficient, but without these offices, (a farmer) out there on his tractor with no internet is going to be cut off from USDA programs,” she said.

None of the Trump administration orders change the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations to tribes, Meggesto said. However, the rapid pace of the directives could lead to unintended disruptions.

“When they do things that are rushed … you create a situation where people on the ground trying to execute these orders tend to apply them overly broadly,” Meggesto said. “I don’t think it should affect tribes, but I certainly can’t say that it won’t, in one way or other, have a very disruptive effect.”

Brian Edwards provided reporting.