Native American Press/Ojibwe News

No one has been at financial controls for past four years

July 12, 2002
The preliminary report by the forensic auditors of the Red Lake Gaming Enterprises and recently released financial reports by newly elected tribal treasurer Darrell Seki for Red Lake Industries, Custom Doors and the General Fund certainly verifies that no one has been at the financial controls of the Red Lake Band for at least the past four years. This has been especially disastrous because of the shoot from-the-hip great economic leap forward campaign by the Whitefeather-King regime.

Unfortunately, as we now have painfully found out their incompetence as managers on top of a horrendous lack of planning and communication during this period of time resulted in the Red Lake Band going from relatively no indebtedness to, when you add the debts from all tribal enterprises, to something over $40 million in principle alone.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that as currently operated all enterprises continue to lose money on a daily bases .and the financial condition of the Red Lake Band makes it impossible for it to subsidize them any longer. In addition, violent crime, gang and drug problems continue to plague the Red Lake Reservation. Many Red Lakers are also fed up with problems at the Red Lake Court and the lack of movement for a separation of powers in tribal government.