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 6   TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
 7    ANNUAL GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING
 8      APRIL 17, 2010, 1:47 P.M. 
 9   COMANCHE NATION COMPLEX GYMNASIUM
10           LAWTON, OKLAHOMA
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     __________________________________________________
22   REPORTED BY:  KELLY STOABS, CSR 
          and CHRYSTAL VANCE, CSR
23     DODSON REPORTING & ASSOCIATES
        435 NORTH WALKER, SUITE 102
24    OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA  73102
     (405) 235-1828 ~ (405) 235-1266 (FAX)
25           dcri@coxinet.net
0002
 1                 A P P E A R A N C E S
 2                           
 3   COMANCHE NATION BUSINESS COMMITTEE MEMBERS:  
 4   Michael Burgess, Chairman
     Richard Henson, Vice-Chairman
 5   Robert Tippeconnie, Secretary-Treasurer, 
     Edmond Mahseet, Committeeman #1
 6   Lanny Asepermy, Committeeman #2
     Darrell Kosechequetah, Committeeman #3
 7   Clyde R. Narcomey, Committeeman #4
 8   LEGAL COUNSEL:  
 9   Kirke Kickingbird, William Norman, 
     James Burson, John Plata 
10   Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker
11   
12                           
13                      * * * * * *
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0003
 1                 INDEX OF PROCEEDINGS
 2                                               PAGE 
 3          Meeting called to order at 1:47 p.m.   3
 4          Nominations for CBC positions.         4
 5          Nominations for election board.       13
 6          Tribal administrator position.        25
 7          Job announcements for debris removal       
     52
 8          and census.
 9          Tribal attorneys.                     55
10          Comanche Nation Princess and Expo     71
            Director.
11   
            Madeline Spicer/audits.               94
12   
            William Voelker/Sia                  103
13   
            Brian Stillwell/Prevent individuals  116
14          who have brought suit against the 
            Nation from Office.  
15   
            Delores Sapcut Aitson/Membership.    120
16   
            Meeting recessed at 7:06 p.m.        122
17   
            Reporter's Certificate.              123
18                           
19                           
20                      * * * * * *
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24   
25   
0004
 1                (Meeting called to order at 
 2                1:47 p.m.)
 3                MR. BURGESS:  We'll now call the 
 4   meeting to order.  We are now taking 
 5   nominations -- 
 6                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  Isn't the order of 
 7   which we have our general council meeting mandated 
 8   by the constitution?  
 9                MR. BURGESS:  Correct.
10                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  So in order to change 
11   the agenda, then we would first have to change our 
12   constitution?  
13                MR. BURGESS:  Correct.
14                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  And that has to be 
15   done by amendment through referendum vote or by 
16   three individuals on the business committee or by 
17   petition of 120 people.  Am I correct?  
18                MR. BURGESS:  Correct.  And we've 
19   accommodated all of those who had their items in 
20   here.  When we come to that area, those items 
21   submitted by individuals, we'll come to that.  
22   Those that are on there -- Mr. Whitewolf, we have 
23   you listed here but it's not on the screen.  
24                But we are now in order.  
25   Mrs. Chebatah?  We're taking nominations
0005
 1                MRS. CHEBATAH:  I nominate from 
 2   Indiahoma Joe Chebatah.
 3                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, before 
 4   we go any further with the nominations, I would 
 5   like to amend the agenda.  I believe Mr. Whitewolf 
 6   submitted in a timely manner to be on our other or 
 7   new business.  I would like to add Mr. Whitewolf 
 8   as Item O under Number 7.
 9                MR. BURGESS:  Yes, we have him on 
10   here.  He's not listed here, but we have him 
11   added.
12                MR. ASEPERMY:  Roderick, you're under 
13   Number 7 O.  I think it was just an oversight that 
14   you're not on the agenda.
15                MS. HALL:  Mr. Chairman, my name is 
16   Carol Hall.  I'd like to nominate Tommy Johnson as 
17   Number 1 Committeeman.
18                MS. TIGER:  Mr. Chairman?  
19                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second that 
20   Joe Chebatah nomination.
21                MS. TIGER:  Mr. Chairman, my name is 
22   Marilyn Tiger.  I'd like to nominate Ronald RedElk 
23   for Committeeman Number 1.
24                MR. WHITEWOLF:  Mr. Chairman, I can't 
25   help but argue with you, the way you're running 
0006
 1   the meeting.  We've all got -- this is a general 
 2   council.  The general council is the supreme 
 3   governing body.  We can change anything on the 
 4   agenda we want.  Because we're trying to do it -- 
 5   we're trying to do -- we're trying to get business 
 6   done, and you've got this whole bunch of stuff up 
 7   there and it's a guise to get everyone tired and 
 8   go home before the business is taken to.
 9                MR. BURGESS:  The most important 
10   thing is our budget and it's at the end.  
11                MR. WHITEWOLF:  The most important 
12   thing, it's our time for everyone and we want to 
13   talk about the Revenue Allocation Plan.  We want 
14   to increase it.  We want to increase it from 40 
15   percent to 60 percent.  That's very important.
16                MR. BURGESS:  We understand that.
17                MR. WHITEWOLF:  If we pass that.  If 
18   we pass that.
19                MR. BURGESS:  That's why it's above 
20   the budget.
21                MR. WHITEWOLF:  That's why we need to 
22   know if you guys are going to come back or not, or 
23   if the allocation plan will pass or not.  All we 
24   want to vote on is to raise it from 40 percent to 
25   60 percent.  It's going to change the whole 
0007
 1   budget.  If we sit here in futility, we won't get 
 2   the most important thing done first.  It's not 
 3   going to hurt, you know.  You're trying to say 
 4   stick to the agenda, but all it is, you're 
 5   depriving people of doing business.
 6                MR. BURGESS:  No, we're not.  
 7   Mr. Yackeyonny is to respond to the Revenue 
 8   Allocation Plan.  
 9                MS. SIMMONS:  I'm Dale Rhea 
10   Heminokekey Simmons.  I want to nominate Vernon 
11   Tehauno.
12                MR. BURGESS:  Committeeman Number?  
13                MS. SIMMONS:  1.
14                MS. BIGBEE:  Mr. Chairman, Ronald 
15   RedElk was nominated.  I'd like to second that 
16   motion -- that nomination.
17                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  My name is Phyllis 
18   Attocknie, and I would like to nominate Richard 
19   Attocknie for committee position number 1.
20                MR. BURGESS:  Did we get a second on 
21   Mr. Tehauno?
22                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'll second 
23   it.
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
25   I nominate Rudy Wauqua.  Rudy Wauqua.
0008
 1                MR. BURGESS:  Rudy?  
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Yes, sir.
 3                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Are you 
 4   accepting nominations for Committeeman Number 2 at 
 5   this time?
 6                MR. BURGESS:  Not yet.  We need -- we 
 7   have to close off.  We need a second here, Pratt, 
 8   on your nomination, Pratt.
 9                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'll second 
10   it.
11                MR. BURGESS:  Anymore nominations for 
12   Committeeman Number 1?  
13                MRS. HENDRIX:  Mr. Chairman, this 
14   meeting is the people's meeting, and I believe we 
15   need to be able to speak.  You had a meeting back 
16   in October where you didn't let anybody say 
17   anything.  Now, this is the general council 
18   meeting where the council has the say, not you, 
19   not any of y'all up there.  You are a tribal 
20   member just like us today.
21                MR. BURGESS:  We're trying to move 
22   that direction.
23                MRS. HENDRIX:  The people wanted to 
24   change things.
25                MR. BURGESS:  The constitution 
0009
 1   specifies -- 
 2                MRS. HENDRIX:  No, no, they have a 
 3   right to, they have a right.
 4                MR. BURGESS:  Anymore nominations of 
 5   Committeeman Number 1?  
 6                MRS. HENDRIX:  If you don't want to 
 7   have the people come and visit, Mr. Burgess, you 
 8   can go.  You can go.  We can still have a meeting 
 9   without you.  We don't need any of you up there.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Ma'am, we're taking 
11   nominations for Committeeman Number 1.  
12                MRS. HENDRIX:  The people made a 
13   request at the beginning of this meeting and you 
14   have not heard it.
15                MR. BURGESS:  You're out of order.  
16   If you'll let us get through the agenda, we'll get 
17   to the people.
18                MRS. HENDRIX:  You're out of order.  
19                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  I make a motion we 
20   close the nominations for Committeeman Number 1.
21                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'll second 
22   it.
23                MR. BURGESS:  We have a motion to 
24   close nominations for Committeeman Number 1.  It 
25   has been seconded.
0010
 1                MRS. HENDRIX:  Can we have a vote on 
 2   the motion that was made and seconded?  There was 
 3   a motion made and seconded.
 4                MR. BURGESS:  To close nominations 
 5   for Committeeman Number 1.
 6                MRS. HENDRIX:  No, no, before you 
 7   even started that.  Basically this election 
 8   nomination is illegal because there was a motion 
 9   on the floor first.
10                MR. BURGESS:  The motion was out of 
11   order.
12                MRS. HENDRIX:  No, no.  Ask the 
13   people.
14                MR. BURGESS:  The meeting wasn't even 
15   called to order when they stood up and made the 
16   motion.  It wasn't called to order and we started 
17   out with nominations.  You're still out of order.  
18   Now we're taking nominations.
19                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
20   Mark Waudooahah, Committeeman Number 2.
21                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
22   I rise to order, point of order.  We have a motion 
23   that has been made and seconded that nominations 
24   cease.  We do have to act on that.
25                MRS. HENDRIX:  You haven't acted on 
0011
 1   the first one yet.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  Ms. Attocknie, did you 
 3   not make a motion to close nominations on 
 4   Committeeman Number 1?
 5                MR. ATTOCKNIE:  Yes.
 6                MR. BURGESS:  And then we opened 
 7   it -- 
 8                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I call for the 
 9   question, sir, we act on that motion to close 
10   nominations.
11                MR. BURGESS:  All those in favor of 
12   accepting nominations for Committeeman Number 1, 
13   signify by saying "aye."  
14                (Aye.)
15                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
16   "nay."  
17                (Nay.)
18                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
19   sign.  The ayes have it.  Thank you.
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate Ed 
21   Eschiti for Committeeman Number 2.
22                MR. BURGESS:  Ed Eschiti?
23                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Yes.  
24                MS. POCOWATCHIT:  My name is Gloria 
25   Pocowatchit and I nominate Blue Pahdocony.
0012
 1                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
 3   Darrell Bread for Committeeman Number 2.
 4                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second that.
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate for 
 6   Committeeman Number 2 Dale Rhea Heminokekey 
 7   Simmons.
 8                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
 9   Yonevea Terry for the Number 2 position.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Was there a second on 
11   the nomination?  There's a second there.  The last 
12   nomination so far is for Yonevea Terry, and a 
13   second.  Okay.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I make a 
15   motion nominations close -- cease.
16                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  I second it.
17                MR. BURGESS:  We have a motion to 
18   close nominations.  It has been seconded.  All 
19   those in favor signify by saying "aye."  
20                (Aye.)
21                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
22   "nay."  
23                (Nay.)
24                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
25   sign.  The ayes have it.
0013
 1                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, can you 
 2   recap the nominations again, please?
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Committeeman Number 2?  
 4                MR. ASEPERMY:  Committeeman Number 1 
 5   and 2, recap?  
 6                MR. BURGESS:  Nominations for 
 7   Committeeman Number 1:  Joe Chebatah, Tommy 
 8   Johnson, Ronald RedElk, Vernon Tehauno, Richard 
 9   Attocknie, Rudy Wauqua, Jr.  
10                Pratt, is that right?  Rudy Wauqua, 
11   Jr., do we have that right?
12                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Yes.
13                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  
14   Committeeman Number 2:  Mark Waudooahah, Ed 
15   Eschiti, Blue Pahdocony, Darrell Bread, Dale Rhea 
16   Heminokekey Simmons, Yonevea Terry.  
17                Nominations have been closed.  We are 
18   now moving to Item Number 2, nominations of the 
19   election board.  We'll start with the area of 
20   Cache.  Election board members to be nominated at 
21   this time.
22                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
23   Edna Poafpybitty for Cache.
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second that.
25                MR. WHITEWOLF:  What is this for, 
0014
 1   Mike?
 2                MR. BURGESS:  The election board.  
 3   The election board representatives from Cache and 
 4   Walters and then Lawton.
 5                MR. WHITEWOLF:  Okay.
 6                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate Kay 
 7   Flores.  
 8                MR. ASEPERMY:  For the Apache 
 9   precinct?  
10                MR. BURGESS:  This is Cache.  This is 
11   Cache.  Cache first.
12                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  For Walters, 
13   Donna Ahdosy.
14                MR. BURGESS:  Right now we're just 
15   doing Cache, but we've written it down.  Now, are 
16   there any other nominations for the Cache area?  
17   Mr. Wells?  Two, two positions.
18                MR. NELSON:  Mr. Chairman, do you 
19   mind if I hand this microphone to those that can't 
20   get up?
21                MR. BURGESS:  We're looking for 
22   another nomination to Cache.  
23                MR. YACKEYONNY:  I nominate Sandra 
24   Chasenah for the position of election board for 
25   Cache.  
0015
 1                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.
 2                MR. YACKEYONNY:  I make a motion 
 3   nominations cease for the positions of election 
 4   board for Cache.
 5                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  Nominations 
 6   have been made and seconded to close for the Cache 
 7   area.  All those in favor signify by saying 
 8   "aye."  
 9                (Aye.)
10                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
11   "nay."
12                (Nay.)
13                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
14   sign.  
15                Now Walters.  We've had someone stand 
16   up from Walters.  Go ahead.
17                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Donna Ahdosy.
18                MR. BURGESS:  Donna Ahdosy has been 
19   nominated for Walters.
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.
21                MR. BURGESS:  Second's been made.
22                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  How many positions 
23   for Walters?
24                MR. BURGESS:  Two, two each.
25                MR. ASEPERMY:  Primary and alternate.
0016
 1                MR. BURGESS:  We're looking for 
 2   another nomination to the election board for 
 3   Walters, the Walters district.  Over here on our 
 4   left.
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
 6   Buddy Yackeschi.
 7                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.  
 8                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
 9   Lola Otitivo.
10                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
11   Matt Mahsetky, Jr.
12                MR. BURGESS:  Hold on, please.  Lola 
13   Otitivo and then Matt.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Matt Mahsetky, 
15   Jr.
16                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  
17                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'll second 
18   that motion.
19                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  That's been 
20   seconded.
21                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I make a 
22   motion nominations cease.
23                MR. BURGESS:  There's a motion to 
24   cease nominations.  Is there a second?  
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.  
0017
 1                MR. BURGESS:  All those in favor 
 2   signify by saying "aye."  
 3                (Aye.)
 4                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
 5   "nay."
 6                (Nay.)
 7                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
 8   sign.  The ayes have it.  
 9                Moving into Lawton district.  
10   Nominations now open for Lawton district election 
11   board members.  There will be two, one primary and 
12   one alternate.
13                MS. JONES:  I vote for Sandra 
14   Toyekoyah.
15                MR. BURGESS:  She's nominating Sandra 
16   Toyekoyah.
17                MR. NELSON:  Nomination is for Sandra 
18   Toyekoyah.
19                MR. BURGESS:  Do we have other people 
20   making nominations?
21                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
22   Jewel Tieyah Laurenzana.
23                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.
24                MR. ASEPERMY:  Who?
25                MS. WHITEFEATHER:  Isn't Sandra 
0018
 1   Toyekoyah an employee?
 2                MR. BURGESS:  No, she's not.  She's 
 3   with the National Indian Council on Aging.  
 4                We have a nomination for Jewel 
 5   Laurenzana.
 6                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  Can you verify the 
 7   communities that are part of the Lawton voting 
 8   district, please?
 9                MR. BURGESS:  That's residents in 
10   Lawton, Geronimo, Faxon, Paradise Valley, Elgin, 
11   Porter Hill, Richard Spur.
12                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Wells, does that 
13   include the Elgin, Fletcher, Sterling area?  Does 
14   the Lawton area include the Elgin, Fletcher, 
15   Sterling area?  
16                MR. BURGESS:  It's Elgin, Geronimo, 
17   Faxon, Sterling, over here in Paradise Valley.
18                MR. NELSON:  Can the election 
19   chairman clarify this?
20                MR. BURGESS:  People are asking what 
21   does Lawton district include.
22                MR. WELLS:  It includes Lawton, 
23   Faxon, Medicine Park.
24                MR. BURGESS:  Paradise Valley, 
25   Medicine Park over here, Fletcher, out at 
0019
 1   Sterling, and back over here to Lawton.
 2                MR. ASEPERMY:  Does it include Elgin, 
 3   Sterling and Fletcher?
 4                MR. WELLS:  Not Fletcher.
 5                MR. ASEPERMY:  Does it include Elgin 
 6   and Sterling?
 7                MR. WELLS:  Yes, yes.
 8                MR. ASEPERMY:  So if you're from 
 9   Sterling or Elgin, you can run for the election 
10   board representing the Lawton area?  
11                MR. WELLS:  Correct.
12                MR. ASEPERMY:  Or from Medicine Park, 
13   Paradise Valley, Porter Hill.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I make a 
15   motion nominations cease.
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.
17                MR. BURGESS:  Motion to cease 
18   nominations and a second has been accepted.
19                MS. TIGER:  Mr. Chairman, I resigned 
20   from the election board two months ago, and my 
21   position was in Anadarko, so therefore we need to 
22   have an election nominations for the Anadarko 
23   area.
24                MR. BURGESS:  Is there an alternate, 
25   Mr. Wells, from Anadarko?  
0020
 1                MR. WELLS:  Yes.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  And you moved that 
 3   alternate up?  
 4                MS. TIGER:  But the thing is, when 
 5   you have an elected board -- 
 6                MR. BURGESS:  We have a motion on the 
 7   floor.  We'll discuss that after the vote.  We 
 8   have a motion on the floor, it's been seconded, so 
 9   we have to take this vote, and then we'll open the 
10   discussion where Mr. Wells will explain it.  
11                Motion to cease nominations has been 
12   made and seconded.  Call for a voice vote.  All 
13   those in favor signify by saying "aye."  
14                (Aye.)
15                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
16   "nay." 
17                (Nay.)
18                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
19   sign.
20                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, I 
21   request that you recap the nominees for the Cache, 
22   Walters and Lawton area.
23                MR. BURGESS:  First for the Cache 
24   area we have Edna Poafbybitty, Kay Flores, and 
25   Sandra Toyekoyah.
0021
 1                MR. ASEPERMY:  Kay is not from -- you 
 2   got two, right?
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Okay, Edna and Sandra, 
 4   excuse me.  For the Walters area, Donna Ahdosy, 
 5   Buddy Yackeschi, Lola Otitivo, Matt Mahsetky, Jr.  
 6   For the Lawton nominees, Sandra Toyekoyah and 
 7   Jewel Laurenzana.
 8                Now, Mr. Wells, would you explain to 
 9   us what we're going to do in Anadarko?
10                MR. WELLS:  Ms. Tiger resigned two 
11   months ago.  We had already put the letters out 
12   for the three areas that were going to be up for 
13   election.  At this time, the Anadarko has two, 
14   actually three because I'm the chairman, and so I 
15   sit here in Lawton to cover the votes.  So we have 
16   an alternate that works the Anadarko area.  I will 
17   move up to the member and the other person will 
18   move up as the alternate, so that is covered for 
19   next year.  Next year, then we will have Apache 
20   and Anadarko up for reelection.
21                MS. TIGER:  Resolution 53-05 was 
22   passed four year ago and it called for six 
23   districts.  And it says that the two people from 
24   each district that receive the most votes will be 
25   a member of -- will be a member of the board.  It 
0022
 1   did not call for alternates.  So, therefore, when 
 2   I resigned, it left a position open in Anadarko.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Other alternates move 
 4   up to replace this one when there were any 
 5   vacancies.  And there has been no establishment of 
 6   the proper procedures.  We now have election board 
 7   ordinances that establish this process, and the 
 8   election board, among themselves, voted to see 
 9   which ones of these positions will be voted on 
10   this year, and to stagger the terms beginning next 
11   year.  That's why we didn't bring Anadarko to the 
12   table.  We brought these other districts forward.  
13   We're trying to stagger these positions.  
14   According to the ordinance, it should have been 
15   done this way, but prior to this they didn't do 
16   it.  This body, the CBC, is following the 
17   recommendations from the current election board.  
18   Anything else, Mr. Wells?  
19                MR. WELLS:  That's it.
20                MR. ASEPERMY:  Charles, if I'm not 
21   mistaken, the ordinance that we passed at our last 
22   CBC meeting, if I remember correctly, when we had 
23   a resignation or a vacancy, doesn't the chairman 
24   of the election board appoint, with CBC approval, 
25   to fill that vacancy until election?  
0023
 1                MR. WELLS:  Right, right.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
 3   just for the record of the general council meeting 
 4   today, I was curious -- noticing that we had 
 5   trouble defining the areas that the election board 
 6   members will represent.  I'd like to know if we 
 7   have a clearly-defined map or a drawing that 
 8   allows all members here to understand just what 
 9   area they come from and how they will proceed with 
10   their voting.  Because I'm sitting back here 
11   listening to the election board chairman explain 
12   it in a verbal situation.  And if that's the case, 
13   if there's no outline or defined drawing, then I 
14   can see a possibility of overlapping voters, if 
15   they don't understand the same thing.  That 
16   question probably could be to you, sir.  Thank 
17   you.
18                MR. WELLS:  Thank you.  What we'll do 
19   is when we mail out the ballots, we'll include a 
20   map of the areas, the districts, the six districts 
21   and where they fall.  Because I know there is some 
22   confusion about Oklahoma City and Anadarko, and 
23   we'd like to clarify that.  And then these 
24   surrounding areas for Lawton, Walters and Cache, 
25   we will define those areas.  A map will go out 
0024
 1   with your ballot showing exactly what precinct you 
 2   will vote in.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  Thank you.  
 4   We'll have that map done and mailed out to 
 5   everybody.  The smaller communities have not been 
 6   defined in the original ordinance.  That's why we 
 7   have the townships stating that's why we're out 
 8   there.  So now with the map coming, we can show 
 9   these people, if they're in Devol or Grandfield, 
10   where they'll vote.  Thank you.
11                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
12   I have a question.  It was asked in the back here, 
13   if they know that you have this ordinance that 
14   you've redone, if they appoint the alternate up in 
15   there until the time of election, is that time of 
16   election for all those areas at this general 
17   council now, or has that been set up -- is this 
18   part of the positions that have been staggered?  
19                MR. BURGESS:  They'll be staggered.  
20   At this time now they're being staggered.  This 
21   time next year, three other precincts.  Is that 
22   right, Mr. Wells?
23                MR. WELLS:  Yes.  
24                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  Ladies and 
25   gentlemen, we just had a resignation of a nominee.  
0025
 1   Mr. Yackeschi has declined to be a representative 
 2   from the Walters area on the election board.  
 3   Thank you, Mr. Yackeschi.  
 4                So the nominees will be Donna Ahdosy, 
 5   Lola Otitivo, Matt Mahsetky.  
 6                Yes?  Is there a question?  
 7                We're moving into the area of the 
 8   tribal administrator.  In the past, I don't know 
 9   what happened in '07 and '08 and '09, but in '04 
10   there was a vote taken to retain or not retain the 
11   tribal administrator.  Before we do any 
12   nominations, you, the tribal council, say this is 
13   your authority to desire to retain or not retain.  
14   We'll have to do a ballot and have you vote.  
15   However that ballot comes out, then that's how we 
16   will proceed.
17                MR. WHITEWOLF:  This is the tribal 
18   administrator portion, right?
19                MR. BURGESS:  Yes.
20                MR. WHITEWOLF:  Mr. Nelson was very 
21   instrumental.  I'd like to nominate Willie Nelson 
22   for another year as tribal administrator.  That's 
23   a motion.  
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second that 
25   motion.  And the reason, Mr. Chairman -- I'd like 
0026
 1   to have a few minutes.  The reason I make this 
 2   motion, in the past, the administrators gave our 
 3   departments an open checkbook just to do with the 
 4   money like they pleased.  Mr. Nelson has brought a 
 5   new era to our administrator's office.  These 
 6   departments that wish to purchase things, they 
 7   have to go out and price it, they have to bring in 
 8   a receipt, they have to give it to Mr. Norman 
 9   Nauni, and then he will pay for it.  He will go 
10   after it, or they can go retain it theirselves.  
11                So these programs are not going broke 
12   like they did before, because Mr. -- our 
13   administrator now is running a different program.  
14   And I'm very proud of what he's doing.  I think 
15   he's an asset to the Comanche people, and it's up 
16   to y'all to pick who you want to be in this 
17   position.  But that's what I got to say about 
18   Willie Nelson.
19                MR. BURGESS:  Ladies and gentlemen, 
20   there's a motion to retain the TA.  All of you get 
21   to vote on retention or not to retain.  We're 
22   going back to the precedent that was set in 2004.  
23   That's how it was done then.  So at this time, 
24   we're going to turn it over to the election 
25   board.  Everybody has a band on their hand, and 
0027
 1   you'll be scanned on that and cast a ballot.
 2                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  With this vote, if 
 3   we're voting whether or not to go by a precedent 
 4   that was set.  If the majority of the people, when 
 5   they vote, it's either to go by that precedent or 
 6   against that precedent.  If we vote against that 
 7   precedent, then that means that the office of 
 8   tribal administrator is then open for nominations 
 9   from other interested parties?
10                MR. BURGESS:  Yes.
11                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  There's a 
12   motion on the floor.
13                MR. BURGESS:  There's a motion to 
14   retain.  It has been seconded.  We have to take a 
15   vote.  You guys have to vote on it.  You voted 
16   last year.  Vote to retain the TA or not retain 
17   the TA.  This started in 2004, and you've got a 
18   runoff of all the nominees.  
19                We would like to, but we had the 
20   discussion in March and people didn't want to 
21   follow the way it was described in the 
22   constitution.  We've been doing this for ever how 
23   long.  So, in 2004, when there were several people 
24   nominated, the vote was to retain the TA or not 
25   retain the TA.  And then if the TA was voted out, 
0028
 1   then everybody cast their ballots and voted for a 
 2   new TA.  
 3                How do I say that, or the reason 
 4   why?  I was the TA in 2004 that got voted in in a 
 5   runoff.  There was a stand-up vote, we went into 
 6   nominations, and then into a runoff.  That was the 
 7   fair way at that time.  I don't see any 
 8   difference.  We've got five people lined up.  We 
 9   need to consider this TA.  People have spoken on 
10   his behalf.  But it's up to you, this body, to 
11   retain or not retain.  So now we have to go to the 
12   vote.  Mr. Wells, are you ready for ballots?  
13                MR. ASEPERMY:  The polls are now 
14   closed.
15                MR. BURGESS:  You know, some time 
16   ago, folks, in March, we talked about putting this 
17   position up on the ballot.  And we had people come 
18   to us and say, "No, that's not the way we do it.  
19   We've always done it here.  This is the way we do 
20   it."  So we can do that from the table of the 
21   CBC.  So, today, this body feels that they're 
22   going to elect the tribal administrator.  Is that 
23   what I hear?
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Hire them.
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Hire them.
0029
 1                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Hire them.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  Hire them?  This body 
 3   hires the tribal administrator, correct?
 4                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Correct.
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Correct.
 6                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Correct.
 7                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Correct.
 8                MR. BURGESS:  So the body here, 
 9   tribal council, this body here, saying that they 
10   do not want it to go on the ballot?  Is that what 
11   I hear?  
12                (Shouts of "No" and "Yes" coming from 
13                audience.) 
14                MR. BURGESS:  Just to let you know, 
15   the vote to retain was 156.  The vote not to 
16   retain was 352.  To remind you, all nominees and 
17   those who are the one who is finally elected will 
18   go through a background check, just as the CBC 
19   does.  This position handles a lot of authority 
20   over financing, personnel records, security of our 
21   Internet system, internal and external, and some 
22   of the public relations that the nation handles.  
23                So many of you were saying that this 
24   is not on the ballot and have asked us before.  So 
25   before we open up the nominations, I want you to 
0030
 1   know that we're going to ask everybody to come up 
 2   here and give us a five-minute presentation on 
 3   their qualifications to be the tribal 
 4   administrator.  In the past, we tried to set that 
 5   standard.  Mr. Yackeyonny was on the CBC at that 
 6   time.  We're trying to follow those precedents 
 7   that this body is saying we must follow.  
 8                So we're going to ask everyone who is 
 9   nominated to give us five minutes of their time to 
10   tell us why they should have at least one year of 
11   your time as tribal administrator.  So now open up 
12   nominations for tribal administrator.  
13                MR. BURGESS:  Yes, sir?  Your name?  
14                MR. ATTOCKNIE:  Richard Attocknie 
15                MR. BURGESS:  Richard Attocknie.
16                MR. ATTOCKNIE:  And I nominate 
17   Charles Wells.
18                MR. BURGESS:  Charles Wells.  I'm 
19   going to repeat these nominees and their names and 
20   the person nominating.  Some of my elders said 
21   they couldn't hear everyone who came up, so we're 
22   asking you to take a little bit of time before you 
23   come back up to make another nomination.
24                MR. ASEPERMY:  Second for Charles 
25   Wells?  
0031
 1                MR. BURGESS:  Is there a second for 
 2   Charles Wells?  We have a second here and a second 
 3   over there.  
 4                MS. LINNEY:  My name is Artis 
 5   [phonetic] Linney and I nominate Jacquetta 
 6   McClung.
 7                MR. BURGESS:  Last name, again?  
 8                MS. LINNEY:  Linney.  
 9                MR. BURGESS:  Second please?  
10                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.
11                MR. ASEPERMY:  Second, all right.
12                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
13   my name is Sandra Toyekoyah and I nominate Johnny 
14   Wauqua for tribal administrator.
15                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  Thank you.  
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second that 
17   Johnny Wauqua.
18                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  Seconded.  Go 
19   ahead, Johnny.
20                JONATHAN:  My name is Jonathan and I 
21   nominate Daniel Robles.
22                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.  
23                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I nominate 
24   Candace Tabenanika.
25                MR. BURGESS:  Candace Tabenanika has 
0032
 1   been nominated.  Second?  Need a second, Carla.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Seconded over here.  
 4   All right.  Go ahead.
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  My name is 
 6   Debbie Eschiti and I nominate Willie Nelson.
 7                (Applause.)
 8                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.  
 9                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  I make a motion that 
10   nominations cease.
11                MR. BURGESS:  Second for Willie 
12   Nelson.
13                Motion to cease nominations have been 
14   made.  A second?  
15                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.  
16                MR. BURGESS:  Second over here on the 
17   left, three, four times.  Nominations are now 
18   closed.  
19                So Mr. Wells, we have Charles Wells 
20   nominated, Jacquetta McClung nominated, Johnny 
21   Wauqua nominated, Daniel Robles and Candace 
22   Tabenanika, Mr. Willie Nelson, again.  You have 
23   ballots for each members or vote by the number?  
24                MR. WELLS:  Vote by the number.  
25                MR. BURGESS:  Vote by the number.  
0033
 1   You have those numbers?  
 2                MR. WELLS:  Yes.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  We're going 
 4   to have chance for everybody to make a 
 5   presentation in the way they're nominated here.  
 6   Those of you who have a resume will put it up.  If 
 7   you have not, you'll have five minutes to give us 
 8   your qualifications, your experience, so the 
 9   people can hear you.  Make it fair assumption in 
10   this brief time that they can see you and hear 
11   you.  
12                Now, again, ladies and gentlemen, 
13   we've all -- we've been doing this, and doing this 
14   this way forever how long, but we have a lot of 
15   nominees like this.  And when you have a lot of 
16   people who want to vote somebody in, either 
17   favorite daughter or favorite son, you know, a lot 
18   of people ask these questions of us when we're out 
19   and away from here, how is this going, how is that 
20   going?  
21                We have a lot of people who want to 
22   be involved.  That's why we're streaming over 
23   here.  Maybe, at some point in time, we're able to 
24   have people vote from California and overseas for 
25   these positions.  That's why we're looking at the 
0034
 1   constitution while I'm putting this on the ballot, 
 2   so these absentee members, which 60 percent of you 
 3   vote absentee, that includes all the people away 
 4   from here, they want to be involved as well, 
 5   because they have a vote and they have a right to 
 6   speak up.  
 7                So those issues have come up time and 
 8   again over the last six to eight years.  Keep 
 9   those in mind.  When we go in to our 
10   constitutional amendments here -- members have 
11   grown and we have a lot of young people who want 
12   to get involved.  So with that, I'm going to ask 
13   Mr. Wells to be our first presenter.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  A while ago, 
15   you said yes or no on the ballot or for or 
16   against.  You said we're going to vote by number.  
17   Could we please number those?  
18                MR. WELLS:  -- people up there 1, 2, 
19   3, 4, 5.
20                MR. BURGESS:  We don't have the 
21   ballots on the screen, but if we get something 
22   together, we can.  Give us time.
23                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  You could put 
24   a 1, 2, 3 on those.
25                MR. WELLS:  Right.  She'll be doing 
0035
 1   that in just a second.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  She's doing it on the 
 3   keyboard now.  It's not a good -- because we come 
 4   here, we don't know who's going to be nominated.  
 5   Give us a little time.  
 6                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  But it needs to be on 
 7   the screen.
 8                MR. BURGESS:  She's working on it 
 9   right now.
10                MR. WELLS:  We have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5?  1 
11   through 5.  Good.
12                MR. ASEPERMY:  Can he put up 1, 2, 3, 
13   4, 5, 6 with candidates name next to it?  
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Lanny, right 
15   here.
16                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  Ladies and 
17   gentlemen, if we could get your attention, 
18   please.  We're going to hear Mr. Wells.  At this 
19   time, he'll give a presentation to all of you all 
20   about his skills, ability and knowledge.  Please 
21   be patient.  Go ahead, Charles.
22                MR. WELLS:  As grandson of 
23   [inaudible] Wells and son of the late Charles 
24   Wells, Senior, I ask for your support.  We have a 
25   great program in place.  We need to set goals for 
0036
 1   our programs.  All of our programs, we see that we 
 2   go so far, but we need to set goals so we can go 
 3   further and achieve those goals so that, we, as 
 4   tribal members, can benefit from the programs.  
 5                We need not to grow bigger 
 6   government, but more effective government.  We 
 7   have a government here that keeps growing and 
 8   growing.  Where does the money come in to pay for 
 9   that government?  I heard earlier about 6 percent 
10   per capita payment.  Where is the money coming 
11   from for that?  We have to look at this.  We have 
12   to grow our government, we have to grow our 
13   casinos, we have to grow our businesses much 
14   bigger.  
15                We look at our brothers, the 
16   Chickasaws and the Choctaws.  They're beating us 
17   out because of their gaming facilities.  We need 
18   to improve our businesses.  We have a lot of 
19   Comanche businesses out there that need growth, 
20   not just casinos, but other businesses that are 
21   Comanche-owned.  I own four businesses.  I work 
22   real hard.  
23                By working with gaming and better 
24   marketing plan for gaming, I think we can achieve 
25   that by getting celebrities into, you know, our 
0037
 1   gaming facilities where we get more people in 
 2   there.  We've got to grow the businesses.  And we 
 3   have Comanche Enterprises, we have economic 
 4   development, and those need to grow.  We need to 
 5   look at businesses.  
 6                We've got homes going in Elgin over 
 7   here that are built by Kiowas.  We should do 
 8   that.  That's part of what we should do.  I'm a 
 9   bit nervous.  We should, as a tribe, do all we can 
10   to provide jobs, education and assistance to our 
11   own members.  By improving government and by 
12   improving our programs, we really need to look at 
13   the future.  
14                And this is something that -- I don't 
15   know whether you listen to the news or not, but 
16   the -- not take care of us.  We need a Comanche 
17   army.  We need something -- when we have a 
18   disaster or something, we need to make sure that 
19   our Comanche people are taken care of.  
20                In closing, I ask for your support.  
21   And I'll be a lightpost to improve these programs 
22   and to continue the work.  
23                (Applause.)
24                MR. BURGESS:  Right on time.  That 
25   was five minutes.  Thank you, Mr. Wells.  
0038
 1                DR. MCCLUNG:  My name is 
 2   Dr. Jacquetta McClung.  I'm anxious to put my 
 3   experience to work for the Comanche people.  I 
 4   have a lot of experience, a lot of education and 
 5   knowledge to do the job, and I believe that I can 
 6   do it very well.  
 7                During my many years of experience, I 
 8   have developed, implemented and managed programs 
 9   in business and education and economic development 
10   and in fund raising.  I have developed research 
11   departments that help to bring in external funding 
12   and I've worked with business people.  I have 
13   worked with staff and with students in helping 
14   them to manage their programs, and to develop 
15   quality improvement plans that monitor how well 
16   they're doing and how well that we can measure 
17   their performance.  
18                Interestingly enough, I was looking 
19   at the booklet that was put out today, and I see 
20   how our college is going to become accredited 
21   under North Central.  I have many years of 
22   experience of being an evaluator on the North 
23   Central team in traveling all over the United 
24   States to colleges, so I was glad to see that.  
25   And in managing programs and in managing 
0039
 1   departments, I have done that in all the areas 
 2   that I've worked in.  
 3                In terms of my education, all of it 
 4   has been in business management and accounting.  I 
 5   have an undergraduate degree in Business from 
 6   Southwestern College.  I have a Master of 
 7   Accounting Degree from University of Oklahoma and 
 8   I have a PhD, a doctorate, in Business 
 9   Administration from the University of Oklahoma.  
10                That education has been very useful 
11   to me.  I'm grateful to the tribe for their 
12   assistance and for the BIA.  In those days, the 
13   BIA would come to campus and visit us and take us 
14   to lunch.  But it was a wonderful learning 
15   experience.  And now I would like to put that 
16   education and that experience to work for the 
17   tribe.  
18                My goal for this job is to respond to 
19   the needs of the Comanche people by increasing how 
20   well we operate our programs.  And I'm not saying 
21   that we don't do a good job now.  I believe that 
22   we're improving every year.  
23                And then the second thing is to 
24   capitalize on the talents of the staff that we 
25   currently have.  I have a good record for 
0040
 1   improvement of employee performance, training and 
 2   development.  Sometimes in our own house, instead 
 3   of sending out on the road, we just do training 
 4   in-house.  So I'm known to improve performance.  
 5                I'm also known to be able to obtain 
 6   funding through the work that I've done in the 
 7   past.  
 8                I am an honest, realistic person.  
 9   I'm a great church worker.  And that actually is 
10   involving managing, so that's good, too.  I have a 
11   great work ethic.  I'm known for working and 
12   working very hard.  
13                So the bible says that we have to 
14   have a mind to work.  Well, that's a desire to 
15   work.  And I have a desire to work for my Comanche 
16   people and I would appreciate your vote.  Thank 
17   you very much.  
18                (Applause.)
19                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
21   I respectfully ask that it's right that Mr. Wells 
22   would have to resign from chairman of the election 
23   board would be -- conflict of chair.
24                MR. BURGESS:  Say that again.
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  He is -- it's 
0041
 1   a conflict of interest for him to be chairman of 
 2   the election board to nomination of tribal 
 3   administrator.
 4                MR. BURGESS:  The election is not 
 5   over.  
 6                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  What I'm 
 7   saying is --
 8                MR. BURGESS:  Maybe he won't make it.
 9                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  He shouldn't 
10   be back there with the election board.  He should 
11   resign with his nomination.
12                (Applause.)
13                MR. BURGESS:  Hold on, hold on.  He's 
14   not standing back there telling people how to 
15   vote.  He's getting in line to vote, too, but I 
16   don't see him -- what's he going to do?  In the 
17   meantime, our vice-chair can handle this.  And he 
18   knows that well enough.  He'll step out of the 
19   way.
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Well, granted, 
21   he still holds a position.  Once you nominate 
22   another position, you are to resign from the 
23   position.
24                MR. BURGESS:  In this constitution, 
25   you're not resigning until the election is over 
0042
 1   with.  Now, you're talking about a gray area that 
 2   we want to define now.  And thank you for coming 
 3   up and making that point, but it's up to the 
 4   people here who want to vote somebody.  So thank 
 5   you very much, but I don't see him as doing 
 6   anything illegal, unethical or immoral about 
 7   standing there, because we're going vote yes or 
 8   no.
 9                It's in the ordinance that we passed 
10   and he's not going to be handling it.  He's 
11   assigned it to someone else.  It's already in the 
12   ordinance, it's taken care of.
13                MR. WELLS:  I'm going to recuse from 
14   this vote.  I will be heading outside.
15                MR. BURGESS:  Actually, Charles, 
16   you're not handling anything, because you have 
17   other board members that can handle it.  All 
18   you've got to do is the ballot.  That's it.
19                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  He still holds 
20   the position.  Once you're nominated, you don't 
21   hold a position anymore.
22                MR. BURGESS:  No, it doesn't say that 
23   in here.  This ordinance specifies how it's done.  
24   He's recused himself.  He's taken himself out of 
25   the process.  So he doesn't hold it until the vote 
0043
 1   is over.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Granted, but 
 3   he is still chairman of the election board.
 4                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Oh, shut up.
 5                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, your point 
 6   is taken.  You may have a seat.  Thank you.
 7                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'm just 
 8   wanting them to know that I have no problem in 
 9   having Mr. Wells run as tribal administrator.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, Candace.  
11   This is Candace Tabenanika.  Thank you.  They 
12   already know the ordinance and they are going by 
13   it.  
14                Next, Johnny Wauqua. 
15                (Applause.)
16                MR. WAUQUA:  Good afternoon.  My name 
17   is Johnny Wauqua -- today, because I know you've 
18   got a lot of other cases you want to take care of 
19   today.  But I have been an employee with the 
20   Comanche Tribe for probably 27 years, and I have 
21   probably served about four-and-a-half years of 
22   that time as the chairman of the Comanche Tribe.  
23   And two of those years, I was the tribal 
24   administrator.  
25                And I think that if a person here 
0044
 1   doesn't know that my work ethics are -- but I know 
 2   that I will work for the employees and will work 
 3   for the Comanche Nation as a whole to accomplish 
 4   the goals that we need to have for the people of 
 5   our tribe.  
 6                At this time, I would like to say to 
 7   the CBC, as I have before, that I have no problem 
 8   working with any guy up there.  All they need to 
 9   do is come to my office -- to take care of the 
10   business that we need for the tribe.  And, again, 
11   I want to thank you.  
12                (Applause.)
13                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, Mr. Wauqua.  
14   Next, Mr. Daniel Robles.  
15                MR. ROBLES:  My name is Daniel 
16   Robles.  I work at Comanche Nation College.  My 
17   mama is Norma Jean [inaudible].  I'm not a public 
18   speaker, so I'm a bit nervous.  I do have my 
19   Bachelor's Degree at Cameron.  I have worked at 
20   other places besides just the tribe.  I've worked 
21   at Armed Vehicles Exchange Service, I've worked at 
22   Tinker Air Force Base, I've worked Offutt Air 
23   Force Base up in Nebraska.  I do have experience 
24   with many companies.  
25                I didn't want to stay here at the 
0045
 1   tribe when I was younger.  I got out so I could 
 2   work and get experience.  I am glad that there are 
 3   so many candidates up here with good 
 4   qualifications.  And I really appreciate your 
 5   vote.  I am honest, I'm dependable and I'm smart.  
 6   I do appreciate your vote, if you vote for me.  
 7   Thank you.  
 8                (Applause.)
 9                MR. BURGESS:  Next, Candace.  
10                MS. TABENANIKA:  Thank you so much.  
11   I'm very happy to be back in our country at 
12   Comanche Nation.  I've been out of our country for 
13   a while.  My father's name was Sid Rivas.  I come 
14   from the Rivas family:  Uncle Mike, Uncle Lewis, 
15   my father, Sid, Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Tommie, Aunt 
16   Elizabeth.  We just have so many members here 
17   within our family that we connect with.  
18   Tabenanika is an old name with the Comanche Tribe.
19                I graduated from Sam Houston State 
20   University in the College of Criminal Justice.  
21   That means I have to have a moral turpitude.  I 
22   have to have honesty and integrity.  And I want us 
23   to expand and grow, not just here, but worldwide.  
24   We are a very smart people.  And someone's been 
25   selling us short for a great number of years.  I 
0046
 1   do not sell any of us short.  
 2                I will expect you to be smarter than 
 3   what most people have thought you were.  You are 
 4   smart.  I worked at the Comanche Nation College 
 5   when my father was terminally ill.  And I had 
 6   student after student that was so impressive to 
 7   me.  And now I have two students that I know of 
 8   that I work with personally with Comanche Nation 
 9   College that have gone on to get their Master of 
10   Arts degree.  That's an amazing accomplishment.  
11                I will be and -- work for you and I 
12   will be here for you.  We are a smart people and I 
13   expect us to not only exceed, but exceed in a way 
14   that other tribes will be looking at us as an 
15   example.
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  What's your 
17   education?  
18                MS. TABENANIKA:  I have a Master's of 
19   Arts Degree and Criminology and Criminal Justice.  
20   Thank you so much.  
21                (Applause.)
22                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  Mr. Nelson, I 
23   assume you have your resume.
24                MR. NELSON:  (Speaks in Native 
25   language) -- Willie Nelson.  What I said was, 
0047
 1   "Hello, my Comanche relatives, my family name."  
 2   You know, it's been a year, 365 days, when Phyllis 
 3   Attocknie nominated me here on this floor.  And I 
 4   made a promise to you people -- you can put that 
 5   up there, Jason.  I made a promise.  These guys up 
 6   here got mad at me, said I made a contract.  
 7   Actually, I made a promise.  
 8                The promise was to get us fiscally 
 9   responsible.  When I got here, there was a 30 
10   percent budget cut.  I don't know of any TA that 
11   had to endure such a thing like that.  We got 
12   through the year, although we had some issues with 
13   bad audits in the past.  That was the past.  
14                Robert Tippeconnie, the one man that 
15   stands with me every day 8:00 to 5:00, 7:00 to 
16   7:00, every day, this man up here has helped me 
17   get this nation fiscally fit again.  Right now, 
18   Comanche Nation, every one of your budgets is 
19   balanced, is balanced, but one, but one.  
20                (Applause.)
21                MR. NELSON:  I cannot come up here 
22   and promise building an empire.  I can't come out 
23   here and promise political favors.  It's business, 
24   business only.  Business prevails.  
25                One thing that our federal funding 
0048
 1   that we had 10 years ago, people, got us through 
 2   as a tribe.  All our federal funding has been 
 3   called high risk.  I'd like to thank Becky from 
 4   Finley & Cook.  She's helped us with our audits.  
 5   Thank you, Becky.  Thank you, Robert Tippeconnie.  
 6   We're fiscally fit.  
 7                I worked 17 years for one company in 
 8   the private sector.  I was a Master Operations 
 9   Manager.  I was entitled to overlook 100 people.  
10   I had a $33 million budget.  I made sure we were 
11   fiscally fit.  
12                This year, with the help of, not me, 
13   it's not me.  It's we.  I see the employees here.  
14   You know, we built faith in each other.  We saved 
15   our nation $3 million this year.  How could we 
16   save us $3 million?  I want this Comanche Nation 
17   to know, we were paying insurance for invisible 
18   vehicles.  We were paying insurance on invisible 
19   buildings.  How does that happen?  No business.  
20                We capitalized every building that we 
21   owned.  What does that mean?  When you capitalize 
22   your building, your insurance rate, what you're 
23   even doing will save you money.  The other thing 
24   we did, we did a full inventory.  We have not had 
25   an inventory in 20 years.  Some of these people 
0049
 1   have not had an evaluation in 15 years.  How do we 
 2   set a benchmark?  You do business.  
 3                Everybody here that I didn't get to 
 4   talk to all year long, you know I came in and the 
 5   chairman -- I see him over there, Chairman Coffey, 
 6   he was here.  You know, I came in.  And it was 
 7   like I seen our nation where we progressed with 
 8   gaming, but now gaming has slipped down.  
 9                One thing I know that's going to be 
10   put on this floor today is us going to a different 
11   Revenue Allocation Plan.  If that happens, you 
12   need a tribal administrator that's fiscally fit 
13   that will adhere to a budget.  And one thing is to 
14   serve the people.  The objective this year, 
15   Mr. Mason, we're going to serve all the Comanche 
16   Nation members with cooperation and passion.  
17                God bless you, I love my Comanche 
18   Nation.  Thank you.  
19                (Applause.)
20                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, ladies and 
21   gentlemen.  
22                MS. JONES:  Mr. Chairman, I've got 
23   something to say.  Don't say no.
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Can we ask a 
25   question?
0050
 1                MS. JONES:  I'm going to read y'all a 
 2   letter here.  "Dear, Mr. Chairman," this letter 
 3   reference -- to me, Francine Jones, Comanche 
 4   Nation.  Due to the fact I have to repay -- 
 5   because I am receiving Comanche Tribal Elder, 
 6   Comanche tribal payment, I have to pay all of that 
 7   to the SSI.  I come to the Comanche Nation at 1 
 8   o'clock to do my business, but I have to wait 
 9   until 5 o'clock to catch a handicap bus back.
10                But once I was sitting there, 
11   Mr. Willie Nelson, and he said, "You're always up 
12   here, you want somebody up here -- always up 
13   here.  We're not going to give you a job."  He 
14   said, "I'll pay you."  You know, he paid me one 
15   time all right.  I got mad.  And he said -- tribal 
16   administrator does not know his position, because 
17   I see him -- when I -- people come in, people down 
18   the hallway when other people keep sitting there 
19   waiting for him, he goes down the hallway and goes 
20   outside the door, comes in here, like that.  
21                There's no tribal business to take 
22   care of like that.  He got somebody shit out of 
23   you -- my mother is going to slap the shit out of 
24   you.  He told me --
25                MR. BURGESS:  Is this pertinent to 
0051
 1   the nominations?  Would you prepare the ballots, 
 2   please, ladies and gentlemen?  
 3                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  First of all, 
 4   I'd like to address the first one Johnny, if 
 5   Johnny has to have a background check, am I right 
 6   or am I wrong? 
 7                MR. BURGESS:  Everybody will go 
 8   through a background check.
 9                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Do they or do 
10   they not have to qualify for the position?  Am I 
11   right or wrong?  Qualified, degree and stuff like 
12   that, true?  They don't have to be qualified? 
13                MR. ASEPERMY:  Nothing in the 
14   constitution on qualification, other than --
15                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  So anyone on 
16   the street can come?  Which we have anyway.  The 
17   second one is, is he going to pay back the money 
18   that he jewed us out of?
19                (Applause.)
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Smoke shop 
21   over there that he opened up with our money and he 
22   is still getting money from the machine.  And 
23   y'all -- 
24                MS. JONES:  Did you see him?  
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Yes.  
0052
 1                MS. JONES:  No, you didn't.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Anyway, it's 
 3   my turn.  I didn't interrupt you, so don't 
 4   interrupt me.  So then Nelson let him rerun -- or 
 5   I'm sorry, God forgive me, they've got the nerve 
 6   to come in here and rerun again after what they 
 7   did to us.  If the old folks knew what they knew 
 8   now, they wouldn't have did what they did.
 9                MR. BURGESS:  It is up for tribal 
10   members here to vote.  Ladies and gentlemen, you 
11   will vote as your heart desires.  Are we ready for 
12   ballots?  
13                MR. ASEPERMY:  Charles, are we ready 
14   to go?  
15                MR. WELLS:  Yes.
16                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  The names 
17   will have a number by each name.  
18                We have a few more announcements.  
19   They're wanting to start working in the Cache area 
20   to start picking up the ice storm wood and as well 
21   over here at West Gore.  
22                Where are you at, Mr. Shumate?  Tell 
23   him -- oh, he is standing up, okay.  Raise your 
24   hand.  Please don't sign that petition.  
25                Bill, you have jobs you're 
0053
 1   announcing; is that right?  We have fliers about 
 2   it, but everybody took one.  Census jobs, 
 3   temporary jobs are going at 13 per hour.  If 
 4   anybody needs a job, you won't be hurting.  All 
 5   you have to do is go knock on a door and write 
 6   down a little bit of information.  You can do it 
 7   for $13 an hour, somewhere around there.  So if 
 8   you got somebody who needs to go to work, if 
 9   you're a mother or father, or grandmother or 
10   grandfather, put your kids to work.  Send them 
11   over to Bill.
12                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, while 
13   we've got a couple of minutes before the polls 
14   close, could you update our people on the debris 
15   cleanup?
16                MR. BURGESS:  As I was stating, our 
17   debris cleanup effort has started.  We've tried to 
18   hire as many of our Comanche people as possible, 
19   and I've been told today there were approximately 
20   36 Comanches that were hired.  And the company 
21   will do the debris hiring.  They're going to start 
22   over on the west side of our area in Cache.  
23                Around Cache, Indiahoma, if you've 
24   called in or not called in, there's a number to 
25   call.  It's also on the Website.  Call the main 
0054
 1   office and they'll transfer you over to the office 
 2   where Liz and Jim are if you need to get debris 
 3   hauled away from the roadway or your house.  
 4                We also are going to help those 
 5   people who are not able to, particularly our 
 6   elders and our infirmed.  If you don't have 
 7   somebody who can pull it out from the backyard 
 8   into your yard, off of the trees, call in and let 
 9   us know.  We want to bring some of our people in 
10   and help with that.  
11                If you can't reach us or you don't 
12   know when we're coming by, we are putting 
13   announcements in the newspaper and on radio 
14   stations what areas we'll be coming to, which are 
15   Cache, Indiahoma, up here at Four-Mile Road, 
16   Paradise Valley, over by Elgin, by Fletcher and 
17   all that.  So call into the main office, let them 
18   know you have wood and debris that needs to be 
19   picked up at the roadway so the debris haulers can 
20   take that away and put it in our pit.
21                How many are from Norman, Oklahoma or 
22   Noble?  I'm sorry, out of our territory.
23                Ladies and gentlemen, I'm told that 
24   everybody's voted.  We have nobody standing in 
25   line.  So the ballots have been marked.  While 
0055
 1   they tabulate that, we'll move onto the next item.
 2                In addition to the census jobs, full-
 3   time and part-time work for all of our folks who 
 4   go someplace come powwow season, a part-time job 
 5   will do you well.  They're testing for these jobs 
 6   at the economic development office over on C 
 7   Street.  Delphine and Bill and the group back 
 8   there, where they work, that's the place to be.  
 9                Did you have a comment, sir, Oscar?
10                MR. CODOPONY:  Mr. Chairman, if we 
11   are ready for the next item of business, I would 
12   like to make a motion to retain Hobbs, Straus, 
13   Dean & Walker as the tribal attorneys.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Second.
15                MR. BURGESS:  I have a vote and a 
16   second to retain Hobbs, Straus Dean & Walker.  We 
17   have a motion and a second.  Call for the 
18   question.  Discussion?  All those in favor signify 
19   by saying "aye."  
20                (Aye.)
21                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
22   "nay."
23                (Nay.)
24                MR. BURGESS:  All those abstain, same 
25   sign.  
0056
 1                Yonevea Terry?  Yonevea Terry?  Do 
 2   you have a ballot that says for and against?  Do 
 3   you have more of those ballots?  All right, ladies 
 4   and gentlemen, we'll go through the -- 
 5                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, I think 
 6   we owe it to Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker to make 
 7   a presentation before the vote.
 8                MR. BURGESS:  Hang on.  They had a 
 9   handout.  They've done a lot of work for us.  They 
10   have saved the nation well over, well over $10 
11   million in fines and assessments.  This work was 
12   done -- I'm going to use this word -- done under 
13   duress.  They came in at the last minute when we 
14   were about to go under and helped us.  If they 
15   want to make a presentation, I'm going to allow 
16   them to do it.  There's nothing wrong with it.  
17   And if you want to revisit this at another time, 
18   that's possible.  
19                Mr. Norman, are you going to be the 
20   spokesman?
21                MR. NORMAN:  Sure.
22                MR. BURGESS:  Let's be respectful.
23                MR. NORMAN:  Good afternoon.  My name 
24   is William Norman.  I'm an attorney for Hobbs, 
25   Straus, Dean & Walker.  I understand there's a lot 
0057
 1   of business you want to get to and you're anxious 
 2   to do that, so I'm not going to take much of your 
 3   time.  
 4                Hopefully you've had an opportunity 
 5   to see our tribal attorney report.  We made them 
 6   available to you.  Hobbs, Straus is a national 
 7   Indian law firm, representing tribes and tribal 
 8   organizations around the country.  
 9                We've had a relationship with the 
10   Comanche Nation for the last several years, and 
11   we've been honored to be able to assist you with 
12   some of your more challenging issues.  I think 
13   with respect to today's vote, I would respectfully 
14   ask that you retain us.  
15                In support of that, I would just 
16   mention that when the time has come for us to 
17   support you in court, or to defend you in court, 
18   or to go to Washington, or to deal with the state 
19   legislature, we've done it and we've done it 
20   successfully, and so our record speaks for 
21   itself.  I would ask for your vote today.  Thank 
22   you.
23                MR. BURGESS:  I'm going to give the 
24   floor here to Mr. Asepermy to make some comments 
25   about this vote.
0058
 1                MR. ASEPERMY:  Hobbs, Straus, Dean & 
 2   Walker:  The Comanche Nation has been sued for 
 3   $227 million; three lawsuits, three IRS 
 4   assessments.  Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker were 
 5   not our attorneys when these lawsuits occurred.  
 6   We hired them, they settled it.  
 7                If we had lost all of the IRS 
 8   assessments and the lawsuits, we would have lost 
 9   $227 million.  Our net profit from the casinos is 
10   $229 million over the same period.  You would have 
11   got a one-time per cap payment of $42.01 if it 
12   wasn't for this group.  This is the truth.  
13                Since we have hired them, we have not 
14   had a lawsuit filed against us that has to do with 
15   the casino or IRS operations.  We paid them, for 
16   governmental services, $465,000 from 1 October to 
17   30 September of 2009.  You take $111,000 of no 
18   charges that they contributed to the nation.  
19                They've kept us out of trouble.  
20   They've kept us from going into contracts that we 
21   went into in the past and got burned bad.  Think 
22   about it.  You vote no on this and you won't have 
23   any legal service.  You will not have an 
24   attorney.  
25                We've got pending lawsuits right 
0059
 1   now.  One of them is we haven't finished this on 
 2   Medicine Bluff.  It is not a finished deal.  Think 
 3   about it.  Think about it.  We pay about 1 1/2 
 4   percent of our budget on our attorneys.  Most 
 5   corporations pay 2 1/2 percent.  
 6                They have been good to us, they have 
 7   kept us out of trouble, they have settled in 
 8   lawsuits.  $227 million they settled for 14 
 9   million.  You could say they saved us $213 
10   million.  Think about it.  Think about what I'm 
11   saying.
12                MR. HENSON:  Can everybody hear me?  
13   I am not -- they have done a very, very good job.  
14   But I have got some figures, preliminary figures, 
15   that we are paying them over $1 million a year.  
16   And I'm not saying that's bad, because what 
17   they've been doing is a good job.  We need to 
18   think about that $1 million a year, what we're 
19   doing.  
20                Couldn't we, with that money -- an 
21   analysis hasn't been done, but could we, with $1 
22   million, create our own legal office?  And at a 
23   much lower price?  There hasn't been an analysis 
24   done on that yet, but if possible, I would like 
25   for this to be tabled or at least put back until 
0060
 1   an analysis could be done.  Because once we 
 2   establish our legal department, our legal could 
 3   handle everything that's here.  Then if we have 
 4   anything big, we could always farm it out to a 
 5   different law firm, if that's what it calls for.  
 6   But an analysis hasn't been done on that, so I'd 
 7   just like to see it made.
 8                MR. ASEPERMY:  I want to add 
 9   something to that.  I don't know where he got his 
10   numbers at.  $1 million dollars, I don't know 
11   where you get that at.  You got anything in black 
12   and white?  I have.  We paid them $465,000 in 
13   government services.  I have the numbers where we 
14   got $111,000 of no charges.  There's four 
15   attorneys here today.  We don't pay for four 
16   attorneys today, we pay for one.  That's some of 
17   their no charges.  Where you got the $1 million 
18   at, Bunky, I have no idea.
19                MR. HENSON:  The $1 million comes 
20   from us paying -- the tribal government itself 
21   paid $400,000, a little over $400,000.  Economic 
22   development paid them about 38,000.  What was that 
23   figure, Bob?  The reason why I say $1 million is 
24   we haven't even figured in what gaming was paying 
25   them.  So I'm thinking -- and I don't know if I'm 
0061
 1   right or not.  I'm just saying an analysis needs 
 2   to be done.  
 3                I can't take a thing away from them.  
 4   They've done a very good job.  But can we put that 
 5   money to better use and make more money with it, 
 6   make more money for the tribe?  I don't know if we 
 7   can or not, but I think that analysis needs to be 
 8   done.
 9                MR. ASEPERMY:  Their legal fees for 
10   the last five months, from 1 October, November, 
11   December, January and February, the first five 
12   months of this fiscal year, is $121,000 for this 
13   fiscal year.  No charges, $10,397.  You won't find 
14   someone who will provide the services that they 
15   provide for that price.  I don't know if it can be 
16   done.  These guys have kept us out of trouble.
17                MR. BURGESS:  Yes, sir?
18                MR. CODOPONY:  For those of you who 
19   don't know me, I failed to introduce myself a 
20   moment ago.  I am Oscar Codopony.  I am chairman 
21   of the Comanche Nation Gaming Commission.  
22                The vice-chairman alluded to a figure 
23   on what gaming pays the attorneys.  We do have 
24   Hobbs, Straus.  We retain them as the gaming 
25   commission attorneys.  And for professional 
0062
 1   services, we budgeted last year -- it's not just 
 2   attorneys, it's attorneys, auditors, even a court 
 3   reporter who sits behind and also does the minutes 
 4   for our meetings -- we budgeted $138,000 for all 
 5   of those services.  Legal fees are a lion's share 
 6   of that, but they are not by any means -- 
 7                So, again, if you want to say 
 8   Comanche Nation has paid Hobbs, Straus an amount 
 9   more than Mr. Asepermy has reported, in our case 
10   it's probably somewhere between 100 and $110,000.  
11                But, again, that added to the 
12   governmental amount doesn't come close to $1 
13   million.  But there are other entities that Hobbs, 
14   Straus represents.  And the other entities, such 
15   as this, such as the gaming commission, we have 
16   analyzed -- at least in the case of gaming 
17   commission, we have analyzed other attorneys and 
18   taken a look at what it would take to satisfy the 
19   needs of the gaming commission in the legal -- not 
20   just legal representatives, but well represented.  
21   And in the case of the gaming commission, we 
22   decided Hobbs, Straus.  
23                There was a previous firm that 
24   represented the operating board for a short period 
25   of time, and there was no -- there was no mention 
0063
 1   of that firm's representation being denied.  So, 
 2   again, there are -- based upon -- there are some 
 3   instances other commissions within the tribe have 
 4   selected separate firms at times to do work for 
 5   them.  But I believe what we're talking about 
 6   here, Mr. Chairman, is representation of the 
 7   governmental body, and again I would ask that you 
 8   call the vote on the motion I made.
 9                MR. BURGESS:  A point of 
10   information.  Mr. Henson here has the microphone.
11                MR. HENSON:  I got some figures here 
12   according to Hobbs, Straus, Dean.  On 10-08 -- 
13   10-1-08 through 9-30-09, we paid, from the 
14   Children's Court, Indian Child Welfare, complex 
15   operations, legal fees, and museum, plus 
16   administration, $500,863.39.  Then on the general 
17   fund, revolving loan and Comanche Nation College, 
18   we paid $240,699.99.  Now, I'm not saying that we 
19   don't need these attorneys.  I want you to 
20   understand that.  They've done a good job for us.  
21                But what I am saying is that an 
22   analysis needs to be done.  Is it possible, with 
23   that kind of money, that we establish our own 
24   legal office?  And I think what we need to do is 
25   do an analysis on it and bring it back to you, and 
0064
 1   then you can make up your mind what you need to 
 2   do.
 3                MR. ASEPERMY:  If we had these 
 4   attorneys when lawsuits 49 LLC, lawsuit CDST, and 
 5   lawsuit CDST II came about, we wouldn't have been 
 6   sued, because they do our contractual review.  I 
 7   guarantee you there wouldn't have been a lawsuit.  
 8   One lawsuit we got sued for $100,000 -- I mean 
 9   $100 million.  We got sued for $104 million 
10   because of these contracts.  They review all of 
11   our contracts.  They had to come in and clean this 
12   up.
13                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Who was your 
14   chairman then?  
15                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Call for the 
16   question.
17                MR. ASEPERMY:  It was the attorneys 
18   -- the attorneys have kept us out of trouble.  You 
19   know, I don't know if you get it or not.  
20                MR. BURGESS:  Hang on, call for the 
21   question.  
22                So in total, just to recap, the total 
23   amount of moneys in two years, up to April now, 
24   that we have paid them is $704,000 plus change.  
25   It's under a million dollars.  That's two years' 
0065
 1   operational costs.  And right now, at this time, 
 2   this payment is less than half of what last year 
 3   would have been.  They have done a lot for us and 
 4   now we're going to tell you to get up and go get 
 5   your ballots.  You can either mark the ballot for 
 6   or mark the ballot against.
 7                MR. ASEPERMY:  If you vote no, we 
 8   will not have legal -- we won't have it.  
 9                MR. BURGESS:  If you vote no, we 
10   won't have legal representation, so we still have 
11   to go through the process of having RFPs put out, 
12   letters of intent, and that takes a while.  So, 
13   please, in an orderly fashion, go to the side, 
14   receive a ballot and mark it for or against.  
15                Ladies and gentlemen, the polls are 
16   closed.  We're going to ask that the election 
17   board come forward with the results of the voting.
18                Ladies and gentlemen, in the 
19   selection to hire the tribal administrator, the 
20   two top vote-getters were Number 3, Mr. Johnny 
21   Wauqua, and Number 6, Mr. Willie Nelson.  And so, 
22   again, we're going to ask you all to get your 
23   ballots, mark them for -- no, new ballots, Number 
24   1 and Number 2?  How do you do that?  
25                MR. WELLS:  1 and 2.
0066
 1                MR. BURGESS:  1 and 2.  So we'll 
 2   identify Mr. Wauqua as Number 1 because of the 
 3   order.  Is that --
 4                MR. WELLS:  Right.
 5                MR. BURGESS:  Okay.  And to vote -- 
 6   hang on, no, hold your places -- the vote for 
 7   Mr. Nelson will be Number 2 on the ballot.  
 8   Mr. Wauqua will be Number 1 vote.  Mr. Willie 
 9   Nelson will be Number 2 on the ballot.  
10                The count on our tribal 
11   administrator, the first vote, Mr. Wells, was 37.  
12   Ms. McClung was 55, Mr. Wauqua was 180, Mr. Robles 
13   was 66 and Ms. Tabenanika was 44 and Mr. Nelson 
14   was 146.  Top two vote-getters will be the runoff.
15                Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to 
16   Hobbs Strauss attorney vote.  We have 8 members 
17   who abstained, 97 members who voted against, and 
18   we had 296 who voted to retain.  
19                (Applause.)
20                MR. ASEPERMY:  Last call for the 
21   polls.
22                MR. BURGESS:  Ladies and Gentlemen, 
23   we're going to let the people vote, but we're 
24   going to move forward with the agenda, then we'll 
25   stop when we get the results.  
0067
 1                The tribal attorneys have been 
 2   retained by a vote of 296 to 97 with 8 
 3   abstentions; that's a 74 percent vote in 
 4   confidence of their work.  Thank you.  
 5                Now, Opal came up and said that she 
 6   would defer to Milton Sovo.  In the meantime, 
 7   Mr. Yackeyonny, Keith, did you want to take the 
 8   microphone?  We're moving into the next agenda 
 9   item.  I guess the elders have talked to you?  
10                MR. YACKEYONNY:  Mr. Chairman, I want 
11   to thank everybody for staying as long as they 
12   have.  Obviously, our tribe has grown, so we can't 
13   transact all our business in one afternoon.  And I 
14   would make -- to ask the tribal council if we can 
15   recess this tribal council for 30 days, so that we 
16   can get back to the sensitive issues that are 
17   important.  
18                And that because we're losing our 
19   quorum -- and these issues are very important 
20   to -- every item that's up there -- to write to 
21   the chairman to get on the agenda.  But more 
22   importantly, we have our tribal budget that is at 
23   the end of the agenda that is very important.  I 
24   just feel, Mr. Chairman, at this time, that it 
25   would be in the best interest of the Nation that 
0068
 1   we could recess for 30 days and come back at an 
 2   earlier time.  
 3                Because this meeting has to start at 
 4   1:30, but we can recess this meeting and come back 
 5   earlier and transact our business and get it 
 6   done.  So, Mr. Chairman, that is my motion that we 
 7   recess the General Council for 30 days.
 8                MR. ASEPERMY:  Keith, do you have a 
 9   date in mind?  
10                MR. YACKEYONNY:  In 30 days.
11                MR. BURGESS:  That would May 15th, 
12   that's in excess of 30 days, but that's a 
13   Saturday.  That's also on --
14                MR. ASEPERMY:  It's voting -- 
15                MR. YACKEYONNY:  We can have it 
16   within 30 days.  It doesn't have to be 30 days.  
17   Within 30 days.  It could be two weeks from now.
18                MR. BURGESS:  May 1st?  
19                (Audience shouting "No".)
20                MR. BURGESS:  Hold on, we're in 
21   discussions.  We'll take some comments.  
22                MR. YACKEYONNY:  A motion has been 
23   made, there's a second -- that's what we're here 
24   for.
25                MR. BURGESS:  So there's time for 
0069
 1   discussion.  We have a second.
 2                Need to come to the microphone, 
 3   please.  
 4                MS. AITSON:  I don't see any reason 
 5   why we have to do this in 30 days.  This is just 
 6   my opinion.  But because we have waited for so 
 7   long to do this, and we're losing our quorum 
 8   anyway, and we probably won't get this many people 
 9   in 30 days to come to another meeting.  That's my 
10   opinion.
11                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  We're 
12   looking at May 1st, first Saturday of May.
13                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Did we not 
14   just have a vote to have 200-something against 
15   97-something?  I think we still have our quorum.  
16   And I feel like for our Indian people, that this 
17   is important enough for us to do it and do it 
18   today.  I think we should do it today.  
19                (Applause.)
20                MR. ASEPERMY:  Call for the question.
21                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Call for the 
22   question.
23                MR. BURGESS:  Call for the question 
24   has been made.  We're going to vote first.  If 
25   it's too close, then we'll do it by ballot.  All 
0070
 1   those in favor of recessing to May 1st, say "Aye."
 2                (Aye.)
 3                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
 4   "nay."  
 5                (Nay.)
 6                MR. BURGESS:  The "nays" have it.  
 7   We're going to pass the hats out here to order 
 8   supper.  Some of you people -- we've got some 
 9   people here that need some food.  So at this point 
10   in time, if we take up a collection.  Not 
11   everybody likes pizza.  I don't know what we can 
12   do.  It's already 5:30.  
13                So now we're going to move forward.  
14   You said you want -- now, here's the rules:  You 
15   have three minutes for presentation, two to three 
16   minutes for question and answer.  You voted to 
17   continue.  At the conclusion of our results from 
18   this last vote and maybe -- we're going to take a 
19   vote for a quorum.  
20                I'm going to ask that those of you 
21   that are going to stay, stay in your seats, if you 
22   can.  But when it looks like we're losing a 
23   quorum, we'll call for a vote of the quorum.
24                The announcement on tribal 
25   administrator by electronic ballot, Johnny Wauqua, 
0071
 1   219, Mr. Willie Nelson, 220.  
 2                (Applause.)
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you to all the 
 4   candidates.  You did a swell job.  We appreciate 
 5   it.  You have a staff meeting with me at 7 o'clock 
 6   Monday morning.  
 7                MR. SOVO:  Mr. Chairman, this 
 8   question has come to the business committee and 
 9   not been answered; therefore, I move that we adopt 
10   this resolution.  And I will read it to the tribal 
11   council and see what we do.  This concerns our 
12   cultural events and our cultural representatives 
13   for the tribe.  
14                "Whereas, the Comanche Nation is a 
15   federally recognized Indian Tribe with a 
16   Constitution approved by the Secretary of the 
17   Interior on January 9, 1967, to safeguard Tribal 
18   rights, powers, and privileges to improve the 
19   economic, moral, education and health status of 
20   its members; and
21                "Whereas, tradition of sovereignty of 
22   the Comanche Nation since time immemorial long 
23   predates the existence of the Tribe, establishes 
24   the inherent sovereign powers and rights of the 
25   Comanche Nation self-government; and
0072
 1                "Whereas, the Comanche Nation Tribal 
 2   Council is the supreme governing body, acting for 
 3   and on behalf of the Comanche Nation; and
 4                "Whereas, the Comanche Nation Tribal 
 5   Council is concerned about safeguarding and 
 6   protecting their Cultural, Businesses, tribal  
 7   Enterprises, Lands, Environmental and Tribal 
 8   Natural Resources; and
 9                "Whereas, the Comanche Nation has a 
10   Tribal Director and Tribal Princess, who represent 
11   and preserve Traditions and Culture of the 
12   Comanche Nation at various events and a Tribal Jr. 
13   Princess to help the Tribal Princess; and
14                "Whereas, the Comanche Nation has not 
15   elected a Tribal Director and Tribal Princess in 
16   2010; and the princess appointment of April 3, 
17   2010 be declared null and void immediately; the 
18   Tribal funds ($1,100.00) be paid back to the 
19   Comanche Nation; and 
20                "Whereas, the Comanche Tribal Council 
21   desires the Tribal Director be elected this day, 
22   at this meeting; and an election date of thirty 
23   days from this day be set to elect a Tribal 
24   Princess for 2010; and
25                "Now therefore be it further 
0073
 1   resolved, that the Comanche Nation Tribal Council 
 2   do here use its Sovereign Authority and sets its 
 3   election process for above said Tribal Cultural 
 4   Representative as follows:  An election on the 
 5   last Saturday of Comanche Nation Fair.  Director, 
 6   end of each three-year term.  Princess and Junior 
 7   Miss Princess, each year.  Voting poll opened, 
 8   closed and votes counted by Comanche Nation 
 9   Election Board and tribal director, as an 
10   observer.
11                "Part C, "Comanche Nation Tribal 
12   Director will be accountable to and under the 
13   authority of Comanche Business Committee and 
14   Tribal Council.  Will be a Comanche Nation Tribal 
15   member in good standing, 28 years of age or older, 
16   not convicted of felony, nor a pedophile.  Tribal 
17   director will serve a three-year term.  Term 
18   starts January 1 following the year elected.
19                "The election process to begin 
20   following the term of elected director this date.  
21   Comanche Nation Princess, Tribal Princess, will be 
22   the Comanche Nation Tribal member in good standing 
23   17 years to 25 years of age at the date of filing 
24   application.  Will reign from one year, pass her 
25   crown to the elected princess the last Sunday of 
0074
 1   the Comanche Nation Fair.
 2                "Term beginning one month following 
 3   the Comanche Nation Fair election.  The election 
 4   process will begin with 2011 Comanche Nation 
 5   Fair.  Comanche Nation Jr. Princess, Tribal Jr. 
 6   Princess, will be a helper to represent the 
 7   Comanche Nation with and/or in the absence of the 
 8   Tribal Princess; she will not supersede the Tribal 
 9   Princess; but in the event she is unable to 
10   complete her reign, Jr. Miss may be asked to carry 
11   out this duty until princess is elected.
12                "And shall be a Comanche Nation 
13   Tribal member in good standing, 13 years to 16 
14   years of age at filing of application.  Will reign 
15   one year, pass her crown to the newly-elected 
16   princess the last Sunday of the Comanche Nation 
17   Fair.  Terms begin one month following the 
18   Comanche Nation Fair election.  The election 
19   process will begin with the 2010 Comanche Nation 
20   fair.
21                "Be it further resolved that this 
22   resolution supersede all actions taken prior to 
23   this Resolution and the Comanche Nation Tribal 
24   Council do approve and adopt this Resolution for 
25   such intent.
0075
 1                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'd like to 
 2   say -- and I second this.  Basically, what we're 
 3   asking of our Comanche Nation Tribal Council is to 
 4   allow the young ladies to have an election and let 
 5   the people vote on it
 6                (Applause.)
 7                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  My name is 
 8   (inaudible) and I second this.  Basically, what 
 9   we're asking of our Comanche Nation Tribal Council 
10   is to allow the young lady to have an election and 
11   let the people vote.  
12                MS. GILES:  My name is Beth Giles.  
13   And by the people who came on up -- before the 
14   fair last year and voted me in as director, I have 
15   done nothing wrong since I have been a director.  
16   I chose in front of the committee, because they 
17   asked me, I chose to select the princess.  Because 
18   I believe that by putting a ballot out there, that 
19   it's not fair to those girls that have small 
20   families.  
21                Families that they don't have good 
22   family.  So the bigger families get up there and 
23   let these girls in there.  Those smaller girls, 
24   those other girls don't have a chance, so how fair 
25   is that to them?  It's not fair to those other 
0076
 1   girls that have big families.  I am not doing 
 2   anything wrong by selecting a princess.
 3                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Who's the 
 4   princess?  
 5                MS. GILES:  The princess is --
 6                MR. BURGESS:  Keep your comments 
 7   calm, fair.  Be kind.  
 8                MS. GILES:  We ran two years.
 9                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  And lost.  
10                MS. GILES:  My daughter is Comanche 
11   Princess, only because when I was selected as 
12   director, when I became -- I asked her, "Do you 
13   want to be?"  It's her dream to be princess.  "Is 
14   it still?"  She said, "Let me think about it."  
15   During Walters, during Walters, I was approached 
16   by a man who has a daughter, also, who would have 
17   never been princess because she knew the families 
18   that had had -- they've had past directorship 
19   between those families back and forth, because no 
20   one else out there knew that you could run for 
21   director.  
22                Because I asked people -- I was 
23   called and said, the last day of being able to be 
24   a director, to put your name in the hat to be a 
25   director.  I was called and they said, "This is 
0077
 1   what you do.  You go to the chairman, you get a 
 2   letter stating that you're in good standing with 
 3   the tribe.  You, yourself, write a letter of 
 4   intent why you want to be director."
 5                And $50 nonrefundable.  Any one of 
 6   you in this room can also do the same.  I 
 7   understood that a lot of people don't know this.  
 8   The only reason I am here today -- because I 
 9   didn't know this.  I would have ran for director a 
10   long time ago.  Because there are people that 
11   don't have big families.  And these girls are all, 
12   every one of them, should be a princess.  
13                But any one of them, I don't care 
14   whose family you're from, they should all have 
15   that chance.  They should all be a princess.
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Then let them 
17   run fairly.  
18                MS. GILES:  Not because they come 
19   from a big family, not because they come from a 
20   small family, because they want to be, they want 
21   to represent, too.  And I have no hard feelings to 
22   no one.  
23                MR. BURGESS:  One more second, Beth, 
24   and we'll let someone else.
25                MS. GILES:  I understand when I 
0078
 1   became director, the princess sorority stood 
 2   behind me because they did not want voting for the 
 3   princesses during the Comanche Nation Fair.  They 
 4   thought that it was too big of a thing out there, 
 5   people didn't know about the voting, or it was 
 6   just -- it wasn't about the princess, it was about 
 7   the carnival, it was about the horse races, the 
 8   bull rides, and everything else.  It wasn't about 
 9   the princess.  
10                You vote the princesses in by April.  
11   It gives them time from April to August to show 
12   both these girls during the week of the fair.  All 
13   these tribes, 17 tribes, go to the Indian Fair.  
14   The Indian Fair is because of those princesses.  
15   They come to that fair.  They're all there.  They 
16   represent their tribes.  They participate between 
17   themselves to be the Ms. Indian Exposition 
18   Princess.  
19                People, I'm not mean.  I am not 
20   ugly.  I have no comebacks to people who come up 
21   to me and be ugly to me.  I don't know how to be 
22   that way.  I'm here because I believe all those 
23   girls should be princesses.  I don't care where 
24   the families they come from.  Because, honestly, I 
25   don't know some of y'all.  I don't know if you're 
0079
 1   related to me.  I'm going to give every one of 
 2   those girls a chance.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Ms. Giles, thank you 
 4   very much.
 5                MS. GILES:  I think it should be kept 
 6   the way.  It's been -- over 70-something years, 
 7   it's been that way.  Why change things that has 
 8   been going good for all those times?  There's no 
 9   reason to change it.  The princesses -- it would 
10   make them nothing.
11                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, Beth.  We're 
12   going to let these two ladies speak, and that's 
13   it.
14                MS. COOSEWOON:  You know, it's good 
15   to see everybody here today.  And I am related to 
16   most everybody here.  And I don't know -- a lot of 
17   you all don't know my children.  And I really feel 
18   heartsick and heartbroken about the way that the 
19   last two, three years that my daughter has been 
20   treated.  And I've never said anything.  I'm not 
21   going to be rude or mean because that's not my 
22   nature.  
23                My daughter, my grandson are here.  
24   My sons and my daughters -- you all know my sons.  
25   Any time you see them anywhere, they've always 
0080
 1   been nice to everybody.  They have no reason to 
 2   have to quarrel with anybody.  And they're not 
 3   fighting over anything.  The only reason my 
 4   daughter is here today is to stand her ground.  
 5   Because what she's been doing this last year, as 
 6   the director of the Expo Princess, she's gone to 
 7   every one of their meetings at the expo boards.  
 8                They have told her a bunch of things 
 9   that have gone on, all the disruptions and all the 
10   bad things that went on before she got in there 
11   about the mismanagement of the monies, why 
12   everything went bad over there.  I can tell you 
13   stories.  And Ms. McBride in Anadarko can tell you 
14   a good story about way before Bethany got in here 
15   there was so much bad things going on with the 
16   monies and the mismanagement.  
17                And I can tell you one thing, the 
18   previous director did not meet her obligations to 
19   that.  I was at the meeting.  I've been going to 
20   these fair board meetings, too.  And I'm sitting 
21   and listening.  I'm Apache Tribe -- when the boys 
22   aren't there, I'm sitting in for them.  And I'm at 
23   those fair board meetings and I'm hearing all 
24   these things.  
25                Bethany has been -- she's been 
0081
 1   helping support.  People go out and solicit for 
 2   funds for the expo.  They're just now getting on 
 3   their feet.  Because at one time -- and I'm not 
 4   going to name names -- there was a tribal member 
 5   here that did not take care of the bills up there 
 6   and that fair board -- go down because it left 
 7   them in a big debt.  We left them $10,000 debt.  
 8                I'll let you -- y'all need to know 
 9   this, because the tribal members, this fair has 
10   gone down because of mismanagement of funds.  And 
11   it was our tribal member that did it.  And I'm not 
12   going to name names, but I'm going to say my 
13   daughter has -- 
14                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.
15                MS. COOSEWOON:  -- done nothing but 
16   good.  And the last two years that she ran, they 
17   have taken her posters down every time she'd try, 
18   her daughter's.  Someone was going behind her 
19   tearing her posters off the wall.  That's not good 
20   leadership.  My granddaughter has never done 
21   anything but be nice to everybody.  
22                She rides in the parades and 
23   represents you all.  She loves all the Comanche 
24   people.  You've seen her on horseback everywhere 
25   she's gone, and my grandson.  They represent this 
0082
 1   tribe.  So what is wrong?  She had good character, 
 2   she has regalia.  And that's -- 
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Ms. Coosewoon.
 4                MS. COOSEWOON:  -- what it's supposed 
 5   to be.  She's not out there hollering and 
 6   screaming at people.
 7                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.
 8                MS. MILLER:  My name is Jody Miller, 
 9   and I at one time was the secretary for the 
10   American Indian Exposition, which is, in itself, a 
11   different entity from the Comanche Tribe and has 
12   always been.  So the Comanche Princess -- the 
13   Comanche Nation Princess, now what I understand, 
14   is included with the exposition.  That is wrong.  
15   That is wrong.  
16                Because the American Indian 
17   Exposition has its own princess, and it has been 
18   having their own princesses for years.  They have 
19   their own charter, everything.  So it's totally 
20   different from the Comanche Nation Fair that has 
21   been going on.
22                MR. CAMARENA:  I've got a question 
23   for you.  Why all the sudden did it change?  
24                MS. MILLER:  Go ahead.
25                MR. CAMARENA:  Why is it now that my 
0083
 1   mom is in there, that now all these changes come 
 2   up.  This is not -- 
 3                MS. MILLER:  That's because, where 
 4   the director was, wanted to include the -- 
 5                MR. CAMARENA:  It's different now 
 6   that my mom is director.
 7                MS. MILLER:  No, it has nothing to do 
 8   with your mother.  No, no, sir.  No, it has 
 9   nothing to do with your mother.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Civil, let's keep it 
11   civil.  Thank you.
12                MR. MILLER:  So it's two different 
13   entities that know -- thank you.  It's all I can 
14   say.  
15                (Applause.)
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  The only thing 
17   I have to say is that I must disagree.  And I 
18   think that we should be able to vote on who's 
19   going to represent us.  It should not be 
20   appointed, especially a mother vote and say let my 
21   daughter.  That's wrong.  I don't care what 
22   anybody says.  
23                (Applause.)
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  If somebody is 
25   going to represent me, I want to be able to have a 
0084
 1   say-so.  Thank you.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.
 3                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I wanted to 
 4   run for tribal director, also.  But come to find 
 5   out, they only put it in the Anadarko paper.  It 
 6   wasn't notified, wasn't put in Lawton paper.  I 
 7   never -- in the Lawton Comanche area.  They was 
 8   less than -- so I think that was very unfair.  I 
 9   lost my chance.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  One more.
11                MR. BRAD WAUQUA:  My name is Brad 
12   Wauqua.  I don't know about you, but the Indian 
13   Exposition is different from the tribe.  She can 
14   do what she wants to.  Because like our chairman 
15   up here, he can do anything he wants to, too.  He 
16   don't need to represent anybody.  If you don't 
17   like what's going on, if she gets ready to run 
18   again, put her out.  
19                If you like her, stand by her.  
20   Because she's in there to do something -- support 
21   or not support.  Be happy whoever you've got in 
22   there.  At least it's Comanche you've got in 
23   there.  What's the bitch about?  
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Thank you.
25                MR. WAUQUA:  Thank you 
0085
 1                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, Brad.
 2                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, I would 
 3   like to hear from Laura Jones, a former princess; 
 4   and Darlene Joyce Codopony Matthews.  They are 
 5   both members, officers with the sorority.  
 6                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I'd like to 
 7   have a clarification.  If it's all about changing 
 8   anything, we are just saying you, our people -- 
 9   since they didn't find an answer with the 
10   committee, we're bringing it to our people because 
11   this is our meeting.  We're not changing 
12   anything.  We've always voted in the past.  Not 
13   changing anything.  
14                All we're saying is, give these girls 
15   a chance -- their fliers out and let's vote on 
16   it.  But it's for you to decide here today.  Not 
17   one person, all of us, decide.  And I call for the 
18   question.
19                MR. BURGESS:  -- then we'll call for 
20   the question. 
21                MS. JONES:  My question is:  What do 
22   you want me to speak on?    
23                MR. ASEPERMY:  Do we speak to the 
24   expo rules, like it is now, or do we address 
25   the resolution?
0086
 1                MS. JONES:  Okay.  We -- close to 75 
 2   years, the Comanche Nation has elected a princess 
 3   to represent them actively in its position.  This 
 4   is not -- and -- selected or elected for same 
 5   manner.  Way back when, like I say, 1954 when I 
 6   was princess, it was great for me to sign up with 
 7   the Comanche Tribe and gather $10 for our 
 8   appearance during the pageant.  And the pageant 
 9   was a -- we were tickled to death to receive that 
10   $10.  I feel like, now, it has come to money.  
11   People are just bound and determined to get Ahold 
12   of authority because of the money.  
13                Way back when, we were supposed to 
14   have our own regalia and appear.  It didn't matter 
15   if we didn't have the money, it was up to our 
16   family to meet the responsibility.  They did, 
17   gladly.  And we, thankfully, appreciate our 
18   families for doing this for us.  There's nothing 
19   wrong with this way.  It's been done forever, and 
20   it's good.  
21                Now, there have been a few things 
22   that have gone awry, but on the whole, it is 
23   good.  I don't see any need for any changes.  You 
24   have the ability to go to Anadarko, present your 
25   $50 to run for whatever office you're putting at, 
0087
 1   except the board, they have to pay $100.  And I 
 2   have done that, too.  
 3                But you have the opportunity to do 
 4   this; and if you don't, that's your fault.  You 
 5   should put in your hat, put your money in to back 
 6   up your effort to do this and wait for the 
 7   results.  Now, it doesn't matter how many voted.  
 8   The majority vote goes to whoever has the most 
 9   votes.  I feel like there's no need to change 
10   this.  It's still good, and we need to continue.
11                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  
12   Ms. Matthews, another former Princess.
13                MS. MATTHEWS:  Hello, everybody.  My 
14   name is Joyce Matthews, and I represented all of 
15   you in 1961.  If it's broken, fix it.  If it's not 
16   broken, leave it alone, is my motto.  Bethany was 
17   elected by a majority of the Comanche people.  She 
18   went before the board, paid her money, she was 
19   elected.  If it's not broken, don't fix it.  
20                Personally speaking, and these 
21   gentlemen up here have heard me say this two 
22   times, if you have more than one princess running, 
23   have an election.
24                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Thank you.  
25                MS. MATTHEWS:  -- heard me say it.  
0088
 1   I've told each one of you this and met with you 
 2   twice last year.  There should be an election if 
 3   there's more than one princess running.  
 4   Unfortunately, that's my personal opinion.  So 
 5   what do we do now?  Bethany was duly elected by 
 6   the Comanche majority.  It's up to you to decide 
 7   what to do.
 8                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.
 9                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, 
10   according to the American Indian Expo by-laws, the 
11   director is elected at Anadarko and has done so 
12   for the last 70-plus years.  The by-laws, also, 
13   say that the director can select her princess for 
14   the nation or the director can have an election.  
15   So Beth chose to select our Numunu princess this 
16   year.  
17                I'm not going to say I agree or 
18   disagree.  I'm just saying Beth did not violate 
19   the by-laws of the expo.  And that's how we've 
20   been doing this for the last 75 years or so.  She 
21   didn't break any laws, she didn't do anything 
22   illegal.  She had the option.  So is this 
23   resolution that Mr. Sovo presented, I told you all 
24   that --
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Call for the 
0089
 1   question.
 2                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Call for the 
 3   question.
 4                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Let's vote.  
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I don't really 
 6   believe that Bethany has done anything wrong at 
 7   all, because in 1955 Phil Attocknie was the 
 8   Director of the Comanche Tribe, and I was selected 
 9   to be Comanche Princess in 1955.  But I was in 
10   love, I chose to get married before the fair came 
11   around.  And Mirian Numuni [phonetic] was the next 
12   one in line, so she served in 1955 to be 
13   princess.  
14                So as time goes, you know, on, it has 
15   been done that way, years and years past.  You 
16   know, they cancel, they have an election.  So I 
17   don't feel like she has done anything wrong.  
18   Thank you.
19                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  Motion 
20   made, a call for the question here.  
21                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  Could you, one more 
22   time -- what exactly is the motion that you want 
23   presented before the General Council?  
24                MR. SOVO:  I was not saying anybody 
25   was wrong.  I was just putting forth a question to 
0090
 1   the general council as to how they wanted to do 
 2   the director and their princess and their junior 
 3   miss.  That's the question.
 4                MR. BURGESS:  They presented to 
 5   us -- they presented to us a resolution; however, 
 6   each of us have read this resolution.  There's 
 7   some items in here that bear further discussion; 
 8   reimbursing the funds, immediate election -- and 
 9   election, who they report to, accountability, the 
10   age ranges.  We talked among ourselves and we're 
11   not totally in sync with the age ranges.  But I 
12   think it bears further discussion, even though you 
13   called for the question.
14                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, could 
15   you read the "Now, therefore," on the resolution.
16                MR. BURGESS:  It says, "Now, 
17   therefore be it resolved, that the Comanche Nation 
18   Tribal Council do here use its Sovereign Authority 
19   and sets its election for above said Tribal 
20   Council Cultural Representatives, as follows."  
21   That is what this resolution entails.  I 
22   believe -- I see three of us saw the sixth and 
23   seventh "Whereas," we believe it bears further 
24   discussion.  We're not here to hurt our children, 
25   first off.
0091
 1                MR. HENSON:  That's right.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  Some are going to get 
 3   hurt and some are not.  And there's a call for the 
 4   question.  Is that what you -- 
 5                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  As a tribal 
 6   member -- when you published one of the newspapers 
 7   back in February, March, I believe, there was an 
 8   ad in the paper that said if you would like to run 
 9   for Comanche Tribal Princess, turn your name into, 
10   and it gave whoever the point of contact was.  
11   However, I understood that there were several 
12   girls going to run and our tribal director would 
13   not take the applications. 
14                Now, I don't think it's fair to these 
15   girls that we don't have an election to give them 
16   a chance, whether they come from a small family or 
17   a large family.  Like Rita said, we're all 
18   related.  It's who gets out and votes for them, 
19   and says, yes, I want this girl to represent me as 
20   a tribal member.  And if you don't get your 
21   supporters out, that's not our fault.  It's the 
22   election.  
23                But every girl within the age has a 
24   right to run.  We're asking the general council to 
25   put this on, give us a vote, let us vote for it, 
0092
 1   let it be in the laws that says this is how we 
 2   handle our princess.  Not what we did yesterday, 
 3   not what was -- but now.  Let's settle it, let's 
 4   do it, vote for it; and if we don't change -- they 
 5   don't pass it, we don't pass it.  
 6                If everybody here says, yes, this is 
 7   what we want to do, then this is what we do.  It's 
 8   the general council's decision.  Let us decide and 
 9   move on to other things on the column.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  
11                (Applause.)
12                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I just wanted 
13   y'all to know there were four ladies that put 
14   their name in, and those are two of them.
15                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  A couple of 
16   months ago, me and my family were talking about 
17   running, and we started a fundraiser and we paid 
18   $4,000.  I gave up soccer, I gave up softball, I 
19   gave up so many other school activities to run for 
20   the Comanche Nation Princess and to represent 
21   every one of you guys.  
22                And for her to tell our family that 
23   she was -- election, then she went and chose her 
24   daughter.  I just think that's not right.
25                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  
0093
 1                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  That's all I 
 2   have to say.
 3                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  
 4                (Applause.)
 5                MR. BURGESS:  Ladies and gentlemen, 
 6   we have a call for the question; however, what's 
 7   the count?  
 8                MR. CAMARENA:  Can I say one thing?  
 9                MR. BURGESS:  You have one minute.
10                MR. CAMARENA:  I've got one minute?  
11   I've got one minute, okay.  My mother didn't put 
12   that in the paper.  Willie Nelson put that in the 
13   paper after my mother already said who was going 
14   to be the Comanche Princess.  It was Willie Nelson 
15   that went and set that out there, not my mother, 
16   just to clear her up on that deal, okay?  So 
17   that's what it is.
18                MR. BURGESS:  What we're looking for 
19   is our head count, make sure we have a quorum 
20   here.  158.
21                MR. WELLS:  We have a quorum.
22                MR. BURGESS:  We have a quorum.  Call  
23   for the question, get your ballots out.  Tribal 
24   council will vote on this.
25                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Can we just 
0094
 1   raise our hand?  
 2                MR. BURGESS:  The ballots are for and 
 3   against, correct?  If you're for this resolution, 
 4   you mark your ballot "for."  If you're against 
 5   this resolution, you mark your ballot "against."
 6                MR. ASEPERMY:  I know you haven't 
 7   read the resolution, but I will -- it's a two-page 
 8   resolution.  If you want to look at it, I'll set a 
 9   couple up over there, so you can --
10                Item Number B.  Is Bert Weryavah 
11   here?  
12                Item Number C, Madeline Spicer, the 
13   audits?  
14                MS. SPICER:  Mr. Chairman, my name is 
15   Madeline Spicer, from Indiahoma, and I have a 
16   question about the audits.  I do believe we've got 
17   a lot of money out there running from these 
18   casinos.  And I was thinking this way, that there 
19   should be some minutes on what we're doing here.  
20   There should be some questions and answers for the 
21   allocations.  The plans are going on what we 
22   receive.  
23                What I'm saying is this:  Because I 
24   have some land out in Indiahoma, a little old five 
25   acres, and I've been out of that home that I 
0095
 1   bought way back in '59.  I had a home built there 
 2   when we bought the land from an elderly person.  
 3                And I was hoping that I could get 
 4   some answers here, because I've never heard or 
 5   never sat down and talked to anybody for a certain 
 6   time.  I've been here many times, but I never was 
 7   heard.  
 8                But now I'm going to say this, that I 
 9   read in the paper from Washington, it spoke of the 
10   business of other people, that my case, the thing 
11   that I was going to specify on my home site, it 
12   was never done.  My home was never done.  I was 
13   set outside in 2008 and I'm still outside.  I have 
14   nowhere to go.  But I know -- I found out that my 
15   house is going to be restored.  
16                However, I have put in for 2008, in 
17   Washington, when they were here, they were here on 
18   this campus.  And I think that they heard my 
19   voice.  And I just wanted to know what's happening 
20   with it now.  This was in 2004 I think they came 
21   through here.  And I wanted to report to a federal 
22   judge in Washington, the Congress of the United 
23   States, and I've got all kinds of paperwork from 
24   the Department of Interior.  
25                And I was thinking that something has 
0096
 1   to give here.  I'm a Comanche Tribe and I'm proud 
 2   of my heritage.  And I want to say this to all the 
 3   members:  I'm still out on the street huffing it, 
 4   going from home to home, and I'm 74 years old 
 5   April 19.  I'm sad the way things are leading.  I 
 6   figured I could get some help here or there or 
 7   somewhere.  You don't know how I feel.  
 8                I'm a mother of eight children.  We 
 9   lost our daddy back in '66.  I have been raising 
10   these kids myself.  I love my dear children.  God 
11   blessed me with them.  
12                And I thank the Lord for miracles, 
13   because I had ailments, too, and none of the 
14   doctors care.  But I'm still walking.  Why?  
15   Because Jesus.  That's who I rely on, Jesus.  Died 
16   on the cross for us, made a way for us.  Everybody 
17   here believes in Jesus.  He's the author and the 
18   finisher of our faith.  I never heard anybody say 
19   anything about Jesus here today, but people talk 
20   about him.  But that's all right.  God is good.  I 
21   talk to him all the time.  That's why I'm saying 
22   this today.  
23                People like y'all who ain't got no 
24   home, we got money.  This is money here.  We all 
25   have money in our tribal government.  I thought 
0097
 1   somebody would mention, hey, we would live off of 
 2   one casino.  
 3                I tell you what, I dream a lot of 
 4   things and I know a lot, but I don't say nothing.  
 5   This is my first time ever saying anything in a 
 6   tribal meeting.  I didn't want to say nothing, but 
 7   I thought I better voice my opinion.  I'm a 
 8   Comanche.  
 9                Burgess, I wish you would act on 
10   this.  I talked to you about my home.  I'm tired 
11   of staying here and there.
12                MR. BURGESS:  I think that's three 
13   items.  One, you're talking about the BIA and the 
14   probate on the land that you inherited, correct?  
15   And we don't have any authority as a tribal 
16   government to advocate that they be fair.  That's 
17   all I know about it.  That decision is the BIA's, 
18   if I'm right.  The attorneys can correct me if I'm 
19   not.  Probate court.  
20                On the third part, I think you're 
21   talking about maybe Cobell law case and the 
22   ownership.  That, again, is out of our hands, even 
23   out of the counsels' hands, until they come to you 
24   officially.  
25                On the part of your house, I 
0098
 1   advocated the housing to provide to you a home, 
 2   when we have a home.  And then we put money aside 
 3   to assist you, because you have been on the list 
 4   for assistance for a couple of years.  Now, when 
 5   HIP can do that in their work schedule, we've 
 6   authorized our CDBG money that goes to HIP to come 
 7   to you.  We don't know the schedule.  We're not on 
 8   the database.  I can't tell you when those start 
 9   and when they finish, but your home is slated to 
10   be completed.  We are repairing your home to make 
11   it livable.  
12                So I don't know where you're at at 
13   Comanche Housing or not, but I went there and 
14   advocated for emergency housing for you.  So can 
15   you tell me if you're there or not?  
16                MS. SPICER:  That's how I stand.  I'm 
17   still out on the street.
18                MR. NARCOMEY:  Mr. Chairman, what it 
19   is, they are working on Comanche Pete's house 
20   right now, and she's next, next in line.  
21   Madeline's next in line.  So it don't come 
22   overnight.  Just hang in there, Madeline.  But 
23   you're next on the list.  
24                MS. SPICER:  I always have all my 
25   paperwork, abstracts, titles, and deeds for my 
0099
 1   homesite which was about to be taken away from me 
 2   because it was under another name.  
 3   Mr. Tippeconnie, you know about that.  Your wife 
 4   put it under her name.  She took my allotted land 
 5   and put it under her name.  And that was my dad's 
 6   land.  And I got the paperwork here in my bag, the 
 7   proof that I have, and I'll tell you what she had 
 8   done to me.  And there are a lot of things that 
 9   need to be amended.  I can't stand it anymore.
10                MR. BURGESS:  Ms. Spicer, we're not 
11   trying to upset you, but I don't know that that's 
12   correct.  At the time, his wife was acting in the 
13   role of BIA superintendent and signed off on the 
14   documents.  She's not able to do that because 
15   she's employed by BIA.  There are rules that 
16   specify she can't do that.  Maybe it's some 
17   misread of the paperwork.  
18                But we are working with your home 
19   right now.  The BIA is aware of that.  We told 
20   them you're the next in line.  We have four homes 
21   for the elderly that we're working with.  When HIP 
22   can get around to do it, they will do it.  
23                You're talking about the audits, 
24   Ms. Spicer?  
25                MS. SPICER:  Well, an audit, I wanted 
0100
 1   to know the allocation program, all the allocation 
 2   programs we have.  And that's exactly what I was 
 3   wanting to know, if I could have a read on that.
 4                MR. BURGESS:  We have audits that 
 5   have been going on since 2004.  And the reason we 
 6   have the company Finley & Cook was to help us get 
 7   the paperwork straight since 2004 when we were 
 8   listed as an unqualified audit, failed audit.  
 9   2004 we had an audit in all three areas that was 
10   unqualified.  2004 we had an audit overall in 
11   funds.  There was a disclaimer.  The grade was an 
12   F.  And complying with these audits was qualified 
13   as a B.  We weren't passing the grade.  
14                In 2006 and 2007, we were failing 
15   again, Cs and Ds.  Put a grade to it, total F.  
16   The audit company at that time said we just failed 
17   all of our audits.  That's been transpiring since 
18   2004.  Whatever the management administration did, 
19   they weren't doing well enough.  
20                2008 audit overall was a disclaimer 
21   again.  Funds were unqualified and the compliance 
22   was bad, adverse, C and D.  We have been in 
23   trouble since 2004 and beyond, because we've been 
24   at high risk by the BIA.  Once we got this high-
25   risk status, BIA was holding funds from the tribe, 
0101
 1   their funds.  As you go through a high-risk 
 2   status, other agencies, like the Department of 
 3   Labor, Department of Human Services, they notice 
 4   this high-risk status or these red flags and they 
 5   withhold your funds -- their funds as well.  
 6                So from about 2005 to 2008, the tribe 
 7   was surviving basically on Comanche Nation gaming 
 8   funds.  So we've gone through that.  This past 
 9   year, the 2008 audit was qualified.  We are now in 
10   the process of doing the 2009 audit.  
11                And ladies and gentlemen, 
12   Mr. Yackeyonny had a very good point to all of 
13   y'all.  The nation's business has grown too large 
14   to be completed in one year.  I say that in 
15   regards to the audits.  We can start an audit in 
16   September or October immediately, but it will 
17   never be finished until about May or June.  We 
18   can't have an audit before our annual meeting.  
19                Okay.  My time is up.  But our 
20   business in doing the audits and doing the reports 
21   to y'all, as required by the constitution, we just 
22   can't get it done anymore.  The nation is so big 
23   and all its entities that they try to do all these 
24   audits.  And this is a tribal audit, and that's 
25   the one we're referring to that disqualifies us.  
0102
 1                Now we are doing a whole lot better.  
 2   We are on track.  All of the audits show that we 
 3   have no problem at the beginning of 2008.  We're 
 4   doing fine.  
 5                From 2004 to 2007, there was four 
 6   audits not done at all, basically.  They had to 
 7   redo them.  So our agency here, Finley & Cook, 
 8   came in, helped us to find auditors to do them.  
 9   And in two years' time they did four audits.  
10   That's an enormous amount of work.  How many 
11   accountants out here?  People that do bookkeeping 
12   work?  You know, with a tribe as large as this, we 
13   have over $13 million in federal grants, and 
14   averaging $22 million in gaming funds.  You know, 
15   we're talking about $45 million that has to be 
16   audited totally just at the tribe.  It's time 
17   consuming and expensive.  
18                So our constitution is hard for us to 
19   meet.  So all these questions on the audits are 
20   hard on us, so please understand.  Even the IRS 
21   was here auditing the gaming and looking over here 
22   at the tribe.  We've gone through an IRS audit, 
23   BIA audit, compliance audit.  We're coming out 
24   qualified, getting closer and closer to those 
25   three years we need to become self-governing.  
0103
 1   It's going to take us more time.  But it didn't 
 2   happen over night and it won't be cleaned up 
 3   overnight.
 4                MR. ASEPERMY:  Mr. Chairman, I may 
 5   add that the 2009 audit is in progress, with a 
 6   completion date of on or about 31 May 2010.
 7                MR. BURGESS:  Bill Voelker, Sia.
 8                MR. VOELKER:  (Speaks in native 
 9   language.)  That's my job.  That's what I do, I 
10   take care of our eagles.  And it's not just me 
11   that does it, we have a family of supporters, many 
12   of them with us today, that are like our own 
13   little band over there in Cyril.  We have a first-
14   rate facility preparing for all aspects of our 
15   eagle.  It's amazing, as long as we've been 
16   around, the work has gone on for decades.  
17                But 10 years ago I came before you, 
18   and then came to the CBC, and I got a resolution 
19   establishing our Sia program.  Sia, our Comanche 
20   word for feather.  We established that program as 
21   an official program of the Comanche Nation.  We 
22   have existed 10 years as such.  
23                We've had funding from the tribe one 
24   of those years only, even though you all voted in 
25   2005 to give us two years of funding, of which I 
0104
 1   was able to get the second year match.  But then 
 2   the CBC, not this body that we have today, but the 
 3   CBC took that second year of funding away from 
 4   us.  
 5                Many of you have asked, "Why didn't 
 6   you fight for that?"  Well, the answer is simple.  
 7   We're dedicated to the spirit of these birds.  I 
 8   couldn't let us bring that kind of spirit around 
 9   these birds we care for.  I couldn't get the birds 
10   dirty for getting down and fighting dirty like we 
11   were being forced to.  So, fine, we set it aside.
12                We're a tribal 1(c)3 organization.  
13   So what that means is we have the Internal Revenue 
14   Service designation.  We can raise funds in a tax 
15   deductible way to our patrons.  That's how we 
16   survive, an important part of how we survive.  And 
17   I'm telling you this just so you know and know 
18   what kind of people are with you today.  There's 
19   not one penny, I repeat, not one penny goes to 
20   salaries.  
21                This is a seven-day-a-week, 
22   24-hour-a-day job.  This man and I have never 
23   taken a penny in salary compensation.  If we had 
24   done that, we wouldn't have the facility.  We 
25   wouldn't have work going on that's impactful 
0105
 1   around the globe.  So I don't want any praise for 
 2   that, I'm just saying that that's who we are.  
 3                I've had to hear some ugly things 
 4   here today and they just kind of floor me.  But it 
 5   all comes down to all the misconception out there 
 6   about us.  For those of you who know us, you know 
 7   the family we come from, you know what I've been 
 8   doing my entire life.  Here you have it.  This is 
 9   what it's all about.  
10                We have a female golden eagle that we 
11   brought to a CBC meeting January or February.  I 
12   forget which one.  She's now at home.  She's laid 
13   an egg, she's nesting.  We're producing Comanche 
14   eagles in Comanche Country.  That's a bird that we 
15   produced 29 years ago through artificial 
16   insemination.  It's Comanche hands and Comanche 
17   minds that put together artificial insemination 
18   with these great birds that allows us to even 
19   produce from the crippled eagles.  We can produce 
20   healthy young that are released to the wild.  
21   We're about breeding and scientific work for these 
22   birds of further understanding.  
23                We are one of three tribes only in 
24   the nation that has the Native Religious Use 
25   Authorization, whereby if this bird drops her 
0106
 1   feathers, they can, after they're cataloged, they 
 2   can immediately be distributed to any of our 
 3   tribal members.  Only three tribes in the nation 
 4   have this kind of authorization, and we're one of 
 5   them.  We work with the Zunies and the Iowa Nation 
 6   who have it.  
 7                We've got our Potawatomie friends 
 8   with us today that have been volunteering with us 
 9   for a year-and-a-half.  They're starting the next 
10   aviary.  That will give us four Native American 
11   aviaries in the nation.  So we're very proud of 
12   that.  
13                I'm not here to ask for money.  I'm 
14   not asking for a penny.  But what we're here to do 
15   is to let y'all know that we need your help.  We 
16   need your vote today.  And I hope we still have a 
17   quorum, Charles. 
18                We've don't have the support of our 
19   leadership.  These guys are sick and tired of 
20   seeing this resolution that they passed a year 
21   ago.  The one thing they passed about it is 
22   keeping us.  It reaffirmed what we did 10 years 
23   ago, keeping us an official program of the 
24   Comanche Nation; but as it says, without guarantee 
25   of funding from the tribe.  
0107
 1                We've been successful alone raising 
 2   our own money.  We're not asking for a penny.  But 
 3   even with that, we've got lack of support here 
 4   where a CBC member will actually say it in 
 5   public:  Oh, they're not an official program of 
 6   the tribe.  
 7                The other part of this resolution, 
 8   they designated 25 acres to be used exclusively 
 9   for Sia.  What we will do on these 25 acres is our 
10   phase II housing, so we will have more eagles who 
11   drop more feathers for all of you.  
12                This resolution is dated April 4th of 
13   '09.  We still don't have a lease.  You would 
14   think it would be a no-brainer that everybody 
15   would be supportive.  It's turned out to be quite 
16   the contrary.  And I don't want to dwell on the 
17   negative.  
18                I'm just saying if we have the 
19   benefit of the vote of you all in an assembled 
20   body here today simply to keep us.  I'll read the 
21   resolution.  
22                "Therefore be it resolved that the 
23   Comanche Business Committee reaffirms and 
24   acknowledges, without guarantee of funding, that 
25   Sia, doing business as The Comanche Nation Eagle & 
0108
 1   Raptor Program, is the official entity within the 
 2   Comanche Nation responsibile for preservation 
 3   dedicated to the cultural understanding of the 
 4   Eagle in Spirit, History and science."
 5                That's all I'm asking from y'all 
 6   today, is for y'all to -- you know, let it be a 
 7   unanimous vote.  Stand with us.  We'll continue 
 8   this work in the way that we have if we have the 
 9   powerful vote of our folks to just say keep on, 
10   let us continue doing this.  
11                And in closing, I want to make 
12   mention, the chairman has a copy of this handed to 
13   him.  What I just handed the chairman was an 
14   e-mailed copy of a new authorization we got.  It's 
15   never been issued to Native Americans in the 
16   history of our country.  It allows us, once again 
17   under our cultural understanding of these birds, 
18   to breed these birds in captivity.  There's been 
19   an 18-year prohibition.  No one's been able to 
20   breed in captivity.  
21                We pushed them to the limit.  That is 
22   an amendment to the authorization.  We have lots 
23   of federal and state permits we work under.  The 
24   one that is tied in exclusively with the nation is 
25   this permit, which is issued to the Comanche 
0109
 1   Nation, along with our qualified people, to care 
 2   for these birds.  That's the authorization that 
 3   allows us to distribute feathers from these 
 4   birds.  She can drop a feather, I can catalog it 
 5   and give it immediately.  
 6                Is Gwen still here?  Gwen can tell 
 7   you.  She came to me last year.  She needed a 
 8   plume.  She had lost her plume out of her otter 
 9   hat.  It's white.  The other eagle that is nesting 
10   I told you about, she had dropped the very feather 
11   Gwen needed that very morning before I saw her.  
12   So that's how quickly.  The federal government, 
13   you can apply, and it will be anywhere from four 
14   to seven years before you get the feathers you 
15   want.  With this authorization, we can do it 
16   immediately, meet that need.  Thank you.  It's 
17   important.  So I just want to leave you with 
18   that.  
19                If we don't have this official 
20   designation officially from our nation, we can't 
21   give feathers anymore.  We can keep the eagles, 
22   they just have to go on a different permit that 
23   takes away our right to do that.  So I need that 
24   vote.  I appreciate your time.  I know we're all 
25   tired.  I say thank you and I hope I get your 
0110
 1   support.  This is my motion.
 2                MR. BURGESS:  Let me read this.  This 
 3   is the older resolution.
 4                MR. VOELKER:  It's the same one.
 5                MR. BURGESS:  The same one that was 
 6   signed in April 2009.  
 7                "Therefore be it resolved that the 
 8   Comanche Business Committee reaffirms and 
 9   acknowledges, without guarantee of funding, that 
10   Sia, doing business as The Comanche Nation Eagle & 
11   Raptor Program, is the official entity within the 
12   Comanche Nation responsibile for preservation 
13   dedicated to the cultural understanding of the 
14   Eagle in Spirit, History and science."
15                We do have a second on the floor.  I 
16   might add, we talked about this, Bill, that you 
17   are in negotiations with the U.S. Fish & 
18   Wildlife on other migratory birds that we use in 
19   our cultural and religious practices; is that 
20   right?
21                MR. VOELKER:  That's correct.
22                MR. BURGESS:  Do we need to speak 
23   about that, or Mr. Chappabitty?  We have a second 
24   on the floor.  Discussion?  
25                MR. VOELKER:  All I can say in regard 
0111
 1   to that other point -- Dennis, thank you for being 
 2   here -- is there's not a legal way for any of us 
 3   to have hawk feathers, waterbird feathers.  The 
 4   government has determined that they're looking the 
 5   other way to not bust us for possession.  It's 
 6   only when the Indians are guilty of selling.  
 7   There's no permit to allow -- the permit that's 
 8   coming down that the chairman refers to, we have 
 9   spent years, working through the Comanche Nation, 
10   through Sia.  We'll have the very first ever 
11   Native American repository of all the other 
12   repository bird feathers needed for our way of 
13   life.
14                MR. CHAPPABITTY:  Thank you.  I'm 
15   Dennis Chappabitty, and I want to express my 
16   support for the Sia program.  I've known Bill for 
17   several years, and I know that his expressions 
18   about supporting the program are coming deep from 
19   his heart.  
20                And I also want you to know that my 
21   grandfather, Otis Chappabitty, taught me a lot of 
22   things growing up around Cache, Indiahoma.  And 
23   one of the most important cherished memories I 
24   have is of the birds.  He would always pray to the 
25   eagles, the hawks, and any bird that was out 
0112
 1   there.  
 2                The big birds, the eagles, are a part 
 3   of our souls, a part of our heritage, and a part 
 4   of our prayers.  They're a part of our whole 
 5   system of verbal history.  And I pray every day 
 6   for people for journeys, for safety, and for all 
 7   of us.  And we need the support of this program.  
 8                We need to allocate, by official 
 9   expression today, land for these proud birds to 
10   live on so our kids can learn, so our kids can 
11   become acquainted with our eagle and our ways and 
12   our respect and reverence for these massive, 
13   beautiful birds.  
14                I just want to express my support, 
15   and also to say that it's good to see all of you.  
16   I feel warm today, and I want to just state my 
17   support for Bill.  Thank you.
18                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  We can go 
19   by voice vote or hand vote here.  
20                MR. SOVO:  My name is Milton Sovo.  I 
21   can vouch for this program.  It has helped 
22   identify what our great bird is to our educated 
23   kids.  The kids get to go over and to learn about 
24   these birds that they take care of.  So it's not 
25   just what they're talking about, they're reaching 
0113
 1   out into our services and educational community as 
 2   well.  So as a teacher, I'm for this all.  I mean, 
 3   I teach at Elgin, and we've taken and we've had 
 4   these guys come in, Bill and Floyd come in with 
 5   different birds, and it's just amazing what 
 6   questions the students come up with.  
 7                And they've got to see the place over 
 8   there where we've even scheduled and went over to 
 9   look at that, and we've had our kids go over there 
10   to take and learn about it right there on site, 
11   getting near these birds.  So it's very valuable, 
12   not only now, but into the future.  Don't look 
13   right here.  Get that vision way out there in the 
14   future for your grandkids, your great grandkids to 
15   do, to see and know what these folks have taken 
16   and undertaken.  God is working with them through 
17   these birds.  Thank you.
18                MR. BURGESS:  We're doing a quorum 
19   count right now.  So at this time -- 
20                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I hope they're 
21   not going to look like our horses used to look 
22   like.  
23                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  My question is, in 
24   the verbiage of the resolution, it says to 
25   allocate 25 acres to the Sia program?  
0114
 1                MR. BURGESS:  Lease.
 2                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  They said allocate.  
 3   I just wanted to understand what we would be doing 
 4   as a tribe to allocate and what land.  What land?
 5                MR. VOELKER:  It's part of the lease 
 6   out in Cyril, about a mile-and-a-half.  It's 25 
 7   acres we originally bought for the use of the 
 8   program.  In order to qualify under the federal 
 9   grants out there, some of our operation has to 
10   take place on tribally-owned land.  So it's only 
11   by lease.  We never will own this land again.
12                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  So you're leasing the 
13   land for the Sia program from who?  From the 
14   Comanche Nation?  That land belongs to the 
15   Comanche Nation, and all that he wants is to renew 
16   the lease for five years?
17                MR. BURGESS:  He's asking for tribal 
18   council reaffirmation of this lease, to use that 
19   for a five-year lease period at the time.
20                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  And that's what that 
21   resolution says?  
22                MR. BURGESS:  That was passed by the 
23   CBC.  
24                MR. ASEPERMY:  April of last year.  
25                MR. ATTOCKNIE:  So we're into the 
0115
 1   five years now?
 2                MR. ASEPERMY:  The lease hasn't been 
 3   executed.
 4                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  The lease has not 
 5   been executed?  Why?
 6                MR. ASEPERMY:  Ask Robert.
 7                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  Okay.  
 8   Mr. Tippeconnie, why?
 9                MR. TIPPECONNIE:  I can't explain 
10   why, except that it just hasn't been.  My 
11   understanding, it needs to be done.  
12                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  So by the tribal 
13   general council voting today, that would mean that 
14   the tribal council is telling Mr. Tippeconnie to 
15   sign this lease?  Am I correct?  Okay.  We're 
16   losing our quorum, let's vote.
17                MR. BURGESS:  All right.  We had all 
18   our discussion.  We have a second for the motion.  
19   We're going to do it by voice vote or hand.  All 
20   those in favor signify by saying "aye."  
21                (Aye.)
22                MR. BURGESS:  All those opposed, say 
23   "nay."  All those abstain, same sign.  The ayes 
24   have it.
25                MR. VOELKER:  Harry, Harry Mithlo, 
0116
 1   could you come up here for a moment?  I would like 
 2   to end by saying I appreciate this vote.  It shows 
 3   you're standing with us.  
 4                And I'd like to celebrate this vote 
 5   from y'all with honoring one of our latest 
 6   requests for feathers through Sia.  
 7                MR. MITHLO:  Would George RedElk come 
 8   forward, Richard Bread, Raymond Laurenzana?
 9                MR. ASEPERMY:  This is George RedElk, 
10   the commander of the CIVA.  The feathers that were 
11   presented to you, would you please tell the tribal 
12   council the purpose?  
13                MR. REDELK:  Harry Mithlo got this 
14   all started.  The program, he wanted to give us, 
15   every time we honor veterans -- Armed Forces Day 
16   Banquet, Memorial Day, when we had it out here, 
17   and our annual powwow on Veterans Day, we honor 
18   our veterans and we give them different items.  
19   Harry came up with the idea that this program was 
20   out to honor veterans not only by what we normally 
21   give everybody, but by giving these feathers to 
22   the veterans that were honored this year.  We want 
23   to thank Bill for answering our request.
24                MR. BURGESS:  Brian Stillwell?  
25   Ladies and gentlemen, this is Brian Stillwell.  He 
0117
 1   has a resolution to present.
 2                MR. STILLWELL:  Good evening.  I'm 
 3   here to present a resolution against lawsuits.  It 
 4   reads:  "Now therefore be it resolved, we will 
 5   vote today to --
 6                MR. BURGESS:  It has to go before a 
 7   constitutional change so we will take this and 
 8   insert specifics, non-felons, what else, acts of 
 9   dishonesty.  That's all that is required other 
10   than age limit.  If the constitution says 
11   opposite, we need approval for a constitutional 
12   change.  So we want to vote on it here and 
13   everybody knows about it.  
14                MS. ATTOCKNIE:  Or we could do it as 
15   you said, by a constitutional amendment, and that 
16   can be done by someone if Brian feels that 
17   strongly about it, or anyone else take out a 
18   petition and go through the petition process for 
19   secretarial election.  
20                MR. BURGESS:  That's true, that's 
21   true.  That's why we start on this after this 
22   council is over.  It's very valid.  It comes to 
23   the point our history shows us we need to do 
24   something in regards -- we want to start that 
25   right here where everybody knows and is aware of 
0118
 1   it.  We want everybody to be involved, not just 
 2   the CBC.  Thank you.  Mr. Nelson?
 3                MR. NELSON:  He was very adamant 
 4   about it what he was wanting to project.  If three 
 5   of you business committee members would allow 
 6   this, the possibility of an amendment change to 
 7   our constitution.
 8                MR. BURGESS:  You just remember, you 
 9   change the constitution, you have to go through 
10   secretarial election.  That's a big process.  It's 
11   costly.  There's some good ideas out there.  We 
12   want to involve everybody.  It's important, we 
13   agree.
14                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Mr. Chairman, 
15   just like -- that would be a good amendment.  Now, 
16   as I understand you to say -- what concerns me is 
17   when we go identify problems within the existing 
18   constitution and we operate under --  I don't mean 
19   to be derogatory, but I'm speaking from an 
20   experience that we've had.  
21                MR. BURGESS:  Remember this, we're 
22   looking at coming back May 8th.  We're going to 
23   recess to May 8th.  We'll set those community 
24   meetings up at our community centers.  But we'll 
25   also voice our opinions then.  Let everybody that 
0119
 1   has an idea understand it, and everybody votes on 
 2   it.
 3                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  And then, once 
 4   again, just to settle my mind, we're talking about 
 5   amending the existing present constitution? 
 6                MR. BURGESS:  Correct.
 7                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Right.  
 8   Because, you know, it's my feeling that the whole 
 9   thing has to be put aside for well up to -- we 
10   just spend thousands of dollars.  And you probably 
11   ask any member out there if they understand half 
12   of what we read.  So I think if you do that, as 
13   you say, and we all have a chance to identify 
14   those shortcomings of our constitution, I think 
15   that's probably the right thing to do.
16                MR. BURGESS:  I agree with you.
17                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Thank you.
18                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you.  
19                Mr. Wells, do we still have a 
20   quorum?  While he's checking that, ladies and 
21   gentlemen, resolution to our ballot for 
22   princesses:  For is 167, against is 44, abstaining 
23   is five.  
24                (Applause.)
25                MR. BURGESS:  Ms. Sapcut.  
0120
 1                MS. AITSON:  My name is Delores 
 2   Sapcut Aitson and I have a motion to rescind any 
 3   and all action taken by the CBC to disenroll 
 4   tribal members.  In Article 5, Section 7 of the 
 5   Comanche Tribal Constitution, only the Tribal 
 6   Council has exclusive authority to change, modify, 
 7   alter or revoke tribal membership -- authorized 
 8   representative.  
 9                The tribal council has never adopted 
10   an ordinance that provides due process or legal 
11   protection under the law for disenrollment of our 
12   tribal members.  The Comanche Nation Constitution 
13   provides the CBC with the authority to approve 
14   enrollment, but does not provide the CBC with 
15   authority to disenroll any tribal member.  
16                Action taken by the CBC to disenroll 
17   tribal members without due process or equal 
18   protection is in violation of Comanche Tribal 
19   Constitution and the Indian Civil Rights Act.  We 
20   hereby move that the tribal council reinstate 
21   membership to all powers and privileges provided 
22   by law, to include per capita payments to all 
23   individuals disenrolled by the actions of the CBC, 
24   and no further actions shall be taken regarding 
25   disenrollment of any tribal member without the 
0121
 1   absolute approval of the tribal council.  
 2                And I'm very, very happy to be up 
 3   here to tell you this.  Two of my children were 
 4   disenrolled.  I don't understand why.  There had 
 5   to have been someone assigned to them in the first 
 6   place to put them on the enrollments; and then all 
 7   this time goes by, and they're suddenly taken off 
 8   of the roll because the CBC thinks they have that 
 9   full authority.  
10                I would like to thank all of you here 
11   that have heard me today.
12                MR. BURGESS:  Thank you, Ms. Aitson.
13                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Is that a 
14   motion?  
15                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I second it.
16                UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  I third it.
17                MR. BURGESS:  Everybody seconds it.  
18   Hang on.  We're doing a quorum count.  
19                No quorum.  I'm sorry, ladies and 
20   gentlemen, we just got out of quorum.  May 8th, 
21   this will be on the agenda, first one, May 8th.  
22                MS. AITSON:  I knew they were waiting 
23   for everyone to leave before this happened.  So be 
24   here on May 8th?  
25                MR. BURGESS:  May 8th.  As 
0122
 1   Mr. Yackeyonny stated to us, we do not -- we're 
 2   not required to start at 1:30, so make that 
 3   starting time at 10 a.m., May 8th. 
 4                (Meeting recessed at 7:06 p.m.)
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0123
 1      R E P O R T E R ' S   C E R T I F I C A T E
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 3   STATE OF OKLAHOMA   )
 4   COUNTY OF OKLAHOMA  )
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                I, Kelly Stoabs, Certified Shorthand 
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     Reporter for the State of Oklahoma, certify that 
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     the above and foregoing meeting transcribed by me 
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     is a true and correct transcript; that the meeting 
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     was held on April 1, 2010, in the State of 
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     Oklahoma; that I am not an attorney for nor a 
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     relative of any said parties, or otherwise 
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     interested in the event of said action.
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                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set 
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     my hand and seal of office on this the 12th day of 
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     April, 2010.
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                        __________________________
19                      Kelly Stoabs
                        Certified Shorthand Reporter
20                      for the State of Oklahoma
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