I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Aug. 15, 1996
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
CASS LAKE -- Some employees of the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa had a surprise in store for them Friday when trying to cash their payroll checks. The First National Bank of Cass Lake and Teal's Super Valu of Cass Lake would not cash some of the checks, Leech Lake employees said.
Now, apparently the flap could cause the loss of business by the American Indian community.
The uncashable checks were the last to be processed for the current pay period by tribal headquarters and had a new signature, that of Tribal Chairman Eli Hunt. The first checks printed by the tribal headquarters and gaming office checks were cashable because Hunt's signature plate was not finished in time to stamp those checks. The number of checks that were uncashable is unknown.
Hunt had ordered the headquarters to switch the signature plate -- which is stamped on all payroll checks leaving the tribal office -- Thursday, the day before the checks were issued. Hunt switched the former plate which held Councilors Alfred Fairbanks Jr. and Jack Seelye's signatures to a new plate showing his and Fairbanks' signatures.
According to Hunt, employees with checks showing his signature could not cash their checks at either of the Cass Lake businesses. He said neither the bank nor the store were recognizing his authority to sign tribal checks because the council has never passed a resolution returning the signature authority to the newly elected chairman.
Fairbanks and Seelye were authorized by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis as having the signature authority in April, shortly after former Chairman Alfred "Tig" Pemberton and current Secretary-Treasure Dan Brown were convicted of crimes involving a Leech Lake tribal insurance fund.
In July, Hunt asked the four councilman to approve a resolution returning the signature authority back to the chairman, where according to Leech Lake bylaws it belongs, Hunt said.
The arrangement allowing Fairbanks and Seelye to control the signature authority was only temporary, Hunt said, and now the four councilman have refused to sign the resolution relinquishing the authority since a July 19 meeting.
Hunt said he has sent several letters to First National Bank of Cass Lake authorizing it to cash checks with his signature, but evidently the bank was recognizing only Fairbanks and Seelye's signatures.
Representatives of First National Bank and Teal's Super Valu did not want to comment about the checks Friday.
An attempt by Hunt to establish a special meeting Friday to resolve the uncashable checks issue failed because three of the four councilors were at a funeral. However, later Friday, Fairbanks and Seelye met at the tribal office to sign off on checks that had Hunt's signature so the employees could cash the checks.
"They had to sign those checks today (Friday)," Hunt said, "or they would have had employees beating on their doors all weekend."
The four councilors did not return phone calls from The Pioneer Friday.
"It isn't me holding up their checks," Hunt said. "It's the inaction by the Tribal Council to pass a resolution authorizing me with signature authority. If they had any respect for the people they would sign the resolution."
Late Saturday, Hunt's office issued a news release saying that a boycott of the bank has been called. "A boycott of (Cass Lake) First National Bank has been declared by Chairman Hunt's supporters," said the statement. "People in support of his leadership have taken steps to close their accounts and are urging others to cease doing business with that bank."
The statement alleges a bank official "has sided with the four" councilors in refusing to honor Hunt's signature on payroll checks.
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