Editor’s note: The Courier has covered San Carlos Apache Tribe issues for several months. The following letter from Tribal Vice Chairman Reede sums up the latest controversy surrounding the Tribal Council:

Dear Tribal Members:

This year has been a troublesome year for our tribal government. As citizens of San Carlos you have witnessed our elected officials give themselves raises, purchase personal vehicles, withhold budget figures and information from tribal members and, more damaging, place the tribe in a financial deficit. I am sorry to report that our situation is not getting any better. As your vice chairman I have remained in office and have weathered through everything from the libel and slander, the consolidation of my office with the Chairman’s office, the abolishment of my staff, the forceful eviction from my office space and the denial of the use of volunteers to work with me to serve the public. And just when you think it could not get any worse, I am disappointed to report to you that in a bold move Friday, July 11, the Tribal Council took action to remove $190,000 from my budget to replenish its exhausted budgets. In the usual cowardly style of this council, this vote was taken without my knowledge, input and/or approval during a special council meeting in Scottsdale.

In short, I could go on and on about the potential ethical and legal violations committed by the Tribal Council, but it would do no good if no one will hold the elected officials accountable. The ugly truth is that from year to year we watch some of our council members become drunk with power and greed, and we never do anything about it. We hear the same old campaign promises and we continue to be disappointed, and we move on with our lives with the thought that things will never change.

As the vice chairman, as a voting tribal member but more importantly as a human being, I have had enough of the way that our government operates. I will continue to do all that I can to change the system internally, but it will take more than one person to bring about change. I encourage you to ask questions, demand change and do not fear individuals who can be replaced through your votes at the next election.

The time to act is now; if we continue down the path of silence we will end up a nation in turmoil. This is not about me or any individual. This is about securing a future for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. This is about creating a place where all have a roof over their heads and the protection of the law. This is about creating a community where children are valued and the people are healthy and drug and alcohol free. The time for accountability is now. Below is the text from a memorandum that I addressed to Acting Treasurer, Terry Rambler, regarding their recent action relating to my budget. I will continue to strive for a more responsible and ethical government through my actions and I encourage you to also be strong and be the change!

Text from a memorandum dated July 16, 2008 to Acting Treasurer, Terry Rambler and the Tribal Council from Vice Chairman Reede regarding the budget of the Office of the Vice Chairman:

This memorandum is an official response to your request for a budget revision to reflect a reallocation of $190,000.00 from my budget at a Special Council Meeting held on Friday, July 11.

Please be advised that the tribal council took this action without my authorization and/or knowledge. Furthermore, as a fiduciary agent of this tribe with legal financial responsibility and as the sole steward of the budget of the Office of the Vice Chairman, I cannot in good conscience support this action and accordingly will not complete a budget revision form. Please document this occurrence in the financial records of the tribe as an action taken by the tribal council without consent and support of the budget steward or director.

It is my understanding that the $190,000.00 that has been forcefully removed from my budget will benefit the following tribal budget items:

• $60,000 for council travel

• $25,000 to replenish Chairman’s budget for costs incurred on your behalf

• $15,000 for tribal member clothing assistance

• $90,000 for tribal member scholarships and other related costs

The supplement of funds toward tribal council travel is unnecessary given that each tribal council member is given a budget at the beginning of each fiscal year for such purposes. It is poor planning and fiscally irresponsible for any council member to deplete this budget before the end of the year.

In accordance with good financial practices, the expenses incurred by the budget of the Chairman relating to the vehicle assigned to the Vice Chairman should have been paid for with the funds allocated for such expense within the approved budget of the Vice Chairman. The Chairman needed only to consult me regarding this issue.

Moreover, it has been an annual practice of the tribe to provide tribal member clothing assistance and each year funds are allocated specifically for this expense from other revenue sources. Considering the fact that financial clothing assistance has become a consistent annual practice, the FY 08 budget should reflect such expense. Again, this allocation clearly demonstrates the lack of financial planning by the Tribal Council.

Finally, the Office of the Vice Chairman has an established education grant opportunity for tribal members. With that in mind, it is unnecessary to remove funds from my budget for these purposes as a portion of my budget is already allocated to address this area.

With that in mind, I do not support this action nor will I be a party to any negative financial audit findings and/or legal consequences that may result from this action. Furthermore, it is my opinion that the unauthorized removal of funds from my budget will set a negative precedent that will essentially enable the Tribal Council to frivolously spend tribal public dollars without consequence by allowing them to reconcile the expenses through the misappropriation of funds from any other tribal entity without respect to the approved program budgets and/or good financial practices.

The Tribal Council members are supposed to be the fiduciary agents of the public funds of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. It is within that context that I am officially requesting a full expense report and audit of all Tribal Council budgets including the Chairman. This request is a result of my concern stemming from the Tribal Council’s extreme action of taking funds from my budget to replenish their depleted funds. I eagerly propose that the costs for that audit come from my budget. I look forward to reviewing the requested reports. Thank you for your cooperation.