Tribe, Ho-Chunk resolve disputes
By Travis Coleman Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, April 09, 2008
WINNEBAGO, Neb. -- Recent infighting between top officials in the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska appears to be over.
The Winnebago Tribal Council and the Ho-Chunk Inc. board of directors have agreed to develop a comprehensive financial reporting system and communications plan to avoid repeating a nearly year-long string of disputes that have plagued the tribe and its $100 million business, Ho-Chunk Inc.
The move to improve communication within the tribe came during a more-than-three-hour meeting last Thursday in Winnebago.
"Everyone in the room recognized that there is this prenotion that there's this massive division in the tribal organization when in fact there isn't," said Brian Chamberlain, HCI board member.
But Chamberlain added that tensions in Winnebago were high following a recent financial review that stated the company appeared to be in poor condition and wasn't generating enough cash to pay off its debt. Company CEO Lance Morgan has said the review by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services in Los Angeles is "inaccurate (and) filled with false allegations."
Because of that tension, last Thursday's meeting in which the review was among the topics discussed was critical, Chamberlain said.
According to a news release, the tribal council has affirmed HCI's financial stability following the meeting.
"We are confident that we can all move forward to continue the work of HCI to provide job opportunities and economic prosperity for our membership," Matthew Pilcher, tribal chairman, said in the news release.
This comes after nearly a year of disputes between tribal council members and Ho-Chunk Inc. Morgan and Chief Financial Officer Annette Hamilton were suspended last August after refusing to provide information to members of the HCI board, who are directly elected by the tribal council. Tribal members then voted to oust the entire HCI board.
The tribal council also contracted Deloitte to review the company's finances during this time.
Chamberlain said these issues wouldn't have come up had communication within the tribe been better.
Tribal members need to know that any problems between the council and HCI have been handled, said John Blackhawk, a member of both the tribal council and the HCI board.
"The tribe ... should always be aware of where we are in our business endeavors. That's just good policy," Chamberlain said.
The Winnebago Tribal Council and the Ho-Chunk Inc. board of directors have agreed to develop a comprehensive financial reporting system and communications plan to avoid repeating a nearly year-long string of disputes that have plagued the tribe and its $100 million business, Ho-Chunk Inc.
The move to improve communication within the tribe came during a more-than-three-hour meeting last Thursday in Winnebago.
"Everyone in the room recognized that there is this prenotion that there's this massive division in the tribal organization when in fact there isn't," said Brian Chamberlain, HCI board member.
But Chamberlain added that tensions in Winnebago were high following a recent financial review that stated the company appeared to be in poor condition and wasn't generating enough cash to pay off its debt. Company CEO Lance Morgan has said the review by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services in Los Angeles is "inaccurate (and) filled with false allegations."
Because of that tension, last Thursday's meeting in which the review was among the topics discussed was critical, Chamberlain said.
According to a news release, the tribal council has affirmed HCI's financial stability following the meeting.
"We are confident that we can all move forward to continue the work of HCI to provide job opportunities and economic prosperity for our membership," Matthew Pilcher, tribal chairman, said in the news release.
This comes after nearly a year of disputes between tribal council members and Ho-Chunk Inc. Morgan and Chief Financial Officer Annette Hamilton were suspended last August after refusing to provide information to members of the HCI board, who are directly elected by the tribal council. Tribal members then voted to oust the entire HCI board.
The tribal council also contracted Deloitte to review the company's finances during this time.
Chamberlain said these issues wouldn't have come up had communication within the tribe been better.
Tribal members need to know that any problems between the council and HCI have been handled, said John Blackhawk, a member of both the tribal council and the HCI board.
"The tribe ... should always be aware of where we are in our business endeavors. That's just good policy," Chamberlain said.
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