Meskwakis hope election means end of dispute

Todd Dvorak

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- After months of political bickering and the closure of her tribe's casino, Rhonda Pushetonequa is confident that today's election marks a turnaround in Meskwaki fortunes.

Pushetonequa is one of about 500 eligible Meskwaki voters expected to take part in today's general and recall election. It's the second in a series of elections many hope will settle once and for all a leadership dispute -- now in its seventh month -- and clear the way for federal regulators to reopen the tribe's casino in Tama.

"We know this is the big step toward the end," Pushetonequa said Monday.

But on the eve of the election, the tribe's feuding leaders failed to agree on important electoral ground rules, such as a single polling place and hours for casting ballots.

The tribal council led by Chairman Alex Walker Jr., which was ousted from power in March, is holding an election at the Meskwaki school. A replacement panel led by Homer Bear Jr. and appointed by the hereditary chief want voters to cast ballots at the tribal center.

"There are several tribal members who are confused, not sure where it is they should go to vote," Pushetonequa said. "But we're also confident it will all work out."

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has said it will recognize only the results of the election at the tribal center after reviewing problems with absentee ballots handled by the Walker council.

"There will be one voting site, which will be the ... Meskwaki tribal center," Larry Morrin, the agency's regional director, wrote in a letter to Bear and Walker.

Voters will be asked to pick from six candidates to fill three council seats set to expire next month, and whether to recall the other four council members whose terms end in 2005.

The elected council vowed to press ahead with its plans, despite the ruling. Eric Woolson, spokesman for the Walker-led group, said the tribe's constitution gives the elected council power to arrange elections -- not a federal agency.

"The BIA can't really alter this tribe's constitution," Woolson said.

The Walker council was ousted March 26 after failing to respond to recall petitions filed last fall. The hereditary chief picked a new group of leaders.

But the National Indian Gaming Commission refused to recognize the new council and that put the tribe's casino afoul of federal Indian gaming rules. In May the casino was closed, sending shock waves through the local economy.

The casino employed more than 1,100 workers and generated about $3 million per week in revenue, which paid for $2,000 monthly royalty checks to each member.