Bureau of Indian Affairs head says he won’t resign

James MacPherson

Monday, May 10, 2004 | 11:07 a.m.

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs said Friday he will not resign, despite a call from a Connecticut senator to do so.

"I will not step down," Dave Anderson told the Associated Press in an interview.

Anderson was the keynote speaker at the United Tribes Technical College commencement ceremony in Bismarck. The founder of Famous Dave's restaurants took over Feb. 2 as the Interior Department's assistant secretary for Indian Affairs.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., called for Anderson's resignation last week, saying Anderson no longer is making critical decisions on tribal recognition.

A congressional committee has stepped up its efforts to investigate the effect of gambling on the federal tribal recognition process.

Anderson, who co-founded a company that runs tribal casinos, said he has recused himself from tribal recognition and gambling-related decisions to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. He said he also has stepped down as chairman of his Famous Dave's barbecue chain, which opened a restaurant in Bismarck last month.

Anderson was introduced at Friday's ceremony by Tex Hall, president of the National Congress of American Indians and chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota. Hall said he had been contacted by officials in Connecticut to help oust Anderson.

"I told them I would not, because he's a fellow American Indian," Hall said. "I told them it's their issue."

Hall urged graduates and others at the United Tribes' commencement to stand behind Anderson.

"(He) is an Indian man committed to Indian country," Hall said.

Anderson said he would make no apologies for promoting casinos in the past.

"Gaming opportunities for our Indian people have often helped tribal infrastructure and created meaningful jobs," he said.

Anderson, who is a Choctaw and Chippewa and an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band of Ojibwa, told United Tribes graduates to be passionate about their goals.

"(American Indians) are victims of change," Anderson said. "We must be architects of our destiny rather than victims of change."

United Tribes officials said this year's graduating class was the largest in the school's 35-year history. Eighty-nine students received degrees Friday.

"Find something you love to do and be passionate about it," Anderson told them.

Anderson also told the students that he has been sober for nine years, and urged them not to let alcohol ruin their lives.

"We need you as leaders," Anderson said, "as sober people that are clear in mind, clear in spirit and in heart."

Anderson was also booked at commencement ceremonies at Sitting Bull College on the Standing Rock reservation, which straddles the border of North Dakota and South Dakota.