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Cherokee to consider same-sex marriage law
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER
After twice refusing to grant the legislation a perfunctory first reading, during its Aug. 5 meeting the Cherokee Tribal Council allowed an ordinance seeking to legalize same-sex marriage on the Qualla Boundary to be read into the record for consideration at its Sept. 9 meeting.
Currently, Cherokee law explicitly prohibits such unions from being recognized.
The ordinance, submitted by tribal member Tamara Thompson, was first placed on the agenda in June. Under tribal law, proposed ordinances are entered into the record and then must sit for 25 days after introduction before Council can take action. Typically, the Tribal Council will vote to deem all new ordinances read and tabled in order to save the extensive time it would take to read each one out loud. The law does not include any provision for declining to read an ordinance into the record, or for declaring it dead on the floor prior to the first reading.
However, in June the Council voted unanimously to deem all new ordinances read and tabled except for the one regarding same-sex marriage. Chairman Adam Wachacha told the body that because nobody had moved to deem the ordinance read and tabled, it would die on the floor.
Thompson submitted the ordinance again in July, and the same thing happened — though this time the vote was accompanied by extensive discussion in the chambers that included strong statements from two Council members in favor of not only allowing the ordinance an up-or-down vote, but enacting it as law.
One of those members was Wolfetown Representative Chelsea Saunooke, who in an emotional speech told the audience that she’d known since second grade that she was bisexual and that one of her children had recently come out to her. During the Aug. 5 meeting, Saunooke said she’d received incredible support in the month since.
“It wasn’t something I planned to do, but it’s opened the doors for a lot of people, even on the parts of behavioral health and generational trauma,” she said. “I will keep everyone in my prayers that has battled some of the same things or had those struggles.”
Ultimately, five members voted to deem it read and tabled, but seven voted not to.
Only two new ordinances appeared on the Aug. 5 agenda. Council voted to deem one of them read and tabled, as is typical, and again took no vote on the same-sex marriage ordinance. However, instead of interpreting this
to declare the ordinance dead, as occurred in previous meetings, this time Wachacha directed the clerk to read the entire ordinance into the record.
“Council, item one is now placed on the 25-day reading period,” he said after the reading. “It will be tabled. It will come back up for consideration by this Council on the second week of September.”
Council will have to act on the ordinance next month in order for it to become law. Because it’s an election year, any pending legislation not dealt with by the time new members are sworn in Oct. 4 will be considered dead, though similar legislation could certainly be introduced in the next term. Cherokee does not use staggered terms for its legislature, so all 12 members face re-election this September.
— Cherokee Tribal Council Chairman Adam Wachacha
Waynesville homeless task force meeting cancelled over COVID concerns
A meeting designed to gather public input on draft recommendations made by the Waynesville Task Force on Homelessness scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 5, has been cancelled.
Amy Murphy-Nugen, chair of the group, said that several members of the task force had been exposed to COVID-19 and that the meeting, which was to be a drop-in informational session, could not take place as originally envisioned.
The cancellation is yet another bump in the road for the task force, which struggled initially with defections and dissention. Over the 18-month lifespan of the group, the issue of homelessness was studied and recommendations — some controversial — were finally issued last month.
Contrary to rumors circulating on social media, the meeting wasn’t cancelled to stifle public input on the recommendations, and Murphy-Nugen said that public comment will indeed be accepted in some form yet to be determined — whether in-person, online, by phone or otherwise.
The public comment portion of the process is a critical step, and must take place before any recommendations are presented for approval to Waynesville’s Board of Aldermen.
To read the full 147-page draft report, including methodology, findings and recommendations, visit the Town of Waynesville’s task force page, www.waynesvillenc.gov/task-force-homelessness.
Cherokee elections around the corner
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER
On Thursday, Sept. 2, Cherokee voters will select the next Tribal Council, three School Board representatives and answers to three alcohol-related referendum questions. The Smoky Mountain News contacted all 24 Tribal Council candidates July 16 with a questionnaire covering various issues of interest to voters. As of Aug. 10, only one candidate had responded. Candidates wishing to participate in a future issue of the paper can contact holly@smokymountainnews.com.
JESSE “FONZIE” SNEED, WOLFETOWN CANDIDATE
Sneed, 37, is currently the supply coordinator for the Qualla Housing Authority and worked for the Cherokee Boys Club from 1999-2012. He has been a member of the Sgadugi constitution group and the Wolfetown Community Club Council since 2019 and is a past chairman of the Council. Sneed also co-founded the Wolfetown Community Club Free Labor Group.
Jesse “Fonzie” Sneed
What should be done to better diversify the tribe’s revenue sources, and do you support Tribal Council’s spending decisions toward that goal over the last two years?
I cannot and will not support decisions like the Hoosier and Commonwealth projects that have pushed us well over a billion dollars in debt only so that whatever profits we make go into the tribal government’s pocket. If elected I will push for all profits to be split with the people 50/50 just like tribal gaming, the people are stakeholders in these endeavors too. Areas like agriculture, meat processing, energy production and clothing manufacturing are some examples we could be investing into while at the same time building and protecting our gaming interests.
Should the tribe loosen its alcohol laws as proposed in the referendum?
I will respect the wishes of our people in any referendum vote.
What should the tribal government do to support the local business community and economic development at home?
Invest in infrastructure, demolish unsafe buildings that have sat dormant for decades in some cases, lobby the state for better upkeep of state roads on the Boundary and take advantage of our geography by investing
Tribal Council (voters pick two for their community)
Birdtown
• Gloria “Punkin”
Griffin • Cyndi Lambert • Boyd Owle* • Albert Rose*
Wolfetown
• Bo Crowe* • Chelsea Taylor
Saunooke* • Jesse Sneed • Bill Taylor
Yellowhill
• Stephanie
Saunooke French • T.W. Price
Saunooke • Tom Wahnetah* • Dave Wolfe*
Big Cove
• Patrick Hill • Richard French* • Teresa McCoy
Painttown
Tommye Saunooke * Dike Sneed * Bentley Tahquette
Cherokee County/Snowbird
• Adam
Wachacha * • Bucky Brown * • William A. “Billy”
Brown • Janell Rattler
School Board (voters pick one for their community)
Big Cove
• Lavita Hill • Kristina Hyatt
Birdtown
• Melanie Lambert • Ashford Smith
Wolftown
• Isaac “Ike” Long* • Berdie Toineeta
* denotes incumbent
in more outdoor activities to bring in a wider tourism demographic.
Do you believe the tribe needs a constitution? What is your opinion on the document as currently drafted?
Absolutely! As a sovereign nation we have no protection of our people’s rights other than those provided to us through federal law. Our antiquated Charter gives us less protection than that. Our court system is set up through resolution and isn’t even its own separate branch of government. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants me the right to say these things with free speech. It would be absurd not to have it wouldn’t it?
Should the EBCI legalize medicinal and/or recreational marijuana?
Most of the people I’ve spoken to in Wolftown/ Big Y are in favor of medicinal and that’s what I’m in support of at this time. I feel we’d need to have it prescribed by a licensed physician at the Cherokee hospital as well as dispensed from a licensed facility to protect the patient from any unsafe blackmarket product that could have chemicals laced into it.
What is working in regard to the tribe’s current approach to saving the Cherokee language? What should be done differently?
I feel more focus needs to be placed on immersion classes for the children like our academy originally had. The biggest obstacle I’ve heard from people is the fear of ridiculing from those with a better grasp of the language. Until we address that problem, we will have a monumental struggle ahead of us.
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