Suspended chairman speaks out
Curtis Cesspooch, the embattled chairman of the Northern Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee, is facing the most serious challenge of his tenure. Speaking Wednesday at a meeting with tribal members, he sought to clarify the nature of the infighting between the Business Committee's six members. Over the course of his three years in office, Cesspooch has been the subject of two recalls, a lawsuit brought by those seeking his recall and, earlier this month, a 30-day suspension from the Business Committee. He said his temporary removal has left the tribal governing body with a quorum made up of his detractors. "After they kicked me out, the committee passed a resolution to authorize the Uintah Band (of the Northern Ute Tribe) to take a vote to decide whether to hold a recall election," Cesspooch said. The vote has to include more than one-third of eligible voters from the Uintah Band to be valid, said Cesspooch, who added that he doubts his political enemies on the Business Committee will adhere to the tribal ordinance involving recalls. The two prior recall efforts against Cesspooch failed for procedural reasons. At last week's meeting, not everyone was clear on the reasons for seeking to recall the chairman. "Why is there a recall? What is the cause?" one person asked Cesspooch. "To me, nothing has been defined enough to say this is why there is a recall." As he recounted the sequence of events leading to his temporary removal, Ceespooch showed clear signs of his own frustration with events. "This whole recall situation has gotten out of hand," he said. "It's not just about me, it's about more than me, my band or the tribe. It's affecting everyone around us." Reasons for the most recent recall effort remain vague, but there has been mention of “gross misconduct” and “travel abuse.” "Much of this is just hearsay and lies. It's a big push to bring back John Jurrius, everyone knows that," Cesspooch said, referring to the former financial adviser to the tribe who was removed following accusations of fiscal impropriety. A lawsuit against the former adviser was settled out of court. Cesspooch remains resolute in his anti-Jurrius stance. Tension was expressed openly at the evening forum called by Cesspooch, with many saying they fear reprisal by Cesspooch's opponents on the Business Committee and their supporters. "People are being released from their jobs, because one member on the Business Committee is going around telling tribal directors to fire certain people," said a man who identified himself only as a tribal employee. Cesspooch accused his opponents of using threats and intimidation to remove people from their tribal jobs, based on their alliances. Stewart Pike, one of the Business Committee members who voted to suspend Cesspooch, said he doubts any committee member has worked to ensure that others to lose their jobs. "There's no truth to that," Pike said. "That's a typical response from somebody who wants to get back at the committee." Pike along with Irene Cuch and Richard Jenks Jr., voted for a resolution to suspend Cesspooch from the tribe's governing body for 30 days beginning on Aug. 16, while Francis Poowegup and Philip Chimburas, voted against the resolution. "With all this bickering going on with you (and the Business Committee), how can you help us?" asked one person in the audience. "Forget about arguing, we put you in there to take care of us tribal members." Cesspooch said the bickering is having negative repercussions for the tribe, possibly in the area of federal funding. "We just met with (Assistant Interior Secretary) Larry Echo Hawk of the BIA in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Questar agreement, among other things," he said. The Ute Tribe is in the process of negotiating an agreement with a Questar spin-off company — QEP Field Services — for future construction right-of-ways on the reservation. Earlier this summer, QEP was barred by the tribe from working on its Stagecoach natural-gas processing plant on the reservation. The tribe alleged environmental and other types of infractions. Cesspooch said that a follow-up meeting was scheduled with Echo Hawk, but later canceled, perhaps due to the current tribal turmoil. "Because of the stuff going on here, it puts a big hurt on the tribe's credibility,” said Cesspooch, appearing to justify his travel to Washington, D.C., as part of the reporting process for accepting federal money. Pike said Cesspooch is “fighting for his life.” “I imagine half the people at the (Wednesday) meeting were people who wanted to recall him,” Pike added.
SIDEBAR
Recall vote is today
Members of the Uintah Band of the Northern Ute Indian Tribe are expected to vote today, Tuesday, on the latest effort to recall Curtis Cesspooch. Cesspooch, who has served as chairman of the tribe's governing Business Committee since 2007, was suspended from office on Aug. 16 by three of his fellow Business Committee members. Two other members voted against the suspension. Cesspooch was not permitted to vote or even be present when the vote was taken. Should the recall be successful, the resolution that suspended Cesspooch from the Business Committee calls for a primary election for his seat to be held within 10 days. The same resolution calls for a general election for the seat within 10 days of the primary.
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When the Utes put Stewart Pike back into office, they really elected John Jurrius - past and future, it appears, dictator of the Tribe. And, if they didn't know that, they are dumb, dumb, dumb. When Jurrius first ascended to power, a former BIA official pegged it right: he said Jurrius spoke "Ute" - meaning he promised to make them rich. And, on whose recommendation did they give Jurrius total control over the Tribe? Pearl Casias - ONE member of the Southern Ute tribal council who couldn't even use her own words to promote him, but had to promote him using Jurrius' script: Pearl recommended Jurrius by repeating his mantra, "I/He will "grow" your Tribe". Not a single other person came forward to vouch for Jurrius, but the Utes hired him - AND gave him a contract (written by Jurrius) that gave him all the power - a power that he abused over and over again to his own financial gain.
When Jurrius ascended to his dictatorship at Northern Ute, one of the first things he did was takedimwit Dana West to lunch and ask her who was loyal to the Tribe and who could be bought. (If you really wanna know what's going on in an organization, ask the secretary.) Dana - who has as few brains as she does hairs on her head - told him. Within a year, the people who were loyal to the Tribe and couldn't be bought off by Herr Jurrius were gone and Jurrius had cemented his control over the Tribe.
Next, Jurrius got rid of the two business committee members who wouldn't submit to his control - Ron Wopsock and Luke Duncan - in a secret meeting held in violation of the Tribe's constitution and ordinances. Like the "charges" against Curtis Cesspooch, the "charges" against Ron and Luke were bogus. They boiled down to: they didn't show blind obedience to Jurrius. No one - except Ron and Luke - protested. Now, just months after he was elected to fill the slot created by the untimely death of the HONORABLE Stephen Cesspooch (who opposed Jurrius), Stewart Pike is leading the charge to get his benefactor (John Jurrius) restored as dictator of the Utes.
Don't be so dumb people. "Google" how many other tribes were duped into hiring Jurrius and you'll find that the number is pathetically low. Ask Sam Maynes - the only Ute - Northern or Southern - with a law degree - who is responsible for him being fired as the Southern Ute's lawyer. (Hint: the answer is John Jurrius.) Look at who went to work for Jurrius after he was (finally) fired. (Hint: the answer is Cleve Pike and Dana West.) "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." If the Utes are dumb enough to hire Jurrius back (as they appear to be since they elected Stewart Pike) the shame is on THEM.
ONCE AGAIN --YOU'RE LYING SIR! YOU'RE DEFAMING JURRIUS' CHARACTER AND SLANDERING HIS NAME!! YOU'RE DUMB ENOUGH TO WRITE ALL THIS MISINFORMATION....TRY ANGER MANAGEMENT.
I think I kno who johnlocke is...hahaha, figures.
Kinz: I agree with you. John needs anger management - - John Jurrius, that is. When someone crosses John, his face turns redder than a beet and steam blows out his ears (easy to do, because there's only air between 'em). And, anyone who writes in all caps is a good candidate for anger management too.
Funny.
(sarcasm)
Kinz:
Like you say, sarcasm IS funny. What Jurrius did to the tribe is NOT. If Stewart, Irene and Richard (any relation, KinzJENKS?) get their way, he'll do it again . . . and the tribe will NEVER be able to get rid of him.
So, I really don't know who's report you're reading. But John Jurrius helped this Tribe to get on their feet financially more than any individual. I should know. I don't give second hand information. Nor do i believe rumors, and I especially don't believe whats in this paper. ppl, who don't kno the full story shouldn't comment -- because they just don't know.
This article is interesting and alarming. Interesting, in that the article points out a focal point in tribal history: the association of a Mr. John Jurrius. As a member of the tribe, I'm interested to know the truth about his full association. I think it would be a great benefit to the tribe, if an outside entity, maybe even The Standard, did some deep thorough investigative writing about this association. I see so many emotion-filled rants, for and against him, that it becomes difficult to believe anything anyone says or writes. I'm also alarmed by this article, because a man who represents my tribe has been taken out of his position for no publicized reason. I don't side with anyone, but it looks wrong. I would hope the leadership understands that taking such public missteps will endanger all future decisions they and their successors make because they have set up a dangerous, and now acceptable, precedent, which really has the capability of destroying our government. Demonstrating fairness and levelheadedness would go much further in benefiting the tribe as a whole, than sidestepping the rules for any reason. I still look to my elders to do the wise thing, and I know I am not the only one.
thank you ncambridge2 and believe me there is a younger generation that is learning its pasts and realizing that things do come back and repeat it self if the lessons learned were not learned the first time again and again.. and as one of the Groves brothers told my parents.."I have lost my bible"?... it was his father that dies and his father was his bible his teacher and creator? and at this time i can say I didn't understand what he was talking about. The bibles are the speakers and teachers for the knowledge we speak as younger generations the lessons i learn are valuable and i will Cherish for life for i understand what mr groves meant now in my later years i look back at the past to see the future that lays be for me now and i look to both my bibles mother & Father for the directions i guess that's why there is no written recorded religion of the Ute nation for the religion we live is told to us by mother,father,and grandparents... never doctrine like the LDS Bible..