WPCO Gives Support To Housing Commission
Members in attendance at the Wolf Point Community Organization’s meeting on Monday, April 21, unanimously approved a motion to oppose the suspension of the Fort Peck Housing Authority’s board of commissions by the Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board.
WPCO members spoke out that they feel that TEB doesn’t have authority to suspend or remove the housing authority’s commissioners because the commissioners were voted in their offices by an election. They argued that only the voters have the right to remove the commissioners. “Power of the vote,” one speaker said.
The action took place after the housing commission’s vice chair Chuck Knowlton explained the situation. He said TEB at first voted to suspend them because of complaints from employees and directors. When TEB later held a vote to rescind that resolution, the required amount of votes wasn’t reached.
Knowlton said the action is in violation of Article 3A, and that the tribes’ attorney even advised them in a public meeting to follow the law.
“We have done nothing wrong,” Knowlton said. “They say we’re suspended. I argue we’re not.”
He mentioned that employees often don’t come to work on time. He said a large amount of employees didn’t show up for work for a couple of days a few weeks ago.
“It hurts people who need work done,” Knowlton said about employees not doing their jobs.
Housing employees sent a letter to tribal chairman Justin Gray Hawk Sr. in late March to express their concerns with the department including the acting director.
The letter stated, “We feel her inexperience with FPHA is exactly why an over-controlling BOC put her in place to be able to use her to carry out duties at their will.”
The letter claimed that the power struggle between the BOC, the TEB and the executive director position is not only causing low morale but will result in hurting tenants and future tenants.
