Funny Business
The Sandia-Abramoff Connection
By Emily Esterson , 1-04-06
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I was surprised to read in this morning's newspaper that Stuwart Paisano, Governor of Sandia Pueblo, was replaced this week.
While it is customary for the pueblos to replace their tribal leadership every year (talk about term limits), Paisano's six-year tenure had brought the pueblo a gleaming new casino (he personally toured press around the site prior to opening), put a new computer in every pueblo house, success with a longstanding Sandia mountain land dispute with the federal government, and as of just a few weeks ago, a resort/hotel that should give neighboring Santa Ana's Tamaya Hotel a run for its money. Paisano, who was impossibly young for such responsibility (28 when he first got the job), was personable, well liked and well respected in the New Mexico political scene, a position it took him years to secure. So why replace him?
The answer to that question was suspiciously left out of this morning's newspaper accounts. In fact, it bothered me when I read the story. But the answer may have become somewhat clearer this afternoon, when the Tribune came out. Lower down on the page announcing Paisano's replacementwas a nifty story about the fact that lobbyist Abramoff, who plead guilt to fraud Tuesday, pocketed $1.7 million in funds paid to him by Sandia Pueblo. The Albuquerque Tribune writes, "Former Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuwart Paisano hired Abramoff in February 2002 to lobby for federal legislation to settle the pueblo's long-standing claim to Sandia Mountain." Choctaw Nation leader Phillip Martin persauded Paisano, the Trib says, to hire Michael Scanlon's PR firm, which was kicking back money to Abramoff.
I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of Paisano--far from it. But the Trib did not connect the dots, except by mentioning at the bottom of the Abramoff story that Paisano had been replaced. it seems odd to me that such as successful governor should be summarily dismissed, without much public reason as to why. Since Pueblo governors are not elected by the people but instead appointed by the Tribal Council, they can serve as long as they are doing their jobs well. Paisano's only reasons for his dismissal was the hotel was finished and "they got a whole lot accomplished." (paid)
Indeed. So why not stay and accomplish more? Was Paisano damaged by the Abramoff revelations? An insight to tribe's action might be found in this story in indianz.com today. Flush with cash, Sandia (which isn't mentioned in the article) sought high-powered lobbyists to help solve the Sandia land squabble. Not so unusual, but for how much gaming revenues have changed the tribal landscape.
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Comments
Did they really think he was spending millions on paper clips?
If a corporation paid those amounts of money to a lobbyist and then legislation got passed in their favor it would be called bribery. So why do we continue to hear of the Indian "victims" of Abramoff?
I know my town government doesn't have money like that to throw around - and it can't even legally donate to political campaigns like tribal governments can. Why is it that tribal governments can do that anyway?????
Do your homework Emily and find out who is in charge at the various Tribes, who makes the decisions and why they are made.
Governor Paisano did an exemplary job and there is nothing that will darken his accomplishments.
Pueblo governors are not "removed" -- sometimes their time is up. In some Pueblos, the term used to be one year but that has changed to two years.
In some Pueblos, the governor must alternate between certain clans or religious societies so there can be no back-to-back repeats. A governor who is not picked one year may be picked another year. Or he may be asked to serve as lieutenant governor or another position.
There are many possible explanations for Gov. Paisano's "removal" but it is doubtful that Jack Abramoff is one of them.