After initially being informed by the Facebook page of Aaron Payment, Chairperson of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, that he had been voted out as Chairperson by the Board, addition information has arisen indicating that, in fact, Mr, Payment has not been removed of his office as Chairperson, but the Board of Directors has chosen to censure Mr Payment for several actions they deemed detrimental to the Tribe.
During the January 4, 2022 meeting, a motion was made regarding the conduct of the chairperson. The Board of Directors finds that Mr. Payment has:
- Violated his duty to create an environment that fosters respect and dignity
- Violated his duty to maintain an environment free of harassment and intimidation-Intimidated, harassed, and publicly attacked employees
- Continually committed malicious public attacks upon Tribal Members
- Violated the medical privacy and procedures of individual Tribal Members
- Violated resolution 2012–222 privacy of board member phone and computer records
- Breach/released confidential information, violating Tribal code, chapter 96
- Campaign prior to the notice of election pursuant to Tribal code chapter 10
- Violated travel resolution 93–123 code of professional conduct
After the aforementioned motion was unanimously approved, the Board followed up with its censuring statement.
“The Sault Tribe Board of Directors hereby:
- Censures Aaron Payment, Tribal chair person
- Publicly notices the Tribal board of directors has no confidence in the Tribal chair person
- Removes the chairperson for any/all internal committees (with the exception of those established in Tribal code) and external committees that are a result of the tribes membership within the respective organizations. Notice of which shall be provided by the tribes executive Director
- Expressly and equivocally makes it known that the conduct of the chairperson is not protected by the tribe or any of the tribe sovereignty. The chair person, Aaron Payment is personally liable for his respective actions
- Authorizes the executive Director with the assistant of the tribes legal counsel to contact and retain an external firm to investigate and address the conduct of the travel chair person
- Authorizes the executive Director to implement all necessary budget modifications administratively regarding the firm”
In a written statement on his Facebook page, Mr. Payment addresses this action by the Board of Directors. “Clearly the Board of Directors violated our Tribal Constitution by not noticing the action item five days in advance. Next, they conspired outside of a meeting to draft up this action that they sprung at the meeting. They also kept their actions secret from Director Freiheit and Lowes. This, too, violates our Open Meetings Act, Tribal Constitution and in itself REMOVABLE.”
Mr. Payment continued, “We the People are going to put this to the test. We will be circulating a removal petition for these violations.”
Finally, Mr. Payment did make one last statement, “Removal Imminent.”
- MYWAY Sault Bridge Brawl & NEMWA Regional Results - February 22, 2024
- Crawford County Prosecutor clears State Trooper in the fatal shooting of man earlier this month - February 23, 2023
- Court: Sault PD can’t conceal police force policy - February 23, 2023
Per FaceBook comments on your post (and elsewhere)
He wasn’t voted out, took this from someone else’s page but here is what was voted on:
01-04-2022
Motion to approve the following regarding the conduct of the chair person
The Sault Tribe board of directors finds that the Tribal chair person Aaron Payment has:
-Violated his duty to create an environment that fosters respect and dignity
-Violated his duty to maintain an environment free of harassment and intimidation
-Intimidated, harassed, and publicly attacked employees
-Continually committed malicious public attacks upon Tribal Members
-Violated the medical privacy and procedures of individual Tribal Members
-Violated resolution 2012–222 privacy of board member phone and computer records
-Breach/released confidential information, violating Tribal code, chapter 96
-Campaign prior to the notice of election pursuant to Tribal code chapter 10
-Violated travel resolution 93–123 code of professional conduct
The Sault Tribe board of directors hereby:
-CensuresAaron Payment, Tribal chair person
-Publicly notices the Tribal board of directors has no confidence in the Tribal chair person
-Removes the chairperson for any/all internal committees (with the exception of those established in Tribal code) and external committees that are a result of the tribes membership within the respective organizations. Notice of which shall be provided by the tribes executive Director
-Expressly and equivocally makes it known that the conduct of the chairperson is not protected by the tribe or any of the tribe sovereignty. The chair person, Aaron Payment is personally liable for his respective actions
-Authorizes the executive Director with the assistant of the tribes legal counsel to contact and retain an external firm to investigate and address the conduct of the travel chair person
-Authorizes the executive Director to implement all necessary budget modifications administratively regarding the firm
I didn’t grow up around here and obviously family dynamics are constantly going on around here! We look up to him for his outstanding achievements for Native Nation! I feel that the Sault Tribal Chairman Mr. Aaron Payment is an unexpendable asset for Native people right now! I have seen bigots and haters and it’s not helping us! Political positions are political and everyone just needs to be registered voters and vote on all elections! Natives were last type of people in USA to be allowed to vote! Sault Tribe members alone are majority in this county and can run this place! Chippewa county land part I think is Michigans largest county! Our little kids see this nonsense chaos and not teaching them the way! Nationally and Internationally Natives have to come together! We won’t exhist if we don’t straighten up asap! I hope I didn’t offend anyone just had to put my 2cents in! We are almost extinct and have to help each other! Native folks had it hard because we couldn’t be spiritually broken so we suffered! Now we just need to put differences aside communication and respect each other again! Good night my brothers and sisters love yas! Bama
Right….
As of 2010 census only 16 percent of the population in Chippewa county was native American so lets just get that crazy talk about natives taking over out of the way.
Back on topic, I have no clue what is going on up there, but as a tribal member who doesn’t live in the area, Aaron, Betty and Austin seem to be the only ones who care about the tribe as a whole. No one else has reached out to include members living outside the 7 county area.
Voting to convict with no evidence and hiring a firm an an unlimited expense to find the evidence to support the conviction violate even the most basic semblance of due process.
We had a ton of evidence on you Aaron including the Private message you sent to people. I have copies. Your gig is up.