This year's Pow Wow Days Association membership meetings have often become heated but last night's was literally a fire hazard. Beginning at 7 p.m.
This year's Pow Wow Days Association membership meetings have often become heated but last night's was literally a fire hazard. Beginning at 7 p.m. at the BCM Inns, a turnout of what would prove to be more than 100 people required the meeting to be relocated to the Bold Center so as to obey the hotel's fire code.
The turnout exceeded previous meetings by as much as 70 people and addressed motions made by the association's president, Martin Desjarlais. The motions in question were for the association to attain a firm to perform the county-mandated audit of its 2016 financial statement, and to revoke the membership of newly elected vice-president Lavon Fleming, whose actions he deemed not in the best interest of the association. After considerable debate, neither motion would prove to be passed.
County Mayor Omer Moghrabi - who acts as Lac La Biche County council's representative for Pow Wow - explained that a motion passed by council in February prevented Desjarlais' first motion from being passable.
“The first part of the motion passed by council stated the county is paying for the audit,” said Moghrabi. “And because the county is paying for the audit, we will choose the firm that does the audit.”
At a county budget meeting on Feb. 24, council passed a motioned unanimously that the county not allocate any further funds to the association with the exception of those necessary for undertaking a formal audit of the society's financial statements. During a closed session of last week's county council meeting, council also decided they would select the firm that would conduct the audit.
“We're being very clear with the direction by council,” said Moghrabi. “We won't change this position.”
Questions were raised by members as whether it was even possible to pass the motion if they were being given no choice by council but to allow county administration to choose the auditor.
“Really, the vote doesn't matter, if it doesn't pass, the county doesn't commit money,” said one of the board's directors Lee Hillary. “It's the county's way or the highway.”
Desjarlais eventually agreed it was in the best interest of Pow Wow Days to allow the county to select the auditor and withdrew his original motion. After some time, an alternative motion was passed unanimously to allow the audit to go ahead, paid for with county funds and with county administration choosing the auditor.
But the meeting's second motion - to revoke the membership of the board's vice-president Lavon Fleming - generated considerably more debate. Desjarlais reasoned that Fleming's actions were not in the best interest of the Pow Wow Days Association as grounds for his motion.
Specifically, he said Fleming had harassed members of the organization, had made accusations that Pow Wow funds were mismanaged and made accusations of stealing money.
“I feel that Lavon is a destructive force towards Pow Wow, working to tear down Pow Wow Days,” he said.
Two separate polls had to be taken, with a second poll taken after the first resulted in 82 votes cast compared to 71 registered members voting. The discrepancy in numbers seemed to be the result of not all card-carrying members being registered on an attendance list.
The second vote would result in 38 members voting for revoking Fleming's membership and 45 voting against, resulting in Fleming remaining as vice-president. Despite making the initial motion to revoke her membership, after the results of the vote, Desjarlais said he was happy with the results.
“I'm very happy she's back and we'll try to work together,” said Desjarlais.
Fleming believes the large turnout at the meeting proves the community cares about what is going on with the Pow Wow Days Association and that Pow Wow belongs to the community. Though she is less optimistic about working with Desjarlais.
“How can it work?” asked Fleming. “I'm tainted. I talk about mismanagement, I'm not accusing anyone but if you ran your house like the way you ran Pow Wow with overspending, lack of record keeping and owing money for a new year - 2017 - you've lost the trust of not just sponsors but also the people.”
Following the counting of the votes, Moghrabi motioned to accept the results of the poll, which was passed making Fleming's continuing role as vice-president official. No date has been given yet as to when the association's next meeting will be.
