Impeachment hearings: How they voted

Impeachment in Cherokee

Impeachment hearings: How they voted

Following three days of impeachment hearings, Tribal Council deliberated for four hours before returning to vote in open session. Each of the 12 charges against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert were announced individually, with councilmembers then standing up one by one to cast their vote as guilty, not guilty or abstained.

The body found Lambert guilty on eight of the 12 charges. Seven of the 12 articles followed the 9-3 voting pattern that has pervaded the entire impeachment process, with Councilmembers Teresa McCoy, Richard French and Tommye Saunooke voting not guilty on all 12 articles. The only charge on which Lambert was found guilty that did not follow the 9-3 voting pattern was the charge involving changes to the tribe’s organizational chart. Councilmember Bo Crowe joined the other three in voting not guilty on this charge.

Votes in Tribal Council are calculated on a weighted scale, with each councilmember’s vote worth between six and 12 votes depending on the population of the representative’s community.

For a full list of charges and Lambert’s responses to them, visit www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/19987-the-charges.

Article I: Hotel contract entered into illegally

• Not guilty: Teresa McCoy, Richard French, Tommye Saunooke

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• Guilty: Travis Smith, Alan “B” Ensley, Anita Lossiah, Brandon Jones, Bill Taylor, Bo Crowe, Adam Wachacha, Albert Rose, Marie Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article II: Official actions taken prior to swearing-in

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article III: Contracts executed without Business Committee approval

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article IV: Unauthorized changes made to tribe’s organizational structure

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke, Crowe

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 68-32, guilty

Article V: Resources withheld from the Tribal Employment Rights Office

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Guilty: Smith

• Weighted vote: 88-12, not guilty

Article VI: Human resources decisions made without Vice Chief’s approval

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article VII: Legal expenses incurred before inauguration

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article VIII: Attempt made to bribe two councilmembers

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Wachacha, Junaluska

• Abstained: Crowe, Rose

• Weighted vote: 56-20, not guilty

Article IX: Cutting off Office of Internal Audit’s record access

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article X: Withholding payment for Council’s impeachment attorney

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska

• Weighted vote: 80-20, guilty

Article XI: Through Grand Council, impeding Tribal Council’s ability to impeach

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Smith, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska, Saunooke

• Weighted vote: 100-0, not guilty

Article XII: Using tribal resources for personal benefit during Grand Council

• Not guilty: McCoy, French, Ensley, Lossiah, Jones, Taylor, Crowe, Wachacha, Rose, Junaluska, Saunooke

• Guilty: Smith

• Weighted vote: 88-12, not guilty

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