"Last month, the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, Michell Hicks, vetoed a Tribal Council resolution which would have allowed for a referendum vote on the question of alcohol sales at the tribal casino. There has been much discussion ever since. Many in our community feel such an important decision belongs to tribal members while others believe that our elected leaders are in a position to make certain decisions on behalf of tribal members.

In his veto memorandum to Tribal Council Chief Hicks invoked the memories of tribal leaders before him who believed that alcohol sales in our community could be devastating. In fact, many of our most beloved tribal leaders have taken that stand and it could be argued that they did so for the good of the community rather than following their personal beliefs. The arguments over alcohol illustrate one of our longest held beliefs, that our people can decide for themselves the crucial questions of our times.

This belief has not always been the practice of our leaders. For instance, the decision to bring gaming to our lands was made by tribal leaders without a referendum vote. That decision continues to be controversial although it can be argued that the gaming decision was in fact to the betterment of our people. There is still vocal opposition to gaming in our community. One positive result is that the Tribal Council has also put in place a formalized method of holding a referendum and quantifying the results of any future referendum."

Get the Story:
Lynne Harlan: Alcohol at casino: A very difficult decision for tribe (The Asheville Citizen-Times 9/12)