Colville Tribes remove council member a week before citizens go to polls

Friday, June 23, 2017  

Leaders of the Colville Tribes expelled one of their own from the council barely a week before he is up for re-election.

The vote to remove Ricky Gabriel from office was 9-4, The Tribal Tribune reported. His own brother, Andy Joseph Jr., was among those on the council who voted against him.

“I’m in a bind here, brother,” Joseph said during the June 15 session, The Tribune reported.

But a few days later, the tribe issued a short press release, acknowledging that Gabriel's name appears on the ballot for the June 24 election. So what if he wins?

“Should Candidate Gabriel receive the most votes the full Business Council will handle accordingly,” the June 20 press release stated.

At issue is Gabriel's purchase of land on the reservation. Council members suggested he used his position for personal gain, a charge he rejected in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday as he urged voters to support him in the election.

“It takes a lot of courage to stand up when nobody else will,” Gabriel wrote on Facebook.

The tribe is based in eastern Washington.

Read More on the Story:
Nespelem’s Gabriel expelled (The Tribal Tribune 6/23)