Governor Tony Evers at a budget listening session in Wausau, WI. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Governor Tony Evers has played only a minor role in the barricades controversy at the Lac du Flambeau reservation.
He should remove himself from the issue. He has nothing constructive to contribute.
During a visit to Rhinelander last week, the Governor blamed the stand-off that’s keeping 28 families out of their homes on their title companies. Do the title companies bear some of the responsibility for road easements expiring? Yes. But let’s be clear, the party that’s responsible for the current situation is the tribe. They put up the barricades. They are blocking homeowners from reaching their homes. No barricades; no crisis. And that the governor’s thinking is wishy-washy on the issues shows that he won’t be a part of the solution.
The person to watch in all of this is Rep. Tom Tiffany. He points out that the Lac du Flambeau tribe has received $220-million in federal aid over the last decade. Certainly some of that money has gone towards road maintenance. While the road still belongs to the tribe, there should be a moment of pause when their congressman is counting the money they receive.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs budget is competitive. 547 tribes are recognized by the federal government. They jockey for funding from Washington. If one tribe’s congressman should threaten to hold up funding, that could be a very loud voice.
A lawsuit is pending. I would bet that it’s more likely than not that a judge will order the barricades removed. But a settlement still needs to be reached. I’ve suggested that binding arbitration is still the best, fastest way to get there. But fundamentally this is a case where all sides were relying on the federal government to offer guidance and assistance, while forgetting that the federal government is largely dysfunctional.
Chris Conley
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