Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Sep 30/02) - Karen Thomas and her supporters want elders to pick a new chief and band council for the West Point First Nation.

Thomas resigned as chief on Aug. 30 to protest what she calls mismanagement and nepotism by the current council.

She wants elders to hold a traditional Dene election in which the three major families comprising the band would each be represented by one elder.

Her brother Ken Thomas, who describes himself as his sister's envoy, explains elders have the final say in Dene communities. He points out, for example, that band elections planned in Kakisa this summer were not held because the elders believed the existing council is doing a good job.

However, Wendy Cayen, the West Point band administrator, says the idea of a custom election was raised at a membership meeting on Aug. 28, and a majority of the people attending were opposed. "They didn't support a custom election."

She says it was agreed at the meeting that an electoral officer will go house to house to canvass the membership on what sort of election they would like to see.

Cayen says an election planned for Oct. 28 will go ahead as scheduled. The nomination day is Oct. 15.

Since that election is already set, the push for a custom election raises the possibility there might eventually be two councils claiming leadership of West Point, if the two sides in the dispute cannot come to an agreement.

"The one recognized the most will be the one chosen by the elders, undoubtedly," says Ken Thomas.

However, Cayen says two elections would be impossible, adding that people in the small band of 69 members have to start working together.

Karen Thomas claims she is still the legitimate chief of the band, since no emergency membership meeting was called to accept or reject her resignation.

She is also disappointed with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, which rejected a petition she gathered calling for the band office to be closed until new elections are held.

"If Indian and Northern Affairs won't help us in this situation, we won't have any option but to take it to court," Thomas says.