Fond du Lac RBC will have two new members

The Fond du Lac Reservation Business Council will soon welcome two new members.

Robert Abramowski will replace Ferdinand Martineau as secretary/treasurer of the tribal council, a position Martineau held for 16 years, and Brad Blacketter is the new District II Sawyer representative to the RBC. Blacketter had 134 votes to Naomi Northrup’s 77; incumbent Sawyer Rep. Bruce Savage took third in the primary election and didn’t advance to the June 14 general election.

Abramowski had nearly 54 percent of the votes, or 455 votes to 389 for Martineau. Reached by phone, Abramowski said he wasn’t ready to comment. Martineau did not respond to voice messages before the Pine Knot News went to press.

Abramowski ran on a number of issues, which he outlined in a candidate statement published in the June issue of the Band’s free monthly publication, Nagaajiwanaang Dibaajimowinan.

First on his list of goals was a focus on accountability and transparency regarding RBC activities, in particular posting minutes promptly and including vote details, as well as posting the agenda before meetings for band member comment periods.

He also said he would present a resolution for term limits to be decided by Band members in a referendum, something Northrup also said she supported in her candidate statement.

Martineau’s defeat follows a motion by the longtime secretary/treasurer to censure Fond du Lac chairperson Kevin Dupuis. He made the motion at the Jan. 28 Minnesota Chippewa Tribal Executive Committee meeting, citing a violation of a reservation ordinance that prohibits weapons in tribal public buildings.

Although the motion eventually passed the TEC, the Chippewa committee sent the issue to the RBC for a hearing to exonerate, remove or recall. The RBC voted 3-2 to exonerate.

During the various censure hearings, the lack of meeting minutes and other records was an issue. In the January hearing, Dupuis said the RBC minutes had not been updated in three years, a job that falls under the purview of the secretary/treasurer.

Martineau’s candidate statement focused on his accomplishments and handling of Band finances and the Covid-19 pandemic. Blacketter did not publish a candidate statement or respond to a Facebook message from the Pine Knot.

The newly elected RBC officials are expected to take office by July 12, but it could be sooner, depending on whether the election is contested or not. Approximately 25 percent of eligible voters turned out or voted absentee.