Proposed amendment to Election Law to reduce number of Chiefs still uncompleted

07/25/2014

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform Kahnawa’kehró:non that additional input is being requested from the community regarding the proposed amendment to the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Elections Law that could see the number of Chiefs reduced from the current twelve (12).

The issue has been unresolved at recent Community Decision Making Process (CDMP) hearings. A decision to hold a referendum to decide the issue was deemed incorrect by the Kahnawà:ke Legislative Coordinating Commission (KLCC), thus resulting in an additional hearing being called, tentatively planned for this coming September.

“While it was clear that the suggestion to hold a referendum was done in good faith to try to break the deadlock, we have to agree with the KLCC that the CDMP is designed to reach – and make decisions by - consensus,” said Trina C. Diabo, the MCK technician who is responsible for the proposed amendments. “So, with that in mind, we will make sure that there is enough information available, both pro and con, so that people can make an informed and final decision in the fall.”

Should no consensus be reached at that time, Council composition will remain at twelve.

“Additionally, we will conduct a survey at the Services Complex on Wednesday and Thursday, August 20th and 21st to gauge what the community is thinking,” she continued. “It may provide us with a tool that could be useful in the upcoming hearing.”

“We certainly commend the community members who have been participating over the course of the hearings,” she concluded. “The rest of the amendments went relatively smoothly, so we’re hoping we can conclude this phase of the process shortly.”