MASHPEE, Mass. (AP) - Members of a Massachusetts tribe have filed petitions to recall their elected leaders.
The Cape Cod Times reports that Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council member Aaron Tobey Jr. filed petitions Wednesday with the tribe’s Election Committee to recall Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell and Vice Chairwoman Jessie Baird.
The newspaper says more than 100 tribe members have signed the petitions, which must now be certified by the committee.
The petitions cite instances of “wrongful conduct” by the two longtime leaders as well as the tribe’s more than $500 million debt to casino giant Genting Malaysia, which for years has bankrolled the federally-recognized tribe’s failed efforts to open a casino in Taunton.
Cromwell and Baird didn’t immediately respond. In January, Cromwell was temporarily stripped of his fiduciary powers and Baird offered to resign.
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Information from: Cape Cod (Mass.) Times, http://www.capecodtimes.com
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