Clearsky ‘thankful’ after winning vote

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This article was published 12/03/2015 (4039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Murray Clearsky admits he feels vindicated after being elected chief of Waywayseecappo First Nation last month.

In 2013, Clearsky was removed as the grand chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization amid allegations he misused thousand of dollars during business trips to the United States.

On Feb. 21, Clearsky — who was Wayway’s chief for more than two decades prior to becoming the SCO’s grand chief in 2012 — was re-elected in the First Nation community located near Rossburn.

“There is obviously still a lot of people that have faith in me from my own community,” said Clearsky, who garnered 280 votes, three more than Anthony Longclaws and double the amount former chief Mel Wabash received, while Darrell Brandon got 21 votes.

Clearsky maintained from the beginning the accusations were bogus.

“If I had done it, it wouldn’t have stressed me out,” he said, “but myself, being in politics for as long as I have been and to be accused of missing funds, is a no-no.”

He said you could hear a pin drop when he walked into the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs’ annual general assembly at Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation just days after his election win.

It was there that Clearsky was able to sit across from many of the chiefs he believes used him as a scapegoat for the spending discrepancies at SCO.

While it’s customary for each chief to stand and give opening remarks that last approximately five minutes, Clearsky said he spoke on the floor for close to 45 minutes.

“I blasted them,” Clearsky said about his message directed to members of the SCO at the assembly. “They tried to nail everything on me. Never once did they stop and ask me (what happened)?

“I called them thieves. You name it and I said it to them and that’s the kind of respect I’m giving those people because they gave me none.”

Clearsky said several chiefs from the province lauded the honesty in his remarks.

And the fight with the SCO isn’t over, either.

In the days that followed the allegations, Clearsky met with representatives from the Aboriginal Affairs Department to explain the spending.

Forensic auditors found $261,000 in questionable funding expenses between 2010 and 2013.

The expenses included the unauthorized use of a debit card by Clearsky and his staff. Clearsky said he had receipts for the money he spent, but five others had access to the card.

He claims the department cleared him of any wrongdoing.

No charges have ever been pursued.

His dispute is with the SCO, not the department. Clearsky wants compensation for the two years he would have served at the head of the organization if he wasn’t removed.

“I wouldn’t say it’s behind me because I wrote them a letter about my wrongful dismissal.”

Looking forward, he wants to focus on education, public safety and economic growth in Wayway.

“I’m proud of my community,” Clearsky said. “I’m thankful the people gave me the opportunity to rebuild this community as well as myself.”

Clearsky said all those issues will be tackled openly and honestly.

“We are very transparent here,” Clearsky said. “People want me to put everything on the table. Where we are with our finances so we can move on. We need more development and more stuff happening.”

Joining Clearsky on council are Tim Cloud, Jim Cote, Roger Mentuck, Longclaws and Wabash.

Election rules state candidates can run for both chief and council simultaneously.

In 2013, the chief of Wayway made $78,000, while councillors made $65,600, according to the First Nations audited statement.

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