Utes seek $5,000 for each member

FORT DUCHESNE, Uintah County — Ute tribal members are putting their names on a petition that, if approved by tribal leaders, could put $5,000 in the pocket of every man, woman and child enrolled in the tribe — and just in time for Christmas.

Petition organizers Mary Carol Jenkins and Cassandra Kochamp began circulating the petition last week.

Jenkins said they expect to have more than the required 416 valid signatures they need to get their elected leaders to take action on the request.

"We have people who are wanting to sign it real bad," Jenkins said. "They feel they deserve it."

While collecting signatures on the petition, the women have been handing out fliers that explain why they think disbursement of the payments, which would take about $18 million out of the tribe's bank account, is justified. They said they came up with the idea to petition for money after listening to tribal financial advisor John Jurrius tell tribal members at their annual membership meeting that the tribe was experiencing "unprecedented, overwhelming" financial success.

"We were told that the Venture Board has $380 million in their account, but there is nothing for the little Indian," Jenkins said.

According to the fliers, tribal members age 26 to 64 have missed out on 18 of the 19 payments that were promised in the "Jurrius Financial Plan." The plan was approved by tribal members in a referendum vote in 2001. The two women maintain the financial plan was passed in part because it promised to "share the tribe's wealth" with tribal members.

"We are only asking them to pay us what they and the financial plan say they will pay us," Jenkins said. "We are asking for peanuts — $250 for each overdue payment, plus interest."

The fliers state tribal members age 26-64 received just one of the promised payments in the amount of $500 in May 2005. The payment coincided with a petition to recall tribal chairwoman Maxine Natchees.

That petition was later voided. Another petition submitted recently already has been ruled as void due to a lack of qualified signatures.

Jenkins and Kochamp said they don't believe $5,000 per person is too much to ask considering tribal leaders are paying Jurrius $50,000 a month, and the attorneys in the law firm he brought with him to serve as tribal counsels are paid $400 an hour. Jurrius also gets 10 percent of every deal he negotiates on behalf of the tribe and has a hold-harmless clause in his contract.

Tribal members 65 and older have been receiving $1,500 a month for the past two years, in accordance with the plan.

Jurrius is currently out of the area, and his business partner Robert Ogle did not return calls.

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