Comments Leadership of the tribal council for the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians remained up in the air Tuesday, with both factions in a contested election insisting that they hold the reins.

Tribal members voted Dec. 3 to replace the current tribal council headed by chairman Reggie Lewis with a new majority opposed to the tribe's disenrollment practices -- in which the tribe removes members based upon bloodlines.

The new council was supposed to take office on Monday. Morris Reid, the incoming chairman, said Tuesday the new council was seated as planned.

But Lewis contested the election of one challenger, Harold Hammond.

On Tuesday, tribal officials locked their offices and the gates surrounding the complex were locked with chains. Lewis said the closure allowed the council to conduct business without disturbances.
In an interview Tuesday, Lewis insisted the results of the election were on hold until Hammond's eligibility to join the council was resolved.

Hammond, one of the members-at-large elected in early December, was declared ineligible to be a member of the new council because he had been banned from the casino. When asked what specifically made him ineligible, Lewis said that it had to do with personnel matters and he declined to comment further.

Lewis said that during the tribal council's meeting on Monday, he was prepared to seat the new council, made up of Reid, Vice Chairwoman-elect Dora Jones, Treasurer-elect Nokomis Hernandez and members Nancy Ayala and Jennifer Stanley without Hammond.

However, the challenge to Hammond's eligibility caused a disturbance during the meeting, Lewis said. He said he ended the meeting before the new council was seated.

According to Reid, however, the entire council, including Hammond, was seated and made several actions, including passing a motion to end the tribe's disenrollment hearings and requesting recognition as the new tribal council from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Lewis said that after he called off the meeting all actions taken were null and void, including the seating of the new council by the tribe's elections committee vice chairwoman Rockele Lutz.

Lewis said an election for Hammond's seat would be held Feb. 4, and the entire council would be seated on Feb. 27.