Tribal chairman cancels meeting with Fargo officials
Tribal chairman cancels meeting with Fargo officials By MARVIN BAKER An Associated Press story that originally aired on WDAY-TV and radio in Fargo has led Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Marcus Wells Jr. to cancel a meeting later this month with Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker. The Friday, Oct. 17 report was in regard to the Red River Valley Water Project and comments made by Fargo city administrator Pat Zavoral to the AP. The article and its headline created the misconception the meeting was about negotiating water issues. Instead, Wells said he was to deliver a report about oil and gas to tribal members in Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., but somehow it was suggested he meet with Walaker about water. Wells said water wasn’t the intention of the meeting and although he doesn’t want to throw a monkey wrench into Fargo’s water issues, he said the priority is in getting water to everyone on the Fort Berthold Reservation first. "We cannot support the project until we can insure that our needs will be met and every person on our reservation will have adequate drinking water," Wells said. "Until we can work something out that addresses our concerns, then we can talk about the tribe’s support for the project."
