"Who is in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs?" asks Senator William H. Nickerson (R-Greenwich). "Leadership upheavals underscore the reality that this is a dysfunctional agency unwilling and unable to serve the public interest in Connecticut or elsewhere in the vital areas of tribal recognition and tribal land claims."

Last week BIA Deputy Director Aurene Martin abruptly resigned while five senior BIA officials were reassigned. Nickerson said, "This follows a consistent pattern at this troubled agency." ITEM:

•  BIA Director David Anderson has recused himself from tribal recognition and tribal land acquisition issues because of conflicts through his close ties to the Indian gaming industry. He handed over these responsibilities to Martin, who has now left.

•  Prior to Anderson assuming his job (if you can call it that!) in February the position had remained vacant for a year.

•  The previous Director, Neal McCaleb, resigned two years ago under a cloud of suspicion regarding financial misdealings.

Nickerson said, "Former Deputy Director Martin issued the lawless ruling in which the BIA granted recognition to the Schaghticoke applicants from Kent, Connecticut. Since then evidence has surfaced, including an internal BIA staff memo, indicating that Martin had sought and received staff advice on how to bend and twist the BIA rules to find a way toward Schaghitoke recognition, despite an earlier BIA rejection."

Nickerson said, "Now that Martin is gone no one is in charge. These personnel gyrations underscore the larger reality that the BIA is a leaderless, floundering agency. It cannot make unbiased decisions on recognition and land acquisition issues, has allowed itself to be influenced by politically connected lobbyists and has not taken into account the concerns of the local communities where tribes seek to launch mega-casinos."

"It is amazing to me that despite Congress' own Congressional Accounting Office having issued a report two years ago calling attention to these serious issues Congress still remains unwilling to accept responsibility to reform the agency."