The council for the Humboldt County tribe recently charged Chairman Joe Davis with neglect of duty and gross negligence, according to documents from the tribe. The charges include failure to supervise tribal staff, failure to follow tribal policies and failure to reveal a conflict of interest.
On his Facebook page, Davis wrote about the Hoopa Development Fund, to which he said his wife submitted a loan application.
"I reached out to our most senior attorney in the very beginning, recused myself when I did identify a conflict, and ultimately never accepted a loan from Hoopa Development Fund. I hope all of this proves to you, who have trusted me, that I never did anything illegal," Davis wrote.
The five total charges claim, in part, that he allowed violations of law and policy to occur and approved loans for tribal members when they should have been approved by the council.
"We can't in good conscience let him continue to abuse his power and authority to the detriment of the tribe," a tribal press release reads.
Davis was first elected chairman of the tribe in 2021. He has been temporarily suspended as chairman and is on paid administrative leave.
On his Facebook page, he wrote that the accusations are an effort to slander his reputation.
The Council also alleges that Davis "attempted a hostile take-over" of its Feb. 16 meeting.
"Not only did the Chairman incite hostility and harassment of Tribal Council members at the meeting, but he is encouraging his supporters to privately threaten and harass Tribal Council members," according to a press release from the tribe.
"Everyone who knows me in the community has never witnessed this kind of behavior from me," Davis wrote on Facebook. "These allegations could not be further from the truth."
The special meeting will be held on March 11 at 10 a.m. in tribal council chambers. Davis will be able to respond to the charges then. The meeting had previously been scheduled for Feb. 29.
Davis, Council Vice Chairman Everett H. Colegrove, Jr. and the tribe's attorney Tom Schlosser did not respond to requests for comment.
