In an un-dated release posted to the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s Facebook page on May 23rd, 2019, NABC Chairman Lee Spoonhunter informed the public that Jim Conrad, the long-time CEO of the Wind River Hotel & Casino, would not have his contract renewed when it expires on June 30th of this year.
The release stated that the Council felt there had been a lack of accountability on the part of Conrad and that “to make certain accountability is restored…We have made personnel changes that we have deemed necessary to secure the future of our people.” The full post is below.
The release shared on May 23rd also stated that the Council was “disappointed in the actions of both Mr. Conrad and Mr. Kelly Rudd.” Rudd is a partner with Baldwin, Crocker & Rudd, PC, a law firm based in Lander. The reason for this being that, according to the NABC release, during the evaluation of Conrad’s contract, they “both have acted to frustrate the NABC’s efforts.”
Today, June 6th, NABC released an announcement that Baldwin, Crocker & Rudd would no longer represent the Tribe. The NABC has retained Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, LLP, a national firm, to provide legal services “during this time of transition.” The Facebook post in which the release was made public shared an additional un-dated statement which began, “today is a historic day for our people.”
These actions come after months of discussions related to Casino operations, finances, and management, and an independent audit called for by the NABC. An informational meeting has been scheduled for June 18th, at Great Plains Hall at 6pm.
Both releases are below.