by Frederic J. Frommer

Washington, D.C. (AP)

Dave Anderson made more headlines in his first year as chief of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for what he didn’t do than what he did. Anderson removed himself from any decisions on tribal recognition or Indian gambling to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest, because of his past work in the gambling industry.

Anderson founded Grand Casinos Inc., the former casino management company for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, in central Minnesota, before leaving the company to launch his Famous Dave’s barbecue restaurant chain in Minnesota.

Some critics say that Anderson should not be BIA chief if he can’t handle gambling and recognition decisions. But Anderson, 51, says there are more important things for him to focus on as BIA chief. Anderson sat down recently with The Associated Press to discuss his first year on the job.

AP: Do you plan to stay through a second Bush administration?

Anderson: I very definitely do. I think this is an incredible opportunity to get some things done. One of the reasons I’m here is to help create the change that’s needed in the Bureau.

AP: Now that you’re not handling gaming and recognition, what are the things that you are spending most of your attention on?

Anderson: I take issue with people who try to say that gaming is the only high priority in Indian Country. I would say a great majority of the tribes are not in areas where gaming would be a significant economic base for them. When we are in meetings with tribes, the tribes tell us their priorities are law enforcement, health, education, infrastructure and administration of the tribes.

I really believe that one of the reasons that I’m here is the vision that I have for turning Bureau schools into leadership academies. I really believe we have an incredible opportunity, more than we’ve ever had before, because of technology, that our children can access local resources and thrive in a global economy...

We will be holding our first Vision Conference on turning Bureau schools into leadership academies. By next fall, we will be having four schools developed into prototype models.

AP: How will a leadership academy be different from a regular school?

Anderson: Our children, many of them are growing up in dysfunctional communities. One of the things we want to start doing is creating nourishing environments for our students. My ultimate goal is to have 100 percent acceptance of all of our high school students and universities – and it’s doable. One of the schools we’re looking at is the Harlem Boys and Girls Choir Academy (formally known as The Choir Academy of Harlem). Last year, they had 100 percent acceptance into colleges and universities. So it tells me, this is not some pie-in-the-sky dream, but this can actually happen.

AP: Will additional funding be required for these types of schools?

Anderson: I don’t think it’s additional funding; I think it’s a change of philosophy... We have gone out and found the best of the best, the top schools in the country, for creating the model for our Bureau schools. I have spoken to almost 4,000 Indian educators in the last four months, and have received outstanding support for this idea.

AP: You’ve been on the job a little under a year. What would you say are your most notable accomplishments?

Anderson: For the first time in history, we put together a book on what we have done in Indian Country – if you can believe that! For the first time in history, we now have a repository in Kansas, outside Kansas City, where 150,000 of our boxes of historical records are now kept. Before, these records were just kind of floating all over the Bureau offices. We are in the process of putting in state-of-the-art computer systems in the Bureau, which will help us provide better service to our Indian people.

I’m really excited about our economic development efforts. I believe that if tribes are going to be sovereign, we need to be economically independent. We are in the process of revamping our economic branch of the Bureau, and elevating it to a higher priority...

AP: What are some of your biggest frustrations?

Anderson: When people are challenging me, they say that I tend to look at things through rose-colored glasses, that I’m Pollyannaish. Like my positive mental attitude quotes all over. They’re used to seeing Indian pictures on this wall. I have said, we can’t hang our heads. We have to be positive. We have to believe that we can accomplish incredible things. And I’m very optimistic about what’s happening in Indian Country right now.

We have a number of tribes that are flourishing. We have a number of tribes that have actually told the federal government they’re not accepting any more federal funds, that they’re fully independent. And we really want to highlight those tribes, we want to learn from them. And I really believe the best is yet to come in Indian Country.

AP: You have a positive attitude, but are there times you get discouraged in your job?

Anderson: I think this is very challenging because there have been many times that I’ve wanted to just say, hey, the bureaucracy is too much and I want to go back to being a cook. But I’m not a quitter...

AP: What do you think about the Pawlenty administration’s effort to change Minnesota’s gambling setup in a way that means less money for Minnesota tribes?

Anderson: I have recused myself from all gaming issues. I’m not free to comment.

AP: An inspector general’s report in September called Indian prisons a “national disgrace.” What steps have you taken to improve them?

Anderson: We have started a process of doing a complete investigation of our detention centers. We put together a task force to make immediate changes where we could work within the budget that we had. Plus, I found an extra $5 million to put into emergency repairs. And we have undertaken a comprehensive personnel review.

AP: Aside from the emergency repairs, have any changes been implemented yet, or is it still in the study stage?

Anderson: We are working with the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Congress, to deal with this issue. We recognize this as a problem – a serious problem.

AP: Do you think the inspector general’s report was accurate?

Anderson: Yes I do. I think what you’re seeing here is, Indian people are the fastest growing people percentage-wise. And the federal dollars that go to support these communities have not increased at the same rate of growth. And it has caused problems in our existing infrastructure.

On the Net: BIA: http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html