"Paul Brooks sounded the right theme when he was sworn in as the new Lumbee tribal chairman last week.

As he vowed to unite the more than 55,000 tribal members, Brooks asked everyone in the room to recite with him John F. Kennedy's famed "Ask not what your country can do for you ... " admonition.

Brooks, who won the tribal chairmanship by a large margin, knows a tough road lies ahead. The chairman of the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs, Brooks is well prepared for the job.

But he has a lot of repair work to do. He must deal with federal probes of financial irregularities and with the anger of many tribe members, unhappy with leaders making decisions in secrecy."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Unity - New tribal chair faces daunting tasks ahead (The Fayetteville Observer 11/27)

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