Former Catawba Nation leaders call for probe into tribe’s chief over misconduct claims
Catawba Nation citizens have called for an investigation into their elected officials as tribal leaders face renewed misconduct allegations.
Two former members of the elected five-person executive committee accused Chief Brian Harris of fostering a hostile work environment and flouting tribal laws, which they said led to more than 20 employee resignations.
Catawba citizens first voted in August to initiate an independent investigation into Harris and the rest of the executive committee, including the two former leaders behind the allegations. A copy of the resolution obtained by The (Rock Hill) Herald shows citizens gave the nation 90 days to conduct the investigation. That deadline came and went without action.
The nation revisited the matter at a tribal meeting on Saturday where the five current and former leaders responded to a list of prepared questions probing into misconduct allegations, said Aaron Baumgardner, a Catawba citizen who resigned last month as the tribe’s director of natural resources.
The current executive committee took no official action, leaving the investigation in limbo six months after citizens voted for it.
A Catawba spokesperson declined to comment, saying the topic is private tribal business. The Catawba Nation is a sovereign government based on a reservation near Rock Hill and has around 3,300 members.
Catawba Chief Brian Harris
Connie Wade and Roo George-Warren resigned from the executive committee in August after serving a quarter of their four-year terms.
The two elaborated on their departures in a public Facebook post over the weekend. They echoed their concerns during Saturday’s private tribal meeting in response to questions from the nation’s oversight committee, George-Warren said.
In his post, Wade alleged that Harris saw other committee members as “obstacles to what he wanted to do” and enabled a culture of financial mismanagement, corruption and abuse of power.
George-Warren and Wade said on Facebook that Harris unilaterally adjourned meetings early if topics didn’t align with his priorities. That prevented action items from moving forward even with a majority of the committee on board, they said.
In a Facebook comment responding to George-Warren’s post, Harris called the allegations “absolutely disgusting” and “full of personal feelings and not facts.” He also accused George-Warren of misconduct.
About 73% of citizens who attended the August meeting voted in favor of an investigation, the resolution shows. Secretary and treasurer Roderick Beck signed to certify the resolution. Harris did not.
Harris left a note on the resolution dated Sept. 10 that said the “vote is still in the legal process” and cannot be certified because “the resolution does not identify the subject matter, the scope, nor the funding code.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Former Catawba Nation leaders call for probe into tribe’s chief over misconduct claims."
