Mescalero Apache Tribe Council President Thora Walsh-Padilla Impeached in Unanimous Vote

MESCALERO, N.M. — Thora Walsh-Padilla, president of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, has been impeached following a unanimous vote by the Tribal Council, she announced in a Facebook post Friday.

The impeachment follows a 90-day suspension that had kept Walsh-Padilla out of office while the council investigated accusations against her. Vice President Duane Duffy had stepped in as acting president during that period.

Walsh-Padilla first addressed the accusations in a Facebook post back in April, saying the charge against her was “nepotism for hiring someone that is not related” to her. She defended the hire at the time, writing that she had given “a highly qualified young woman a chance,” comparing it to an opportunity she said she was given 32 years earlier when she was appointed to her first position with the tribe.

In her Friday post announcing the impeachment, Walsh-Padilla struck a grateful tone toward her supporters.

“From the bottom of my heart, I just want to say thank you to all that offered your support and shared prayers with me,” she wrote. “I understand what you were striving towards.”

She went on to say that change needs to come from within the tribe, and that it needs to start with a more worldly and progressive Tribal Council.

Neither the Tribal Council nor Vice President Duffy had issued a public statement on the impeachment vote as of Friday. It is not yet clear who will serve as president going forward or whether Walsh-Padilla intends to contest the council’s decision.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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