Tribal Complex named in honor of Vern Clairmont
KRISTI NIEMEYER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
Cyndy Clairmont (right) and three of the family's four children – Jeff, Mandy and Shanna – were on hand last Friday to celebrate the renaming of the Tribal Complex in Pablo in honor of husband, father and longtime finance director Vern Clairmont, who died a year ago on July 11. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)
Kristi Niemeyer learned her newspaper licks at weekly newspapers, beginning at the Mission Valley News in 1981, then at the helm of the Ronan Pioneer and, eventually, as co-editor of the Lake County Leader until 1993. She launched and co-published Lively Times, a statewide arts and entertainment monthly, before returning to the Leader in 2022, and serving as its editor until July 2026. Reach her at [email protected] | July 11, 2024 12:00 AM
Vern Clairmont, who died a year ago on July 11, was honored last Friday at the Tribal Complex, which has been renamed in his honor.
Clairmont spent 45 years working at the tribal headquarters in Pablo, the majority of those as Director of Financial Management for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Councilwoman Carole Lankford has said that he worked for 12 chairmen and more than 60 tribal council members. “It was an honor to work with Vern,” she said Friday.
He left an indelible mark, helping lay the groundwork for several self-governance initiatives, including those that have allowed the Tribes to reclaim the Bison Range, take over SKQ Dam and forge gambling and water compacts.
Vice-Chairman Tom McDonald has described Clairmont as “our federal reserve chair,” and said his insights and expertise helped CSKT stabilize tribal government and plan for the future.
CSKT Budget Director Ruth Swaney, who worked with Clairmont for nearly four decades, has said, “There are not many things this tribe has accomplished that do not have Vern’s mark upon them.”
As his family stood in front of the Tribal Council last Friday, Yamcut played an honor song, and the council and members of the community stood in line to honor an exceptional husband, father, grandfather and tribal leader, and to thank the family "for sharing Vern with us."
“It was a very emotional day for my kids and me,” his wife, Cyndy, said later. “Vern dedicated so much of his life to our tribe and many of the Council said he was the backbone to that office.”
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