'This is my mandate,' Martselos says as reinstated Salt River chief

A day after returning to work as chief of the Salt River First Nation in Fort Smith, N.W.T., Frieda Martselos says she wants to put the legal conflict that forced her out of office behind her.

Martselos was back at the First Nation's office on Wednesday. A day earlier, a Federal Court judge quashed a council resolution to have her fired in May.

"I'm quite happy with the judgment. I think the judgment was correct," Martselos told CBC News in an interview Thursday.

"When I was running for leadership for chief of Salt River First Nation, my mandate was accountability, transparency, open-door and open-book policy."

Martselos had been chief for only a week when on May 7, a group of band councillors voted to remove her from office, citing 21 reasons mostly based on what they called her "autocratic" governing style.

Federal Court Judge Michel Beaudry wrote that Martselos played a role in the political tensions that led to her firing, as she seemed to have misinterpreted her role as chief.

From the time she was elected April 30 to her firing, Martselos fired senior officials, terminated contracts and sent financial records to Edmonton for an audit. She also refused to meet with band councillors, the decision stated.

But Martselos said she won't change her leadership approach, even though it created tension and stress within council back in May.

"There was some confusion," she said. "When you go in as a new leader, there's sometimes people [who] take offence to what you feel has to be done. Now that I'm there, I still plan to enforce the mandate that I was elected for."

As for the band councillors, Martselos said she doesn't believe they have any problem with her after they met informally on Wednesday.

"We have to take direction from the membership. This is my mandate, and I will work towards that. And I cannot see council opposing that," she said.

"They were pretty receptive yesterday [Wednesday], and I was very happy with the meeting that we had."

The Salt River First Nation will hold its first official council meeting with Martselos reinstated as chief on Monday.