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The director of the state Office of Indian Affairs was fired last month for being "insubordinate" and failing to meet expectations, Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday, the first time the governor has publicly given a reason for the sudden termination.

Tribal leaders were frustrated at the governor's explanation for firing Forrest Cuch during a Wednesday luncheon. At the afternoon meeting of the Utah Tribal Leaders Council, they drafted a resolution stating that the dismissal "demonstrates a manifest disregard and disrespect for the inherent sovereign authority of Native America Tribes," and demanded an apology from the governor.

"There is no need to apologize," Herbert said during his monthly KUED news conference Thursday. "Mr. Cuch knew what the expectations were and he did not reach them."

The final straw, Herbert said, came when Cuch tried to unilaterally cancel the Utah Native American Summit, a program Herbert started when he was lieutenant governor. That was a decision that should have been made by the governor, Herbert said.

"His service recently has been sub-par. He has not done the things I think need to be done as a representative of my office to the Native Americans," Herbert said. "[It was] hurting our relationship and getting things done on behalf of the Native Americans. It was not acceptable to me. I had lost faith in Forrest Cuch's ability to perform."

Cuch told The Tribune that he was never notified of the governor's displeasure, either verbally or in writing.

"I've never heard anything about a subpar performance from anybody," he said in an interview. And he told tribal leaders this week that he had only received praise for his job and that he was surprised when told to clean out his desk.

As to the governor's assertion that he attempted to cancel the Utah Native American Summit, Cuch flatly denied it.

"No such thing. That is totally incorrect," he told The Tribune on Thursday.

The director of Indian Affairs acts as a liaison between the states seven sovereign Indian nations and the governor's office. The director serves at the pleasure of the governor and can be dismissed at any time without cause.

Central to the issue, according to tribal leaders, is that they were not consulted before Cuch was dismissed. Tribes were consulted when Cuch was named director of Indian Affairs 13 years ago.

"When we selected Forrest, we knew he was the man for the job," said Ron Wopsock of the Ute Tribe, who surmised that politics ­ ­— not personnel issues — were behind the termination.

"He was penalized for standing firm on the issues. It hurts."

Madeleine Greymountain of the Goshute Tribe said Wednesday Cuch's abrupt dismissal "saddened" her.

"I no longer support Governor Herbert. If he continues to think he can treat us like that, he will, and so will others," she said. "He could have done it honorably, and he didn't."

Christopher Smart contributed to this report.