(Chairman’s Report, Continued)
that Roe should be restrained from taking
any further action until the General Council has
ousted what she considers the “illegal Tribal
Council”. She claims that Council is in office only
because of the unconstitutional actions of Judge
Roe and states that once reinstated, the “legal”
Tribal Council will consider whether to suspend
or dismiss Judge Roe.
& Pat Duncan v, Stan Speaks
This case concerns an appeal filed by
Pat on September 8,1998 to the “Interior Board
of Indian Appeals and Hearings” (IBIA), a
federal administrative court that hears appeals of
BIA decisions. Pat is appealing an August 10th
letter to her by Stan Speaks, Portland Area
Director of the BIA, which states in part:
“The actions that led to the appointment
of a new Tribal Chairman and Tribal
Council members since the date of your
letter are internal tribal issues that have
been resolved in the most responsible
manner available to the Sei f-Govemance
Tribe.”
“We felt the actions taken by the Siletz
Tribal Council following your voluntary
resignation are reasonable, prudent and
have allowed the tribal council to proceed
as an effective, workable tribal
organization.”
It is our opinion the Interior Department lacks
authority over most issues raised by Pat (such
as overturning the July 16* decision of the Siletz
Court of Appeals).
The above summarized cases are what
we have been coping with. We are pleased that
the September 16,h decision of the Court of
Appeals validated the decisions of the Tribal
Court and the Election Board while charging
former Chairman Duncan and the recalled council
members with failure to carry out their
constitutional duties and obstructing the recall
process.
We are also mindful, however, of the
Appellate Court’s admonition that our ordinances
relative to election disputes and recall elections
need to be updated. We are already taking steps
to address these issues.
You can see from the foregoing that
the actions of the former council members have
been disruptive and time-consuming. And the
cases filed by Pat on September 30, 1998,
seeking damages ofone to five million dollars from
every member of the present council, is another
desperate, fruitless effort that will serve no other
purpose than to waste our valuable time and tribal
resources.
The Attorney asked the Court “to
enter a restraining order and permanent injunction
to prohibit Pat from representing herself as Siletz
Tribal Chairman in any matter before the Court
or the public”.
This Council will continue to proceed
to tackle the more important issues before us -
the improvement of health, education, housing,
economic and social conditions of our people.
“Just remember - when you think all is
lost, the future remains.”
Quoted by Bob Goddard
-2-
PORTLAND AREA COUNTIES
ADDED TO SERVICE AREA!!
by Tina Retasket
Oregon Senators Gordon Smith and Ron
Wyden announced October 6th the passage of
H.R. 4068. The House-approved legislation,
adopted in the Senate by unanimous consent, will
affect the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians;
the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde;
the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower
Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; and the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
The bill included provisions requested by
Oregon’s senators to add Washington,
Multnomah and Clackamas Counties to the Siletz
Tribe’s Service Area.
Additionally, it called for allowing up to
2,000 acres to be designated as reservatio land
for the Cow Creek Tribe; provided authority for
the Secretary of the Interior to grant up to 99
year leases to the Grand Ronde Tribe trust lands
as well as designating 191 acres of tribally held
community trust land as reservation.
NOVEMBER GENERAL COUNCIL
MEETING
AGENDA
1:00 p.m. - Call to Order
Invocation
Roll Cail
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
Tribal Member Concerns
Gaming Compact Report
Candidates Statements
Chairman’s Report
Annoncements
Adjournment
The meeting will be held at the Tribal
Community Center,
Siletz, Oregon
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
All letters received will be printed except those
which arejcnown to be slanderous or racist.
Please type or write legibly, no profane language
will be printed. The Siletz Newspaper and Tribal
Government accept no responsibility for
statements made in the Letters to the Editor. The
opinions expressed are those of the individual
writing it Letters that are excessive in length may
be edited for length as approved by Tribal Council
Resolution #96-142. All letters must include your
name, address, and signature. Send letters to:
Siletz News, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380
Phone: (541) 444-8291 -or- 1-800-922-
1399, ext. 291. Fax: 1-541-444-2307.
e-mail: newspaper@ctsi.nsn.us
Please note: The General Manager of the Siletz
Tribe is the Editor-in-Chief of the Siletz News.
To the Editor -
My wife, Delores, and I went to Agnes,
Oregon to welcome the runners who participated
in the Run to the Rogue and to attend the pow
wow. We thank all the runners. We tank the
drivers, especially those who followed to pro
vide protection. We thank those who set up
camp. We thank those who prepared the food
and drinks for everyone. We thank the Fry fam
ily for sponsoring the pow-wow. Last, but not
least, thank you Wayne (Case) for scheduling a
comfortable bed for me to lay my head.
Edmond Ben
To the Editor -
Regarding Lillie Butler’s letter in August
newsletter, I believe the General Council has
voiced their disapproval, in your instance by a
vote of447 Yes to 188 No for your recall. Thank
you
Wilda J. Brown
WELCOME BACK - HEAD START!!!
School’s back in session and so is our
Head Start Program. We’ll try to get photos of
all the classrooms over the next couple of months.
Got a little extra time? How about volunteering
in one of our Head Start classrooms. Contact
DeAnn Brown at 444-8264 to volunteer.
TRIBAL HOLIDAYS -
ALL OFFICES CLOSED
Veterans Day - November 11 th
Restoration Day - November 18th
Thanksgiving Day - November 26th
Christmas Day - December 25th
Head Start Classroom - Siletz
BACK IN SESSION!!!!
Deadline for submission of articles for the Siletz
News is November 1 Oth. You can mail them
to:
Siletz News
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380
-or— e-mail them to me at:
newsDaper@ctsi.nsn.us
“Grandma" Madge Mason &
Siletz Head Start Classroom