CANDIDATES’ STATEMENTS
My name is Clifford W. Case
Sr., and I am asking you to vote
me onto the Siletz Tribal Council
this coming February.
For those of you who do not
know me, my tribal affiliation is
through my grandmother, Ethel
Logan. Her son, Clifford, was my
father, and my mother was
an enrolled Yakima from
Washington state.
Clifford W Case Sr
I had the good fortune to be
elected by you, my tribe, to Council
better for our children. We need our
in 1996. I also had the misfortune
administration audited and put out
to be recalled in 1998. Looking
to the people in layman’s terms so
back on my past tenure, I can
we can understand what is
truthfully say I was a good
happening to our money. Nothing
Councilperson and did my job well.
changes! Why?
I listened to my people and
Think about it for a moment
represented them to the very best
please. Nothing is changing
of my ability.
because you the people are not
Our tribe is based on a two-
changing it. Every year the same
party system, much like our United
leadership is put back into power
States government. The political
and has been there for 16 years.
job of each party is to represent
When you cast your vote this year,
themselves to the people as being n P' * n l / m .1
vote for a change.
the best. Unfortunately, that often
They say politicians should
means pointing out the errors of the
not make promises. We have been
other party, and things get personal
promised good things for years and
very fast when doing so. That
yet here we are stagnating while
is politics!
other tribes move upward and
Since the recall, the present
onward. Well, my people, I will
Council continues to make all the
make you a promise. I promise to
same moves and mistakes that have
you that if I am elected, I will
plagued our tribe for years. Our
faithfully work with my fellow
clinic was at one time a big
constituents for the betterment of
moneymaker and now services are
our people. We need to make
being cut. Our casino is only a few
changes now! We can only do this
years old and has already been
by voting to change the prevailing
refinanced twice and renovations
Tribal Council majority. It is time
seem to be endless. Our cash flow
to move forward.
last year was around $53 million
Thank you for your vote, I can
but only $1.5 million came back to
and will work for you to the best of
the tribe. Where is the money
my ability.
going? Our programs are being cut
C.W. Case Sr.
and nothing is being done to
develop our resources. Finally, the
Salem property is being developed,
but it has taken years. What I’m
trying to say is it’s time for a
change!
We need some new and fresh
decision-makers. All the decisions
being made continue to pull us
down. Our elders are in need of care
and housing. We need an elder care
facility. We need to subsidize our
school here in Siletz to make it
Pat Duncan
POBox 16238
Portland, OR 97292-0238
503-257-6232
pduncan @ pacifier.com
Dear Tribal Members:
My previous service to the
people of our tribe as a Tribal
Council member is due to your
support, and I am again asking for
your support in the 2001 election.
My record shows that I have
listened to your concerns and have
acted accordingly. I take pride in
knowing every one of my decisions
was based on what I believed to
be in the best interest of our tribe
as a whole.
Tribal Council lack of
accountability and disclosure,
especially when it comes to the
financial security of our tribe’s
assets, is not acceptable. Tribal
members have the right to know
and determine how their money is
being spent. There were a number
of community meetings and
opportunities for input into the
Gaming Distribution Plan; yet there
M/as no opportunity for the
membership to vote on the final
plan, which, in fact, virtually
ignored the membership’s input.
In reviewing the plan, it is
clear to see that the Tribal Council,
in one year, has used over five times
as much money as used for the
general welfare of the membership.
And, how could the Tribal Council
spend over $2,000,000 in 1999
while our members are being
denied health care? How much has
the Tribal Council spent in FY 2000
while our members are still being
denied health care? Policies should
be enacted to have budget hearings
with full disclosure and approval
by the membership of major
tribal expenditures.
1 propose that the Tribal
Council place restrictions on its
spending if any tribal member is in
jeopardy of being denied basic
benefits, especially in health care
and education. It has been reported
that, in 1999, “the total cost of
wages for Tribal Council members
Pat Duncan
was $81,217.16, or an average of
$9,024.12 per Council member.”
Yet, there is still over $1,900,000
unaccounted for that the Tribal
Council spent in 1999. Was it used
primarily for travel? When I served
previously on the Tribal Council,
we carefully reviewed all travel,
cutting unnecessary trips and
limiting
Tribal
Council
representation to one or two to
attend meetings considered to be
important to our tribe. Over the last
two years, the usual practice has
been to allow the entire Tribal
Council to travel to the same
meetings, along with a number of
staff. How can these junkets
be justified when our people are
doing without?
Tribal members must ask
permission to record Tribal Council
meetings. This policy of secrecy
must cease. Moreover, tapes should
be available to the membership
immediately after the meetings
upon request. Non-verbatim
minutes of Tribal Council meetings
are sent out, upon request,
quarterly. By the time the
membership knows what is going
on, it is old news, and the
interpretation of discussion is at the
whim of the secretary transcribing
the meeting. I propose that the
Tribal Council minutes be
transcribed verbatim and available
immediately upon approval. They
could also be posted to the tribe’s
Web site.
(See Pat on page 10)