LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
Throughout Indian country, the
most successful tribes are those that
support programs to enhance their
memberships’ lives. Honoring our
elders by assuring that all their health
and housing needs are met and
encouraging our youth to succeed by
supporting all their educational needs
are basic priorities in all tribes... except
for ours. And, it doesn’t have to be
this way.
The Tribal Council spends well
over $2 million each year and what
benefits have we the membership
received to justify the cost? What’s
more important - almost the entire
council traveling to meetings all over
the nation or assisting our membership
when there are definite needs? It’s
unfortunate that elders must work to
supplement their Social Security just to
pay their household bills while millions
of dollars are being spent without
control or conscience.
I’ve made a proposal a number of
times at General Council meetings, but
it has been ignored. If any of our
programs have a shortfall, the Tribal
Council budget should be reduced to
make up for the need. I challenge the
Tribal Council to act on this proposal
in the form of a resolution and to inform
the membership of those who vote
against it.
Another area that I have discussed
many times is the need for information.
I have proposed over and over that the
General Council meetings be more
informative. The membership should
receive up-to-date written reports from
the Tribal Council on their activities for
the period since the last General Council
on their time, travel, and other
expenditures, as well as any action that
affects or will affect our tribe.
I believe that the overspending and
misspending need to be redirected
toward meeting the basic needs of our
membership and enhancing the lives of
each and every member. Elders, health
care, and education should be real
priorities as they are with other tribes.
There needs to be a change if we are to
be a successful tribe.
Sincerely,
Pat Duncan
To the editor:
A TERO ordinance (Tribal Rights
Employment Ordinance) is similar to a
union. The purpose of TERO is to
commit the tribe to employ, train, and
hire tribal members for all positions,
including gaming. We would have a
strict tribal member hiring preference.
Tribal members would submit their
name and when a position or contract
became available, tribal administration
or gaming would call the TERO
coordinator, who would identify tribal
members who were qualified for the
position. The TERO coordinator(s)
would also be involved with identifying
individuals who wanted to be trained
for certain positions and then develop a
true training program for tribal
members to move into those positions.
However, to do a TERO Ordinance,
we must believe tribal members have
the ability to run our own tribe. The
biggest obstacle is the fact that we
discriminate against each other. We
do this by the way we set up
our
ordinances,
hiring,
and
firing procedures.
We say we want to support and
employ our tribal members, but if you
notice in the personnel manual, both
gaming and administration, and the fact
there is no tribal member preference,
we see our actions don’t match
our words.
How can we tell? First, the tribal
attorney drafted a TERO ordinance back
in 1993-1994. It was decided this gave
tribal members too much leverage when
it came to employment, so it was
shelved. Second, if there’s a personnel
issue or grievance regarding a position,
we have little recourse in getting it heard
on a timely basis. In fact, in the
personnel manual, the general manager
has complete control over the grievance
process and if you appeal, the same
person who made the final decision,
namely the general manager, hears
your appeal!
Third, changes have been made to
the Tribal Court rules of procedure
again, which reduce Tribal Court’s
jurisdiction in hearing matters
concerning Tribal Council or
tribal administration.
Lastly, the greatest indicator we
don’t want tribal members working for
our tribe is the fact we haven’t
4
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Siletz News
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June 2001
To the editor:
At the May General Council, there was much discussion about concerns and
actions to address them:
> Understanding casino financial reports received a lot of attention and council
was asked to hold periodic meetings with a knowledgeable moderator to review
these with the membership.
> Providing health care to out-of-service-area members was brought up, with
the suggestion that council and administration reduce this objective to a written
plan that identifies the objective, the tasks, and the deadlines/time frame for
carrying out the plan. And, that members receive regular reports on what is
being accomplished.
> It was requested and council agreed that administration could coordinate a
fund-raising effort to help tribal WWII veterans attend the WWII Memorial
Ceremony (slated for 2002 possibly) in Washington, D.C. A related request
was to tap into existing federal programs for veteran’s benefits.
> Through an advisory vote, tribal members requested that council change the
General Council meeting agenda format to provide program information before
tribal member concerns. It was also suggested that reports be provided by
program managers with specified time limits on the agenda.
> Defining the tribe’s water rights status was a concern, as well as increasing
efforts to enhance the river for the eels and fish.
> Assisting Chemawa school to improve student success rates and developing
Chemawa lands to benefit the students was another concern.
> There were also concerns about tribal personnel policies - Family Medical
Leave and background checks - negatively impacting tribal member
employment opportunities.
These are the highlights of what I remember from the meeting. Although
General Council minutes will come out later, I wanted members to know what a
productive meeting this was. I encourage tribal members interested in any of
these or other issues to take the time to write a “Dear Tribal Council member’’
letter raising your concerns and especially to offer your solutions and ideas.
Respectfully,
Bonnie M. Petersen
conducted a resource assessment of our
tribal members. If we were truly serious
about wanting tribal members to run
our tribe, a resource assessment is
a necessity.
I believe tribal members can run our
tribe, whether it’s in administration,
gaming, or the clinic. Yes, we need to
train and develop our members. The
greatest indicator that we are creating
barriers rather than bridges is the fact
that we haven’t set up a system or TERO
organization that commits to tribal
member employment and advancement.
I see at gaming and administration
a trend where rules are used to
exclude tribal members rather than to
include them.
Ray Blacketer
To the editor:
I was wondering about the $100
revenue we received at the first of the
year. If there are only 3,000+ tribal
members and the timber $2.2 million,
why would each member receive only
$100? It makes me wonder what people
are thinking in their thoughts.
I have a 4-year-old daughter who’s
a member of the tribe and she’s growing
so fast, the clothes and shoes I bought
for her with the $100 are already too
small. And another thing, Grand Ronde
got a $3,000 Christmas bonus and we
got a big zero.
Something is wrong with this
picture to me. Anyway, tell me what
you think.
Sincerely,
Mortie Mortenson
503-283-2085
5929 N. Lombard #2
Portland, OR 97203