Siletz news /, October 01, 2001, Page 3, Image 3

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Council Sponsors
Informal Sessions
Other Important
September Events
I have often commented in my
chairman’s reports on how important it
is for the Siletz Tribal Council to
communicate with federal, state, and
local governments - entities that we must
deal with on many critical tribal issues.
At the federal level, the
understanding our legislators have
about our projects and issues is
essential. After all, we get their support
to accomplish our objectives based on
their understanding of these issues from
our perspective. That’s why we make it
a point to visit with our legislators
whenever we are in Washington, D.C.
But less formal interactions also are
essential in building bridges. That’s true
not only at the federal level, but at state
and local levels as well. We need to be
able to interact with each other as
people, not just as government officials.
With this in mind, the Siletz Tribal
Council sponsored two events last
month to help promote communications
on a more personal, informal basis.
One was a get-together with
Congresswoman Darlene Hooley on
Aug. 15, at Chinook Winds.
We not only learned about her field
offices in Salem and Oregon City and
about the services they provide, but also
had an opportunity to interact with her
field staff who manage them. At the
same time, Darlene and her staff had a
chance to interact with our council
members and the general managers of
the tribe and Chinook Winds, get
acquainted with us, and learn about
issues from our perspective.
Two other important events took
place during September. We were proud
to host the 48Ih Annual Conference of
the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest
Indians from Sept. 17-20 at Chinook
Winds. The November issue of Siletz
News will include details of the results
of that conference.
The other event was our Seventh
Annual Run to the Rogue, an event that
has very significant historical meaning
and value to the Siletz Tribe. On behalf
of the Tribal Council, I want to express
our thanks to the many dedicated people
- not only council members and tribal
staff but volunteers - who have made the
Run to the Rogue the success it is today.
Chairman Delores Pigsley
The other event was an informal
dinner gathering of tribal and local
government officials and community
representatives, which we hosted on
Sept. 5 at Chinook Winds.
Tribal Council members, staff,
attorneys, and consultants had a chance
to interact informally with our three
county commissioners, several members
of the Lincoln City Council, and other
city,
county,
and
community
representatives. It was a lively, enjoyable
evening with lots of great food.
Such occasions help us see each
other not just as government officials,
but as people, and that helps set the
climate for us to more constructively
deal with critical tribal issues. We
will continue to sponsor these
worthwhile affairs.
To the editor:
Last month I highlighted the issues facing our tribe. The biggest issue is
control. A pattern has developed in which a few people are trying to close off any
threat to that control. I described how it is happening last month.
One of the ways we get a closed system where a few people control the entire
process is by our method of voting. Each of us has three votes rather than one.
This encourages block voting, as 300 people can control three Tribal Council
seats each election. If we were to change this so we could only vote for one
candidate, then 300 people couldn’t control three council seats. They could only
vote for one person.
As an example, Dee Pigsley got approximately 300 votes last election. Council
candidates run in a block of three and encourage their supporters to use their other
two votes for other candidates. Dee’s supporters then can vote two more times for
the candidates Dee has decided to support.
If we had one vote per election, however, Dee would get 300 from her
supporters, who then couldn’t vote for anybody else. The other block candidates
would have to generate their own votes to get elected, as Dee’s supporters couldn’t
vote for them. This, of course, applies to others who use block voting and is one
of the reasons it will be hard to change. It would, however, cut down on politics
Status of Other Tribal
Programs and Services
We have successfully concluded
negotiations on our self-governance
compact with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, with funding levels pretty much
as they were last fiscal year. We still
have a few details to work out with the
bureau, including issues involving the
Forest Management Trust Fund. We
are scheduling a meeting to iron
out details with the bureau’s Office of
Trust Services.
The General Assistance Program
that involves extending services to non­
tribal Indians and the additional
personnel costs that this entails is
another issue that we are addressing.
This is not, however, a compact issue.
As for acquiring more land around
Chinook Winds, the Siletz Tribe was
successful in acquiring 12 additional
acres adjacent to our casino and
convention center from owner Mark
Hemstreet. This land has been
completely developed for needed
additional parking at this time.
Concluding Remarks
I cannot conclude my chairman’s
report without commenting on the
subject of letters to the editor.
Our editorial policy is a very liberal
one. As any reader of Siletz News can
see, we publish any and all letters
written by our tribal members. Our only
exception is our refusal to publish “any
letter or any part of a letter that may
contain profane language, libelous
statements, personal attacks, or
unsubstantiated statements.”
This policy gives the letter writers
free rein to write just about anything
they want. Sometimes they are
complimentary of the Tribal Council,
sometimes very critical. But I appreciate
the fact that our members take the time
to express themselves and offer what
oftentimes are very helpful criticisms
and suggestions.
Unfortunately, some letters written
to Siletz News offer nothing but negative
comments, often distorting the truth for
political purposes. Many of you have
called and complained about those
letters. Our policy, however, allows
members to express their opinions.
My appeal to our readers is to
carefully evaluate what the letters say
and to try to distinguish between fact
and fiction.
and favoritism and ensure a more representative government.
Many tribes face this problem, but if we are to make progress, we need to face
this issue. The old saying that “If we don’t learn from history, we are bound to
repeat it” is appropriate for us.
Our No. 1 priority is making plans in which we can achieve unity. After this
is achieved, we can then agree to some goals we all can agree on and which we
will be motivated to achieve. Right now, we are looking at as many ways as
possible to minimize tribal member participation and involvement, through the
methods I spoke of last month.
Our No. 2 goal needs to be creating a TERO ordinance and a commitment to
tribal member employment in all the jobs we have, now and in the future. Through
this, we also can begin doing an assessment of our tribal members and assisting
them in utilizing their abilities. We don’t have any idea of tribal member strengths,
so how can we plan to utilize them?
That is the point. We aren’t planning to use our own tribal members. We are
using outside individuals, who may or may not have our best interests in mind.
It’s difficult and poses problems, but it can be done.
Ray Blacketer
October 2001
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Siletz News
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