CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
By the time you read this, the tribal
election will be over and three council
members will have been elected.
Whether those elected are the best
qualified to serve on the council is now
beside the point. We must believe they
will bring with them a commitment to
serve diligently and with honor. In any
case, the people have spoken and I
congratulate the winners.
For the good of the tribe, we must
once again put aside partisan politics
and pull together as a tribe - as we have
always done. Too much is at stake to
do otherwise.
I would like to take this opportunity
to comment on the election and some of
the statements made by the candidates
in their campaign letters, at candidates’
fairs, and in the voter’s pamphlet.
I could see a common theme
running through them all - concern
about unmet needs and the candidate’s
desire to help meet those needs. There
was, however, an acknowledgment, as
one candidate said about the tribe, “We
have accomplished a lot.” And as the
record shows, I believe we have.
The candidates spoke about their
qualifications, many having served in
the past on Tribal Council, tribal
committees, and some having had
business experiences. Reflecting the
thoughts of other candidates, an
incumbent pledged that she would
“continue
to bring fairness,
commitment, and integrity to the Tribal
Council office.”
Chairman Delores Pigsley
Several candidates expressed the
need for diversifying our economic base
- one candidate stating we “can’t be
solely dependent on the casino.”
That has been my concern and a
priority as tribal chairman - to expand
our economic base and increase our
tribal revenues. One candidate was
concerned about increasing revenues so
“there can be larger per capitas.” I
believe, however, that candidates
generally understood that the need for
bigger per capitas must be balanced
with the need to address other pressing
unmet tribal needs - and the candidates
identified many.
One candidate stated that for “every
job we have, they should be held by
tribal members.” That is certainly an
ideal for which we must strive. The
Siletz Tribe has a Tribal/Indian
To the editor:
Tribal Council has decided to give us the cost of the new casino parking,
$ 1,200,000! In slight defense of T.C., I agree we needed more parking ... however,
not at the cost of $9.2M plus!
As I stated in our previous publication, these huge, misguided expenditures
will have vast influences on all economic endeavors. It has already influenced
our previous No. 1 economic breadwinner - timber. Sales have been slashed by
$100,000 to meet a market that we should not be forced to meet. A “slush” fund
should have been funded long ago to meet all possible negative impacts in any
given five-year period.
It appears that the combination of huge debt, excess management at the casino/
regulatory agency, and excess costs of lawyers and consultants will be this Tribal
Council’s legacy to us, our children, and our grandchildren.
I once thought reducing our T.C. to three members would be the answer.
Now, I believe we can do much better without a Tribal Council, and leave all
decisions to General Council.
Furthermore, with what I’ve learned this past month, I know a Senate
investigation is our only recourse. If we require a complete tribal shutdown to
“sort things out,” so be it.
Monte Wayne Kentta
Preference Policy that requires the
hiring of qualified tribal members
whenever positions need to be filled.
We are faced with a fundamental
dilemma, however: Do we fill key
positions with tribal members who have
only minimum qualifications when the
position is extremely demanding, i.e.,
responsibility and control over millions
of dollars of tribal assets? It’s a
question of the best interest of the tribe
vs. the employment interests of
individual tribal members with
minimum qualifications.
Again, tribal preference is and
should be our policy and objective. In
accomplishing this, we must strengthen
our training programs so we have a pool
of candidates with unquestioned
abilities to fill our key tribal positions.
Almost all candidates expressed the
need for improved health and education
benefits, especially for those who live
outside our 11-county service area. One
candidate was concerned about
budgeting sufficient funds to maintain,
protect, and manage our forests.
Others saw the need for increased
benefits for the elders, and others saw
the need for something we have talked
about for a long time - a museum to
house our valuable historical treasures.
In view of these needs, the question
is: How can we, as a Tribal Council,
address them all? As any council
member knows, the decisions don’t
come easily and won’t satisfy everyone.
But the council makes decisions as
it did with the two priority projects. We
are well on our way toward establishing
a child care center and facility for
the elderly.
This matter of priorities and
planning brings me to the need
expressed by one candidate for
“planned and measurable progress with
tribal member input - with prioritized
goals and objectives.” I agree. Although
we have accomplished much, we need
to strengthen our planning process.
This candidate specifically
identified health care for tribal members
who live outside the service area. Faced
with limited gaming revenues, the
council established an endowment
program to address the future health
»_______________m____
See Chairman on page 15.
To the editor:
I would like to thank the elders who responded to the tribal assessment who
are out of the service area. A special “thank you” to those who opened your
homes to Kathryn Dick and myself for home visits and who took time at the
Restoration Pow-Wow and Christmas party to answer the questions.
Also, those of you who attended the Christmas party in the Portland area office
- I can honestly say that you made it a wonderful Christmas for me. Even though
I was saddened to see the needs of our elders and some have gone on for a decade
or more. Hopefully through this assessment and visits, we can make a change.
God bless each one of you,
Elouise Case
To the editor:
Tribal concerns:
1 .) Winter is here. Every year, Judd Road can get real slick with ice or black ice. The
Bureau of Indian Affairs has a budget of $5,000 to Siletz Housing for maintenance
of the road for winter. Where is the money and how is it being spent?
A.) Find the money.
B.) Contact the Lincoln County roads maintenance and make an
agreement to sand the road and send an invoice for payment.
2 .) Electric power - Every winter this happens, loss of electricity, some for hours
and other times a day or longer when Consumers Power goes out. It was my
understanding that an easement was done two or three years ago by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs for Lincoln County PUD to kick in when Consumers
Power goes out. Big question: Why has Housing not followed through? We
have tribal members who are elders, young women having babies, and not to
forget people who are disabled. Someone in Housing must be held accountable.
Royce R. Strong
February 2002
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Siletz News
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