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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2003)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: I would like to take this time to say “thank you from the bottom of my heart’’ to Howard Roy, Leilani Cordova, Terry Fisher, Randy Martin, and my son, Roger, for the good deed they all did for me. I really appreciate it, guys (you all know the reason!). Also, many thanks to my daughter, Valerie, and family - Larry, Heidi, Gyrrad, and Lynette - for their great help too. Special people, many thanks. Maxine Rilatos To the editor: My name is JoAnn Miller. I have served on the Tribal Council for several years. I would like to continue to serve. We have a Tribal Council at present that is getting a lot accomplished, despite some that hold resentments and get-even attitude’s. We must remember a few years ago and the faction that got power and forgot that we work for all tribal members. I would be proud and honored to receive your vote in February. Sincerely, JoAnn Miller To the editor: My name is Marita “Selene” Rilatos and I’m currently the Cultural Programs coordinator for our tribe. I’m writing this letter to announce my candidacy for the upcoming 2003 Tribal Council election. I’ve worked for many different tribal programs since 1979. Just to name a few, I started as a CETA client when the office was located in the A-frame building that is now the city library. I worked as JOM coordinator, Housing Improvement (HIP), Planning and Economic Development (EDA) secretary, Head Start teacher aide/bus driver, and since 1991 I’ve worked in the Cultural Program. Some rewarding experiences have been watching the same children that I drove to Head Start receive their high school diplomas, then attending their eagle feather ceremonies. I worked on the first grant to build the first 39 homes of the SIHA project, and assisted in developing and founding the first Housing Board. Many of these tribal people are no longer with us today, but I remember working long hours with then Housing Director Jeff Williams, a tribal member who deserves most of the credit for our first 39 homes. Those housing projects were then called 35-1/35-2. We also named the first three roads. More recently, I started the Culture Camp that is now held annually in July and am currently the camp organizer/coordinator. To see a young tribal member complete a basket or a necklace, to see how proud they are to have that sense of belonging to such a great tribe has been such a rewarding experience. Words cannot express the joy one feels. Camp has been outstanding because it brings unity and a great sense of belonging to our people. It’s my favorite time of year. I encourage you to phone your candidates, tell them your concerns and the changes you would like implemented, and assist in solutions to improve communications. With technology the way it is today, there should be no reason for our members to not be informed. Block voting has been a more recent tradition; several people have called me regarding how they should vote. To my knowledge, I’m not included with this process. I’m running on my own merit and I stand for all our people, even if I stand alone. I often lecture against conquer and divide mentality and as a tribe we have no place for that kind of thinking. I encourage every eligible tribal member to exercise their voting right. I would appreciate your support by voting for me. I listed many job experiences and feel that I would bring new ideas. I believe in fairness, equality, and would work to assist all tribal members in improving their quality of life. Respectfully, Selene Rilatos P.O. Box 633 Siletz, OR 97380 541-336-3516 4 □ Siletz News □ January 2003 To the editor: Several elders whom I deeply respect have encouraged me to become a candidate for Tribal Council this year. I’m currently honored to serve as an appointee to Tribal Council, filling Gerald Ben’s vacant seat. Twenty-two years ago, I served on Tribal Council when we made the decisions for the community center on Government Hill. Our Tribal Council budget that year was $5,910. We have made a lot of real progress in the last 25 years. My name is Dave Hatch, my father is Ken Hatch, and my son is Peter Hatch. My grandparents are Nick Hatch and Hattie Martin. My family is from the Siuslaw River and we are all proud members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. I’m a registered professional engineer and have worked for the city of Portland for 20 years. Prior to joining the city, I taught in the Civil Engineering Department of Oregon State University. I have a strong interest in helping students receive appropriate education opportunities. At Oregon State University, I helped establish the student chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. I’m an original member of the Howard Vollum Advisory Council of the Oregon Community Foundation and have served the Advisory Council for 10 years now. The Howard Vollum Fund has awarded multiple-year scholarships to over 100 American Indian students and funded many programs to encourage younger students to enter studies of science and engineering. I helped establish OMSI’s Salmon Camp and have volunteered with Salmon Camp for over 10 years now. At this time I serve on the Tribal Council’s Transportation Committee and represent all coastal tribes on the governor’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council. I have a strong interest in working to bring Elakha (the sea otter) back to our coastal waters and re-establishing the abundance of our coastal estuaries through the restoration of the near-shore plant communities. My term on council ends in February. If you would like me to continue to serve the tribes, I would be honored to serve you. Thank you. David R. Hatch To the editor: With elections right around the corner, I’d like to ask for your support in my run for Tribal Council in February 2003. I was last elected to serve on council in 1997, and worked closely with Reggie, Lillie Butler, Clifford Case, and Pat Duncan. I learned so much from them about working on issues concerning the membership, always staying focused on the fact that we were serving on council to improve conditions for tribal members. Although the end result of that experience wasn’t exactly ideal, I learned many valuable lessons and will always be grateful to those of you who supported our efforts. Now I’d like to have another opportunity to serve on council. Based on many conversations I have had with tribal members, what they want most is a Tribal Council that listens to their concerns and does something to address those concerns. Also, Tribal Council members should advocate a system of fairness and equity, treating all members the same. It seems to me that shouldn’t be difficult to do. One important issue that has a major impact on the membership is elections. Tribal Council elections should be conducted by an impartial outside professional source. No system is perfect, but improvements need to be made in order to restore some faith in the election process. Also, wouldn’t you love to know what the full “audited’’ financial picture of the tribe looks like? Full financial disclosure should be provided to the membership without question. Finally, I would like to encourage you to participate in the upcoming election regardless of who you support. Should that happen to be me, I would do my best to serve tribal members as fairly and impartially as possible. In closing, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this and wish you the best of holidays and a happy new year. Sincerely, Denise L. Peterson
