LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/VICE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Gaming Alliance Formed, Economic Development Director Hired
by Jessie Davis
I’d like to cover three items in this
report - the Gaming Alliance, the panel
on gaming held at the recent Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)
convention in Portland, Ore., and the
Siletz Tribe’s newly appointed eco
nomic development director.
generally, the association is being
formed to:
•
•
Gaming Alliance
The Oregon tribes have appointed
representatives to begin developing an
association to deal with gaming issues.
We were motivated to form an
association of Oregon tribes because of
our belief that through unity, we would
have greater strength in dealing with
critical issues common to us all. Seven
tribes were represented at the last
meeting. As the saying goes, “United
we stand - divided we fall!”
Although we’ll refine the or
ganization’s statement of purpose
at our next meeting, I can say that
•
•
promote greater communication
and information sharing among the
participating gaming tribes
enable tribes to collaborate in
dealing with critical Oregon
gaming issues
enable tribes to have a stronger
voice at the state, regional, and
national levels
be pro-active vs. reactive in
addressing gaming issues
Tribal attorneys Craig Dorsay of
the Siletz Tribe and Dennis Camopp of
the Warm Springs Tribe were assigned
to prepare bylaws for the new
organization. The draft will be presented
at the next scheduled meeting of the
alliance and then submitted to each
participating Tribal Council for adoption.
To the editor:
The failure of Ballot Measure 28 is not the end, nor a failure. It is more an
opportunity, a beginning. We need to set aside divisive arguments and acknowledge
most voters want the same things. We all agree that funding education and other
vital services should be a priority.
The “No” vote does not argue that. Those in opposition want our legislators
to demonstrate the budget is being managed effectively and non-essential programs
are being cut first. The “Yes" vote doesn’t suggest anyone wants more taxes.
Those in favor simply carry an intense desire to save education and vital services
for the disadvantaged and the elderly and (hopefully) want time to develop and
implement a permanent, stabilized source of funding.
I firmly believe we can have both. The results of this vote should be a catalyst
for us all to take part in effecting a change. Write, e-mail, or call your legislators
and let them know what you want. They all have a fiduciary responsibility to
represent our interests, second to their individual agendas. We cannot afford to
make it “their problem." It’s our problem. If we do nothing, we get what we deserve.
A solution for public education might include a repeal of Ballot Measure 5,
returning control and funding to the local level. It may require a sales tax. I know
how unpopular that idea has been historically, but the package has never included
critical relief elements for other taxes. It should include a reduction of personal
income taxes and a cap on capital gains, exempt food and medicines, and require
a majority vote prior to any increases.
These aren’t necessarily the answers, but it’s painfully evident our current
system is not working for us. The time has come to have a serious discussion
about viable options, convert that discussion to action items for our legislators,
and hold the legislators accountable for delivering results. Results we want and
our children and disadvantaged citizens deserve.
Write, e-mail, or call your representatives to tell them to find a solution,
a non-partisan solution. A complete list of legislators can be found at http://
www.leg.state.or.us/fmdlegsltr/findset.htm.
Terry Shanley
4
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Siletz News
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March 2003
Jessie Davis
Until a permanent chairman is
elected, I’ve been serving as chairman
during the organizational planning
phase. The next scheduled meeting is
April 6, 2003, at The Mill Casino at
10 a.m.
We recognized that there may be
differences of opinion among tribes of
a political nature. We agreed that the
association wouldn’t become involved
in inter-tribal politics.
ATNI Gaming Meeting
John McCoy, regional repre
sentative to the National Indian Gaming
Association (NIGA) who serves as a
Washington state legislator, was unable
to chair the Gaming Panel. As requested
by Ernie Stevens, president of NIGA, I
chaired the meeting, my second gaming
meeting since being elected as an
alternate representative to the NIGA
board from the Northwest region.
Ernie attended the general session,
but was unable to attend the afternoon
gaming meeting because he needed to
return to Washington, D.C. New
legislation was being introduced that
would negatively affect gaming tribes
and Ernie was scheduled to testify in
Congress on behalf of Indian tribes.
Most of the meeting that included
about 30 tribal representatives centered
on the negative articles published in Time
magazine. It was obvious that Time's
purpose was to focus on the negative
aspects of tribes and Indian gaming.
We learned that Time visited the
Grand Ronde and Umatilla tribes, but
finding nothing negative there, omitted
any reference to these tribes in its
articles. Credible research studies have
proved that gaming has had a positive
impact on Umatilla and Grand Ronde
tribal members and surrounding
communities, but Time chose to
disregard that.
We reached a general consensus
that tribes must improve their efforts to
educate legislators and the general public
on the positive impact Indian gaming has
had on local communities. The public
needs to be educated about how Indian
casinos are significantly impacting local
economies by removing non-Indians
as well as Indians from welfare and
unemployment rolls.
Tribal representatives were urged
to meet with the editorial boards of local
newspapers and other media as one way
of getting accurate and favorable
information disseminated to the public
about Indian tribes and Indian gaming.
Also, contrary to Time's assertion
that Indian gaming is unregulated,
tribes need to inform the public and
their state and regional representatives
that Indian gaming is the most regulated
of all gaming.
I received many comments from
those who attended the ATNI meeting of
the value of such meetings. They provide
important information, such as the
activities of anti-Indian forces intent on
destroying Indian gaming, and they give
tribes an opportunity to network as they
deal with critical Indian gaming issues.
New Economic
Development Director
As Tribal Council liaison to the
Economic Development Department, I
wish to report that Dwight Butt has
been appointed as director.
Most recently, Dwight served as
executive director of the Southwest
Washington Public Development
Authority. Prior to that, he owned his
own management consulting firm for
14 years and for four years, Dwight was
the director of the Oregon State Fair
Exposition Center.
The Siletz Tribe has a number of
promising but as yet unfinished
economic development projects on the
table. With the help of Dan Lundy,
Economic Development coordinator,
we are looking forward to having
Dwight tackle these and other projects.