CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The Feb. 7, 2004, general election
resulted in one of the largest Siletz voter
turnouts ever; 850 tribal members
voted. We should be proud of this
demonstrated democracy in action. As
the results of this election show (see
page 1), the race for council was a very
close one. Bud Lane, Lillie Butler, and
I were elected for three-year terms.
On Monday evening following the
election, the council re-elected from
among its members Jessie Davis as vice
chairman, Joanne Miller as secretary,
Jane John as treasurer, and myself as
chairman. I’ve accepted this position
with humility, knowing full well, the
tremendous responsibilities that come
with this office. I will continue to do
my best, as I always have, to live up to
the trust the council has placed in me.
It’s fortunate that our tribal
Constitution provides for staggered
council member terms that ensure
continuity, enabling the council to
continue to work without a break on
To the editor:
I want to thank all of the tribal
members who voted for me in the recent
election. I also would like to thank all
of the other candidates who ran and
brought their views and concerns for the
tribe into the election process.
1 thank you for your support and
trust in me and I will do my very best
to resolve the many issues confronting us.
Shu’ ‘aa-shi nin-la (thank you).
Bud Lane
Chairman Delores Pigsley
critical unresolved issues and important
unfinished projects.
Numerous Siletz Tribal projects
and issues have carried over from last
year that the council will continue to
work on. These include economic
development projects involving, among
others, our Salem property, Lakeside
Village, the RV park overlooking
To the editor:
To all Siletz people - I want to
thank you from the deepest part of my
heart for those of you who voted for
me. I will be back next year, stronger
and wiser than this year! And deeply
dedicated to you, the people.
Congratulations to Lillie Butler,
Bud Lane the 3rd, and Dee Pigsley.
Approximately 850 people voted out of
1,800 who could have voted. Your vote
does count, so please vote. Thank you.
Frank DePoe Aspria
To the editor:
I want to thank all of you who
supported me in this year’s election.
Thank you for the cards, the phone
calls, and the confidence that you have
given me in representing you. I will do
my best for you.
Delores Pigsley
1322 Larchwood NE
Keizer, OR 97303
503-393-6516
dpigsley@msn.com
Chinook Winds, and the Siletz gas
station and mini-mart.
Beyond those tribal projects, we
face critical national and state Indian
issues. I’ve often referred to the dangers
posed by anti-Indian and anti-Indian
gaming forces that are actively trying to
undermine tribal rights and sovereignty.
Just last month, I wrote two letters
urging our legislators to help prevent the
passage of congressional bills which, if
adopted, would be extremely damaging
to Indian tribes. The National Congress
of American Indians and the National
Indian Gaming Association have been
leading the fight and the Siletz Tribe is
doing its part in addressing these issues.
H.R. 3745, the Tribal and Local
Communities Relationship Improve
ment Act, as nice as it sounds, contains
provisions disturbing to tribes. It would
create a “federal advisory committee to
establish minimum requirements for
federal regulations of Indian gaming,’’
disregarding the fact that a federal com-
To the editor:
First, I would like to thank all who
supported me through my campaign.
Working together with honest
integrity is what it is all about.
While campaigning, I listened and
heard some good points of view,
positive thinking.
With the politics of our campaign
behind us, we need to get behind our
elected officials and their team and
support them.
We have a new year ahead of us and
a lot to do.
We need to push and pull in a positive
direction. We have issues and business
to get done, not tomorrow but today.
Respectfully,
Eva E. Clayton
mission already exists that promulgates
Minimum Internal Control Standards
with which gaming tribes are required
to comply.
H.R. 3745 would perpetuate the
myth that Indian gaming is unregulated.
It ignores the fact that no other type of
gaming in this country, including state
lotteries and non-Indian casinos, is
subject to such intensive federal, state,
and tribal regulatory controls as is
Indian gaming - nor is as costly.
The bill disregards the Department
of Justice’s studies that have found
Indian gaming to be free of organized
criminal activity. The bill also questions
whether Indian gaming revenues are
used for tribal benefit, disregarding the
numerous, credible, independent studies
that already have shown Indian gaming
to primarily benefit Indian tribes and
members and also the surrounding non
Indian communities.
Then there is H.R. 2824, the
Internet Tax Collection Legislation
which, if passed, would undo 200 years
of U.S. Supreme Court precedent,
disrupt the federal-tribal govemment-
to-govemment relationship, and reverse
the federal policy of tribal self-
determination that has been the viable
bi-partisan policy of the U.S. Congress
for more than 40 years. Especially
because of the Siletz Tribe’s own dark
historical experience, I wrote that this
bill would be a step backward toward
the failed termination policy of the 1950s.
After careful deliberation, the
Senate had earlier passed S 1177, an
alternative version of H.R. 2824, which
addresses the issues that are of concern
to Indian tribes. We’re urging the House
to adopt the Senate version and hope the
House will see its way clear to do so.
I believe that although the primary
purpose behind these pending anti-
Indian bills is to undermine Indian
programs and rights, their passage
would have negative consequences that
affect many others as well.
In concluding my report, I want to
thank those who supported me in this
election. But my obligation as a council
member and as chairman is to work for
the benefit of all members of the tribe.
After all, despite how much
disagreement we may have on
particular issues, the strength of our
tribe is, and always has been, our ability
to work together for the common good
on issues that really matter.
March 2004 □
Siletz News
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