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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2004)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: I would like to thank the staff of the Portland Area Office (Katy, Toni, Connie, Verdene, Elizabeth, and Anna) for the wonderful surprise grandma shower that they threw for me. I had purple balloons (my favorite color) and pink balloons for my grand daughter. They fixed all of the yummy food that I could eat (even chocolate dipped strawberries!). And of course, all of the adorable little outfits and jammies, along with all of the neces- sities too! It was such a surprise. You guys are good! Melissa, Casey, baby Jaiden Rose, and I all appreciated it. I also want to thank the Vaughan family for all of the little outfits passed down from their adorable little girls and to Joni and Wayne Johnson for the neat baby lullaby CDs and mocha card for me! What a great idea! You guys are all a blessing to me! Rebecca Williams To the editor: I would like to extend my deepest and most sincere gratitude to those of you who voted for me in this year’s Tribal Council election. I would also like to congratulate Delores, Lillie, and Bud in their success in holding and gaining their positions on Tribal Council. Though unsuccessful in this year’s election, 1 will now begin my campaign for the 2005 Tribal Council election. Thank you all again and I hope to see you soon. Speaks Out Loud, George F. Siniscal changed if need be. If we are to grow as a tribe and flourish, we need to maybe change the way we do certain things. The majority of “younger” people need to work to support their families. They would not be in a position to quit a full-time job with the tribe to serve on council, and it almost sounds like that’s what is trying to be accomplished, keep ing younger tribal members from serving. This has really made me see that we need younger people on council. Not to offend any elders, but younger people will bring new ideas to the table and they are very receptive to change if that is what needs to be done. Regardless of how good our Con stitution and regulations are, don’t forget that there is always a more efficient way to get things done. And I think Bud is just the person to tackle this. So to you, Bud, I say, “Great job! Keep up the good work!” Cindy Jackson Siletz News Letters Policy Send letters to: Siletz News, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, is published once a month. Our editorial policy encourages input from readers about stories printed in Siletz News and other tribal issues. All letters must include the author’s signature, address, and phone number in order to be considered for publication. Siletz News reserves the right to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of a letter that may contain profane language, libelous statements, personal attacks, or unsubstantiated statements. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Siletz News, tribal employees, or Tribal Council. Please type or write legibly. Letters longer than 450 words may be edited for length as approved by Tribal Council Resolution #96-142. Siletz News P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $ 12 annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail to Siletz News. To the editor: I am writing this letter to bring up a few points we as tribal members should consider about why maybe Tribal Council members should not also be employees of the tribe at the same time. Let me first say that I respect Bud Lane and I think he is a good person. I have no problems with him or anyone else on Tribal Council. I am afraid that if a person is on Tribal Council and also a tribal em ployee, we will have less control over their actions. For example, what does a supervisor do when his/her employee bends the rules or needs reprimanding? Tribal Council still holds the ultimate decisions over funding, creating new positions, what gets passed, and what doesn’t. I ask you, would you be afraid to reprimand an employee who you knew could with hold your funding for the next year? Or who could fire you, make sure your To the editor: This is in response to all the letters and commentaries in the newsletter about Bud Lane. Don’t people ever stop and think before they say crazy things? As long as Tribal Court has been in existence, anyone who worked for the tribe and wanted to run for council could have done the same thing Bud did! But apparently no one up to this point had the gumption to do so. And what I find fascinating is that Bud, a normal everyday guy, repre sented himself in court against a “real” Please note: The general manager of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-in-chief of Siletz News. 2 □ Siletz News □ program needs aren’t met, or give you unnecessary amounts of extra work? It creates a conflict of interest. I know that Tribal Council has its own set of rules on ethics, but just because the rules are there, it doesn’t mean that they will always be followed. How can we guarantee that our council members who are also employees aren’t going to take that power they have for granted? How can we guarantee that they will not show favoritism to their own programs and needs? We can’t. Again, I am not speaking of anyone in particular or saying that these scenarios will happen. I am just using examples for what are very real possibilities. I just want our tribal membership to consider this while we wait to see what happens next. Respectfully yours, Darcy Lal attorney and was victorious! I think that lends a lot of credence to the validity of his challenge! I think Bud should be commended and, quite frankly, I cannot wait to be able to vote for it being acceptable for tribal members to work for the tribe and be on council! Our elders did a good job when they drafted our Constitution. But as was stated, that was 20 years ago! Maybe it’s time for those issues to be revisited and Editor-In-Chief: Brenda Bremner Editor: Diane Rodriquez Assistant: Natasha Kavanaugh May 2004 541-444-8291 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 E-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us Deadline for the June issue is May 10. Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Please read the Passages Policy on page 32 when submitting items for Passages. Member of the Native American Journalists Association | I I ' | Name:________________________ I Address: ______________________ I Phone:________________________ Change of address: Tribal | members - call the Enrollment I Department at 541-444-8258 or I 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1258; all others - call the newsletter office.
