LETTERS TO THÉ EDITOR
To the editor:
My name is Bud Lane and I’m
responding to a recent letter to the editor
that was inaccurate.
As many of you know, I was
recently elected to the Tribal Council.
I’m also a tribal employee and I
successfully challenged the laws
prohibiting tribal employees from
serving on the Tribal Council.
Loraine Butler in her letter in last
month’s newsletter said, “Bud Lane
challenged the legality of the Siletz
Constitution.” I have never done such a
thing. I did, however, challenge the laws
barring tribal employees from serving
on the council as violating the
Constitution.
I want to publicly thank Loraine
Butler for filing a court case in 2002
challenging the exact same laws that I
just did. As a matter of fact, I used
Loraine’s court case as the basis for
mine. You don’t have to take my word
for it; anybody can contact Tribal Court
and ask for a copy. It’s a public docu
ment and the case number is TC02-01.
By the way, I consider Loraine Butler a
close personal friend.
Since taking my seat on the council
in February, I’ve continued to do my
job and the tribe has not collapsed. I
continue to work in the same manner I
did prior to the election. All of the
predictions of gloom and doom have
not and will not come to pass.
Because laws have been in place a
long time does not mean they are legal.
Opinion, con’t from page 4
However, even though we do have
very strong feelings about the issue, on
Feb. 9 by a vote of 5-4 we did pass a
resolution for the BIA to conduct an
election regarding this. The membership
has the final vote. Only the people can
make changes to the Constitution.
In the near future, every tribal mem
ber age 18 and older will be sent a ballot
to vote. Everyone needs to make sure
their address is current with our Enroll
ment Department. The BIA will most
likely use our Enrollment addresses.
In conclusion, no matter how you
feel or how you vote, please vote. Your
vote will count and your voice will
be heard.
I hope when the constitutional
amendment election occurs, it gets
voted down. I agree with Loraine that
this issue is not just about me. It’s about
the rights of tribal members to
participate in elective government.
Let’s think of the future, about our
children, about the expanding pool of
tribal employees who will be barred
from elective government if the
amendment passes. Tribal members
employed by any entity of the tribe will
be barred. The tribal membership
should retain the flexibility it now has
to elect any candidate it chooses, as long
as that person meets the requirements
for candidacy.
I’ve worked my entire adult life and
always provided for my family. I believe
that each generation should do what it
can to make life better for the next. This
proposed amendment will bar many
hard-working, successful people from
serving in elective government and will
restrict the pool of eligible candidates
to basically retired or independently
wealthy people.
Tribal members, I urge you to vote
no on the proposed amendment in the
upcoming constitutional election. Let’s
keep the political process open for all
tribal members so we can make the best
decision on who will represent our
people in elective government.
Sincerely,
Alfred “Bud” Lane III
To the editor:
Thank you to our Siletz Valley School
for the table spring ornaments and
cards. Thank you to Miranda Strong,
Toni Matt, and Darcy Trego from the
Siletz Clinic. The health education and
the flowers were appreciated by all.
Thank you to our volunteers -
Denise Riding In, Jenifer Metcalf,
Heather Rivera, Amber Owen, Danielle
Billmeyer, Marci Taylor, Little Miss
Siletz Ashliegh Ramirez, and Angela
Ramirez.
All of the volunteers assisted us
with registration. They served our
elders dinner, they helped us deliver 475
gifts, and they helped me with errands
and messages.
To the editor:
Bud Lane was elected to council
this February and is employed with the
tribe. He filed with Tribal Court,
challenging the law that requires tribal
members to quit their jobs if elected to
Tribal Council. Court agreed with Bud
and ruled that it was unconstitutional
for the tribe to have such a policy.
Council has requested the BIA for
a constitutional amendment hearing to
add this policy to our Constitution. Why
does Tribal Council feel they can
manipulate the system to get their way?
Since moving here in 1991, I’ve
noticed council/administration has a
distinct bias “against” its own tribal
members. This is shown by the ordinances
it writes, how they are enforced, and
whom they are enforced against.
For example, the administration and
casino have fired many tribal members.
Most tribal members who have been
fired haven’t been given a hearing, even
though it specifies in the policies that
it can be done. Tribal Council has
determined that even tribal members are
“at will” employees who can be fired
for “any” reason.
Yet when Jim Kikumoto, the general
manager of the casino, was charged
with accepting a trip to the Master’s
golf tournament last year and had his
gaming license revoked by the gaming
commissioners, Tribal Council allowed
Craig Dorsay, the Tribal Council
attorney, to represent Mr. Kikumoto at
an appeals hearing he requested.
He was fined and suspended for 30
days, rather than fired. I represented
tribal members who were fired from the
casino and they weren’t even given a
hearing, much less represented by the
Tribal Council’s attorney! Why should
a non-tribal member manager receive a
benefit denied to tribal members?
This doesn’t even address the fact
that Tribal Council utilized tribal dollars
to defend a manager from the very
agency they created to ensure the casino
personnel followed the rules! They did
an end-run around a tribal agency they
created to protect our gaming enterprise
by allowing a lawyer who is not only
the lawyer for council, but for the
gaming center and the regulatory
agency! Isn’t that a conflict of interest?
They’re attempting to do the same
with Tribal Court via a constitutional
amendment election.
Last year when council was
revising the ordinance regarding the
homeowners who paid off their homes
and were doing so in direct opposition
to the recommendations of the Tribal
Housing Committee and employees,
council was asked “why” they were
doing so. One council member replied,
“Because we can.”
I think it’s time for a constitutional
amendment election divesting council
of executive powers. This would
eliminate the need for council to be the
“Board of Everything” and reduce such
abuse of powers and favoritism.
Ray Blacketer
Thank you to Angela Ramirez for
the gifts you donated from Title VI for
the door prizes and thank you, Angela,
for always being there when we need
you. The elders asked Lisa Brown to
help us. Lisa is always willing to assist
an elder with a project. Thank you, Lisa,
for coming to our event and for setting
up your display of beautiful jewelry.
Thank you to all of the elders who
helped make this event such a great suc
cess. The table decorations were
beautiful, the gifts were original. Thank
you to everyone who donated gifts for
the door prizes.
Thank you to my brother, Ed, for
getting there early and helping out with
early registration and guiding us to
make the right decisions.
We received gifts from the Coos,
Siuslaw, and Lower Umpqua Tribe,
Grand Ronde Tribe, and Coquille Tribe,
and appreciate their thoughtfulness.
Our gifts from other tribes are displayed
at the community center.
A special thank you to the casino
for the fantastic food and great service
we received. A special thank you to our
Tribal Council for assisting us in funding
the event. We couldn’t do this without
your support.
If I have overlooked thanking
anyone, please forgive me.
Shirley B. Walker
Siletz Elders Chairman
May 2004 □
Siletz News
□
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