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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2004)
VICE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT STGRA On May 1,2004, the Tribal Council accepted a letter of resignation from Kent Strickler, who had served as execu tive director of the Siletz Tribal Gaming Regulatory Agency for the past two years. Kent was executive director throughout the difficult period when the agency was undergoing complete re-organization. Andrea Butler, the enforcement agent, has been appointed interim executive director. The executive director position, which has been advertised, is not only important from a regulatory standpoint, but that position also is the conduit of informa tion with Chinook Winds management, the Oregon State Police, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the Siletz Tribal Council. In addition to the vacancy created by Kent’s resignation, we’re also missing a licensing agent assistant and a compliance agent. The latter position previously was filled by Shawna Grey, who interviewed for and has been A primary focus of the tribe’s economic development efforts is to make Chinook Winds a first-class destination resort. As everyone may have heard by now, we’re in the process of purchasing the Shilo Inn properties in Lincoln City adjacent to Chinook Winds. We hope to finalize the purchase by June 14. The purchase of the 17.9 acres includes a 187-room motel, 60 luxury suites, and adjacent land that greatly enhances the value of Chinook Winds Casino & Convention Center. We’ve also just awarded a contract for the construction of a 54-unit RV park on Logan Road that overlooks our casino Siletz Clinic Starts Mail-Order Pharmacy Services members who live 40 miles outside of the Siletz Clinic area; others will be required to pick up their medica tion at the Siletz Clinic. Pequot mail order services will end Dec. 31, 2004. All mail-order prescriptions must be directed to the Siletz Tribal Mail-Order Pharmacy at the Siletz Clinic by Jan. 1, 2005. Just a $500 annual retail amount will continue through your Advance PCS pharmacy card. How to Use Mail Order Services • • • • Call 1-800-648-0449, ext. 1624, or 541-444-9624 for a refill of your prescription. Send an order form and your new prescription to the address on the mail order service form/envelope. Please allow seven to 10 business days for your order to be processed. If the prescription is too soon to be filled or not refillable, you’ll be notified by phone. The U.S. Postal Service will ship orders. Some medicines may U.S. Supreme Court and Tribal Sovereignty Economic Development Contract Health Services Update Effective June 1,2004, the Siletz Community Health Clinic’s pharmacy will provide mail-order pharmacy services to Siletz Tribal members who live in the 11-county service delivery area (CHS eligible). Tribal members may receive up to a 90-day supply of maintenance medication (subject to change with private insurance or OHP coverage). Mailing will be provided to those been named liaison to the tribe by the Lincoln City Council. We hope that establishing this position will help promote cooperative relationships between our governments. selected as the Bingo manager at Chinook Winds. We’ve gone several years without any turnover in personnel, but three positions currently are vacant in the regulatory agency. You can either call Human Resources at 541-444-8296 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1296 , or visit http://ctsi.nsn.us for more information. • • • require an adult signature upon receipt. Packaging is confidential. Business hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of Tuesday, when hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A registered pharmacist is avail able for consultation anytime during standard business hours. Call CHS for information and mail-in envelopes - 541 -444-1236 or 1-800-628-5720. Vice Chairman Jessie Davis and lies adjacent to our current employ ee parking lot. If all goes well, the RV park, which will include all essential facilities (i.e., electrical, water, and sewer hook-ups) will open by Sept. 1. To complete the Lincoln City com plex as a destination resort, we’re nearing completion of evaluating and negotiat ing the purchase of the Lakeside Golf Course, which lies just east of the Chinook Winds employee parking lot. It’s important to keep in mind that the purchase of the Shilo property will not affect the current Chinook Winds loan package which, as reported previously to our Siletz members, is scheduled to be paid off in August 2006. Fee to Trust Workshop On April 30, Ron Kortlever and Greg Norton of the BIA Siletz Agency conducted a workshop at Chinook Winds on the federal fee-to-trust process. Those who participated included represen tatives of the Lincoln City Council, the city’s Planning Department, and Siletz Tribal Council members. The acquisition of properties and having them put into trust status is a high tribal priority. It’s essential that local government officials, with whom the tribe must deal, are fully knowl edgeable of the tribe’s and the federal government’s fee-to-trust policies and the technical process involved. The workshop was very informative and helps fill a very important need. Lincoln City Liaison The city of Lincoln City has estab lished a new position intended to facilitate communications between the Siletz Tribe and city government. We were informed that Ed Kuntz, councilor of Ward 3, has From time to time, we’ve reported on efforts of certain representatives in the U.S. Congress who are intent on under mining tribal sovereignty. We’ve also expressed concerns about the attitudes of the current U.S. Supreme Court regarding the issue of tribal sovereignty. We were relieved when, on April 19, 2004, the Supreme Court handed down an opinion by a 7-2 vote that the 1990 amendment to the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) affirming the “inherent” authority of Indian tribes over all Indians was not a delegation of power. Thus, under the “dual sovereignty” doc trine, successive prosecutions in tribal and federal court against a non-member Indian for the same on-reservation misconduct did not violate the double jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The opinion came out of the U.S. vs. Lara case involving an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians who committed an assault against a federally deputized tribal police officer while on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. Lara was not only found guilty in tribal court, but also by the federal government for assaulting a federal officer. Lara contended before the Supreme Court that because the authority of the Spirit Lake Tribe was delegated to the tribe by the federal government, the double jeopardy clause protected him from federal prosecution. Based on a review of the 1990 ICRA amendment, the court deter mined that Congress clearly intended to recognize that tribes have inherent authority over all Indians. The court carefully set forth its reasons why the Constitution authorizes Congress to expand or contract the jurisdictional powers of Indian tribes. Speaking on behalf of the 184 mem ber tribes of the National Indian Gaming Association, Chairman Ernest Stevens said the association “is extremely pleased by this important Supreme Court decision - it represents an important victory for Indian country and an even greater victory for tribal sovereignty.” June 2004 □ ' Siletz News □ 7
