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
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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.
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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
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