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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2004)
VICE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Oregon Gaming Alliance It was a little over a year ago that a number of Oregon tribes came together to form an association to deal with Indian gaming issues in Oregon. It was a coincidence that Time magazine had just published a negative, completely biased, two-part series on Indian gaming. But it wasn’t the Time articles and their devastating impact on the public that motivated us to form the Oregon Gaming Alliance. A number of tribes, including the Siletz, already had begun meeting months before, having decided that such an alliance was needed. We felt we would have greater strength by working in unity on critical issues common to all Oregon gaming tribes. I am pleased to say that with the opening of Three Rivers Casino by the Coos Tribe a month ago, all Oregon tribes are now not only engaged in gam ing, but also have signed on as members of the Oregon Gaming Alliance. I am also pleased that all nine tribes have offered the use of their tribal attor neys to the alliance. These attorneys help by providing legal analysis, advice, and assistance on gaming-related issues. At a June 29 alliance meeting hosted by the Coquille Tribe at the Mill Casino and Hotel in Coos Bay, attorneys representing six tribes actively con tributed their legal views on issues that we currently face. Craig Dorsay, the Siletz Tribal attorney, not only has helped coordinate the drafting of the organization’s by laws, but also recently convened a conference call on a critical Oregon gaming issue with the attorneys of all nine tribes participating. • • • • • To promote, protect, and preserve the general welfare and interests of Indian tribes through the develop ment of sound policies and practices with respect to the conduct of gaming activities in Indian country To disseminate information to the Indian gaming community; federal, state, tribal, and local governments; and the general public on issues related to the conduct of gaming in Indian Country To preserve and protect the integrity of gaming conducted in Indian Country To promote government-to- government relationships and effective communications between tribes and the state of Oregon and where appropriate, the federal government and national or regional tribal organizations To maintain, protect, and advocate Indian tribal sovereignty Because there is still a great deal of misinformation among the general public concerning Indian gaming, the alliance is undertaking a major public information program to correct that misinformation. Our objective is to educate the general public on the fact that Indian tribes are conducting gaming effectively and with integrity, and that Indian gaming has had a positive impact not only on Indian Limited Number of Computers Will be Available As in the past two years, Tribal Council again has allocated funding to purchase desktop computers for distribution to homes that have not previously received one. Tribal staff currently are soliciting bids from computer companies and will finalize negotiations in August. Unlike previous years, however, the number of computers available will be extremely limited. Actual stated in the by-laws of the Oregon Gaming Alliance. Although I feel honored to have been elected to these positions, I understand and will do my utmost to fulfill the heavy responsibilities that come with them. The purposes of the alliance are expressed in the organization’s by-laws as follows: numbers distributed will depend on price. If you would like an application, please contact Tina Retasket at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1210, or 541-444-8210; or by e-mail at tinar@ctsi.nsn.us Please leave your name, tele phone number beginning with your area code, and your full mailing address, and an application will be mailed to you. STGRA Vice Chairman Jessie Davis tribes, but also on the larger non-Indian community as well. The officers of the alliance include Gary George, who serves as vice- chairman. Gary is the chief executive officer of the Umatilla Tribe who oversees not only the casino, but also the tribe’s hotel, golf course, and museum. Bob Garcia serves as treasurer of the alliance and is the general manager of the newly established Coos Tribe’s Three Rivers Casino. I serve as the chairman of the alliance As regional representative on the Executive Board of the National Indian Gaming Association and as gaming representative for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, I have a special responsibility to facilitate the flow of information among these entities on matters relating to gaming. Although expressed in different ways, those organizations have basically the same common purposes, which we have Cy Hill, a former Siletz gaming commissioner, has been named executive director of the Siletz Tribal Gaming Regulatory Agency (STGRA). As I reported in the last issue of Siletz News, when Kent Strickler resigned, Andrea Butler was named as interim executive director. In the brief period she served in this capacity, Andrea did an excellent job. As of July 12, she has returned to her former position as STGRA’s enforcement agent. When Cy resigned as a Siletz gaming commissioner, he was selected to serve as compliance officer at Chinook Winds under then General Manager Tom Davis. And when Tom accepted the position of general manager of the Manistee Tribe in Michigan, Cy inter viewed for and was appointed chairman of the Manistee Gaming Commission. He worked in that capacity until his recent return to the Siletz Tribe as executive director of STGRA. Cy is a tribal member and prior to his appointment as Siletz gaming commissioner, he served for seven years in the Los Angeles Police Department. With his law enforcement back ground and his many years of experi ence in gaming, Cy comes to us with very sound credentials. He has been away from the tribe for five years. We welcome Cy and his family back home. Open Your Heart and Home to a [ Tribal Child ! The Siletz Indian Child Welfare Program needs good homes for tribal children within the 11-county service area. Foster homes as well as relative foster homes are necessary to provide children in need with the parental care and nurturing that promotes the growth and development that our tribal children deserve. If you are thinking of becoming a foster parent, relative placement, or just have questions, please contact Bekki Johns at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1338, or 541-444-8338. Call Bekki for an application or if you would like to learn more about available programs that provide specialized foster parent training. August £004 , □ Siletz News Cl 5..
