LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
I would like to take this opportu
nity to thank each and every one of you
who took the time to vote in this year's
Tribal Council election. I would espe
cially like to extend my deepest and
utmost gratitude to those of you who
voted for me. I want you to know that I
sincerely appreciate the support that
you have given me and the faith you
have in me that prompts you to cast your
votes in my direction.
Voting is a very important tribal
function and should not be taken lightly.
The strength and future of our nation
depend a lot on how we vote.
Thank you all again and I’ll see you
in Siletz.
I would also like to extend my
congratulations to Robert Kentta,
Loraine Butler, and Phil Rilatos. A
round of applause to the winners of this
year’s election.
Sincerely,
Speaks out loud
George F. Siniscal
To the editor:
Thank you for your support in my
2005 campaign for Tribal Council elec
tion. Even though I did not win a seat
on Tribal Council, the faith that you
showed when you came up to me and
said “good luck” was very touching.
The three new Tribal Council mem
bers will make a noticeable difference
on many issues that our tribe faces. Please
join me and show them our support.
I believe that I have some very im
portant issues that must be considered
in the very near future - hunting and
fishing rights, gathering rights, and
most importantly, water rights. Our in
herent tribal sovereignty teaches us that
our tribal rights must be upheld for the
growth of our tribal membership.
I plan on being a candidate for the
2006 Tribal Council election. Please
call, write, or talk to me on anything
that is on your mind. I will gladly listen.
Thank you again.
Respectfully,
Frank D. Simmons
To the editor:
Congratulations to Loraine Butler
and Phil Rilatos Sr. in gaining council
seats in the recent election. I’d also like
to thank all the tribal members who
supported me in that election.
I will keep an open ear and always
stand up for what is right and just. I
don’t take the trust placed in me lightly
and will do my best to live up to that
trust by being a strong advocate for our
tribe’s interests and our tribal people.
We all need to remember how far
we’ve come and be proud of that as
members of the Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians. The incumbents in the
recent election have made many impor
tant contributions to our tribe. Although
there has not always been complete
agreement on particular issues, their
years of dedication deserve our appre
ciation. I wish them well and hope they
continue to remain interested and
involved in our tribe’s well-being.
I consider it an honor and a privi
lege to serve as one of your council
men and thank you again for placing
your trust in me.
Sincerely,
Robert Kentta
To the editor:
Thank you to all who supported my
efforts to run for 2005 Tribal Council.
Apologies for a deficiency in my cam
paign information. I had someone
assisting me to type the document and
Abraham Tom (actually married to
my great-great-Aunt Aurilla Tom -
sister to Christine Selsic, my great-
great-grandmother) was listed as my
direct ancestor.
I feel that I did very well (fifth from
the bottom), considering it was my first
time running and I don’t really have the
“family” ties to many people here (as I
didn’t grow up here). I have much grati
tude for the opportunity to speak about
issues regarding our future that I believe
are very important. I still have key
chains to distribute; call me if you’re
one of the intended recipients!
I’m not certain if I’ll run again; time
will tell. But I do believe I’ll apply for
a couple of committees - Housing and
possibly Election Board (it was so sad
to see the turnout) for one (758 ballots
returned, 1,053 ballots not returned!
Atrocious!).
Need to do work on this - maybe a
committee?
I'm pleased with the outcome. I feel
we still have work to do in looking back
at the campaign statements (Kentta,
Rilatos Sr., Butler) and checking in with
the newly elected council members
about the issues they spoke about bring
ing change to.
I think having a section in the news
paper (or on the Web site) where tribal
members can brainstorm about “needs”
could serve as a place to list contact
info, and other tribal members could
reply with potential solutions. Darcy
Lal (daughter of Tina Retasket) is work
ing on updating the Web site. She’s
doing a great job.
I believe that we should push our
TC to do a Web cam broadcast of meet
ings. It’s not acceptable that tribal mem
bers have to pay for a videotape copy.
I spoke with Dave Terry (he records
the meetings) and he said the record-
ings are digitally compatible and could
easily be used as an “audio" track, not
video for broadcast. There should be no
excuse to prevent us from “talking”
about ways to pursue solutions to defi
ciencies that exist in our tribal govern
mental process.
I also would like to see our tribal
Constitution amended, where it speaks
about the individual rights of members
in Section 2. General Council, ... “E.
Make advisory recommendations to
the council ...”
I plan to check out what other tribes
are doing in this arena. I think this
should be changed and the people
should have the power, at least at this
time, to initiate changes they think are
important - pursuit of a Web cam
broadcast could make this feasible for
members who don’t live near where the
meetings happen too. Baby steps!
Respectfully,
Lisa Brown
nadosh2@yahoo.com
541-444-1290
4
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Siletz News
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March 2005
To the editor:
I would like to thank all the tribal
members who stood by me and gave
me the confidence to keep running for
TC. People ask me how I feel. I feel
very green, only because I want to do a
good job and represent our tribe in the
best way that I can.
I feel confident that this council
can work together for the betterment of
the tribe.
I know I have a lot to learn. I have
been told to always remember where I
came from and how I got here.
With that in mind, I will do the best
that I can for our tribe and our people.
Thank you,
Loraine Y. Butler
To the editor:
This is a big heartfelt thank you to
the elders for the nice get-well card they
sent me while I was in the Newport
rehab facility. This was my very first
stay in a rehab facility that cares for the
very elderly who have some kind of
a disability.
I was a short-stay patient, but my
eyes became wide open after only a few
days. 1 consider myself very lucky to
have the physical health that I do have
at my age. After only a few days, I be
came somewhat depressed, but thanks
to the get-well card, my outlook on
matters brightened and I looked forward
to being discharged.
If any of you have relation or a
friend who is confined due to illness or
injury, I would strongly encourage you
to send them a small card or write a few
lines. If at all possible, try a visit.
Thanks again to the elders!
Another big thank you goes to In
dian Health. It is very reassuring to go
into a medical facility and just concen
trate on getting well. Thanks again!
George Thompson