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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2006)
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT ever form it takes, will be more under standing of the tribe's views and needs. Will the mayor and the City Coun cil treat the tribe with the same hon esty and respect with which we have treated the city? We shall see. The Election and the Mayor’s Race The primaries are over. Of great importance to the Siletz Tribe was the race for the Lincoln City mayor's seat. Although she was expected to win, Mayor Lori Hollingsworth failed to get sufficient votes to be re-elected and therefore faces a run-off election this November. As tribal chairman, I have been greatly disturbed about the biased and distorted information the mayor and the city manager had been spreading about the tribe’s fee-to-trust and economic development efforts and the false in formation about Chinook Winds' eco nomic impact on the local community. Shortly before the primary election, General Manager Jim Kikumoto of Chinook Winds reminded all of his employees about the importance of the local election. His memo was an effort to offset the distorted information be ing disseminated by the mayor about the tribe and Chinook Winds. Jim also reminded employees specifically how significant Chinook The State Legislative System Delores Pigsley Winds’ impact has been on the local community. The fact that the mayoral race will be held in November gives the tribe time to consider what we must do to ensure that the new City Council, what- CTSI Jobs CTSI Employment Job Line 541-444-8296 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1296 Visit our Web site at www.ctsi.nsn.us Job Opening CTSI is constantly looking for temporary employees to cover va cancy. vacations, maternity leave, and extend sick leave. If you are re tired, a homemaker, or a student and are looking for temporary work that can last from two weeks to 12 weeks, please submit a temporary applica tion for the temp pool. Note: “Open Until Filled” vacan cies may close at any time. The tribe’s Indian Preference policy will apply. Tribal government will not discrimi I now would like to briefly report on the Public Commission on the Or egon Legislature, a state body to which I was appointed as a member. Peter Courtney, president of the Senate, had commented that. “The leg islative branch was designed to be the most accessible and responsive branch of government but it has been damaged over the years.” And Jim Scherzinger, a former leg islative revenue officer, made this criti cal observation that could, 1 believe, be applied to governments at all lev els: “The Legislative Assembly is the most important decision-making body in the state and it needs to have a ratio nal decision-making process. To get elected, come to Salem and make hun dreds of decisions, then go away and study the issue is backwards.” The intent of this new commission as defined in the bill that created it is “to strengthen the legislative branch so it can more effectively meet the needs of the people.” The 30-member commission was established in July 2005 "to review the Legislature's operations and make rec ommendations for improvements to the 74,h Legislative Assembly when it convenes in 2007.” Specifically, the commission's re sponsibility is “to review all aspects of Oregon's legislative branch of govern ment including the timing, frequency. and length of sessions, legislative pro cedures, and the adequacy of legisla tive facilities and staffing.” An example of these actions is the Process Committee, which reported "the status quo was not acceptable." Acting on recommendations from Dave Frohnmayer. president of the University of Oregon, the committee believed there were “compelling rea sons” why. how. and when the legisla ture should meet that should be recon sidered. The following reasons should give anyone a clue as to how complex the committee's task was: “The reduction of legislative inde pendence and authority due to the in crease and influence and impact of state agencies, the lobby, the conse quences of ballot measures and a vari ety of federal issues; increasing com plexity of the legislature's fiscal and policy tasks; decline of the citizen legislature; and need to adapt to the requirements of the 21s1 century." On April 5. the Process Committee presented its report, which included numerous specific recommendations. For example, regarding the fre quency, length, and timing of legisla tive sessions, the committee spent time discussing with legislators and staff to better understand the state budget pro cess. In the committee's view. “State budgeting should continue on a bien nial basis, and the Ways and Means Committee should be a joint commit tee that works together as a joint com mittee throughout the session." I serve on the Human Resource Committee. All the committees meet jointly periodically and will make the recommended changes by the end of this year. nate in selection because of race, creed, age, sex, color, national origin, physical handicap, marital status, politics, membership or non-mem bership in an employee organization. Most Often Requested Numbers Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians 1-800-922-1399 Salem Area Office 503-390-9494 Salem Finance Office 1-888-870-9051 Portland Area Office 503-238-1512 Eugene Area Office 541 -484-4234 Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start 541-747-0161 Contract Health Services (CHS) 1-800-628-5720 Siletz Community Health Clinic 1-800-648-0449 Siletz Alcohol and Drug 1-800-600-5599 Chinook Winds Casino Resort 1-888-244-6665 Chemawa Health Clinic 1-8OO-452-7823 Bureau of Indian Affairs I-8OO-323-8517 Web Site www.ctsi.nsn.us Open Your Home - and Your Heart - to a Child in Need* Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, nurturing environment. A number of foster care programs and organizations nationwide are dedicated to ensuring that foster chil dren get the care and support they need. These organizations can't do it alone - they need the assistance of people like you. The need for foster parents cur rently ranks among the most pressing problems in the child welfare system. Nearly every community in the nation has a shortage of foster families. This is true for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, both locally and through out the 11-county service area. Many people believe that only married couples can become foster parents. In fact, foster parents can be single, married, or divorced. They can be homeowners or live in an apartment. They can be as young as 21 - or they can be retired. Families who care for foster chil dren receive payments that are in tended to cover ordinary living ex penses for the child, including food, shelter, and daily supervision. Each state has its own rules and procedures for becoming a foster parent. For information on fostering a Siletz Tribal child, please contact the tribe's Indian Child Welfare de partment at: Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Attn: Heather Hunt Indian Child Welfare P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1275 541-444-8275 *Used with permission of the National Foster Parent Association, 1-800-557-5238, www.nfpainc.org. July 2006 • Siletz News • 3
