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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2007)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: 1 have read the Feb. 3, 2007, Gen eral Council Meeting minutes and I agree with Kelley Ellis that an Enrollment Committee needs to be put in place. There should not be one person in volved in processing and recommend ing approval/removal of tribal members. The Enrollment clerk should be treated like other committees, as a “staff representative” recommending actions to council based on committee decisions. I encourage every tribal member to read Tribal Council minutes. You can be put on a mailing list by contacting the Tribal Council secretaries. Sincerely, Cindy Urbach To the editor: After reading the letters in the April issue of Siletz News, I would hope the Tribal Council is taking a proactive approach in making sure something like this does not happen again. Safeguards need to be put in place in the Enrollment Department to pre vent this from happening in the future. Our tribe is not above fraud, and iden tity theft is on the rise. 1. An Enrollment Committee should be put in place to look at applica tions for enrollment. 2. The ancestor the applicant is claim ing should be posted on the Enroll ment posting. 3. The Enrollment posting should be put in our monthly Siletz News paper. Thank you, To the editor: Kelly Lane My name is Angella Robertson and I live in Missouri. I just received my April newsletter. I read all the letters submit ted to the editor from the Mason family and Wilma and Joella Strong. I read that the Mason family has gone to council and asked for a DNA test to To the editor: I would like to thank Dr. Phillipson be done on a man claiming to be the son of Terrence Mason. His name reads for being a good doctor. I will never forget in 2(M)4. my heart Tristen, Leroy, John. Holt, Trudell. 1 read each and every one of their was fluttering. I called in and tried to articles and I say they were all well- make an appointment but was told you written and have left us readers all the had no opening for a couple of weeks, facts, along with quoting the correct I thought I could wait. My heart kept fluttering, so I called ordinances and section on why this back to try to get in earlier and the clinic- man should take this DNA test. If this man has submitted the cor told me that they could squeeze me in rect paperwork like every one of our that afternoon, so I thought I could wait. Well, my heart kept fluttering, so 1 enrolled tribal members had to do to get onto the rolls, then there should be no called back again. I told the clinic that I could not wait. I never had this hap questions if he is eligible to be enrolled. But since in reading the articles the pen to me before so they called the nurses proper paperwork was not correct and and told them that 1 was calling and what my heart was doing. They told me to the Mason family went to court and proved that the paperwork was falsified come in right now. When I got there. Dr. Phillipson and not legal, then how in the world was waiting for me. She had a nitro can one be enrolled? Good question. I respectfully ask the Tribal Coun glycerin pill waiting for me. When I put cil who voted to have this man not take that under my tongue, the fluttering the DNA test, please give your reason stopped. I thought that now I-can go ing here in our tribal newsletter. I am home, but 1 heard Dr. Phillipson tell the very confused as to why you once nurse to call an ambulance. I had heart surgery within a couple voted to have him take the DNA test and then you voted again and decided of days. I also got staff infection, but 1 am thankful that Dr. Phillipson knew for him not to have to take one. Was there any new evidence to sug what was wrong with me. In 2001, my foot was in so much gest he was eligible to be enrolled be fore you voted the second time that pain. I never felt pain before; this was wasn't mentioned in the tribal minutes? a bone infection. I felt the pain. I went to the clinic; this was a dif Did I miss something in my reading of ferent doctor. I told him I was in pain the minutes? I also ask respectfully to the coun and I never felt this before and some cil members who voted no, was this a thing was wrong. I also had a fever. He just looked at my foot and said personal reason on your part or did you that he saw no blood. He told me to get go only by the factual documentation presented before, when you made your some cough syrup and go home and I decision to vote no the second time on would be healed in three days. Well, that night, my foot blew open. this DNA matter? Are there more facts to this case that There were two craters on the top of my foot. Sometimes, I wondered why the Mason family has left out? Or did you have any unanswered question you didn't the doctor take a blood test or an X-ray. Would he have seen something? felt the Mason family didn't answer? I called Gatekeepers and told the Respectfully, nurse who answered the phone to see Angella Robertson 6 • Siletz News • May 2007 To the editor: Our elected leaders/administration have the unfair advantage of provid ing the facts that look good. Some tribal members/employees portray a differ ent perspective. In the article, Dee Pigsley Among Top 10 Gaming Women (... Pigsley cer tainly gains the respect from those around her), “People with new ideas and fresh perspectives on improving pro cesses inspire me, both of which can be found in current employees. It’s good to sometimes look beyond manage ment for those fresh ideas. It is always good to get consumer feedback.” My viewpoint: 1 recall a tribal mem ber who received less than favorable feedback from the public when asking them to complete a cultural center sur vey. I wonder what the vote would be, if left up to gaming enterprise employ ees (not management), if they didn't fear reprisal? Managers are rewarded with lavish bonuses, while workers share countless stories about facility problems, mistreat ment from managers and co-workers. Management seemingly continues to support an environment that lacks posi tive morale/respectful communication. There are many questions/concerns pertaining to management of tribal en- terprises/programs. The most pressing is pursuit of construction of a “new' health clinic. The cost has been stated as $7,500,000, a grant $2M (http:// tinyurl.com/3dfgu7) has been acquired (the bill to us is going to be at least $5.5M). This is optimistic because con struction jobs seldom come in below projected cost. A comment that Lynette Warren shared on www.siletz.net: “... members who live out of area will get very little benefit from this costly expansion. Yet, all tribal members would benefit from some fiscal responsibility on the part of the tribal government. Maybe a more modest renovation of the clinic is jus tifiable, but our tribal government has been on a decades-long spending spree. They need to begin to apply re if I could go to emergency. I told her straint and foresight when it comes to what my foot looked like and that I was spending the tribal members’ money.” in pain. She said, “No." In my opinion, expansion of the My niece came to my place to help present building, eliminating the park me wrap my foot to try and stop the ing space (casino employees walk, bleeding. I also had her call Gatekeep maybe same for clinic staff?), and a ers and she too explained what was multi-level structure could suffice, happening and what my foot looked rather that obligating revenue we don't like. Finally, she said that I could go to have readily accessible. emergency. I'd like to see a transparent/detailed There was a big difference with Dr. accounting of tribal programs/projects Phillipson. She knew what she was do (expenses related and funding ing. I appreciate her for being here. sources). Most importantly, goals/ Thanks. objectives to determine how success With respect, ful we’ve been, if less than favorable, William S. Strong why/what can be done differently, and who was responsible? We now pay Toledo $268,196 for law enforcement and we don’t have an officer that resides in Siletz. It seems, in the past, it wasn’t possible to suc cessfully manage law enforcement, so it was outsourced to the City of Toledo. The Budget Committee? Dee Pigsley, May 28 Bud Lane, Phil Rilatos Sr., Brenda 11 a.m. Bremner, Sharon Edenfield. Brendii Government Hill Bremner supervised Law Enforcement, Judy Muschamp - Clinic, Terry Fisher Siletz, Oregon - Housing, Jim Kikumoto - Casino. This gives members an idea of where Procession to Veterans Memorial to start for questions that need answers. Honor Guard Yours truly Lisa Brown, CPS Welcome - Delores Pigsley 541-444-1290; nadosh2@yahoo.com Invocation The Lord's Prayer - Siletz Royalty Memorial Day Address I Mark Your Calendars Presentation of Flowers Culture Camp Gun Salute - Honor Guard Taps j July 17-19, 2007 Memorial Day Ceremony Closing Lunch at the Tribal Community Center at noon Provided by the Culture Committee | If you’re interested in vol- | unteering or attending the camp | planning meetings, please call I Selene Rilatos at I-800-922-1399, I ext. 1246, or 541-444-8246.
