Chairman’s Report
President Obama’s
white House Summit
Robert Kentta, Bud Lane, our attor-
ney Craig Dorsay and I traveled to
Washington, D.C., to meet with our con-
gressional delegation about our pending
legislation. In addition to meetings with
our delegation, one Tribal representa-
tive was invited to attend a meeting with
President Obama and other heads of the
federal government.
We were informed that our legislation
that has had hearings in both the House
and the Senate would not be acted on in
this congressional year. We were assured,
however, that it will be introduced in the
new Congress in 2013.
The National Congress of American
Indians as well as the National Indian
Gaming Association held pre-summit
meetings to prepare Tribes for any discus-
sion that might take place at the summit.
Female warriors along with Navajo
Code Talkers led the flag procession; it
was very impressive. The Secretary of Inte-
rior was the coordinator of the event and
opened the discussion with Tribal leaders.
The Obama administration has made
much headway in moving fee-to-trust
applications (more than 100,000 acres
have been taken into trust) as well as
having Tribal consultations in almost
every agency and setting high priorities
for education and energy development.
Other officials described changes in
the IRS having to do with some general
welfare categories of Tribal income; these
changes will be officially announced very
soon. The Secretary of Health and Human
Services announced that Tribal clinics
soon will begin receiving reimbursements
for services provided to veterans.
Not only was the meeting informa-
tive, but I also had the opportunity to visit
with other Tribal officials from across the
nation as well as Bureau of Indian Affairs
and Office of the Special Trustee staff.
Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for
the president’s presentation as we had a
flight to catch.
High school seniors, current college
students and Tribal members who are
thinking of returning to college
From the Siletz Tribal Education Department
Your 2013-2014 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must
be filed within the month of January!
Any Tribal member who wants to apply for Education funds for the 2013-2014
academic year must file his or her FAFSA application between Jan. 1-31, 2013.
The FAFSA can be completed online at fafsa.ed.gov.
Print your confirmation and provide this documentation when you apply
for higher education or AVT funds in the spring.
Government-to-Government
Summit
Several Tribal Council members and
staff attended the Government-to-Govern-
ment Summit with Gov. John Kitzhaber
and state department officials in North
Bend in late November.
Each summit begins with meetings
between Tribal officials and state officials
one day prior to the meeting with the
governor. On the second day, each Tribe
gets a short period of time to talk about
pre-arranged subjects with the governor
leading the discussion.
This year’s pre-arranged subject was
how to do more with less. I let the audi-
ence know we have been doing that since
our 35 years of Tribal restoration.
We have worked closely with state,
county and federal governments to
accomplish many things that we could not
have done without not only their financial
help, but also their support. Examples of
this include the new sidewalks and storm
drains in Siletz, additional public transpor-
tation to and from Newport and Lincoln
City, the new water storage tank in Siletz
and various highway improvements.
The bottom line is that funds are
going to be very tight in the coming
years. Partnering and maintaining good
relationships with others will be important
in order to meet our goals.
Casino general manager
The Tribal Council hired Tribal mem-
ber Mike Fisher on a two-year contract to
Delores Pigsley
be general manager of Chinook Winds
Casino Resort (see page 17). Mike was
one of the original gaming commissioners
hired in 1995.
He worked for Chinook Winds for
several years and went on to be general
manager at other casinos. We are glad to
have him back at Chinook Winds. Con-
gratulations, Mike!
Restoration
This year’s 35 th Restoration was
great. The food was excellent, it was well
organized, our Tribal staff and casino staff
did an excellent job and made us proud.
Thank you to all of you who made it great.
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Courtesy photos
Robert Kentta, Delores Pigsley and Bud Lane in Washington, D.C., in December
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Siletz News
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January 2013