Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1995)
March 17, 1995 5 Simnasho District- Tribal Council Election Information 1 My name is Olney Patt, Jr. and I am a candidate for a Tribal Council seat in the Simnasho District. I am 43 years of age and a lifelong resident of the Warm Springs Reservation. In my 43 years, I have worked at a wide variety of jobs, from waiting tables to farming and ranching. I am currently employed as a planning specialist with the tribal natu ral resources department. Experience tells me that the average reader will not take the time to wade through long columns of newsprint, par ticularly if they are laced with rhetoric, personal glorification and empty cam paign promises. I promise you this: My statement contains none of those things. Briefly, these are some of the major issues that need to be addressed by the Tribal Council: 1 ) ResponsivenessAccountability. My definition of an effective Council member is one who listens carefully to tribal member concerns, then incorpo rates those concerns into the Council agenda. Council members should keep in mind that the ultimate authority on the reservation is the will of the people. The will of the people, not consultants, should shape overall tribal policy. Too often, Council members maintain an . aloof or adversarial relationship with their constituents. Council members Inmi' naimuma Ku xtwai ma (My rela tives and Friends), I accept the nomination as a descen ded of one of the original 1855 Treaty signers; Queah'-pa'-ma, and as a sub chief of the Warm Springs Tribe, cho-. Sa Sahme, Sr. . w j C ' . . , - , ' , ' . ' - " -V Vr. ' ' ' If, ' i W -lJ pt rA ,JJ 0 si l' J f also need to keep in mind that they rep resent all tribal members. 2) Education. Roughly 50 percent of tribal members are under the age of 21 . In the coming years, this will have a tre- ' V r ) ,, - - - ' f ; . .' . . r:i t- . ' r t V v.. r ' , " ' " . . i : i"i ' Olney Patt, Jr. sen by the Queahpama extended fam ily. The reason for running is to move our Council away from the mean-spirited, blaming and reactive leaders of the past three years. Our people need leaders with fair, good reasoned decisions that are consistent with Tribal policy. The leaders must listen to and report back to the people on a regular basis. Our leaders must lead by example into the 21st century. My objectives are: 1) To have a team spirit on Tribal Council; we must work for the good of all our Tribal Members. ! . 2) To follow the intent of the Tribal Member preference poltcy-at-aH levels of tribal government. ' 3) To focus on the "Big Picture" and policy matters of our Tribal Govern ment. 4) To give our employees and com munity leaders public thanks and re wards for doing a good job. We must make sure help is offered to those not doing a good job and learn to take care of our own., My work experience show "I know how to get things done." Ini mas a' ikta snwit yew (I will listen to what you say!) Wah'-ticks-na-kcit', Sylvester (Sal) Sahme, Sr. PO Box 743 Warm Springs, OR 97761 mendous impact on the demand for jobs and services In Warm Springs. We need to innovate to stem the dropout rate and motivate youngsters to reach their po tential. Toward this end I see a need to stop busing local children to Madras schools and create a local school dis trict. For some children, attending Ma dras High School means a 70-80-mile round-trip bus ride daily. Local schools mean local control. Elements now miss ing from Indian children's curricula can be added, such as tribal history, culture, language and government. Maintaining our cultural identity is of utmost impor tance if we are to survive as a sover eign nation. 3) DevelopmentServices. Essential services are lacking in the Simnasho District. There is a need to develop a business, or businesses, to provide basic foodstuffs and gasoline at com petitive prices to rural Simnasho resi dent. And while we're at it, how about mail service? A branch office of tribal administration? Senior Citizen ser vices? Daycare? A polling place? A schoolhouse without wheels? A police station with a listed phone number? There you have it, my wish list. These things are all attainable with the correc tion of some minor oversights and by paying attention to the words of the people. The best answers are usually right in our own backyard. Simnasho Write - En-No-Ni-Mo-Mah, My People. I would like to say a few words today, to explain some things. I was asked to run for Tribal Council by several people. I was hesitant at first, but with the things that I see, I feel that I can help to improve things here in this community. I was raised in our cultural ways of customs and traditions. I also have knowledge of modern-day aspect. I live in today, like you do. I am asking you to write in Bruce Jim, Sr., for Tribal Council. The reason that I am running for Tribal Council on a "write-in" campaign, is due to something that I was informed of. I was informed that if I was elected by the people, while I would be sworn in, that I would be not allowed to serve on Tribal Council. This is because of the fact that I have a record. When the time came for me to be nominated, I asked the person not to. I am presently involved in clearing my record. I have legal assistance from the Federal Defenders Office, US Attorney and US Probation Officer. Letters have Simnasho voters will vote for three candidates : - ; ' r . -- , ... I : -"V fv p ... n L c "-.y Pierson Mitchell I was born and raised here on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation on March 2, 1933, in a time when the Na tion was in depression. The only means of supporting yourself was to raise your In candidate- been sent to the Governor of Oregon, Senators and other individuals to assist in the clearing of my record. I have been a model citizen since 1986. I have paid my debt to society, for the crime that I was found guilty for. This was not a crime of violence. This was a crime of an Indian fisherman making a living at fishing. The US Gov ernment decided that it was a crime. I was found guilty, and did my time, it is over and done with. My main reason for going through all of the process of clearing my record is so that I can sit on Tribal Council and do everything I can to help with the growth of our community. At the present time, I am a Refores tation Contractor. I employ over 40 people each year, and 80 percent of the employees are tribal members. Over the past years, I have planted over 750,000 trees, that are growing. These planted trees are replacing what was taken from us, under the old clear-cutting methods. As an Indian contractor, I am successful at completing the con tracts that I have acquired through the forestry department. I have found that many people, that are not able to be hired by the Tribes, turn out to be productive seasonal em ployees. When these employees are given a chance to prove themselves, and accomplish their tasks, they gain pride in themselves. Personal History: Date of Birth: November 11, 1945 in Powell Butte, Oregon Father: Johnnie Jim (deceased) Mother: Ina Culpus Tohet Grandmother: Ida Sampson Thomp son Grandfather: John Culpus Grandmother: Madeline Moses Grandfather: Harry Jim Education: 1966 GED Central Or egon Community College Bend, Oregon 1 968, Auto and Body Fort Worth, Texas 1 969, Heavy Equipment Umpqua Com munity College Roseburg, Oregon Commercial fishing for 30 years; cer emonial fishing since 1970 I have never used drugs, and I have been sober for 20 years. I have raised own food, and collect food as did our forefathers. In our way of life, and the teaching of our elders was the only way our people survived and survived the food rationing during World War II. I remember these days, for they were the days when you learned the value of a dollar; because you had to work very hard for each dollar you spent and you had to be careful how you spent your money. I do not believe things have changed very much. Decisions on expenditures of money still have to be made very carefully, and to the benefit of the total membership of the Confederated Tribes. I believe each tribe should be repre sented equally in all of ourTribal Coun cil committees, and that a Cultural sur vey should be conducted before the construction of any project is to begin. I have served one term of Tribal Council, from 1 989 to 1 992, for which I thank those who voted for me at the time, and the election in which I was defeated by persons who are currently completing a successful term in office. I feel that I could do a good job for you in Council as a representative of the Simnasho District, where I was born and raised by Chief Frank, my grand father, and grandmother Millie Queahpama. 4 v. . ..... 3 Bruce Jim, Sr. my family to be clean and sober. I was raised by my Uncle Harold Culpus and spent a lot of time with Grandmother Ida Sampson Thompson. Harold and Grandmother Ida gave me a great gift of knowledge about the history of our people and it is this knowledge I wish to share with the people. I was taught a wisdom by my elders, these same el ders who are responsible for past deci sions that have been the backbone of ourTribes. During my up bringing, I was taught by Henry Thompson and at dif ferent times I stayed with Charley and Ellen McKinley. I learned many things from these people. Not only did I learn traditional values and aspects, but also modern thinking for today's life styles. In closing, I promise that my basic concern will be for the people and their welfare. Not only just their employment, but any concerns. I cannot make any promises on issues, until I study them. With this, I ask you to write in my name for Tribal Council. Respectively, Bruce Jim, Sr.