Spilygy Tyvnoo
Tribal Council Election Statements
Page 11
Sylvester "Sal" Sahme Sr.
Introduction: In-mix-try-mah (my friends), In-mec-
r f
ni-moo (my relatives), Sluhx-mah tush (I am greeting
all of you).
I accept the nomination. l or the young people that
,
I I
m a ii I
Floyd J. Calica
I would like to thank Chcsley Yahtin Jr. and Lois
Squiemphen for the nomination. I also want to send a
special thanks to Earl and Rita Squimphen and many
others for your confidence and support I would like to
share with all of you a few of my views and opinions on
how a councilman should conduct himself and serve
the people:
Communication - It is very vital for the people to
be aware of what's going on in the Council chambers. I
believe the Council should be finely tuned into what
the people want and expect. An open heart and open
cars denote a sincere leader. I would like to see at least
one public meeting a month to hear the people and
give them reports. I also would like to see a time block
set aside on the daily agenda for anyone to come in and
. talk. It shouldn't matter how old you are, anyone should
be able to come in and talk to the Council.
Accountability - This means to me from the top
down. As leaders, Council should set the example for
the rest of us. I believe this would produce a snowball
effect down to the front line employees. Accountabil
ity also needs to be fair and equal to all. Laws and rules
were made for one reason; to be enforced fairly to all.
..i , i.'i. -i
Daily Operations of Organization and Enterprises -
Why must Council continue to rely on outside con
sultants and resources? We have our own tribal mem
bers who have been working here for years. I have con
fidence they know how to run things the best. Our
people have a lot of knowledge and experience; let's
start to tap into that and invest in our own people. I
stand firmly with Affirmative Action tribal member
preference.
I have been smoke-free and alcoholdrug-free my
entire life. I am married to my wife, Juanita, and we
have a four-year-old son named Joseph. I believe in in
vesting, protecting and nurturing our most valuable
resource, our children. It is they who will take the tribes
into the future, but have been long overlooked and not
heard. I would take their concerns to heart and bring
them into Council. I also would like to see the Junior
Tribal Council come back for the kids.
Being the youngest nominee, in itself, is a unique
quality; I can bring fresh ideas and a new voice. The
tribes have a lot of issues present and future. We must
work together as a team to face these issues. In the old
days, our leaders got along and looked after the future.
I have faith we can do it. We just have to put forth a
little effort. We need to continue to seek more revenues
and, at the same time, look at our present budget. I
believe we should let the people decide where to build
the casino.
I want to bring a positive fresh new voice to the
Council for all people - especially the younger ones. I
have faith we can all overcome the difficulties ahead of
us if we stay fast to our old ways of thinking. Open,
honest, fair and leading by example.
We have many good candidates this year and I en
courage all voters to come out and vote for the candi
date of your choice.
Olney Patt Jr.
My name is Olney Patt Jr. and I am a candidate for
Tribal Council from the Simnasho District. The 21"
Tribal Council (1998-2001) accomplished a number of
goals during its term, including the construction of High
Lookee Lodge, increasing the number of police officers
on patrol and in corrections, and finalization of the
PcltonRound Butte settlement agreement that will
make the Confederated Tribes the majority owner of
the project at the end of the coming license period.
Specific to the Simnasho District, Three Warriors Mar
ket was opened in 2000.
But the purpose of this statement is to look ahead to
issues that are yet to be addressed. Here is a short list:'
ii Education - Planning for the new K-5 school
should proceed with a goal of opening in September of
2003. Plans should be in the works for a middle school
and high school even as construction proceeds on the
elementary school. Plans should also be developed for
a vocational training center and distance learning. 1 t
ii The Tribal Economy - The reservation lacks
the economic vitality to keep people working at long
term jobs with livable salarieswages. We have employed
a number of stop-gap measures over the years, but con
tinue to suffer from tunnel vision when it comes to gen
erating revenue. For instance, we continue to lean
heavily on timber even as the market plummets (high
log cost, low market prices). What is needed now is a
new approach that allows planners to "think outside
the box." For several years now we have turned into
followers in business development. It is now necessary
for us to become leaders.
ii Housing We need to gear up our programs to
make affordable housing available to tribal members.
This is a basic human necessity and should not even be
the subject of debate.
Finally, I urge all voters to participate in the upcom
ing election. When casting your ballot, give some
thought on who will be able to make hard decisions.
Your interests are not well-represented by someone who
is either unprepared or unwilling to make decisions in
a timely manner. My record will show that I am a decision-maker,
not a spectator.
Tony "Big Rat" Suppah
My pcoplel I, Tony "Big Rat" Suppah, accept the
nomination to run for Tribal Council. I had the oppor
tunity to group up around politics, with my dad, Mr.
Harold Culpus, who served our people for many years.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by
what we give. I've learned a lot by sitting back, listen
ing, observing, reading and speaking out when neces
sary on tribal concerns. Majority of our problems stem
from poor communication, and can be solved with ef
fective communication, which is a multiplying force
within an organization that can raise morale so that
everyone benefits.
Also vital in communication is to hear what isn't
being said, by the people! Change starts when someone
sees the next step. We all know it's human nature to
resist change. Times do change, hopefully, the people
will agree with their vote at the polls for a new leader
ship which will be responsive to the needs of the people.
Who will communicate, clear, cpnsistent, and.compeU
ling messages about the directions and workings of the
organization.
Frankly, no organization can be much better than
the quality of its communication, which means pro
ductivity and profitability. To succeed the key re
sources are information, knowledge and creativity. You
can find these resources within our people, with their
input. Somewhere the people got lost in the shuffle.
The elected Council and the managers work for the
people, this has been forgotten. The peoples voices need
to be heard.
It's sad how the power of the green back dollar is
used to make decisions within our organization at times
not in the best interest of the tribes. Then the people
receiving second hand information afterwards, without
any input. Observing the annual budgets, watching our
resources dwindle, is a very scary feeling.
We need to reorganize as one working towards elimi
nating the problems within our organization, moving
to a positive outlook. We need to protect our resources,
we need to protect our existence for those who want to
take our rights away.
The present is the only place you can impact the
future of the organization. In today's business climate
this is not just the key to success, it may be the key to
our survival.
I not only use all the knowledge I have, but all I can
borrow. That's how we grow, learning from each other.
When we work to discover the best in others, we some
how bring out the best in ourselves.
Its better to know some of the questions than all the
answers. What's needed is a trust relationship between
Council, managers and the people. With your vote at
the polls, I'd be honored to serve and hear out the people
as a council representative. God bless you all. Vote Tony
"Big Rat" Suppah - Simnasho District.
don't know me, let me introduce myself. I grew up on
our reservation. I attended the Simnasho School and
the Warm Springs Hoarding School, graduating from
Madras Union High School. I have a Master's Degree
in Business Administration. I've worked over thirty
years for our Tribal Government in health and the last
six years in business and economic development. My
parents and grandparents raised me. The teachings of
my grandparents is my greatest gift. I learned of Man's
Law, Nature's Law and God's Law.
Situation: During our nominations meetings, the
words that were spoken in our language alarmed me,
"beware of false prophets." At the meeting cx-felons
spoke and one was nominated to our highest elected
office. I asked my eldest aunt about how these unac
ceptable acts were dealt with in her parents' day? She
said the consequence for these acts was the loss of their
voice in any public decisions.
Wc heard and saw the chaos in how the meeting was
conducted. Ordinance 44, a tribal law passed by the
chiefs and the Tribal Council, was ignored. The law
gives our people the right to choose a chair to conduct
the meetings and nominations process. Today the an
nual budget savings at the end of the year has turned
into the Tribal Council's "pork barrel." The Tribal
Council budget approval process has no sound justifi
cation to how we spend. Our district representatives
give little if any written or verbal reports to our people.
Statement: We all know nobody can invoke our old
people's will and we cannot go backwards. We can only
look ahead on behalf of our children and the unborn.
Our oral history tells us that we have to always prepare.
This is how we have survived. The living word is greater
than the spoken word. As our young say, "walking the
talk." This means the chief, the spiritual leader, the lan
guage teacher, the educated and the Tribal Council. All
of those with advanced knowledge hold greater respon
sibility. "With an education you become the white man's
equal, without it you remain his victim,"... Crow Chief
Plenty Coup. Only Na-me-Pupte' (Our Brother) cu
Naa-mep-sce-te' (the Father of our Brother) can evoke
the creator's word.
Closure: In times of chaos we question what is hap
pening. We are forced to examine what is acceptable
and not acceptable. We are renewing our mind, body
and spirit and preparing for our future. This is for the
good or all, especially our unborn future.
ee-au'
Wah-tichs-nah-k'it (end of a foot print)
Priscilla Frank
Candidate did not file photo or statement for publi
cation. Ray Tsumpti
Candidate did not file photo or statement for publication.