Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 2013)
Tym oo J u ly 11 Coyote News, est. 1976 2013 V o i. 3 8 , N o . 4 4 J u ly - Pat’ak-Pt’akni - Summer - Shatm Motorsports vote falls short by 46 There are three ways to vote: yes, no, and no show. ‘Teople can vote with their feet, h>y not showing up at the polls,” Jo A nn Smith was spy ing earlier this week. When the polling place closed on Tuesday evening, a little more than two-thirds of the eligible voters had not cast their ballots. , This resulted in the official con clusion: “Did not meet the Consti tutional requirem ent o f one-third qualified voters casting their ballots.” T rib al C o u n cil c e rtifie d th e m o to rsp o rts referendum results Wednesday morning; and there was discussion that the matter would not be put to another vote o f the m em bership. The official results were 550 in favor and 459 against, for a total o f 1,009 total votes cast. There were 3,165 eligible voters, which would have required a. turn out o f at least 1,055; so the refer endum fell short by 46 ballots. O rdinance 44 Tribal Council earlier in the Week discussed the tribal voting process, specifically T ribal O rdinance 44. T here has been som e confusion about the ordinance, as it appeared there were two different versions of Ordinance 44. Tribal attorney Howie A rn ett clarified that one o f the versions was a draft that a previous Tribal Coun cil had amended; and yet the draft Dave McMechan/Spilyay Tribal election worker William Rhoan prepares ballots for Peggy Poltra and Slslly Scott. version was, still being circulated. Council directed that this situation be corrected. Councilman Carlos Smith sug g e ste d th a t th e o rd in a n c e be amended in order to reflect the cur rent voting practices o f the C on federated Tribes. For instance, there is a two-wit ness requirement for absentee bal lots, which has n ot been enforced for many years. A t the very least, this requirement should be removed from the Ordinance, said Council man ScOtt Moses, Councilman Smith suggested that the tribes consider switching to a vote-by-mail system for all tribal m em ber voters. “The point is to make it as easy as possible for mem bers to vote,” he said. ' Councilman Raymond Tsumpti said such a change in the voting method would require consultation with the membership. Councilman Reuben Henry said the voting age requirem ent should be looked at. Presently, a m em ber m ust be 21 years old or married in order to participate in a tribal election. T he tribes should look at setting the voting age at 18, Councilman Henry said. Changing the voting require m ent would require an amend m ent to the tribal Constitution, said C oun cilw o m an E valine Patt. This m atter, and the vote- by-m ail su g g estio n , w arran t further Council discussion, she said. M is - Dave McMechan P.0. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECRWSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Work starting on water line Work is scheduled to begin this m onth on the new waterline and re s e rv o ir th a t w ill serv e th e Simnasho-SchooEe Flat residents. A completion date for the work is scheduled for late December. For several years the Simnasho- SchooEe Flat water system has tested high fo r the presence o f arsenic, which is a health risk and can cause cancer. While the tribes have worked to secure funding for the new weU and pipeline, the Simnasho-SchooEe Flat residents received bottled water for domestic use. Funding for the waterline project was achieved through a combina tion o f tribal and federal doUars. Last m onth the tribe held a pre-bid m eetin g and aw arded th e new Simnasho wateriine and reservoir project. (See the Public Notice on page 8 o f this publication.) , Insurance matter at Council T h e T ribal C ouncil voted on Monday to estabEsh a board to re view health insurance issues facing th e C o n fe d e ra te d T rib e s o f W a rm Springs. The board will consist o f the members o f the review board for the tribal P ension program . The members are the C oundl chairman, the secretary-treasurer, chief opera tions officer, and representatives fro m K a h -N e e -T a a n d W arm Springs Forest Products Industries. T he Confederated Tribes and its enterprises, Eke other employers in the U.S., face a potentiaUy compE- cated chaUenge in coming m onths regarding im plem entation o f the Affordable H ealth Care Act. U n der these circumstances, the tribes need to assure that aU health-care insurance options are being consid ered, said Councilman Carlos Sfnith. C ouncilm an Sm ith m ade the m o tio n to a p p o in t th e P en sio n board as the tribal insurance review team , seconded by C ouncilm an Scott Moses. Also in favor were C ouncilm en K ahseuss Jack so n , R e u b e n H e n ry a n d R ay m o n d T su m p ti, W arm S prings C h ie f Delvis H ealth and Wasco Chief J.R. Smith Jr. T he v o te was 7-1-1. C ouncil Chairman Austin Greene Jr. did not vote, as the chairman votes only in case o f tie. Councilwoman EvaEne Patt voted against. She said the for mation o f a new board could dupE- cate a role being carried out by the tribal Health and H um an Services Branch, as the branch implements the A ffordable Care Act. Pi-Ume-Sha The Confederated Tribes hosted the Forty-Fourth Annual Pl-Ume- Sha Powwow In late June. See page 6 for more on the powwow. Stick Game and Parade results.in the next Spilyay. GET YOUR KICKS ON HIGHWAY Warm Springs Oregon Yvonne Iverson photos. See HEALTH CARE on 2
