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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1994)
I THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE CRAND RONDE COMMUNITY OF ORECOM February, 1994 Spirit Mountain Development Corporation Update BOARDCOUNCIL RETREAT On January 1 5, Spirit Mountain Development Corporation's Board ofDirectors and staff met with Tribal Council in Salem for the third in a series of planned quarterly retreats. The parties discussed the status of the corporation's economic efforts and worked to clarify the board's and Council's role in the economic development process. The parties focused much of their discussion on the need to communicate information about the corporation and its activities to tribal members. The parties agreed that from now on, Smoke Signals will publish monthly articles concerning the corporation and its activities. The articles will contain not only news about prospective businesses, but also information about the corporation's policies and procedures. RESPECTIVE ROLES OF THE BOARD AND TRIBAL COUNCIL Tribal Council established Spirit Mountain Development Corporation to address the Tribe's economic development because it recognized the difference between running a government and running a business. Tribal Council also recognized that the amount of time required to run tribal government made it impossible for Tribal Council to serve as directors of the Tribe's businesses. In establishing the corporation, Tribal Council provided for the creation of a separate Board of Directors to oversee the Corporation's activities. The current board consists of Bob Mercier, Chairman, Mike Larsen, Vice Chairman, Pat Mercier, Secretary Treasurer, Ed Larsen Council liaison, and Jim Sizemore. Bob Mercier owns and operated a logging company in the Grand Ronde area. Mike Larsen is employed by the Tribe as th Facilities Manager. Pat Mercier is the Tribe's Chief Financial Officer. Ed Larsen is a member of Tribal Council and owns and operates a local retail store. Jim Sizemore is a finandalconsultantforvarioustribes. Bob,Mike,andEdaretribalmembers. Tribal Council delegated to the board all but the following responsibilities for the corporation: Approval of members. Acquisition of real property and leases of more than 36 months. Selection of auditors. Examination of books and records. Approval of bylaws. Requirement of annual reports. Tribal Council monitors the corporation's activities, while the board is responsible for the corporation's operations. In theory, the corporation is separate and fairly autonomous from tribal government. However, there is a great deal of interaction between the corporation, Tribal Council and Tribal Administration. The various organizations must interact and rely on each other on a variety of issues. For example, the corporation, Tribal Council, and Tribal Administration must all deal with the Grand Ronde community's infrastructure problem as a condition of future growth. The organizations coordinate their efforts in order to address these problems efficiently. Future Smoke Signals articles will address the corporation's policies and the respective roles of the corporation's Board ofDirectors and staff. The articles will attempt to deal with the issues that concern tribal members most, including the corporation's policy for awarding construction and other contracts as well as hiring policies. In many respects, the corporation's policies differ slightly from the Tribe's policies. These differences stem from the corporation's need to operate as a business rather than a government While much of the corporation's proprietary information cannot be publicly disclosed, future articles will attempt to inform tribal members of various projects pursued by the corporation. Please feel free to contact Spirit Mountain Development Corporation at (503) 879-23 50 with questions or comments. Pre-Historic Artifacts Found Tuesday January 25, members of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council, Spirit Mountain Development Corporation, tribal members and staff were present at the Capitol Building in Salem for a dedication of Native American artifacts which were found recently near the Columbia River. SAFECO Properties, Inc., and its subsidiary, WINMAR Co., Inc. were in the process of developing some land in Portland and the town of Gresham, where these artifacts were found. Archeologists determined the artifacts to have originated from two separate settlement periods: Approximately 950 A.D., and 1400 AD. Said David Ellis, Archaeological Investigations, Northwest Project Archaeologist, "The artifacts depict an example of the "cosmopolitan" Native American cultures in existence in North America and the Pacific Northwest long before Columbus' "discovery of America." Eddie L. Hendrikson, President of SAFECO, Inc., and Larry Wells, Vice Chairman, presented the artifacts to the Grand Ronde Tribe during a special ceremony. The artifacts will be kept temporarily by the Marion County Historical Society. Shantee Klootchman Turn Turn were guest drummers during a reception that followed the dedication. State Representative Kate Brown, who advocated the passage of Senate Bill 6 1 , was unable to attend the ceremony, but sent a message which was read at the dedication. She said, "On this special day, when a piece of Grand Ronde history is being returned to its rightful owners, my thoughts and joy are with you...Today, you are restoring faith to the Grand Ronde Tribe, the State of Oregon, and to the country through your work to restore history and to demand justice." ? K Y ! " 1 Eddie Hendrikson, right, presents a pre-historic artifact to Vice-Chair Kathryn Harrison at the State Capitol Building. Mr. Hendrikson is president of SAFECO Co., Inc., the development organization responsible for finding the artifacts.
