10
June 7, 1996
SMOKE SGNALS
Zljune Sell Shcrer
Fellow Tribal members:
My name is June Sherer and I am again standing for Tribal
Council. I am the daughter of Joseph Sell and Emma LaBonte Sell.
I grew up in Grand Ronde and the Willamette Valley. After
graduating from high school in 1 966, 1 served in the military.
My previous job history remains unchanged covering
employment with Washington Public Power, Exxon Company, and
Westinghouse. Personal changes include completion of my
Associate's Degree in Administration and Medical Office
Assistant's Degree at Columbia Basin College last summer, and
our move to Grand Ronde in September. Returning to my
ancestral home is quite a change from the desert of Eastern
Washington. Mike, my husband, says it reminds him of Minnesota
where ha grew up.
Changes have taken place for us as a tribe also. The casino has
of course opened, and is rapidly expanding. We tribal members
hove Gsted and set priorities for those things that affect us now and
in the future: health, education, housing, retirement, per capita,
etc We have addressed all these, and for those of you who are
living in the Six County Area, most are adequate.
Now, however, we need to reach out to those of us not in a
position to return. An HMO to cover tribal members health
concerns outside the Six County Area must be enacted upon. We
should expand our available funding for education and job
training so that it is made more readily available. Retraining to
adapt to an ever-changing job market will help maintain stability
for our families.
I maintain my stand on per capita as I feel that it is the only way
some families can purchase those necessities not covered by
available funds, or used as a savings account for the future. I
understand the fears that some members voice concerning the
possible substance abuse, but the roots of these are problems
which must be dealt with separately. Withholding per capita only
penalizes those with serious financial hardships.
We should make available housing assistance for all tribal
members in need. I would undertake the task of involving the local
Habitat for Humanity chapter in establishing low-cost housing for
working tribal members. Such a program, with tribal help, could
conceivably lead to housing for tribal members outside the Six
County Area. As a Council member, I would bring an impartial
opinion and fairness toward all tribal members as one who has
lived both in and out of the Service Area.
Other matters need to be addressed. While as a group we
share a culture, we are a political entity which must both interact
with other groups and look out for our own well-being. Some of
these items include further acquisition of tribal lands and continued
support from the federal government. We must also make sure
that the politicians and bureaucrats do not succeed in paying their
tax bills with our revenue.
Another proposal worth mentioning is the establishment of an
ombudsman position between tribal members and Spirit Mountain
Development Corporation to deal with the perceived unjust hiring
practices and other complaints.
I hope to see all of you at the Candidate Forum so that I may
elaborate on these matters and learn about other issues important
to you.
0Dee Edwards
Hello fellow tribal members. My name is Delores "Dee"
Parazoo-Edwards, I am 39 years old. I am married and have
three daughters -1 8, 1 5, and 1 2. My Native American heritage
comes from my father, Walter "Dewey" Parazoo. My father, and
some of his family members attended many meetings in the Grand
Ronde area back in the 1 950s, working toward what is now a
reality. Although the casino would be a surprise to him and many
others who attended meetings back then, but have since passed
away, I think they would be pleased. I am, and always have been
very proud to be part Chinook Indian. I currently work for a state
wide economic development program called the Government Con
tract Acquisition Program (GCAP), that assists small Oregon busi
nesses with federal and state contracting.
I am running for Tribal Council because I, like many other tribal
members, feel left out of tribal activities and changes because I
don't live in the Six County Service Area. I live in Eugene, but like
you, I want to belong.
As a Tribal Council member I would like the chance to represent
all of the tribal members who live outside of the Six County Service
Area. If geographically convenient meetings were held you could
be updated on all events with an opportunity to ask questions and
give input. Currently, the only way for you to find out about
changes that affect you is the newsletter. If elected, I could hold
these meetings in areas convenient to you. I would be open to your
questions and concerns and would relay your comments back to
the rest of the Council. I would also like you to feel that you could
call me anytime to voice a concern, complaint, or ask a question.
If I didn't have an answer for you -1 would find out and let you
know.
We need to be one tribe, but to do this everyone has to feel
equal and feel that they are important in the daily workings of the
Tribe. I think that many of you feel as I do, that all of the services
and benefits should be for all of the Tribe not just the ones who
live in the area. Wanting these services and benefits to be equal
doesn't mean we are looking for a handout, it just means we want
to be equal.
Granted, I don't know all of the inner workings of the Tribe or all
of the federal laws that apply, but I will learn them and find out the
best ways to be of help to tribal members. I have thought that we
should be able to have satellite offices, similar to what the Siletz
Tribe has in Eugene, maybe open only one or two days per week.
If we cannot have satellite offices in other areas, then there still
should be a way for all of us to obtain services. I would make it my
main concern to alert all of the tribal members to how they could
obtain services.
At the last Council meeting some tribal members were
concerned about the low number of tribal members working at the
casino. After the meeting I asked a Council member what the
actual figure was - and I was quoted 1 0. Only 1 0 of all of the
employees working at the casino are tribal members! This figure
is shocking to me. Especially since at the meeting two tribal
members had expressed how upset they, or their family members
were, after applying for jobs at the casino that they felt qualified
for, but did not get hired. They were not only not given a good
reason for not being hired they were given no reason at all.
Wouldn't it be better to help tribal members? Even if a short
training period would be needed to hire the tribal member,
wouldn't this serve the purpose of the casinof
If you feel as I do on many of these issues, please vote for me in
the next Grand Ronde tribal election. I am eager to serve on the
Tribal Council and look forward to meeting with you and
discussing any problems or concerns that you have. If you have
any questions please call me at (541) 688-4710.
0 Joyce DeHart
My name is Joyce DeHart. I grew up in the Hood River Valley
and chose a career in nursing. I have worked for the Mid
Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles for the past twenty-five
years. My husband and I raised our children in the small town of
Mosier. We have been operating a chain of grocery outlets
throughout the Columbia Gorge since 1 970.
1 have attended General Council meetings over the years, and
I believe the Tribal Council is responsible for the allocation of our
money and it is our duty as individual members to express our
needs to them so that they know the best way to do this. When a
tribal member who lives outside of the Six County Service Area
asks for additional benefits, they are not asking for more benefits.
They are asking for equal distribution of payment (dollars).
This is an important concern which I believe will tear our tribe
apart if not rectified. While federal guidelines restrict health
services to the Six County Area, there is nothing to prevent Tribal
Council from making other adjustments with funds to provide tribal
members outside the area with equivalent economic benefit.
The Tribal Council recognized the issue of "fairness in
distribution of benefits" in a recent General Council meeting.
During that meeting, it was pointed out to a tribal member that
under the Supplemental Budget, people living outside of the Six
County Area would receive some benefits: a retirement fund for
those over 55, additional education dollars, and an investment
fund. After all the hard work that went into the Supplemental
Budget, many of the Tribal Council and membership seemed
surprised and somewhat exasperated that the tribal members at
the meeting who live outside of the area were not satisfied with this
budget or the gesture behind it.
While the Tribal Council needs to be applauded for the gains
made through this budget, they also need to acknowledge that it
does nothing to address the "equal share" issue. This is a very old
issue which Tribal Council members coming up for re-election have
had three years to address, and others running for Council do not
support.
I believe that the community of Grand Ronde should operate
from a strong economic base in order to ensure continuous benefits
to tribal members and maintain our tribal identity. Therefore,
equal benefits for those living on and off the reservation will
always be somewhat inequitable. However, casino profits should
go to those living outside the Six County Area, either directly or
indirectly, in order to bridge the huge economic gap in services to
these people.
If elected to Council, I would like to address this issue by working
to achieve an appropriate balance in benefits for all members.
This is the only way we can become a strong Indian Nation with
everyone working together for the benefit of all.
Further, I believe that Tribal Council and the Board of Spirit
Mountain Corporation should be actively working to ensure that
any tribal member who wants to work at the casino is given that
opportunity, even if it means that the tribal member must bump a
non-member out of a job.
If elected to Council, I would ask for periodic reports of the
numbers of tribal members working at the casino, their positions,
the training plan in place for them to advance within this company,
and documentation on cases where applications were rejected or
tribal members were terminated.
We voted to go forward with this Casino Project because of
assurances that any tribal member willing to work would be
employed. As a member of Tribal Council, I will hold the
Corporation accountable to these assurances as long as the
general membership understands there can be no free rides.
Individual tribal members must be capable of performing duties of
the job, produce the same quality of work as their counterparts,
and must qualify for a gaming license.
These issues are all of great importance. If you support my
position on issues, I need your vote in September. If I haven't
addressed an area of concern for you, or if you would like to
discuss an issue in greater length, please contact me at (503) 478
3319, or write: P.O. Box 596 Mosier, Oregon 97040. I am
planning a picnic next month where I hope to talk with tribal
members and their families. If you would like to come, please
contact me for specific information.