Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1998)
8 Election Smoke Signals .. . ' ' f 4wft" ' fc1 -D'm .' KATHRVN HARRISON EUGENE LoDOMTE Dear tribal members: Once again I am asking for your vote because I care about my people and would like to continue to serve you as a Council member. It is always with great pride each time I am required to represent you. During the past three years, some of my activities have been: Spirit Mountain Community Fund Native American Rights Fund Sovereignty Political Action Committee (A national group initiated by Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse -OR.) National Indian Gaming Association Keynote Speaker Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Keynote Speaker Assisted renegotiating our Gaming Compact Initiated Subcommittees for Council Favored the retirement and dividend programs, and also increasing them In the future, I'd like to: Assist in community meetings to hear more of our members' dreams and visions Establish a meeting place for youth to give them a recreational area Daycare for our people Create a Veterans' Memorial More housing Create a historical video of our people The progress made by the Tribe during the eighteen years since you first elected me has been awesome. I feel my contributions have helped toward that success. In spite of all bur efforts, however, I feel we still haven't reached our full potential and I am willing to work to ward higher goals for us all. Many thanks for your support these past years and I am asking for your continued confidence and faith in me in the future by re-electing me as your Council member. My name is Eugene LaBonte, and I was born and raised in Grand Ronde. My parents were the late Alexander Gus LaBonte and Edna K. LaBonte. I pre viously served on Tribal Council from 1994-97. Dur ing that time I was privileged to be involved with the beginning of our Spirit Mountain Casino. With money generated from the Casino, we were able to finance the following programs: Health Insurance: This program is set up so all tribal members living outside of the Service Area can have health insurance no matter where you live. Retirement for Elders: With this fund in place El ders have been able to enjoy retirement a reality few of us dreamed possible. I was instrumental in the decision to refund the additional money to the Elders that Social Security took out for Medicare supplemental insurance. If re-elected I will push to add additional funds to this program and hope to increase the amount that we are currently receiving. This fund will benefit all as we reach 55 years of age. Education: The increased funds added to this pro gram have made it possible for all tribal members to further their education if desired. Stressing the impor tance of education for our youth is important to prepare them to be the leaders of our future growth. Dividend Fund: I was involved in the first distribu tion of money to our General Council of $1,000. I believe in giving back to the Tribe by being involved in the community and tribal committees. I am currently Chairman of the Timber Committee and have served for 10 years. I will continue to support the importance of preserving our heritage and culture to pass on to fu ture tribal members. In closing I would ask for your support and would appreciate your vote in September. Gene LaBonte for Tribal Council. 8 ; i J i i 1 i ' v - . ! t - V 1 ; EARL FLOYD "DUTCH" LADOHTE I am 55 years old and I think it is time for tribal mem bers to start working on Trust Land for tribal members. Tribal members need equity to build on. It's time for tribal members to get a helping hand with economic development, such as a tribal member farm ers' co-op. Tribal Council members need to know when to hire technical consultants for their assistance. I am ready to work for tribal members, and I would appreciate your support for Tribal Council. DELORES EDVARDS (photo unavailable) I currently live in Eugene, Oregon with my husband, Doug, and three daughters: Wendy, Carrie, and Becky. I am 41 years old and have a very diverse background. I am the youngest of nine children, and have been a single mother. I have suffered through a spouse's alco hol and drug abuse. My past experiences will assist me in being a compassionate and sympathetic while assist ing tribal members in finding any assistance they may need. I attended high school in Springfield, Oregon, then attended Lane Community College. I have been work ing for an economic development program for the last ten years. I have extensive experience in business, gov ernment, and economic development. I want to be on the Tribal Council, not because I feel the Councils in the past have done a bad job, but be cause I want the opportunity to build on what has been done in the past. I feel we all should be proud of what has gone on at Grand Ronde the last few years. We can all see that things have progressed immensely. Along with my business experience and knowledge of govern ment bureaucracy, I have excellent organizational skills and am very good at tracking and handling numerous projects at once. Although the Tribe has come a long way in the last ten years, the one thing we really need to work on is unity. This is the area I would work on first if elected to Tribal Council. Many of the tribal members have voiced that they feel they are not as much part of the Tribe as the members who live in the Grand Ronde area. Let's face it, all of us can't move and live in the area. We can't say "Where were you ten years ago?" but need to recognize that whether you are tribal member roll number 1 or 5,000, you are a tribal member and all are equal. This problem of unity is what I feel needs the most attention. Even though we hear all the time that we have the same benefits and rights, as long as there are people who don't feel this is true, there is work to be done for unity. My main focus would be to connect with any tribal member with a question or concern about their rights as a Grand Ronde tribal member or as a Na tive American in general. I would be accessible to all who contact me and work on the problem until is solved. Granted, I won't have all of the answers right away, and they may not always be what you want to hear, but you will get an answer. As a hobby, I have been studying my heritage and how it ties into Grand Ronde. Being very proud of my heritage I find it very interesting to trace the ancestors who have brought us to where we are today. My great grandparents, Victoria and Rock Pichette, lived on the Grand Ronde reservation in the 1800s, and it is from them that my family gets their tie to the Tribe. Some of the other families in my heritage are: Dompier, Despard, Pelland, and Perrault. Probably, many of you share the same ancestors. I would be proud to serve on the Tribal Council for Grand Ronde and would look at it not only as an impor tant job, but as an honor. 0 OA 0 Sand 8 Johr Kick arc Ken tars 1998 en arc Gre, 9g to Rob 0 8 Kafi a r0aref Na( er r gene voSt rrison eore Us, onte nte