1353 : river
A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe MAY 15, 1999 IffH
HEVZO BQIEFS:
Constitutional
Election update
On May 3, 1999, voters regis
tration packets and registration
forms were mailed to all mem
bers of voting age regarding the
Grand Ronde Constitutional
Election, Registration forms
must be received by the Siletz
BIA Agency on or before June
3, 1999. If you do not register
especially for this election, you
will not be eligible to vote.
The address and instructions
for sending your registration to
the Siletz BIA Agency are in
cluded in your registration
packet. Please, do not waste any
time. Fill out your registration
so you can vote on this impor
tant election.
If you have any questions,
contact Val Sheker at 1-800-422-0232,
extension 2221. Important
dates and more information on
page 5. This election is separate
from the Tribal Council elections.
Casino named
number one
Oregon hot spot
According to a recent survey
by the Oregon Tourism Commis
sion, Spirit Mountain Casino is
the number one tourist attrac
tion in Oregon. Other casinos
in Oregon are listed in the top
dozen, but Spirit Mountain re
ceived the most visitors last year
more than 2.5 million. The
success of Spirit Mountain is a
result of a combination of sev
eral factors which include fam
ily entertainment areas like
Superplay and the video arcade
area; superior dining; close prox
imity to other tourism destina
tions such as the Oregon coast;
and now, the recent opening of
Spirit Mountain Lodge with its
interactive historical walkway,
"The Hall of Legends."
Seventeen nominated for Tribal Council
The first General meeting conducted at the new Governance Center
accommodates over 136 members for Council nominations.
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Received on: 05-14-99
Smoke signals
Members gather to hear the names of those nominated for Council at the last meeting until September.
By Kim Mueller
The last General Council meeting
before summer hiatus took place on
Sunday, May 2. With over 136 in
attendance, this was the first meet
ing held in the new Governance Cen
ter. It was a meeting with an im
portant agenda: Tribal Council
nominations for 3 positions, each to
be filled for 3-year terms.
Harold Dean Mercier, Sr. nomi
nated Mark Mercier, accepted;
Clarence Langley nominated Eu
gene R. LaBonte, accepted; Rob
ert Mercier nominated Leon
"Chips" Tom, accepted; Robert
Haller nominated Jan D. Reibach,
accepted; Mark Mercier nominated
Harold Dean Mercier, Sr., ac
cepted; Lonnie Leno nominated
Reynold Leno, accepted; Ronald
Reibach nominated Joann Mer
cier, accepted; Shelley Hanson
nominated Kathleen Aicher
(Tom), accepted; Ila Dowd nomi-
3ptS Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde PRESORTED
(pM Community of Oregon FIRST-CLASS MAIL
9615 Grand Ronde Road u.S. POSTAGE PAID
(MM) Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 SALEM, OR
Wli Address Service Requested PERMIT NO. 178
Srialsc pi t . - KniSht Libr&rv
I 99 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
EUGENE" OR 97403-IZ0S
nated Alan Ham, accepted; Lydia
Logan nominated Shawn Hostler,
accepted; Leslie McKnight nomi
nated Lottie Child, accepted; Dor
othy Green nominated Tom
LaChance, ineligible as he was not
present; Annabelle "Peachie" Hamm
nominated J. Kenneth Gregg, ac
cepted; Cherie Butler nominated
Margaret Provost, accepted; Eu
gene J. LaBonte nominated Earl
Floyd "Butch" LaBonte, accepted;
Lousie Coulson nominated Orrin
"Buddy" White, Jr., accepted;
Carmen "Candy" Robertson nomi
nated Nellie June Sherer, ac
cepted; and Nancy Coleman nomi
nated Cheryle Kennedy, accepted.
Candidate statements and photos
will be published in the July 1, 1999
issue of Smoke Signals. Tribal Coun
cil elections will be held on Satur
day, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. at the Governance Center. Ab
sentee ballots will be sent out to reg
istered members as a mail-in option.
Other agenda items included a
gaming report; Ad Hoc Veterans' Me
morial announcement; community
meetings update; Memorial Day
Gathering information; and raffles.
Adam Henny, Public Relations
Specialist for Spirit Mountain Casino
said that the hotel is operating at
80 occupancy during the week and
100 on weekends. The member
ship asked questions about a possible
hotel expansion and parking struc
ture. Henny stated that the devel
opment team is discussing both is
sues, but no planning has started.
Reyn Leno, Tribal Council Vice
Chair, presented a brief summary of
the four tribal community meetings
conducted in Oregon last month.
The meetings were held to inform
members of the BIA special election
on enrollment. More information
will be published in the next issues
of Smoke Signals. Also, a hotline
may be established to answer ques
tions. Every enrolled Grand Ronde
member of voting age will be re
quired to register with BIA to vote
in this election.
A bingo fund-raiser will be held at
the Casino on Wednesday, May 19
to raise money for the Veterans Me
morial. Tickets may be purchased
from Reyn Leno at 879-2399 or Tom
Leno at 876-5196. Donations may
be made directly to the Veterans Me
morial Fund at Bank of America, 322
E. Main St., Willamina, OR 97396.
A Memorial Day Gathering and
Potluck will take place on Saturday,
May 29 at the Community Center,
starting at noon.
Finally, the Grand Ronde Royalty
hosted a Bake Sale and 5050 raffle.
Bonnie Tom won the $54 raffle and
donated it back to Royalty.
Door prizes were awarded to
Annabelle "Peachie" Hamm, $50;
Gloria Sundahl, $50; Albert Peters,
$50; and Mychal Leno, $100.