ijJR.COLL.
mn
A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
October 1, 1999
New Council take oath of office
X
.. 0 O
(S - " -v.
i
n tI
Newly-elected Council were sworn in to office by Tribal Court Judge Katharine English on
Sept. 15. From left: June Sell-Sherer, Judge English, Butch LaBonte, and Reyn Leno.
General Council meetings resume
The first gaming update after the summer months was eagerly awaited by tribal
members who attended the General Council meeting on September 12.
By Kim Mueller
Summer is gone, fall is here and fall brings
the monthly General Council meetings. The first
two meetings are scheduled for the second Sun
day, however, November through May meetings
will take place on the first Sunday of each month
at 11:30 a.m. at the Governance Center, until the
announcement is made that the Community Cen
ter remodeling is completed.
September's General Council meeting was full
of information, starting with Tribal Council elec
tion results, Elder Committee nominations, intro
duction of new Executive Officer Bob Martin, and
ending with the gaming and housing updates.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
ELECTION RESULTS
Ellen Fisher, Election Committee Chair an
nounced that there were 960 absentee ballots re
turned and 114 walk-ins on election day. She
would like to encourage all tribal members to reg
ister to vote, as there are over 2,000 members eli
gible to vote.
ELDERS' COMMITTEE
NOMINATIONS
Arlene Beck nominated Sharon Hanson; Ruby
Bigoni nominated Dorothy Lawe; Dorothy Lawe
nominated Ruby Bigoni; Sharon Hanson nomi
nated Louise Medeiros; Marion Forster nominated
Arlene Beck; Beryle Contreras nominated Cherie
Butler (not present); Arlene Beck nominated Tom
LaChance; and Janet Phillips nominated Beryle
Contreras.
GAMING UPDATE
Revenue Report. "It has been a busy sum
mer in economic development," said Bruce Tho
mas, "business opportunities have come our way
and we have been meeting with outside groups
in various industries using our business contacts
to investigate these opportunities."
Thomas said, "The Casino revenue has in
creased each year, and there are monthly trends
so it has become easier to predict our earnings,
which is a good thing for budgeting. All the things
that have been done to increase popularity seem
to have worked, like the expansion and hotel. It
has been a good year."
Employment. Currently, 155 tribal members
are employed at the Casino, with 13 pending (in
the employment process). The Casino opened with
61 tribal members employed 70 of them are
still employed at the Casino. Human Resources
has implemented new incentive programs to build
teamwork and attendance records. Anyone in
terested in blackjack school or employment with
the Casino should call Carol Larsen at (503) 879
3730. Events
October is a big month, starting out with a poker
anniversary series, bingo anniversary promotion,
keno tournament, the Coyote Club will have a
Murder Mystery Dinner for 30,000 points and a
cash back promotion where club members can
continued on page 2
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Community of Oregon
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
Address Service Requested
Serials Dept. - Knisht Library
1299 UNIUERSrrV OF OREGON
EUGENE OR 97403-1205
PRESORTED
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
SALEM, OR
PERMIT NO. 178
Tribe hires new
Executive Officer
By Amanda Siestreem
Robert Martin, newly appointed Executive Of
ficer, brings with him perspective that spans the
distance across the United States. Having worked
for the Wampanoag Tribe in Martha's Vineyard
of the East Coast, where his wife attended church
with President Clinton, to the Ponca Tribe of Ne
braska, Martin knows Indian Country is a diverse
place.
He began life in the town of Wolf Point, Mon
tana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, his fam
ily being of the Assininbione and Sioux Tribes.
From the high plains of Montana, Martin traveled
to the prestigious institutes of Pepperdine Univer
sity and Brigham Young University, where he
obtained a degree in management and an MBA.
Smiling as he fields a steady stream of incoming
phone calls, Martin says, "I'm a people person ba
sically. I believe all people want to do the right
thing and need to be challenged properly to suc
ceed." Having worked in Milpitas, California in the
computer and electronic field, Martin has much
experience in diverse multicultural environments.
He learned "creative people management skills,
and how to integrate the different value systems
into the successful organization of the company."
Martin who has been working on a three month
contract since June 21, brings his vision of self
sufficiency, self reliance and personal accountabil
ity to the tribal individuals and the Grand Ronde'
Tribe as a whole. He feels the Tribe must guard
against complacency, and make certain that the
funds are truly self-perpetuating, with the goal
of developing programs and services of an eco
nomic and cultural nature.
"The vision I have is that you can have tradi
tional cultural values and still progress and be
very competitive in the professional world," he
said. Martin has truly done this in his work and
travels throughout this country. He and his wife
are currently in the process of moving out to Grand
Ronde from their farm in Oklahoma, now that he
has been hired as the official Executive Officer.
"I like working here because they have good
problems," Martin says with a smile. "The prob
lems this Tribe has are over wealth redistribution
and progress. I appreciate the opportunity to work
for such a progressive tribe. I really admire this
Tribe, their involvement with the general com
munity, and building a feeling of unity. One of
the real impetus for this Tribe, I feel, was that
they know what it is to lose your heritage, so it is
that much more precious."
University o
Received on:
Sioke signal
! . "!
i
' i
k
f Oregon Library
10-06-99
s
Bob Martin