6
Smoke Signals
Wesley "Buddy" West
Dear fellow
Tribal members:
My name is Wesley
"Buddy" West. My
mother is Marion
Haller-Davidson. My
grandmother was
Adeline Menard
Haller. I have been
nominated for Tribal
Council. I am a Viet
nam Veteran and re
tired from the U.S.
Army in December of
1980.
I feel that it is an honor to be nominated for Tribal
Council. We should remember that Council mem
bers are our elected representatives, working to
gether for all of us and that the concerns of each
Tribal member should be the primary issue for each
Council member.
If elected, I will strive to address issues that are
of concern to all of us. One of these issues is ad
equate housing. I see some of our Elders with in
comes below the minimum to qualify for Tribal El
der housing, still living in standard housing. This
should not be! These are ear Elders!
I see other Tribal members who would like to re
turn to the Grand Ronde area, but cannot because
affordable housing is not available. These issues
should be addressed and a solution to alleviate the
problem found.
Another issue I feel strongly about is Tribal em
ployment. I am especially concerned about our
young Tribal families and single parents who are
struggling financially and are continuously turned
away because they do not qualify for a particular
job or even job training. Yes, they do have benefits
such as health and education available to them.
However, neither of these benefits provide for the
basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. If our
Tribal community is to thrive, Tribal members, at
the very least, require a place to live and a job to
pay for it. People in these situations are our fam
ily, friends and our fellow Tribal members. For
them, I feel responsibility. They need our help and
I believe we should all be concerned.
Another issue that affects all of us, is investment
policy. I believe in the strategy of spreading invest
ment throughout a number of different ventures to
ensure a continuous flow of incoming revenue should
the market become soft in some area. I feel, how
ever, that more consideration needs to be given to
local business investment like CTGR Trucking. The
Tribe needs to look at local business investment
which will benefit the Grand Ronde community
while generating revenue and employment. Con
sideration needs to be given to, not just how many
job openings a business might create, but how many
Tribal members will it employ.
I am proud of our Tribal Council for their accom
plishments, their hard work, and the programs they
have implemented to help our Tribe arrive at where
we are today. I do, however, believe, there should
be more communication between Tribal Council and
Tribal members. Most Tribal Council members that
I have spoken with have an "open door" policy. This
is good, but a more direct line of communication is
needed. Tribal members want to receive current
and correct information rather than rumors about
government operations. Further, Tribal Council
might benefit also by hearing Tribal voices and re
ceiving more input. Perhaps this can be achieved
by expanding Tribal Council minutes with more
information which explains each item voted upon.
Certainly, some information should be confidential
if it is going to jeopardize the Tribe. However, once
the issue is resolved, this information should be
available to the public.
Finally, I would like to say that I am proud of our
heritage and our culture. It is one of the reasons
we are where we are today. I feel these programs
continued
should continue to be supported and expanded. We
should never lose or have taken from us our pride
in our heritage and our culture. I would greatly
appreciate your vote on election day.
Thank you,
Wesley "Buddy" West D
Loren Holmes
My name is Loren
F. Holmes son; of
David and Vida
Holmes. I attended
St. Michael's School
and went to Willamina
High School. I also
went to Portland Com
munity College. I
served in the United
States Army and I am
a Veteran of the Ko
rean War. I spent
most of my life here
and I am related to most of the Tribal members.
The reasons I would like to serve on the Council
are, and there are a few:
Health we need to take better care of our
people.
Education we all could stand to be better
educated.
Housing we need to have better housing for
the needy because some of our Tribal members can
not meet the qualifications to get in these programs.
I would like to see if there are better ways to get
these things done. Also, the needs for our Elders
should be looked into. If these things can be done, I
would like to be the one to do it for our people.
Thank you,
Loren F. Holmes B
Steve Rife
I live in the Grand
Ronde area taking
care of my father, Wil
liam Rife who is a
Tribal Elder. I served
in the Marine Corp.
and Army in Vietnam
and was wounded
while serving my
country.
I am running for
Tribal Council be
cause I feel I have a lot
to give to this commu
nity and its people. I want to be able to make a
difference in people's lives, through education for
the young and care for the elderly. Also, by bring
ing people's attention to the resources available.
By putting the people and the programs together,
we can build a stronger Indian community. I want
to do my part to make that happen, to make sure
everyone is aware of resources available and to get
what they need.
I know that I can do this. By doing so I will be
helping young and old alike to live life to the fullest
by benefitting from programs provided and making
us a large family, the way we intended to be.
Please vote for me,
Steven E. Rife
Roll 1480 fl
m .w "'11
iiMteailali
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- -4
Lottie Child
My name is Lottie
Child. I am descended
from the Jeffers
Quenels families.
Our families have
been members of the
Confederated Tribes
for many generations.
I am the youngest of
eleven children. I
grew up in the Benton
County area, I lived in
Eastern Oregon for
about 14 years. I
worked five years for the Bureau of Land Manage
ment as a map specialist.
I went to work for the people on Aug. 5,1996, in
patient registration in the medical clinic. Since
then, I have helped many of our people in a variety
ofways.
I would like to see some kind of health plan for all
Tribal spouses. Many of us would not mind paying
as long as the amount was affordable for us. Some
of our Tribal members have a hard time making it
from one payday to another. Having a health plan
that would help our family is something that many
Tribal members need. It should not matter where
we live or how old. We are all Grand Ronde Tribal
members and we should be treated equal.
I am for the timber and casino money we get.
That money helps a lot of families in many ways
like back bills, rent, car repair, etc.
We need to look at programs that will help all
Tribal members no matter where they live. I was
taught by my parents we take care of our family
and help them if we can. I hope that our family
Tribal members are more important then greed
for when I leave this world I will take the love I
have for my people with me not money, cars,
houses, etc. I hope that when that day comes, I will
also leave behind a future for generations of Grand
Ronde members down the line. They can then look
back and say our Elders really cared for our people.
I am for enrollment to be changed so our descen
dants can be enrolled, that is their birthright. It is
not fair to keep descendants off the roll just because
their parents were not on the roll at the time of
their birth. There was no Tribe at the time of their
birth, for the Tribe was in termination. These people
should be allowed to be on the roll as long as their
family has always been Grand Ronde people and
has never been enrolled in another Tribe. My people,
I ask you to start thinking about taking care of our
own people and do what is right for our future gen
erations. If I am elected, I will strive to address my peoples'
issues so our voice will be heard. I am very proud of
how far our people have come. Tribal Council has
done many great things for us all, but there are
many issues that need to be addressed. Some of our
people are still homeless, hungry, sick and jobless.
They need all of our help.
We need to stand together and let our voices be
heard. We must continue to build on our future,
but at the same time "we as Indian people" must
not forget our rich cultural heritage. We must al
ways remember that our past is a very large and
important part of that future. If I am elected to
serve on the Council, I will do my best to encourage
this thinking. And, with the cooperation of each
and every member of the Council, strive to be of
and for my fellow Tribal members.
Thanks to the Smoke Signals for allowing my
word to be heard.
I greatly appreciate your vote. Thank You. B
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