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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2000)
Smoke Signals Dear Fellow Tribal Members, First, I would like to congratulate Ed Pearsall, Jan Reibach and Cheryle Kennedy for successfully winning the Year 2000 Tribal Council positions. I hope the three of you enjoy your time on council and do your best to repre sent the more than 5,000 members of the Grand Ronde Tribe. I would also like to thank those of you who supported me in my bid for Tribal Council. Although I was not successful, it was an excellent learn ing opportunity and I know that there will be a time for me to repre sent our people. Thanks especially to Pat Mercier; Walt & Ellen Brewster; April Campbell; Bruce Thomas; Kayla Leno, my daughter; Wayne & Sharon Hanson, my parents; Rhonda Hanson, my sister; Rebecca Crocker; Val Sheker and Ed Pearsall. Many others of you contributed time and energy to my campaign and I appreciate all you've done. I apolo gize if I've left you off of the list. Please know that I am grateful. Best wishes to the other candidates who did not get elected. I know that each of you had good intentions and I understand the disappointment that you're feeling right now. This is an opportunity for each of us to find other ways to contribute to our Tribe until we are successfully elected to the Tribal Council. This is an important time for our Tribe. Each of us needs to commu nicate our needs to our elected offi cials. Surveys are being sent out. Take the time to fill them out so that our decision makers know what each of us visions for our future. Also, we need to encourage all of our Tribal members to vote. Next year's elec tion is just around the corner. Let's see what we can do to increase the participation rate in Tribal Elections. Sincerely, Shelley Hanson Roll 1779 Dear Editor, On behalf of my late sister, Emma Riggs Summerlin, I would love to thank all the kitchen help, Bonnie Tom and her staff, and the Ladies Altar Society from the church. I apologize to everyone for not thank ing them sooner. Thank all of you again for your help. Wilmadene Riggs Butler Roll 704 Dear Tribal members, I would like to take this opportu nity to thank all of you who sup ported me during my campaign for Tribal Council. Your efforts on my behalf are greatly appreciated and I promise you that I will be back and that I will be involved in the Tribal community. Sincerely, Bob and Gayle Mercier SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, Is published twice a month. We have an Editorial Policy to encourage input from readers about stories printed in SMOKE SIGNALS and other Tribal issues. However, all letters must be received at the newspaper office with author's signature, address, and phone number in order to be considered for publication. SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit any letter for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any letter or any part of a letter that may contain libelous statements or personal attacks. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal employees, or Tribal Council. 2GM3SM- IN LOVING MEMORY Loren "Shorty" Kimsey Loren "Shorty" Kimsey of Grand Ronde passed away September 1 in McMinnville. He was 96. He was born the son of Frank and Lela Kimsey on December 29, 1903 in Ballston where he grew up and at tended school! At age 13, he moved to Grand Ronde. He married Tribal member Nora Warren on July 5, 1929 in Grand Ronde. He worked as a whistle punk for several area logging companies in Grand Ronde and surrounding areas. Shorty enjoyed fishing and owned a. dory for many years out of Pacific City. He also enjoyed elk hunting, camping and driving his truck. Survivors include his wife, Nora of Grand Ronde; son, Marvin Kimsey of Grand Ronde; two daughters, Margaret Provost and Myrna Brandon, both of Grand 7. i?y$ ''' ' i -v ii k "J- . it. Nora and Shorty smiling at the 1997 Elders' Christmas Dinner held at Spirit Mountain Casino. Ronde: 17 grandchildren and nu merous great-grandchildren. Services were held September 6 at the Nazarene Church in Grand Ronde. Interment was held at the Grand Ronde Tribal Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Veterans Memorial at Grand Ronde, in care of Dallas Mortuary Chapel, 287 S.W. Washington St., Dallas, OR 97338. ENROLLMENT APPEALS: What's Happening? As many of you are aware, in July of 1999, the Tribal membership voted to amend the Tribe's Constitution and change the enrollment re quirements. In December of 1999, several enrollment applicants were denied enrollment for various reasons, some as a result of the change in enrollment requirements. In June and July of this year, several of the applicants filed "Petitions for Review of Enrollment Decision" with the Tribal Court. Currently the Court has received approximately 51 such petitions involving nearly 60 people. The purpose of this article is to increase the public's understanding of what the applicants must prove and the procedure for handling these cases. Before filing in Tribal Court, a person applying for Tribal membership must follow the procedures set forth in the Tribe's Enrollment Ordinance. The applicant is first required to submit an application for enrollment and provide all necessary supporting documents to the Tribe's Enroll ment staff. The staff then presents the applications to the Enrollment Committee. The Enrollment Committee then reviews the completed ap plications and makes a determination as to whether the applicant meets enrollment requirements. If the committee finds that the applicant does not meet the enrollment requirements, the Enrollment staff sends notice of the finding to the applicant. If the applicant does not agree with the committee's decision, the applicant may file a protest with Enrollment staff. If a protest is filed, the Enrollment Committee must reconsider the application. If the applicant is again denied enrollment, the applicant may appeal the decision of the committee to Tribal Court. The appeal is filed in the form of a PETITION FOR REVIEW OF ENROLLMENT DE CISION. The petition must be filed with the Tribal Court within 14 days of receiving the final written decision from the Enrollment Committee. A Petition for Review must be filed by the applicant, or the applicant's parent or guardian if the applicant is a minor. As required by the Tribe's Enrollment Ordinance, the applicant must persuade the Court that the decision by the Enrollment Committee was arbitrary and capricious or a violation of Tribal Constitutional Rights. In reviewing the Enrollment Committee's denial, the Court will only review the record with regards to the Enrollment Committee's decision. This means that there is NOT a new trial. The "record" is everything the Enrollment Committee had before them when they made their decision. No new evidence will be taken. Upon receiving the Petitions for Review, the Tribal Attorney's Office has 60 (sixty) days to respond to the petition. Currently the Tribal Attorney's Office has filed answers to approximately nine petitions. Due to the high volume of cases, the Tribal Attorney's Office requested an extension of time with regards to approximately 25 cases. The answers for those cases are due September 18, 2000. Once the Court has received a majority of the answers from the Tribal Attorney's Office, the Court will begin setting what are referred to as "pre-trial conferences." The purpose of a pre-trial conference is to discuss problems or issues that have come up with a case. Some of the issues that may be discussed include how the petition was filed or whether the applicant put in the petition all the re quired information. The pre-trial conference may also be used to set dates for future hearings. The Court may have more that one pre-trial confer ence if needed. After the pre-trial conferences are held, the Court will instruct the par ties as to further requirements including setting a hearing date for "oral arguments." At the hearing set for oral arguments, the Tribe as well as the applicant will have the ability to make their arguments to the Judge. After oral argument the Judge will make a decision on the matter. The Court's decision is final and may not be appealed. All of the above referenced hearings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending any of the hearings, please .contact the Tribal Court at 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2303 or 879-2303. : In loving memory of Mother Qrandmotfier and Qreat-grandmother (Dorothy Olsen Sept 2, 1920 -Aug. 2, 2000 Scappoose, Oregon Love and prayer's The Larru K. Okm Tnmfu ssss National Indian Day Friday, Sept. 22 OFFICE CLOSURE: The Clinic and all Tribal offices will close at noon on Thursday, Sept. 21 and be closed , , ( all day on Friday, Sept22., . . ,
