y ..
APRIL 1, 2001
Smoke Signals 5
Willamima's New
r wosDtts wit
Tribal Council,
her Views
Maw
(Mines
By Chris Mercier
66
er father was a Greek liv
ing in Egypt. Mom was a
mere Coloradan. They met,
married, and produced six children.
Ailene was but one of four daugh
ters, and married her high school
sweetheart after promptly dropping
out.
But Ailene still emerged from the
University of Southern Colorado in
1989 with a Bachelor's degree in Bi
ology, and later left Linfield Univer
sity with a Master's in Education.
True. Ailene Schnitzler has taken
an odd road to her present position
as Mayor of Willamina, and don't
look surprised if her agenda is as di
verse as her background.
Frankly though, residents of Wil
lamina probably won't object too
much to what Schnitzler has in store
for the small town, because hers is a
vision tried and true, and not harm
ful to anyone in the least.
"Education," she said directly and
without hesitation when asked what
her agenda might include.
Education has been on her mind
indefinitely, one would think, not just
because in 1996 Schnitzler gradu
ated from Linfield with that degree,
but by simply posing the question she
erupted into a solid five minutes of
eloquence on education in America.
"I don't like vouchers," she said, in
allusion to President George W.
Bush's recently unveiled and contro
versial education plan. "I don't like
them because they won't work."
The reason they won't work, she
explained, resides specifically in that
the plan will match funding with
success. In other words, schools and
students that perform poorly aca
demically will be denied extra fund
ing, which in turn would mean those
needing the extra help would receive
nothing. And then of course, there
remains the matter of separation of
church and state, but don't get her
started on that one.
One of the crucial failures of the
U.S. educational system, Schnitzler
added, would be the ability of so
many schools to churn out students
who are illiterate. But what furthers
high illiteracy rates in the country is
the abundance of jobs not requiring
true literacy, thus allowing many to
become functionally literate.
"To be functionally literate is to be
literate in day-to-day life," Schnitzler
said.
Numerous jobs run the potential of
fitting into the category of not de
manding even simple literacy skills.
And while Schnitzler may exhaust
her life trying to fight that battle, she
aims to take preventive measures in
this community here and now as
mayor.
In what appears to be a measure
to promote reading, she has in the
works plans for a new town library.
An architect is presently reviewing
the design and Schnitzler remains
optimistic of having the building
started in the near future. It will be
the ultimate compliment to her efforts
I definitely think that we need to diversify (Willamina)
council. The Tribe and Willamina have a good relationship,
and we have to work together"
Ailene Schnitzler, Mayor of Willamina
v. . j . jrrmiw, :"Jf
"- ' t f v
4 V V '
V." ' :;: s-r'-...
.y.j . " -; -j (
4 - , Pwiwms,-frTn1i)))riTTni1i -iih,uw.
! ! .1,'
XJ
Mayoral Visit Willamina's newly elected Mayor Ailene Schnitzler (center) took time from her schedule to
come to Grand Ronde and visit with the Tribal Council recently. Schnitzler said she looks forward to working with the
Tribe now and in the future. Education is important to the mayor and she will keep her eye on the growing need for
water in the area.
to install more literacy programs in
Willamina schools.
Repairing the streets, founding
new parks (including a skate park),
installing a new sewer system, fix
ing up the town museum, and pre
paring for the Willamina Centennial
in 2003 are also on the list as she
works towards building her dream
community.
"I really want to spruce this com
munity up," she said.
Note her choice of word "commu
nity," because Tribal members will be
happy to know that in Schnitzler's
eyes, Grand Ronde and Willamina
are uniquely joined.
"Grand Ronde and Willamina are
the same community," she said.
'What happens to Willamina affects
them, and vice versa."
With that in mind, she hopes that
more Tribal members will become in
volved in Willamina politics.
Schnitzler has made attempts to en
list her neighbors, Tribal members
Angie Ellis and Chris Leno, as po
tential town council members.
"What people need to realize is that
I don't run this town," she said. "I
am only part of a team, there are also
six town council members."
Tribal members, she contends,
would bring a new perspective.
"I definitely think that we need to
diversify (Willamina) council," she
said. "The Tribe and Willamina have
a good relationship, and we have to
work together."
Schnitzler recently met with Tribal
Council, and feels things went rather
well. But she also feels that for some
residents there exists a lot of animos
ity towards the Tribe.
"I certainly think some people have
negative feelings about the Tribe,"
she said. "They see them (the Tribe)
as a threat."
Don't count Schnitzler as one of
them. In fact, she has developed a
deep respect for Native Americans, a
society she describes as being of
"hearth and home" philosophy.
"What I really admire about Na
tive Americans is their emphasis on
family," she said.
That impresses her as she embraces
the theory that good parenting, a
strong family and respectable role
models can make good people in even
the most treacherous of social envi
ronments. And not that she believes
the Native society to be flawless in
any respect, but at the very least con
ducive to establishing an overall
pleasant community to live in, like
Willamina.
The one beef that Schnitzler may
have thus far is, strangely enough,
water. She often feels Willamina gets
too little say in water quality mat
ters, one thing she'd like to see
change. And as mayor, she'll get her
say, but one might question to what
extent she'll exercise the authority,
particularly when dealing with
known water polluters, notably local
lumber companies.
"I'm not going to monitor them
(lumber companies), but they should
be monitored by somebody," she said.
"I'm not too environmental unless it
affects me directly.
"If there's a forest next to me and
they cut it down, then I'd object," she
added. "But if I don't see it, then it
doesn't bother me I can be a little
more tolerant."
Schnitzler said she and council
would be "concerned, but not vigilant"
regarding environmentalism, an at
titude that seems slightly contradic
tory to her ambition to spruce up the
community.
But Willamina residents can agree
that for the most part, Schnitzler's
heart is in the right place, and as a
community "we can solve our own
problems."
9
V