0 MAY 1, 2001
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Bush Nominates Neal McCaleb as the New Head of the BIA
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)
President George W. Bush recently
announced his intention to nominate
Oklahoma transportation boss Neal
McCaleb as the head of the Bureau
of Indian Affairs.
"I'm honored and humbled by
President Bush's confidence in con
sidering me for a position of service
to the Indian community," McCaleb
said in a statement.
McCaleb, 65, is a member of the
Chickasaw Tribe but has never held
an elected Tribal office.
Now, the Senate must confirm
McCaleb before he can assume his
new appointment.
"Neal McCaleb will bring a unique
blend of skills, experience and back
ground that will serve him well as
Assistant Secretary for Indian Af
fairs," Interior Secretary Gale
Norton said in a statement. "His com
passion for Indian issues, decisive
management skills and ability to fa
cilitate dialogue will help to improve
this program and the relationship of
the department with Indian Tribes
around the country."
McCaleb served on the Oklahoma
Indian Affairs Commission from
1967 until 1972 when President Ri
chard M. Nixon appointed him to the
National Council on Indian Oppor
tunities. He also was a presidential
appointee on President Ronald
Reagan's Commission on Indian Res
ervation Economics in the 1980s.
He was a member of the Oklahoma
House of Representatives from 1974
to 1982 and lost a bid for Republi
can nomination for governor in 1982.
He served as secretary of the Okla
homa Department of Transportation
from 1987 to 1990 under Governor
Henry Bellmon and was reappointed
by Governor Frank Keating in 1995.
"Neal has been an outstanding and
vital member of my cabinet and is a
trusted friend and adviser," Keating
said. "Under his leadership, we were
able to embark on the largest road
building plan in Oklahoma history."
McCaleb is a graduate of Okla
homa State University.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs over
sees the education of 50,000 Indian
schoolchildren, administers roughly
2,000 reservation law enforcement
officers, and manages an estimated
$500 million annually in mining and
grazing royalties on Tribal land.
McCaleb singled out the trust fund
management and the economic sta
tus of Indians as one area in clear
need of improvement.
The government for more than a
century has mismanaged the trust
funds. Tribes that have sued the gov
ernment claim the mismanagement
has cost them as much as $10 billion
and the Interior Department has
been court ordered to clean up the
management of those funds.
"Neal has a long record of public ser
vice in Oklahoma and hell bring tre
mendous leadership skills to the Bu
reau of Indian Affairs," Keating said.
The governor said he would name
McCaleb's successor as soon as possible.
Former BIA Head Reverses Tribal Status, Joins Law Firm that Handles Indian Affairs
PORTLAND, OR. (AP) - The
former head of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs approved Tribal status for the
Chinooks of Southwest Washington
this year, then joined a law firm that
handles Tribal gaming issues accord
ing to The Boston Globe.
The designation of Tribal status
went against staff recommendations.
The former BIA head, Kevin Gover,
then solicited business from the Chi
nook, according to Tribal records and
government documents.
The Chinook declined the offer, their
attorney said. The Tribe could put a
casino in the Portland metro area.
There has been no such discussion
within the Chinook Tribe," said Den
nis J. Whittlesey, a Washington, D.C.
attorney. They would be frankly fool
ish to even have that thought in mind."
The Boston Globe reported that
Gover and his deputy, Michael J.
Anderson, made crucial decisions on
behalf of Tribes on the East Coast
and Washington State during their
last days in office, then took jobs with
firms promoting Tribal gaming.
Neither man would comment on
the specific cases to The Boston Globe.
As the head of the Bureau of In
dian Affairs, Gover had final deter
mination on whether a Tribe could
be recognized as a legal entity and
thus be entitled to federal benefits.
Typically, the bureau follows the
recommendations of its staff, which
opposed federal recognition of the
Chinook and Duwamish.
The Duwamish Tribe had its ances
tral lands in the Seattle area, while
the Chinook occupied the Lower Co
lumbia River areas. Conceivably, the
Tribes once recognized could
open casinos in Seattle and perhaps
Vancouver, Washington.
After Gover left office he joined the
Washington, D.C. law firm of Steptoe
& Johnson, which specializes in rep
resenting Tribes before Congress and
the federal government, according to
a letter the firm sent to the Chinook
that was obtained by The Oregonian.
Their monthly fees range from
$5,000 to more than $20,000.
Anderson now works for the firm
Monteau, Peebles and Crowell, which
represents gaming Tribes, The Bos
ton Globe reported.
On January 3, Gover made it his
last official act to re-establish a government-to-government
relationship
with the 2,000-member Chinook
Tribe. On January 19, his last day
in office, Anderson approved Tribal
status for the Duwamish.
The Bush administration is citing
the Duwamish case as part of a large
number of decisions made in the
waning days of the Clinton adminis
tration that would be reviewed.
But Secretary of the Interior Gale
Norton has made it clear that she will
not challenge the Chinook case.
Yet, all is not clear for the Tribe.
The Quinault Tribe in Western
Washington, where many Chinook
have land holdings, is set to appeal
the Chinook decision.
The number of Tribes seeking rec
ognition has soared since 1988, when
Tribes were allowed to overrule state
regulations against gambling and
build casinos. The most successful
Tribal casinos have been near large
cities.
Gover is a Pawnee Indian and was
appointed head of the bureau in 1997.
J
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
DENTAL CLINIC
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. for lunch.
APPOINTMENT AGREEMENT We understand that situations arise
and occasionally an appointment must be rescheduled. Appointments must be
canceled 24 hours in advance or as early as possible on appointment date. Valuable
time is lost when patients do not show up for an appointment. This time could be
utilized to serve others.
LATE If you are more then 10 minutes late for an appointment without calling
ahead this will also be counted as a "broken appointment (B.A.)" When you arrive 10
minutes late, you may have to be rescheduled because it may not allow the dental
staff enough time to give you the quality care you deserve and it would not be fair
to keep the next patient waiting.
BROKEN APPOINTMENT - A patient with two broken appointments
within one year of the exam or the first emergency visit will not be allowed to
schedule any further appointments with our Dental Clinic until you meet with Sheila
Blacketer, Broken Appointment Coordinator.
After meeting with Mrs. Blacketer there will be a three month waiting period until
you can schedule appointment for routine care. The meeting with Mrs. Blacketer
must be scheduled with her in advance (503-879-4524).
EMERGENCY Emergency Clinic is at 8:00 a.m. each day. Emergencies most
commonly involve pain. No appointment is needed for emergency care. Emergen
cies consist of things such as an abscessed tooth, a broken temporary crown, or a
missing filling causing a toothache. Swelling andor a fever related to an oral condi
tion would most definitely be considered an emergency. Emergency time is used to
address the pain. Afterwards you need to schedule a regular appointment. Pa
tients must register with the receptionist no later than 8:15 a.m.
ELIGIBILITY The Dental Clinic is presently only accepting new patients
that are members of a federally recognized Tribe and that have a Tribal I.D. card.
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