Committee Feature
Elders continued from page 2
Medeiros would know because it is chiefly her
duty to administer all those benefits. Yes it's
true that Tribal Elders can show up at the Com
munity Center for a free lunch, but that's just
the beginning. There are also Elders' Housing,
annual field trips, and monthly events that can
range from February's crab feed to March's trip
down to Coos Bay for Elders' Honor Day.
All that naturally requires planning, Medeiros
and the committee's domain, but more impor
tantly there is also the issue of nabbing volun
teers to cook, drive, etc. And all that must be
Election Board
accomplished on a budget that the Elders' Com
mittee submits at the onset of each year. Cost
overruns are inevitable, and to counter that the
committee engages in all sorts of fundraising ac
tivitiesbake sales, etc. This year in particular
will demand more funding than usual. In July,
they plan on hosting Elders' Honor Day, invit
ing Tribes from all over Oregon, and featuring
drumming and loads of food. September will see
a major undertaking - the annual trip to Albu
querque, New Mexico, one that has Medeiros
and company scrambling to make happen.
But what most people fail to see are the little
things that the Elders' Committee does, like send
ing flowers to the families of sick or departed
Elders. Delivering meals to Elders unable to
make it down to the Community Center. Or just
picking up and driving Elders to the meals and
other functions like the free buffet at Spirit
Mountain Casino on Mondays.
The workload does nothing to diminish Medeiros
enthusiasm, or ambition for that matter. She still
cites building a strong Elder community as the
ever-present goal of the committee. D
KCHK5 M i
lrro
BACKGROUND: When Tribal Council
passed its Election Ordinance, with that came
the inception of the Election Board. Depending
on whom you ask, this could be one of the more
important groups in the Tribe.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Since the beginning,
as now, the board consists of seven (7) mem
bers, all of them appointed by council. Board
members must be Tribal, be of 18 years of age
or more, and most importantly, have no stake
whatsoever in Tribal politics, either through
council candidacy, or being related to someone
who is either running or already occupying a
council position. For that reason council also
appoints anywhere from three (3) to seven (7)
alternates to sit on the board, in the event that
members must recuse themselves from oversee
ing an election due to a conflict of interest.
Terms are for two (2) years, and are a paid po
sition. Tribal member Ellen Fischer serves as
Chairperson.
MEMBERS: Cheri Butler, Kimberly
Campbell, Nancy Coleman, Ellen Fischer
Chair), Nancy Coleman, Claudia Leno, Kim
berly Campbell, Ruby Bigoni and Charlene
Hoover.
ALTERNATES: Joann Mercier, Penny Deloe,
Bernice Jensen and Edward Haller.
FUNCTION: If ever a board or committee
were vital to the Tribe, it is the Election Board,
for they are responsible for overseeing the elec
tions and keeping tabs on council candidates. In
other words, they are the protectors of the demo
cratic process here in Grand Ronde, assuring
smooth-running, honest elec
tions. Maintaining democracy has
them scrambling, beginning
with their oath of integrity upon
being selected to the board. All
members must swear to do ev
erything in their power to pre
vent fraud or abuse during elec
tions. The oath is just the beginning,
from there on the nearly infinite
duties proceed. As listed under
the Election Ordinance, they are
posting notices of the time and
place of nominations for Tribal
Council elections, verifying that
candidates meet qualifications,
preparing ballots, publishing election dates, mail
ing absentee ballots and accepting or rejecting
them, ensuring that ballots are distributed only
to eligible voters, receiving all ballots cast and
preserving them in sealed containers under lock
and key for one (1) year from the date of the elec
tion or until any election dispute is resolved by
the Tribal Court, whichever is later, counting
votes cast for candidates and measures, exclud
ing rejected absentee ballots, maintaining a se
cure location certified copies of the Signature Veri
fication Forms provided by the Enrollment Office,
maintaining accurate election records, including
the poll book, conducting recounts of election re
sults, reporting election results, examining and
verifying petitions for measures, conducting elec
tions for measures.
Those of course are just the duties of the board.
Like any other committee or board, one thing
the Election Board must endure through is be
ing the recipient of numerous suggestions and
ideas, often coming in the form of petitions. One
notion circulating around these days is that of
a primary, many members feeling that far too
many candidates run for Tribal Council year in
and year out. Another is finding better ways to
increase voter registration and turnout.
The Election Board, like Enrollment, relies on
complete confidentiality. Thus unlike other
boards, meetings can go into Executive Session,
whereby nobody but board members are allowed
to sit in.
Given that CTGR is a young democracy, the
Election Board more than any other receives in
put from all sources, and since its birth, has un
dergone more fluctuation. Since 1985, the Elec
tion Ordinance has undergone 15 different
amendments, the last one coming in 1999.
Enrollment CotstinJtt
BACKGROUND: CTGR was not even two
years old when council passed the Enrollment
Ordinance, a provision, which gave cause for
the formal establishment of the Enrollment
Committee (It must be noted however that a
committee did exist prior to the ordinance).
PEOPLE INVOLVED: A nine (9) member
panel staffs the Enrollment Committee. Mem
bers volunteer and are not paid. Tribal mem
ber Robert Schmid serves as the Chair (though
Vice-Chair Louise Medeiros helped with this
article).
MEMBERS: Arlene Beck, Sharon Hanson
(Secretary), Cordelia Kneeland, Diane Lane,
Dorothy Lawe, Louise Medeiros (Vice Chair),
Margaret Provost, Robert Schmid (Chair), and
Terri Wood.
FUNCTION: Ironically, the purpose of the
committee is very simple maintain and fol
low through with enrollment procedures. Yet
that alone makes the job perhaps more conten
tious than even that of the Election Board, be
cause ultimately they are charged with review
ing who can and cannot enroll to be a member
of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Though Council votes on admittance, and tech
nically has the final say, the Enrollment Com
mittee reviews the cases and their approval de
cides the outcome most of the time.
"Many people want in now since the money
came," said Medeiros, in reference to member per
capita distribution. "A lot of people find out about
their heritage, and they're proud."
Between those two types of people, she said,
roughly several hundred people per year apply
for membership. Maybe one-fifth actually makes
the grade, she said, mostly new births. Why the
low percentage? Simple, very few people can pro
vide enough evidence to prove their lineage.
"I'm sorry for some people," she said. "But we
must have concrete evidence."
That evidence generally consists of a birth cer
tificate and proof they are descended from one
of the Tribe's first 850 enrolled members. That
group of people is known as the Restoration Act
Roll, and unless an applicant can trace their
blood quantum through one of them, member
ship is highly unlikely. Applicants must also be
the son or daughter of an enrolled member at
birth.
Applicants turned down always have the right
to protest. Within thirty (30) days of being
turned down for membership, they may file pro
test, giving the committee the opportunity to re
view the case and decide whether to recommend
enrollment, or not.
Even with such carefully drawn out guide
lines, enrollment rules do have exceptions. One
viable scenario, according to Medeiros, was never
even considered, much less thought of, up until
the last six months. What about "lost souls," or
those people whose lineage was lost through
adoption or the loss or death of a Tribal parent?
Enrollment continued on next page