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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2002)
6 JULY 1, 2002 Smoke Signals TATEM TMITn Editor's note: Candidate's statements were edited only for style, (example: capitalizing the T" in Tribal). M- .s a? A v Loren F. Holmes Dear Tribal members, My name is Loren F. Holmes. I was born and raised in this area; most ev eryone that lived here should know me. I would like to be a little more active in the Tribe, but certain things have pre vented me from doing so. But being active in the things that go on around here doesn't make me a candidate for councilman, that can't do the job. If I could get enough votes to get elected I would like to do more for the Elders than what they get now. I think we have done enough for the young ones and it's time to do more for our Elders. One thing we should have is a nursing home for our people. I also would like to see less favoritism in the council. If you do something for one person, do it for another person. If elected, I would be as fair to one as the other. I would also like to get more money for the benefit program; I know we have enough to do this. I guess this is about all I have to say for now. I hope I get your vote. Sincerely, Loren F. Holmes Roll 254 health insurance for your family. We can and should allow members to access our current health insurance. Health in surance is expensive, but if the member and the Tribe share the expense then it can be affordable. I have looked into a long-range self-insurance scenario and with this venture it seems extremely possible. B Why is it that members out of the area are restricted from some Tribal programs? Has your current council given you any answers? Can it be resolved? Yes it can and I have and will continue to work to balance the scales of this grave injus tice! I have more issues I would like to discuss with you, although I am restricted to only 600 words. Therefore, I pledge to all of you; If elected I will take my appreciation of the average Tribal member needs into the council office and give all my energy for Progressive Change. I would like to know where it states that once you're elected to a council seat, you stop caring about Tribal member concerns, needs and issues and start to only care for your own personal ven ues. I promise, if elected to always have each Tribal member in mind when making any executive decision. Please feel free to call me at home collect if you like so that I can answer any questions that you may have; 1-503-876-5442. Thank you Valorie Sheker-Robertson Roll 2236 ' ' :- 's ( ? 1 J ' ; -- tl Valorie Sheker-Robertson Dear Tribal members, My name is Valorie Sheker Robertson, many of you are already fa miliar with me and the values I repre sent, as I have had the opportunity to serve you as the Administrator of your Member Services department. For those of you who are unfamiliar with me, I am married and have three teen age sons; I have worked for the Tribe for almost 7 years, 6 of those in Member Services. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Organization Leadership and three Associates Degree's. This alone with my years of service working for all Tribal members and your programs I feel gives me a wider base of credentials and under standing to better serve the entire Tribe as a Tribal Council Repre sentative. I believe in honor and accountability for all areas of Tribal service and Tribal government. If elected, I would represent all of the people equally and strive to develop a sustainable program base that all Tribal members could access regardless of where they choose to live. I support programs that reach the entire population of the Tribe. I personally know the importance of the Elders Pension, Disability, Health Insurance, Medicare, Housing, Education and Member Dis tributions, and I have been involved with the implementation, im provements and management on several of these throughout the years. I believe that the Tribe should and can explore options for non-Tribal dependentspouse health insurance, there are ways to create such a program at some cost to both the Tribe and Tribal member, and members it can be done! Gradual increases in the pension, disability and per-capita are always merited and can be done at such a pace as not to disrupt any current programs. Let's be wise with our money, as we all know there has been plenty of it lost so far. A few of issues that concern as a member are; B Why are Grand Ronde people who have the minimum or more Grand Ronde Tribal blood being kept from enrolling into our Tribe? Can this be resolved? Yes! It can, it only takes councils dedication to the issue. B Many of you have called me asking for help to purchase V) Tim Holmes Hello fellow Tribal members. My name is Tim Holmes, son of Elmer Holmes and Karen Merrill, and grand son of Abe and Mildred Holmes. My wife, Nancy, and I have three children and two grandchildren. We live in Grand Ronde, where we are buying a home and plan to live for the rest of our lives. I am firmly committed to the well being of our Tribes most valuable resource, our people. My visual challenges may have caused some of you to wonder how I am able to read the amounts of written information I currently review, for the many boards and committees I serve on. Those of you I have had the good fortune to serve with, on Tribal Boards and committees, know that my visual challenges have never been a de terrent to my dedication or ability to serve effectively in those ca pacities. Technology has leveled the playing field for persons with visual impairments. I use a Voice Program on the computer to audi bly read information provided on computer discs, or CD ROM. I use an Optical Character Recognition program and scanner, which al lows me to read printed materials through my computer. In addi tion, I use a Braille and Speak for note taking during meetings. This machine will read back to me any information I key into it. Technology has literally bridged the visual gap, and assisted me in serving effectively in many capacities to this point in my life. If given the great honor to be on Tribal Council, I will utilize all I have learned to effectively serve you as well. I believe that we are at a critical point in our Tribe's history. Re cently, we have all witnessed a lot of negativity. As an individual Tribal member and council candidate, I would like to see a high level of professionalism from all of our leaders and all candidates that are running for council. I would urge all Tribal members to watch the candidates and select those that exhibit a professional demeanor and conduct themselves in a manor that would be a positive attribute to the Tribe. We should accept nothing less from those we choose to represent all of us. We must not promote negativity, or allow it to hinder the important work of our Tribe. Accountability should be demanded, but personal attacks should not be tolerated. Please take the time to learn the facts and not be misled by misinformation. I am running for Tribal Council because I feel that I have the Tim Holmes continued on page 7
