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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2002)
JULY 1, 2002 Smoke Signals 9 2002 CANDIDATE STATEMENTS Chris Mercier continued from page 8 ues, but you get the picture. Far too often Tribal members use the last resort of voicing their concerns at General Council meetings, only to be told "We'll look into it" and never resurface again. I've been happy to speak with a few Tribal members who've seen dis turbing similarities between CTGR and Enron, the multi-billion dol lar energy company that went bankrupt last fall, ruining many lives. The great Enron ship was sinking, yet leadership declared everything was okay. We all know the ending. Fifty billion dollars gone in a matter of months. In contrast, the millions of dollars CTGR now possesses seems fairly minute. Our situation, one might venture, is a tad more precarious as our own ship is laden with conspicuous cargo Strategic Wealth, Kalispel, and multiple charges of Ethics Violations brought against our "crew", Tribal Coun cil. In a sea of economic uncertainty, that seems quite dangerous. But how do we stay afloat? Vote. Demand responsible, honest leadership. Demand democracy. Tribal members should know as much as they want, and be assured that their concerns are council's concerns. But that system must founded. Please vote to change. After all, it's our Tribe, right? Your friend, Christopher Mercier Roll 1821 503-879-8368 E-mail: cgmercieryahoo.com Tom Leno Hello, My name is Tom Leno and I would like to represent you on Tribal Council. I'm 53 years old and have been involved with the Tribe from the very beginning. I chaired the Fish & Wildlife Committee the first 6 or 8 years. Now I'm on the Timber Committee for the last few years. I go to the General Council meetings every month. When I think something isn't right, I'll speak up in behalf of my kid's future and your futures too. If elected, I promise to keep all of my people in mind when making decisions. I pray that some day we all can come together as one. In my opinion there are a couple of council people who only think of themselves and others who truly are for all of us. For one, Reyn Leno has fought hard on a lot of issues to make things fair for all of our people. There are other council people who do the same for our people. An there are others in my opinion there for themselves. I ask you all to be aware of high pressure campaigns an ask people you know about people who are running for council. I hope someday our Smoke Signals will be able to show both side of what our council people are doing. To see how they vote on issues that are important to all of us. We all need to know when our coun cil people are doing right and when they have done wrong. I truly think I can be of help to our Tribe if elected to council. Thanks for your time and your support. Tome Leno P.O. Box 526 Willamina, OR 97396 Be sure and vote for candidates of your choice, from 1 of them to 3 of them. Reynold Leno ! My name is Reynold Leno, current Vice Chairman and candidate for Tribal Council. I am the son of Orville and Ramona (McKnight) Leno. My wife is Liz Leno, whom many of you may have communication with through the Mem ber Benefit Program which manages the timber disbursement. First of all, I would like to thank all of the Tribal membership for giving me the honor of serving you for the past 6 years. It has been a great honor to vote on behalf of the member ship in favor of such projects as implementation of a per capita plan, Elder housing, spousal insurance, construction of a new adminis tration and education buildings, increased benefits for Casino em ployees, construction of Spirit Mountain Lodge, and purchasing lo cal timber lands that can be placed in trust and most importantly being part of building the great respect that our Tribe has through out Indian Country and the State of Oregon. As a council member for the last 6 years I have tried my best to serve the entire member ship and carefully consider all decisions and how they impact each and every member. As a Vietnam Veteran, I strongly support the construction of the Veterans memorial to honor the Veterans who have served our coun try. With the support of council I encouraged the organization of the Veterans Memorial Committee. The base of the memorial is due to be completed in September 2002. Completion of the project is scheduled for 2003. One of my first challenges on council was being appointed the liaison for the Pow-wow Committee which I have served on since 1997. The Annual Pow-wow has grown tremendously over last 6 years. I am also proud to be part of the Veterans Powpwow. The experience of being involved in both Pow-wows has made me ap preciate the work and dedication that is made toward regaining our culture and coming together as a Tribe. As chairman of the Natural Resources Council Sub-Committee I have worked on an agreement with the Willamette National Forest for the protection of Cultural artifacts. We finalized the Steward ship with the National Forest Service and contract with the Bureau of Land Management, which will mean an additional management of 11,000 acres of timber land for the Tribe. WHY SHOULD YOU VOTE FOR ME? Many of you will have the tough choice of who to vote for to serve as your Tribal Council. I believe that I have a great deal of heart, dedication, and experience to offer to the Tribe. As a council mem ber I feel it is my duty to keep very active in all aspects of the Tribe. I attend a majority of meetings of the Spirit Mountain Develop ment Corp., Spirit Mountain Gaming Inc., Timber Committee, Hous ing Authority, Fish & Wildlife Committee, Veterans Committee, Pow Wow Committee, and various Tribal, County, and State meetings such as the Grand Ronde Water Association, Government to Gov ernment meetings, and Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians meet ings. I am always trying my best to improve my ability to serve the membership. I participate in trainings regularly and have taken a course on Chinook Jargon. I have attended seminars on Federal Indian Law, bookkeeping, hunting rights, Roberts Rules of Order, and others. Many of these are college accredited courses. With the vote of you and your family and friends I would be very proud to serve you another 3 years. I feel that I can contribute to the Tribe in the present and also be a part of the Tribe's vision for the future. If you have any questions, please call me, at home 503-876-7402. Jack Giffen Jr. Age 50 Roll 182 Tribal Ancestry: B Great Great-grandparents Dave and Tilmer Leno, and Cecile Leno and John Warren. B Great-grandparents Frances Houck Porter, and Abe and Maude Warren Hudson. B Grandparents Dewalt and Arvilla ( Granny ) Hudson, Houck. fl Mother Arlene Houck, Giffen, Beck. Education B Brookings Harbor High School fl 2 years University of Oregon B Attending school now to complete B.S. in Business Administra tion. Training B ISO 9000 B Facilitator fl Oregon Auto Parts Board of Directors Spirit Mountain University Gaming Leadership Training Employment B Co-owner and manager of Auto Parts Business B Regional Service Manager for Marlette Homes by Oakwood B Millwright, Welder for South Coast Lumber Co. B Presently employed at Spirit Mountain Casino Yotl Tumtum Delate Yoka Illahee I'm a proud Native, my purpose in running for Tribal Council is to represent every Tribal member not just a few. I can't make any specific promises, but one, I will fight to make sure every Tribal members welfare and future will be protected and Jack Giffen Jr continued on page 10
