Smoke Signals 7
JULY 1,2003
Bob Merger
Ed Pearsall
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My name is Bob Mercier and I'm ask
ing you to vote for me in this year's Tribal
Council elections.
I feel my past experience on Tribal
Council, Spirit Mountain Development
Board of Directors, and Spirit Mountain
Gaming Incorporated Board of Directors
give me added ability to perform the du
ties of a Tribal Council member. During
the time I spent in these positions, I be
lieve the most important quality I learned
was to be a team player. I think all Tribal Council members need to
remember it's okay to disagree. It is very important to me that deci
sions we make are the best for our entire membership. I have also
served on the Timber Committee for the past 15 years. This has
been a very valuable learning experience.
I have been self-employed and running my trucking business since
1985. This hands-on experience has been important too. It taught
me how to listen to the people doing the work, and how to deal with
the problems that occur in the daily routine of doing business
I feel I am professional in the way I conduct myself, in my per
sonal life and business. Honesty and integrity are important parts
of my philosophy. I know some things take time and I need to show
patience when it is necessary. If I were elected to Tribal Council, I
would perform the duties of the position with commitment.
I believe there will be many changes and challenges in the future
for our Tribe. We need to keep doing the things we feel our neces
sary and important, but we must always be looking at the things we
can do better too. Two of the areas we must continue to direct our
attention to, are Elders and children. We must thank our Elders for
all of their sacrifices and help them to have a quality of life. We
must look to our children for our future. If we don't help our people,
who is going to? In the near future, there will be many important
decisions to be made. I feel I am qualified to help make those deci
sions. I will not make any promises of what I will do if I am elected.
One Tribal Council member cannot make things happen by them
selves. I appreciate this opportunity to tell everyone a little about myself
and about soue of the things I feel are important. If I were to be
elected to Tribal Council, it would be an honor and privilege to serve
you.
Thank You.
Todd Shandy
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It is a great honor to be nominated for
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yTf TM iriDai council, i am me granason oi
1 r",-r,U m Lewis Riges Jr. and son of Louise Riggs
Coulson.
I know with my employment history and
education that I would be an asset to the
Tribal Council. My work experience in
cludes: three years as SupervisorMan
ager, seven years as Quality Control Man
ager, and I possess a Certification of Ac
counting degree. I would bring my excel
lent leadership skills and experience to this important position to help
the Tribe to continue to grow in a positive nature.
I believe we need to continue to take care of our Elders by provid
ing necessary assistance and programs. We need to recognize their
contributions to the Tribe and thank them for their guidance. We
must always remember that without the Elders' accomplishments our
Tribe would not be where it is today. Our Tribe needs to financially
secure all the programs that will benefit all our members and expand
opportunities in addition to looking out for the best interest of the
Tribe as a whole. We also need to look out for our children and their
children for the future wealth and health of our leaders of tomorrow.
When elected you will find me to be an honest, up-front, hard work
ing, dedicated, and caring individual. I am also an independent
thinker who weighs all the facts carefully before making decisions.
I wish to thank the current Tribal Council for all the work they
have accomplished. Please take the time to vote because your opin
ion does count.
Thank you in advance for your vote.
Todd Shandy
Roll 1174
Email: shandy09attbi.com
Home Phone: 541-928-6635
Cell Phone: 541-990-9467
Dear Friend,
I find it fitting that on the 20th anni
versary of our Restoration we face the
most important election in Tribal history.
If you've followed Tribal events the past
year, you know why. The majority of
council has taken away the
membership's right to be heard (Tribal
Council Forum Newsletter). The Tribal
Ethics Standard Ordinance was rescinded
without input from the membership.
Many members and staff are afraid to speak up on issues because
they are afraid of retaliation. It is our Constitutional right to be
able express ourselves without fear of revenge.
I hope you will again support me this year in the coming election.
The retirement, insurance, and dividend (per capita) check we re
ceive from casino revenues are benefits I presented to the Council.
These programs still remain.
The Education Department and Committee are in my opinion
the shining stars of the Grand Ronde Tribe. As the Council Com
mittee liaison for the past eight years, I have watched our Educa
tion programs grow to what they are today with great pride. The
Tribe is known throughout Indian Country as a model on how to
support its membership with educational support (i.e. scholarship,
grants, and program funding). These are some of the programs
that reach all Tribal members regardless of where they reside. I
feel we must continue to reach out to all members for although we
may not be able to see or hear them, they are by right Tribal mem
bers. The Constitutional amendment to change the requirements for
becoming a member of the Tribe has become very controversial. I
will support sending out a survey to eligible voting members, ask
ing one question. Should we open the Tribal membership rolls to
what it was prior to the Constitutional amendments? If two-thirds
of the membership agrees, I would support an election to overturn
the Constitutional amendment. This should put this issue to rest
once and for all.
I know Tribal members have heard a lot of information about the
ethics charges filed against me by Jan Michael Reibach, son of coun
cilman Jan D. Reibach. This is my opportunity to explain why I
filed suits in Tribal Court. I would not have been subjected to an
ethics suspension on January 30, 2002, had not Reibach, Sr. cast
the deciding vote on his son's ethics case. I learned a few days
afterward that his son was demanding a secret $475,000 settle
ment request which his lawyer asked to be handled "in-house" based
on the Tribal Council resolution. The resolution passed only be
cause Reibach, Sr. cast the deciding vote a few days earlier. (A
copy of the letter from Jan M. Reibach's lawyer requesting a
$475,000 settlement from the Tribe is available). Any person with
some sense of professionalism would not be involved in legal mat
ters pertaining to his son, especially when that same person is in a
position to determine the outcome. It has been mailed out to the
members that I have cost the Tribe $200,000 to $300,000. All judi
cial and court systems cost money, whether Tribal, State or Fed
eral. I have paid all my attorney fees with my own funds. The
council in the past has used "in house" attorneys, of which we have
five. Why were expensive attorneys hired from a Portland firm?
The bottom line is if councilman Jan Reibach had not voted on my
suspension none of this would have happened.
It's time that the General Membership vote to elect the Tribal
Court judges and remove any perception of politics being involved
in legal matters.
I stand by my record and reputation as a council member. I am
proud of what we as a Tribe have accomplished, and hate to see
that undone by a wave of greed and self-interest. Let's put the fate
of the Tribe back into the hands of Tribal members.
Sincerely,
Ed Pearsall