10 NOVEMBER 15, 2003
Smoke Signals
Attention All Tribal Assistance Clients
MANDATORY MEETING
Friday, December 5, 2003
9:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
Lunch will be provided.
Grand Ronde Education Building Room 126
A van will be provided for transport at 1110 Alder Street, Portland
at 7:45 a.m. However, anyone needing transportation please contact
your caseworker.
No client is excused from this meeting unless you and your case
worker have signed an agreement for other arrangements. If you fail
to attend your case may be closed.
Contact your caseworker with any questions or concerns you may
have at 503-879-2034 or 1-800-242-8196.
Board of Directors Board Seat Position Open
The Spirit Mountain Gaming, Inc. Board of Directors, in Grand
Ronde, is seeking applicant resumes for an open board seat. This is
an appointed position by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Tribal Council. Qualifications requirements include strong finance
and general business administration experience, casinogaming, tour
ism, hospitality experience, excellent communication and analytical
skills, dynamic leadership qualities and the ability to be responsive to
the goals of the business, MBA or other advance degree, or equiva
lent combination of education and experience. Responsibilities in
clude regular attendance and participation at monthly board meet
ings and ensuring effective organizational business planning to opti
mize profitability. Compensation for the board seat is $250 per month
and reimbursement of business travel expenses. To apply, send a
letter of inquiry, a resume, three letters of recommendation and an
additional two names with contact information of reference to: Spirit
Mountain Gaming, Inc. Board of Directors, ATTN: Danita Trombla,
PO Box 39, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347. Successful candidate must
be able to pass a thorough background check and have the ability to
obtain a gaming license.
Chemawa Indian School Brings In
Stellar Native Acts
In honor of Native American Awareness Month, the 3rd Annual
Chemawa Indian School Benefit Concert will be held at the Chemawa
Auditorium, November 21 (doors open at 6 p.m.). This year's concert is to
raise funds for the School to Work Program (a work-study type program
that will allow students to work on campus) as well as the Chemawa Ath
letic Scholarship and Campus Athletics Support program. The concert is
free and open to the public; donations can be given at the concert.
This year's concert headliner will be The Gary Small Band. Small,
(Northern Cheyenne) is the 2002 Native American Music Associations'
"Songwriter of the Year" for his latest release "Wild Indians." Willamette
Week says Small's guitar playing is "...so reminiscent of Carlos Santana
it's stunning. In fact it wouldn't be unfair to say Small could become the
Santana of Native America..."
Also appearing will be the singing duo Cedar Rose, featuring Nico Wind
(Assinaboine Ojibwa) and Karen Kitchen (Osage). Nico Wind has toured
with Ray Charles and is a music director for the NPR radio program "Wis
dom of the Elders." Kitchen recently starred in the Portland Children's
Theatre production of "Sacagawea" at the Keller Auditorium in Portland,
Oregon.
Indian Flutist extraordinaire' Ward Stroud (Yaqui) will be appearing
as well. Stroud is an international recording artist and an acclaimed In
dian flute maker. Stroud's flutes are some of the most beautiful found
today and will be on display.
The show will also include appearances by: Indian poet and grass dancer
Jerry Raining Bird (Chippewa Cree), performing Native Fancy Dance
will be Rebecca Payne (AthabaskanCherokee) who competes in and
teaches Fancy Dance. Performing interpretive dance will be Rebecca Rank
(KlamathModoc), a graduate in dance from the University of Oregon.
Both Payne and Rank were runners up in the Miss Native American Or
egon Pageant last summer.
Chemawa Indian School is a short 20-25 minute drive down 1-5 south
to exit 260b (exit 260 from Salem). The large water tower just east of the
highway marks the location of the Auditoriumcampus. Chemawa is one
of only four off-reservation boarding high schools in the United States
operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Many of the students who arrive at Chemawa, do so with a very limited
family and community network. The typical Chemawa student does not
have a regular allowance from home, nor has worked over the summer.
As a student at a boarding high school he or she has not participated in
traditional high school to the degree that commands access to resources
afforded to typical high school students.
The Chemawa Website is www.chemawa.bia.edu and the Gary Small
Band website is www.garysmallband.com
For more information or questions please contact Chemawa Indian School
at 503-399-5721 or the Gary Small Band at 503-997-5068.
Tribal Housing Landscape Maintenance
The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority (GRTHA) desires to
contract for landscape maintenance located in Grand Ronde, Oregon:
CHXI MUSAM ILLIHI is a Family Rental Housing Subdivision.
Proposals must be mailed with post marks dated no later than De
cember 1 to GRTHA, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Or
egon 97347 or delivered no later than 4 p.m., December 2, 2003 to
GRTHA, 28450 Tyee Road, Grand Ronde. A 5 percent Indian allow
ance will be given to Indian contractors. Contact the Authority at
503-879-2401 for further information or a proposal packet.
Tribal Housing Landscape Maintenance
The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority (GRTHA) desires to
contract for landscape maintenance located in Grand Ronde, Oregon:
GRTHA Office and Shop areas. Proposals must be mailed with post
marks dated no later than December 2 to GRTHA, 9615 Grand Ronde
Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or delivered no later than 4 p.m.,
December 3, 2003 to GRTHA, 28450 Tyee Road, Grand Ronde. A 5
percent Indian allowance will be given to Indian contractors. Con
tact the Authority at 503-879-2401 for further information or a pro
posal packet.
Proposed Election Ordinance Amendments
The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Election Board and the
Tribal Attorney's Office, has proposed amendments to the Election
Ordinance. The first reading of the proposed amendments was made
at the October 22, 2003, Tribal Council Meeting.
The purpose of the amendments is to make various technical and
substantive changes to the Ordinance to improve the efficiency of the
election process. The proposed amendments include, but are not lim
ited to, the following:
1. Moving the nominations of candidates for Tribal Council
elections from the regular General Council meeting in May
to a special General Council meeting held on the last Sunday
of June. This proposed amendment would shorten the time period
between nominations and the mailing of the absentee ballots. The
absentee ballots would continue to be mailed 45 days before the date
of the election.
2. Providing that the Election Board shall distribute a copy
of the Election Ordinance, Constitution, and Voters Address
List to candidates at the General Council Meeting at which
nominations are accepted (the special General Council meet
ing in June). This proposed amendment is in response to the short
ened period of time between nominations and the mailing of the ab
sentee ballots described above. Under the current Ordinance, the
Election Administrator mails the candidates these documents at a later
date following the nominations.
3. Modifying the automatic recount provision to enable the
Election Board and the Election Administrator to conduct the
recount immediately following the original counting of the
ballots. This proposed amendment would enable the Election Board
and the Election Administrator to conduct an automatic recount im
mediately following the original counting of the ballots. The auto
matic recount provision is triggered when there is a difference of lper
cent or less in the number of votes cast for the third and fourth place
candidates in a Tribal Council election. Under the current Ordinance,
the automatic recount procedure follows that for recount requests,
which delays the results of the election and incurs greater costs. With
this amendment, a candidate in a Tribal Council election would still
have the option of requesting a recount in accordance with the cur
rent provisions of the Ordinance.
4. Modifying the role of alternates to enable alternates to
the Election Board to observe election functions and perform
incidental tasks at the request of the Board and under the
supervision of a Board member. This proposed amendment would
enable the alternates to the Election Board to gain experience with
the election process in case they are selected to serve in the place of a
Board member who is disqualified from serving or otherwise unable
to serve in an election.
For a copy of the proposed Election Ordinance amendments, please
contact the Tribal Attorney's Office at 503-879-4664. The Tribal Coun
cil invites comment on the proposed amendments. The proposed
amendments will be discussed at the General Council Meet
ing on December 7, 2003. You may also send written comments to
the Tribal Attorney's Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Rd., Grand Ronde,
OR 97347. Comments must be received by December 19, 2003
at 5 p.m.