Smoke Signals 3
OCTOBER 1, 2005
New Tribal Council Members Announced
Support for the voters' choice is expressed by incoming and outgoing council members.
By Ron Karten
The September General Council
meeting was held on Sunday, Sep
tember 1 1, at the Tribal Community
Center. Here are the highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryl
Kennedy called the meeting to or
der. Tribal Elder Janet Phillips of
fered the invocation.
Elections Committee Chair
woman and Tribal Elder Donna
Casey announced this year's Tribal
Council election winners: Tribal
members Reyn Leno (16.34 per
cent) and Kathleen Tom (11.23 per
cent) and Tribal Elder Wink
Soderberg (10.15 percent).
An automatic recall had been in
cluded in the counting process be
cause third and fourth place pollers
were within one percent of each
other.
Tribal members were each en
titled to vote for three candidates,
and 3,616 total votes were cast. Of
3,834 eligible voters, 1,163 ballots
were returned and 133 voted in
person for a total of 1,296 or almost
34 percent of eligible voters voted.
Last year, 41 percent of eligible vot
ers voted, and in 2003, 37 percent
of eligible voters voted.
Candidates and others accepted
the results of the vote with gener
osity and concern for the well-being
of the Tribe.
Outgoing Tribal Council member
Valorie Sheker-Robertson said she
hopes the membership will give the
new Tribal Council members a
chance to prove themselves.
"It's difficult to switch from an 8
5 job to one that's 24-7," she said.
"Congratulations to Wink and
Kathy. I will support you."
"I've always put the member
ship first," said outgoing councilor
June Sell-Sherer. She encour
aged new members to avoid "per
sonal agendas."
Fifteen-year Tribal Council member
and Tribal Elder Val Grout, who left
the council last year, thanked those
who supported her unsuccessful bid to
return to the council this year, and
went on to make some apologies to
those she felt she had offended.
She encouraged Tribal members
not to vote as a block. "Look into
your heart," she said. "Vote from
your heart."
She praised Sheker-Robertson for
her "integrity and compassion. The
well-being of the membership meant
more to you than votes," said Grout.
"Good luck to all," she said. "Take
care of our Tribe and our families."
"For me," said Tribal Council Vice
Chairman Reyn Leno, "it's always
been about the whole membership.
I've served for nine years and will
do it until the membership tells me
I'm no longer wanted."
Tribal Elder Betty Bly thanked
the membership from her brother,
Monty Parazoo, who was unsuc
cessful in his bid for Tribal Coun
cil, and was unable to attend the
meeting.
"You don't have to worry about
Wink asking questions (from the
audience) anymore," said incoming
Tribal Council member and Tribal
Elder Wink Soderberg. "Thanks to
those who supported me. To those
who didn't we would never do
anything to hurt other Tribal mem
bers. Give us a chance. We'll do the
best we can. We'll be fair," he said.
"I'll be asking for help from you,"
said incoming Tribal Council mem
ber Kathleen Tom Martin. She was
referring not only to Grout, who had
offered her advice to any who
asked, and to the membership as a
whole. "Here's to the new Tribal
Council and I hope I don't let any
of you down," she said.
Tribal Council member Angie
Blackwell congratulated all who
had participated.
Tribal Council member and Tribal
Elder Westley West offered con
gratulations and added, "You have
to understand that we are all hu
man and we'll disagree. That's
natural."
"Thanks to June and Val," said
Tribal member Elaine LaBonte.
"It's not going to be the same with
out them." She added a special
thanks to Sheker-Robertson.
The "Fee" to "Trust" Process
Lands Coordinator Mike Wilson
described the process of moving
lands from "fee" status to "Trust" sta
tus. When successful, the process
means that the land is removed
from state and local government
regulations and taxes.
"In the allotment period," said
Wilson, "a lot of land was lost for
not paying back taxes."
The 12-24 month process starts
with a Tribal Council resolution,
and follows with a range of studies,
including environmental and en
dangered species assessments.
Because the change removes the
land from county regulations and
taxes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
submits the proposed change to the
local county commission for its ap
proval. And if the county commis
sion expresses concerns about
traffic, for example, or another is
sue, the Tribe has always worked
with the county until the issues are
resolved, said Wilson.
Wilson encouraged the member
ship to contact county commission
ers in office and during election time
to find out where they stand on the
process.
Because many locally and
across the country oppose "Trust"
status, the Tribe is "vigilant" for new
laws that attempt to make changes
in the process, said Tribal Chair
woman Cheryle Kennedy.
"There's an on-going attempt to
diminish Tribal sovereignty," she said.
At the same time, said Wilson,
federal rules for turning "fee" land
into "Trust" land have been getting
stricter. Not so long ago, it was
enough to say that the Tribe needed
the land for "self-sufficiency," but
2005 &SM &ounci
votes
Reynold L. Leno 591
Kathleen Tom 406
Wink Soderberg 367
Valorie Sheker-Robertson 353
Leroy "Buzz" Simmons 350
Robert D. Haller. 290
June Sell-Sherer. 287
Ed Larsen 239
Michael J. Larsen 230
Val Grout 227
Janet Phillips 110
Monty Parazoo.......... .................90
Bernadine Shriver. 76
today, the Tribe needs to be more
specific and "look further out" to
what the Tribe intends to do with
the land. Today, many of the ex
planations to the Bureau of Indian
Affairs include such needs as hous
ing and economic development.
And in the future, Wilson said, the
explanations required may be more
specific still.
As a result of successful changes,
the Tribe has been able to take land
zoned for housing only on 10 acres
or more and bring in high density
housing for Tribal members and El
ders. The process also enabled the
Tribe to take land zoned for farm
ing and build the casino on the site.
Currently, the Tribe holds 1,500
acres in "fee" status and 600 acres
in "Trust" status, said Wilson.
Other Issues
Tribal Elder Betty Bly asked
about the new EnrollmentAd Hoc
Committee including the names
of the members of the committee,
have they started meeting yet, and
whether Tribal members are en
titled to sit in on meetings,
Ken Trevino, Chairman of the
committee, said that the first meet
ing had been held the Thursday
before to elect officers and that the
first official meeting would be Sep
tember 25. The Tribal community
is entitled to attend, he said, but
only for listening purposes.
Bly also said that a tire on her car
had been slashed and she believed
it was related to her participation in
the Grand Ronde "grass roots"
website.
"Evidently, I don't have freedom
of speech," she said.
Chairwoman Kennedy assigned
General Manager Cliff Adams to
look into the incident. It had not
been reported to police.
Elaine LaBonte asked when the
membership would see results of
program evaluations. Adams said
that the process was continuing and
not yet ready for dissemination.
When the process was complete,
some parts would remain confiden
tial, said Adams. LaBonte noted
that "we can't comment on the bud
get until we know how efficient the
programs are" and she encouraged
the Tribal Council to consider that
when deciding what information to
release from these evaluations.
Because of federal HIPPA regula
tions, said Wellness Center Director
Patty Tom Martin, this program is
still seeking authority to release the
information.
Tribal member Michael Bolton
reported that his sister, Tribal
member Lila Musso, is in Oregon
Health Sciences University with a
serious illness and would appreci
ate visits from Tribal members.
She has been hospitalized since
August 15, he said.
Drawings were held: Jackie
Brann along with Tribal Elders
Sylvia Fuller and LeVeta Sell
Haller each won $50. Tribal Elder
Gary LaChance won $100.
The next General Council meet
ing is scheduled for October 9, 11
a.m., at the Community Center. B