Smoke signals., September 15, 2007, Page 3, Image 3

Smoke Signals 3
SEPTEMBER 15,2007
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Sept. 17 Indian taco fundraiser to benefit Courtney Galiigher
By Angie Sears
Smoke Signals staff writer
On July 15, Tribal member Court
ney Galiigher, 29, was involved in a
serious automobile accident.
Her spinal cord was injured and
she has spent more than a month
in the intensive care unit at Or
egon Health Sciences University
in Portland.
Last week, Galiigher was trans
ferred to the Rehabilitation In
stitute of Oregon at Legacy Good
Samaritan Hospital, where she
will remain for up to 12 weeks.
"Courtney has a good attitude
and is working hard," said Le-
onette Galiigher, her mother.
In 1995-96, Courtney repre
sented the Tribe as Senior Miss
Grand Ronde, but some may rec
ognize her as the model for the
Grand Ronde Veterans' Memorial
Statue located outside the Tribal
Governance Building.
In 2002, she graduated from
the nursing program at Cheme
keta Community College and
transferred to OHSU to continue
her education.
Later, she transferred to Port
land State University to pursue
a bachelor of science degree in
community health. She graduated
in June, just a few weeks before
the accident.
"I have a picture of Courtney hold
ing her diploma," Leonette said. "It
was the last thing she did."
A group of family, friends and
community members are raising
money to help Courtney and her
family.
The group will hold an Indian
taco, fry bread and bake sale fund
raiser at the Grand Ronde Com
munity Center from 11:30 a.m. to
2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17. B
Tribal member Courtney Galiigher
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ELECTION continued
from front page
"slates" for voting. This year, the slate
of Sell-Sherer, Bobb and Tribal Elder
Bernadine Shriver brought success
to two candidates, and Shriver, who
received almost 11 percent (401) of the
vote, finished fourth.
The slate of Tribal Elders Dean
Mercier and West did not help in
their election efforts as both candi
dates finished the bottom half of the
10-person field.
Mercier was part of a slate when he
came into office three years ago, but
ran alone this year. Still, he continues
to hold the other members of his for
mer slate in high esteem.
"I'm really going to miss Angie
and Buddy. I think they brought
a lot to the Tribe," he said. "When
Angie, Buddy and I got elected three
years ago, the thing we stood for was
'communication.' "
Mercier added that improving com
munication is not something he can
check off as finished.
"It's an on-going process," he said.
Tm looking forward to having another
term because I think there are still ways
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Newly elected Tribal Council members
the Governance Building. Chief Judge
oath of office to Steve Bobb Sr. as June
were sworn in Sept. 12 in the atrium of
Suzanne Ojibway Townsend reads the
Sell-Sherer and Chris Mercier look on.
to improve communication, and we've
got a lot of resources at our disposal."
"This is the fourth straight year
where people who won are part of
slates," Mercier said. "I think a lot
of it is that people look at slates as
standing for something."
Bobb said he also sees slates as pro-
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moting "some important consensus"
among all who run with it.
"I think that we all wanted the
same thing, to get some unity back
within the council," Bobb said. "So
that we all get along at the end of
the day. You're still family. That's
the way it is with us."
"Our goal is to unify the Tribe,"
Sell-Sherer added.
The process of building a slate has
made the goal of winning a Tribal
election more complex and time-consuming,
according to Mercier.
"The level of organization needed in
an election continues to get higher,"
Mercier said.
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member Val Grout said she
was pleased with the results.
"I'm happy with it," Grout said from
her home in Grand Meadows. "I'm hop
ing there'll be no us and them, just a
straight council. I hope they'll make it
a body of one, not separated."
Tribal Elder Louise Madieros said,
"I'm very, very excited (by the results).
Thumbs up. Now, I'm telling people,
'If you don't talk to the council, they
don't know what you're thinking.' "
More than one-third of eligible
Tribal voters (37.4 percent) par
ticipated in the 2007 election. The
turnout was similar to previous
years' tallies. In 2003, 37 percent
voted; in 2004, 41 percent voted; in
2005, 34 percent voted; and in 2006,
36 percent voted.
On Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m.
in the Governance Building Atrium,
Tribal Court Chief Judge Suzanne
Ojibway Townsend swore in the win
ners to serve their three-year terms
on the Tribal Council.
Later that afternoon, the Tribal
Council met and elected its officers
for the 2007-08 year.
Tribal Elder Cheryle Kennedy was
elected chairwoman and Elder Reyn
Leno was named vice chair.
Council Secretary Jack Giffen Jr.
remains in that post.
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Chris Mercier
.
I
June Sell-Sherer