12 SEPTEMBER 1,2012
Smoke Signals
Cultural Trust Board
slates cleanup days
The Tribe's Cultural Trust Board is sponsoring Cultural Area
cleanup days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22 and 29.
The Trust Board will provide lunch and refreshments to those
who help.
Some of the work that needs to be done includes rebuilding the
sweat lodge, putting up a clothes line to dry the blankets when
people are finished with sweats, repairing the wood storage shed,
chopping wood for winter storage, clearing overgrown blackberries
and Scotch broom, and more.
If you are interested in sweats, join in and help with the work
that needs to be done.
"Everyone is invited and welcome to come and help take care of
our sacred sweat lodge area in a good way," said Cultural Trust
Board Chair Perry McDaniel.
For more information, contact McDaniel at ctgrwihotmail.
com. D
PUBLIC NOTICE OPEN
FOR COMMENT
This is a Public Notice for Comment on the Grand Ronde Tribe's
application for 2013 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) Funding. The Grand Ronde Tribe obtained a LIHEAP
grant last year from the Division of Energy Assistance within the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This grant program
assists income eligible Tribal members with energy assistance (util
ity bills, fire wood, etc.), crisis energy assistance and weatherization
(e.g. furnace repair, caulking, insulation).
The Tribe's LIHEAP service area includes Polk, Yamhill, Marion,
Multnomah, Washington, Tillamook and Clackamas counties. If
you are interested in obtaining services from the current program,
contact Social Services at 800-242-8196 for energy assistance and
the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority at 503-879-2405 for
weatherization.
The Tribe is taking public comment on the 2013 LIHEAP appli
cation and plan, which are to be submitted by Sept. 4, 2012. The
latest draft will be available for review at the Planning & Grants
Development Department at the Tribal Governance Center starting
Aug. 17, 2012. You may also call Planning & Grants Development
at 503-879-2250 with your comments on the plan or to obtain more
information about the plan. B
Fire Protection Program
seeks applicants
Applications for Chemeketa Community
College's Fire Protection Program are be- ?f
ing accepted. Deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. ChcmcketagMy
Friday, Sept. 14. Community Cottege
Students who complete the Fire Suppres
sion I and EMT Paramedic programs will earn dual associate degrees in
Fire Suppression Technology and Emergency Medical Technician Para
medic. The Tribe's Associate Vocational Program will provide funding toward
tuition, fees, books and supplies for eligible students.
The FireParamedic program is a three-year commitment during which
students receive on-the-job training. Prerequisite requirements are:
Placement in WR121 or completion of WR114 or equivalent;
Placement in MTH70 or completion of MTH 60 or equivalent;
Placement in RD115 or completion of RD90 or equivalent.
Classes begin Monday, Jan. 7, 2013.
For more information, visit the Chemeketa Web site at www.chemketa.
eduprogramsfireprotection or contact Joshua Clift at Joshua.cliftgran
dronde.org or call 800-422-0232, ext. 1635. D
Social Services 2012
School Clothes Program
This is a first-come, first-served program.
Child must be an enrolled Grand Ronde Tribal member.
Child must be of school age and enrolled in school (preschool,
elementary, middle or high school).
Income criteria applies.
Please contact Social Services at 800-242-8196 or 503-879-2034
for application.
Deadline for all applications is Friday, Sept. 14.
Zumba held Monday,
Wednesday in Grand Ronde
Zumba, a Latin-inspired and calorie-burning dance fitness party, is held
from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday in the old Grand Ronde
Middle School.
The first class is free and $6 thereafter for drop-ins, or $5 if participants
purchase a punch card.
For more information, contact Tribal Recreation Coordinator Matthew
Mosely at 503-879-1369 or matthew.moselygrandronde.org.
In 2011 1,315 adult members did not register
VOTERS continued
from front page
members do not register to vote.
In 2011, for instance, there were
3,844 Tribal members eligible to
vote, but only 2,529 ballots were
mailed, meaning 1,315 adult Tribal
members 34.2 percent did not
register.
A Smoke Signals analysis of
Tribal voting trends between 2003
and 2011, which includes nine
Tribal Council elections, finds that
Tribal voters during the last three
years have been increasingly disin
terested in voting.
Turnout of eligible voters aver
aged 37 percent during the six Trib
al Council elections held between
2003 and 2008. Between 2009 and
2011, turnout decreased to an aver
age of 30.9 percent a 6.1 percent
drop for the three most recent
Tribal Council elections.
The decline in Tribal voter partic
ipation coincided with the recession
in the U.S. economy, which forced
the Tribe to tighten its budgetary
belt as Spirit Mountain Casino rev
enues leveled off for the first time
in its history.
Bad economic times might have
affected Tribal member interest in
Tribal elections as concerns about
paying the mortgage, keeping or
getting a job and putting food on the
table trumped other concerns.
The largest number of Tribal
members to cast ballots occurred in
2008 when 1,349 voted. Two years
later in 2010, only 1,095 Tribal
members the lowest number
recorded in the nine-year span
participated.
The reasons why, however, re
main elusive and speculative at
best.
Tribal Council member Chris
Mercier said he thinks there are
three major factors affecting Tribal
voter turnout.
"Proximity, in that I think the
closer you are to the Tribe the more
likely you are to vote," Mercier said.
"Plus, it is an annual election, which
might create burnout. It's just an
other layer of elections, including
federal, state, county and city, that
people have to worry about."
A breakdown of the 2009 election
performed by the Tribal Elections
Board appears to support Mercier's
contention. Oregon eligible Tribal
members voted at a 35.7 percent
rate while 28.9 percent of those liv
ing in California voted and Tribal
members in Washington state had
a 19.8 percent participation rate.
Those are the only three states with
more than 100 Tribal members liv
ing in them.
Another factor, Mercier said, is
that there are not as many "hot
button" issues in Tribal politics that
drive people to the polls like there are
in other national and state elections
where controversial wedge issues,
such as gay marriage or abortion, can
light a spark under casual voters.
Part of the problem also appears
to be disinterest by new eligible
voters those turning 18. In 2003,
3,206 adult Tribal members were
eligible to vote. By 2011, that num
ber had grown 638 to 3,844 adult
Tribal members, and by not voting
many of those new eligible voters
negatively affected turnout.
Although Tribal turnout has seen
significant percentage declines
from 2003 to 2011, last year's
results offered a glimmer of hope
for the Tribe's future as turnout
increased from 2010's low of 29
percent to 32.9 percent, an almost
4 percent jump in one year.
The increase, perhaps, reflects
the slowly improving economy
nationally.
But even in the best year among
the nine-year sample 2004 when
40.7 percent of eligible Tribal voters
cast ballots almost six in 10 adult
Tribal members did not cast a ballot
in a Tribal Council election.
Tribal voting turnout mirrors
national trends.
In the 1960 presidential election,
63.1 percent of Americans voted and
47.3 percent went to the polls in the
1962 off-year election. Fast-forward
to the 2008 presidential election
when 56.8 percent of Americans
voted and 37.8 percent voted in the
2010 off-year election.
One truth is apparent in both na
tional and Tribal elections: Fewer
people are picking the people to
lead the country and the Tribe. D