Smoke Signals 9
FEBRUARY 15,2013
Biryan Rlercieir's excellent inaugural adventure
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Photos courtesy of Bryan Mercier
Bryan Merder'i view of President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony
at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the President's second
inauguration on Monday, Jan. 21.
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
It pays to keep old friends, espe
cially if they are now working in the
White House.
For Bryan Mercier, manager of
Business Operations for the Fish
and Wildlife Program at Bonneville
Power Administration, a friend like
this, an unnamed White House
source, recently scored for him two
reserved seat tickets to President
Barack Obama's second inaugura
tion held on Jan. 21.
In addition to Mercier and his
wife, Christine, 2009 Hatfield Fel
low Dennis Worden and his fiancee
also had friends with tickets for the
top echelon of American ballroom
politics.
Others paid $1,600 a piece for
such tickets.
The Obama administration, de
ciding not to look "insensitive to
the country's economy," opened the
ballroom to some 20,000 Obama
supporters with only "Cheez-Its
and pretzels" to eat all night.
"There was nowhere to sit for
women in gowns and high heels, so
they were literally having to sit on
the floor," Mercier said.
The weather, with a wind chill
registering about zero degrees, was
not supportive. Many who waited
an hour to get through security
were not dressed for the weather,
he added.
All that being said, Mercier was
thrilled to be among those who
suffered.
"There was a lot of energy and
emotion in the room," Mercier
said.
When the President and first lady
Michelle Obama came out for a
dance, Mercier said, "It turned into
3
4Vl v t s. I
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Bryan Mercier and his wife,
Christine, attended President
Barack Obama's second
inauguration held in Washington,
D.C., on Monday, Jan. 21.
a teen concert, with all these suc
cessful, highly-ranked, professional
folks rushing the stage where the
Obamas were dancing. You could
hear conversation about her dress.
Everyone had a phone camera out.
They were taking video.
"And then Jennifer Hudson came
out."
Jamie Foxx, who won an Academy
Award for portraying Ray Charles,
sang when the Bidens came out for
a dance.
Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, John
Legend and Brad Paisley all per
formed over the course of the eve
ning. Mercier met his benefactor when
both were working for different
senators in Congress.
"The Indian community in
Washington is very tight," Mercier
said. "We work hard and we party
hard."
Mercier long has worked on na
tional Democratic issues, devel
oping Native American positions
for 2004 Democratic presidential
nominee John Kerry, and early
for Obama's 2008 campaign "when
they gave him very little chance
of succeeding. He'd only given a
single good speech at that time,"
said Mercier.
The inauguration was the time to
celebrate victories along the way,
with four years into the future
looking bright. Mercier and others
celebrated because the good fight
had once again become the win
ning fight.
"It's simple," Mercier said. "The
Democrats have a better platform
for Indian people."
No doubt, Mercier's years in the
nation's capital, and his good work
at federal agencies laid the ground
work for this inaugural weekend.
He worked as the Hatfield Fel
low in Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's
Washington office in 2003-04; at the
National Congress of the American
Indians in 2004; the U.S. Forest
Service from 2005-07; and at the
U.S. Treasury from 2007-09.
In September, Mercier was an
Oregon alternate-delegate for the
Democratic Party of Oregon at
the Democratic National Conven
tion held in Charlotte, N.C. He
served on the Democratic Party
of Oregon's Citizen Involvement
Committee, that, he said, "reaches
out to minority communities," help
ing to register Democrats in Tribal
communities, meeting with party
leaders to recommend events and
build knowledge for reaching Na
tive American communities.
Surrounding the official Inau
gural Ball, the nation's capital
hosted dozens of other balls and
events. Among them, the Merciers
attended one sponsored by Native
American economic development
organizations at the downtown
Hard Rock Cafe, which is next to
the famous Ford Theater.
Before the ball, the Merciers ran
into Navajo leaders on the Washing
ton Metro from the same small com
munity that Christine calls home.
During the official ball, Mercier
ran into a big fellow in the bath
room. "He looked over and I said, 'Pat
rick Ewing?' and he said, 'Yep.' "
And during the swearing-in cer
emony, from where the Merciers
stood, it did not matter whether
Beyonce lip-synced the national
anthem. "There were audio prob
lems," he said, "so we couldn't hear
it, anyway."
Please join us Wednesday, February 20th for
Chinuk Family Literacy Night
Dinner will be served.
DOES A KANGAROO HAVE A MOTHERJuO ?
by Erie Carle
n
What: Chinuk Family Literacy Night.
When: Wednesday, February 20th at 5pm
Where: CTGR gym
Who: EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!
All attending families will receive a book. We will be having dinner
with the Preschool Literacy Night attendees and then breaking into
groups for books and activities. We'd love to see you there!
seeks voflyimfteeiirs
The Tina Miller Community Center Thrift Store, 110 B. St., Wil
lamina, helps fund the after-school and weekend youth community
center located in the old high school gym.
The thrift store is seeking volunteers who can help run the store,
in addition to donated items and customers.
The store accepts clothes, books, knickknacks, etc., as donations.
It is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed
Sunday and Monday. Donations also can be left at the Wildwood
Hotel and Restaurant in Willamina.
For more information on volunteering, call 503-876-7897.
The youth center and thrift store are nonprofit and 100 percent
self-sustaining and volunteer-run. D