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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2013)
Smoke Signals 3 JULY 1,2013 TweUve nonninattecfl fto run for TcibaD Council Tribe creates Enrollment Audit hotline The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde has created an Enroll ment Audit hotline with which to collect frequently asked questions from the Tribal membership. The goal of the hotline is to develop a list of commonly asked questions regarding the audit information that was distributed in the April Tilixam Wawa. The answers to those questions will be published in an upcoming Tilixam Wawa, as well as be distributed to the membership in an information packet. Please ask general questions only; please do not leave personal inquiries regarding yourself or family. The toll-free phone number is 877-645-2641. U Official Tribal Facebook pages Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde: www.facebook.comCTG Rgov Grand Ronde Tribal Council: www.facebook.comTheConfederatedTribesOfGrandRondeTribalCouncil Grand Ronde Higher Education: www.facebook.co mgrand.r.ed Grand Ronde Youth Education: www.facebook.comCTGRYouthEducation Spirit Mountain Community Fund: www.facebook.comSpiritMountainCommunityFund Grand Ronde Station: www.facebook.comGrandRondeStation Grand Ronde Royalty: www.facebook.comTheConfederatedTribesofGrandRondeRoyalty Spirit Mountain Stampede: www.facebook.comSpiritMountainStampede I 2013 Tribal Rlaorke4pDace dates B July 12-13, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; July 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dates subject to change due to conflicting Tribal or Spirit Moun tain Casino events. Located across from Cedar Plank Buffet. Committee & Special Event Board meeting days and times Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards: Ceremonial Hunt Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Groshong. Cultural Trust Board meets at 4 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in Modular No. 2. Chair: Perri McDaniel. Culture Committee meets at 1 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month in the Land & Culture Department conference room. Acting Chair: Betty Bly. Education Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. on the first Monday of the month in the Adult Education Building. Chair: Tammy Cook. Elders' Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in the Elders' Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs. Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance Building. Chair: Robert Schmid. Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Natural Resources building. Chair: Harold Lyon. Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of the month in the Tribal Wellness Center. Chair: Patti Tom-Martin. Powwow Special Event Board meets at 5 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Dana Ainam. Rodeo Special Event Board meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Tribal Rodeo Office. Chair: Harold Lyon. Social Services Committee meets at 4 p.m. the second Monday of the month in the Social Services conference room. Chair: Jenny Sanchez. Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Natural Resources building. Chair: Bob Mercier. Veterans Special Event Board meets at 3 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month in the Tribal Community Center. Chair: Gene LaBonte. By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer Twelve Tribal members were nominated to run for three open Tribal Council seats and all ac cepted at a special General Council meeting held in the Tribal Commu nity Center on Sunday, June 30. The day also honored the Grand Ronde Reservation Act. On Sept. 9, 1988, Congress re stored 9,811 acres of the original reservation that had been whittled down by a succession of federal policies that left the Tribe with less than five acres of Tribal cemetery land at Termination in 1954. As of the day of nominations for Tribal Council, 3,402 Tribal members are eligible to vote in the election slated for Saturday, Sept. 7. Last year, 1,255 ballots were cast out of 3,867 eligible to vote. Eligible voters must be registered to vote and can register up to and including Election Day on Sept. 7. Each eligible voter is entitled to vote for up to three candidates. Of the 12 nominees, the top three vote-getters will fill three vacan cies, which are seats currently held by Tribal Council members Steve Bobb Sr., Jack Giffen Jr. and Chris Mercier. Bobb and Giffen are run ning for re-election while Mercier is leaving Tribal Council after three consecutive terms to attend law school. Following are the nominators fol lowed by the nominees: John Mercier (953) nominated Lonnie Leno (935), of Grand Ronde. Leno has served as coor dinator for the Housing Improve ment and Housing Maintenance sections of the Tribal Housing Authority; Val Grout (268) nominated Giffen (182), of Willamina. Giffen has served on Tribal Council for nine years; Victor Cureton (104) nominated Ed Larsen (414), of Grand Ronde. Larsen previously served 12 years on Tribal Council; Larsen (414) nominated Bobb (38), of Willamina. Bobb has served on Tribal Council for two consecutive three-year terms; Marcella Selwyn (1721) nomi nated Cory Meneley (2418), of Sheridan. Meneley has worked in many Tribal departments, includ ing Natural Resources, Account ing, the Mentorship program and at the Table Games section of Spirit Mountain Casino; Alan Ham (232) nominated Mark Mercier (551), of Grand Ronde. Mercier previously served 16 years on Tribal Council and more recently has worked for the Tribal construction company, Round Valley LLC; Ellen Fischer (13) nominated Brent Merrill (1362), of Grand Ronde. Merrill previously was Public Information officer for the Tribe and editor of Smoke Signals, and more recently served as executive coordinator to Tribal Council; Evelyn Seidel (308) nominated Brenda Tuomi (1438), of Spring field. Tuomi serves on the Tribal Education Committee and pre viously worked in the Eugene Satellite Office; Kathryn Harrison (237) nomi nated Ed Pearsall (589), of Dal las, who previously served nine years on Tribal Council. He was a VIP Host in Spirit Mountain Casino's Marketing Department and also worked in the casino's Table Games section; Chris Mercier (1821) nominated Denise Harvey (1874), of Tuala tin. Harvey has been chairwoman of the Tribal Gaming Commission for nine years and also served as Mentorship and Workforce Development coordinator for the Tribe; Christine Contreras (3431) nomi nated Kalene Contreras (3286), of Grand Ronde. Contreras serves on the Powwow Special Event Board and as administrative as sistant in the Vocational Reha bilitation477 programs; Jon A. George (1631) nominated Kevin Simmons (3179), of Eu gene. Simmons was the 2002 Hatfield Fellow. He has worked in the Eugene Satellite Office and hosts a radio show, Grand Ronde Wawa Radio, on the Internet. This year's number of nominees is one less than ran for Tribal Council in 2012 and five less than ran in 2011. Ballots will be mailed to voters with verified signatures on Wednes day, July 24. Tribal members may create a verified signature card at any time up to and including Elec tion Day. Starting Monday, July 22, through Election Day, the Election Office in the Community Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and can be reached at 503-879-2271. Candidate statements are due in the Publications office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, and will be featured in the next issue of Til ixam Wawa, slated to be mailed out the following week. Candidates are limited to 600 word statements and candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their statements via e-mail to newsgrandronde.org or on a com pact disc. Hand-written statements are discouraged to avoid transcrip tion errors and late statements will not be accepted for any reason. Candidate statements run "as is," meaning the Tribe's Publications staff will not edit the submissions in any way other than to ensure they do not exceed 600 words in length. Candidates also should contact Tribal photojournalist Michelle Alaimo at 503-879-1961 or michelle. alaimograndronde.org to schedule a time to have their portrait taken for Tilixam Wawa, or candidates can submit their own photo. Election results will be counted at the Community Center on Sat urday, Sept. 7, and posted that eve ning on the Community Center's front doors.
