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.