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Tribe holding Memorial
Day event — pg. 3
may 15, 2014
June 6 election
Proposed amendments
concern BIA and term limits
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
rand Ronde Tribal members who have
registered to vote in the June 6 Bureau
of Indian Affairs constitutional election
will weigh in on instituting Tribal Council term
limits and exorcising the BIA from the Tribal
constitutional election process.
Election Board Chair Penny DeLoe said that a
proposed list of Tribal voters who registered with
the BIA was to be posted by 4 p.m. Wednesday,
May 14, which was after the deadline for this
issue of Smoke Signals. Names on the proposed
list can be challenged through May 27 and a fi nal
list of voters will be posted on May 28.
Tribal Council asked the Secretary of the In-
terior to authorize the calling of an election to
amend the Tribe’s Constitution on Nov. 20, 2013.
The BIA’s northwest regional director autho-
rized the calling of the election on Feb. 19.
The fi rst proposed amendment would remove
the BIA’s oversight role regarding Tribal consti-
tutional elections. The second proposed amend-
ment would institute a limit of three consecutive
terms on future Tribal Council service. After
three consecutive terms – nine years – a Tribal
Council member would have to take a year off be-
fore being eligible to run again. The term limits,
if approved, would not be retroactive and would
not affect current Tribal Council members who
have already served three or more terms.
To change the Tribal Constitution, at least 30
percent of those registered to vote with the BIA
must cast ballots and 66.7 percent of those voting
must approve of an amendment.
In a September 2010 survey, Tribal members
overwhelmingly endorsed the idea of term lim-
its, with 701 saying they liked the idea and 229
saying they didn’t, for a 75.5 percent approval.
Almost 61 percent of those responding to the
survey said they favored two terms as the limit
for Tribal Council service while a combined 93
percent of respondents said that a maximum of
G
See ELECTION
continued on page 10
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Grand Ronde Tribal Police Offi cer Ron Wellborn has brought Project Lifesaver to Grand Ronde. The
program is useful for parents, children, spouses or caretakers of a person with Alzheimer’s, autism
or any traumatic brain disorder if their relative walks off . The client wears the location transmitter
watch, on the left, and a receiver is used to fi nd the signal from the watch.
Wander bust
Project Lifesaver helps track those with brain ailments
By Ron Karten
T
Smoke Signals staff writer
here aren’t many people signed up for
local chapters of Project Lifesaver, but
parents, children, spouses or caretak-
ers of a person with Alzheimer’s, autism or
any traumatic brain disorder could fi nd it to
be a huge relief if their relative walks off.
With this program, they will likely be
found within minutes.
Grand Ronde Tribal Police Officer Ron
Wellborn, who brought the program to
Yamhill County in 2007 when he worked
for the Sheriff’s Offi ce, now has brought it
to Grand Ronde.
“It’s just one of the best programs around
for fi nding persons who wander,” Wellborn
said. “Nationwide, since 1999 (fi rst year for
Project Lifesaver), the program has logged
over 2,800 searches and all have been suc-
cessful.”
The genesis for the local program came
in Yamhill County, where “a little boy went
lost,” said Wellborn. “He was autistic. Luck-
ily, we found him. He was in the middle of a
creek and OK.”
Afterward, Wellborn remembered hearing
about Project Lifesaver at a Washington State
Search and Rescue Conference. He called the
program’s main offi ce and asked why Yamhill
County didn’t have the service.
See LIFESAVER
continued on page 11
Ground is broken for Tribal apartments
20 new units will make a dent in waiting list
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
U
nder the gaze of Spirit
Mountain, three shiny new
shovels passed through the
hands of fi ve Tribal Council mem-
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
bers and others when the Tribe
broke ground on Monday, May 5,
for its sixth Tribal housing devel-
See APARTMENTS
continued on page 18
Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack Giff en Jr., left, and Tribal Council member Jon
A. George, second from left, watch as Tribal Council members Ed Pearsall,
middle, and Denise Harvey and Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno break
ground for the Tribe’s 20-unit apartment complex on Monday, May 5. The
complex will be built across from the Tribe’s existing family housing.