2
S MOKE S IGNALS
DECEMBER 15, 2015
NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings
DATE
TIME
Wednesday, Dec. 23.............................................................................4 p.m.
Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed.
General Council meeting
11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016
Letters
Tribal Community Center
Dear Tribal members:
I wrote a letter that appeared on page 2 of the Nov. 15, 2015, issue of
Smoke Signals. That letter basically urged Tribal members affected by the
parent on the roll requirement to contact Tribal Council, asking them to
address this enrollment issue as a separate ballot proposal from any others.
Further, I urged Tribal members to view the Oct. 22, 2015, video of the
special Tribal Council meeting where Chris Mercier, Cheryle A. Kennedy,
Jon A. George, Denise Harvey and Brenda Tuomi stopped the removal
of the parent on the roll proposal from its fi nal Tribal Council approval.
Since that time, Chris Mercier continues to muddy the waters by using
the following tactics in his Smoke Signals letter of Dec. 1, 2015:
• Chris calls my factual, accurate letter misleading, inaccurate and
having omissions when I clearly provided actual data.
• Chris continues to debate if the parent on the roll is one requirement
or two. It is clearly shown as one proposal, not two, on the ATP sheet
that was signed by the majority of Tribal Council and handed out at
the July 29, 2015, Tribal Council meeting.
• Chris resorts to a letter I wrote to Smoke Signals in 2011 when our
Tribe proposed the last enrollment bundle. Chris asks if I remember
what I said and did I change my mind. My response is: Yes, I remem-
ber, and No, I did not change my mind. Chris then puts words into my
mouth saying: “She personally identifi ed these two requirements as
being distinct and deserving to be separated out for different votes.”
Chris, I did not say that! Anyone can look up in the archives on our
Tribal website and see who is misleading and inaccurate here. I point-
ed out seven changes that were in the proposed enrollment bundle of
2011. My letter was one of 20 that issue — many of them asking for
no more bundles.
• Chris is sorry I mentioned the Correction to the Restoration Roll Form
for those who need help with not having an ancestor on the Restoration
Roll. He said I was giving “false hope.” According to the videos of Tribal
Council meetings, this form and process was approved by both Tribal
Council and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It is my understanding that
at least 13 individuals have already been approved through Tribal
Council resolution. Therefore, it is very discouraging that a current
Tribal Council member actually openly advocates against this process.
• It appears to me that Chris Mercier, Cheryle A. Kennedy, Denise
Harvey, Jon A. George and Brenda Tuomi are the ones providing the
false hope. They verbally state they want to help with the enrollment
problems, yet their written signatures and votes are against helping
those with the majority of the enrollment problems: parent on the roll.
In the end, what really matters is what Tribal members say. The best
chance for the families who need the parent on the roll requirement re-
moved is if it is a separate ballot proposal. Remember that as a separate
proposal in 2008, it failed by only 68 votes.
I urge any family who needs this correction to write to tribalcouncil@
grandronde.org and ask for this and all enrollment proposals to be voted
on separately – no bundles. In my opinion, any enrollment bundle will
fail as it did in 2011. Members do not appreciate being forced into saying
“yes” to items we do not want in order to achieve the ones we do. Let each
item pass or fail on its own merit.
Rosemary Jameson
Roll #883
Smoke Signals
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503-879-2190
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SCARLETT HOLTZ
VALERIE COX
CENTRAL PHONES
CENTRAL PHONES
503-879-1447
503-879-1446
valerie.cox@grandronde.org
scarlett.holtz@grandronde.org
DEADLINE DATE
ISSUE DATE
Friday, Dec. 18 ....................Jan. 1, 2016
Editorial Policy
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com-
munity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted
without permission.
Our editorial policy is intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers
about stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be
signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or e-mail address
must be included for verifi cation purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not
be published unless requested.
SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit letters and to refuse letters that are determined
to contain libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administration
or Tribal Council. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Letters to the
editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily refl ect the
opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council.
Members of: n Native American Journalists Association
n Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association
See page 14 for more letters.
SOCKtoberfest collects 288 pairs
The annual SOCKtoberfest drive put on by the Youth Education Depart-
ment collected 288 pairs of socks, 13 winter stocking caps and 11 pairs of
winter gloves, according to Elementary Lead Matt Bucknell.
The items were donated to the Clothes Closet on Monday, Nov. 30.
“Our goal was to break our record and collect more than 250 items,”
Bucknell said. “We did it!” n
Correction — Veterans Special Event Board Senior Queen Cheyenne
Simmons was mistakenly identifi ed as a descendant in the Dec. 1 issue
of Smoke Signals. She is a Tribal member, listed as Cheyenne Gilbert in
the Tribal membership log. Smoke Signals regrets the error.
Tribal Offi ce Closures
Tribal offi ces will be closing on Thursday, Dec. 24, at noon and
closed on Friday, Dec. 25, in observance of Christmas. Offi ces also
will be closing on Thursday, Dec. 31, at noon and closed on Friday,
Jan. 1, 2016, in observance of New Year's Day.
2015-16 Tribal Council
1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org
n Reyn Leno
Tribal Chairman
— ext. 2399
n Denise Harvey
— ext. 2353
reyn.leno@grandronde.org
n Chris Mercier
— ext. 1444
n Jack Giffen Jr.
Tribal Vice Chair
— ext. 2300
jack.giffen@grandronde.org
n Cheryle A. Kennedy
Tribal Secretary
— ext. 2352
cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org
denise.harvey@grandronde.org
chris.mercier@grandronde.org
n Brenda Tuomi
— ext. 4555
brenda.tuomi@grandronde.org
n Tonya Gleason-Shepek
— ext. 1777
tonya.gleason-shepek@grandronde.org
n Ed Pearsall
— ext. 2305
n Jon A. George
— ext. 2355
ed.pearsall@grandronde.org
jon.george@grandronde.org