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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2016)
2 S MOKE S IGNALS JANUARY 15, 2016 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, Jan 20..............................................................................4 p.m. General Council meeting Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7 Letters Dear Tribal members: I take the letters I submit to Smoke Signals quite seriously, especially when it comes to discussing our Tribe’s membership requirements. There- fore, I found some of the statements made in Tracie Meyer’s Jan. 1, 2016, letter to be very disrespectful and offensive. We have been discussing our Tribe’s enrollment requirements and not some boxing match. Meyer failed to get very far on her “truth-seeking journey.” The fi rst statement on her “journey” is totally inaccurate. In my letter in the Dec. 15, 2015, issue of Smoke Signals, I did not write the words “Sample Bal- lot Explanation” anywhere, nor did I give reference to it. Based on what Meyer wrote, I assume she somehow obtained a copy of the “Sample Ballot Explanation” which, to my knowledge, has not been released to the general membership. Meyer quoted from what she says Chris Mercier calls “the enrollment application checklist.” As far as I know “the enrollment application check- list” is for staff use and has not been released to the membership as a public document. In my opinion, it is not possible for Tribal Council to make just one all-encompassing amendment that will resolve every enrollment issue created by some of the wording of the 1999 amendment. I believe that each of these issues needs to be addressed separately in order to avoid creating additional problems with our enrollment requirements. Some members of Tribal Council have made efforts to resolve some of the enrollment issues one step at a time, such as an ancestor on the Res- toration Roll. The Restoration Roll correction process had a fi nal approval at the Dec. 23, 2015, Tribal Council meeting. This process is for those who do not have an ancestor on the Restoration Roll. I encourage enrolled Tribal members to complete a Restoration Roll Correction Application for themselves or their lineal ancestors or their lineal descendants. The next step toward resolving enrollment issues was the proposed constitutional amendment regarding the removal of the parent on the roll requirement. This would have resolved the issue for many of those who have ancestors on the Restoration Roll, but who do not have a parent who was a member of the Tribe at the time of the applicant’s birth and who, unless deceased, is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe at the time the applicant fi les an application for enrollment. This step was, however, voted down by Cheryle A. Kennedy, Denise Harvey, Jon A. George, Brenda Tuomi and Chris Mercier. It is my fi rm belief that the parent on the roll requirement needs to be readdressed as the next step before any other because most of those who are affected were born during the Termination years. According to infor- mation provided by the Enrollment Offi ce during Tribal Council meetings, more individuals were affected by the parent on the roll requirement than any others that were created by the 1999 amendment. Leroy Good Roll #892 See page 14 for more letters. Monarch Hotel in the Pacifi c Ballroom, 12566 S.E. 93rd Ave, off Interstate 205 near Clackamas Town Center Smoke Signals PUBLICATIONS OFFICE 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 1-800-422-0232, FAX: 503-879-2173 Website: www.grandronde.org/news E-mail: news@grandronde.org Twitter: CTGRgov Facebook: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde DEAN RHODES CHELSEA CLARK MICHELLE ALAIMO PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS/ PUBLICATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT PHOTOJOURNALIST 503-879-1463 dean.rhodes@grandronde.org Need something notarized? Tribal Court staff is available at no charge for notaries 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday though Friday with the exception of noon to 1 p.m. Please be sure to bring a photo ID with you. If you have any questions, contact the court at 503-879-2303. n 503-879-1418 GEORGE VALDEZ JUSTIN PHILLIPS BRENT MERRILL GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST PAGE DESIGNER STAFF WRITER 503-879-2190 503-879-4663 503-879-1416 justin.phillips@grandronde.org Tribal offi ces will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. brent.merrill@grandronde.org george.valdez@grandronde.org 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 Wednesday, Jan. 20 ....................... Feb. 1 Friday, Feb. 5 ............................. Feb. 15 Friday, Feb. 19 .......................... March 1 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 2016 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 Tribal Offi ce Closures michelle.alaimo@grandronde.org chelsea.clark@grandronde.org Elders Committee election set for Jan. 27 Due to the Jan. 3 General Council meeting being canceled due to inclement weather and a lack of quorum, the Elders Committee election will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at the Elders Activity Center, 48940 Blacktail Drive. Ann Lewis, Leonette Galligher, Louise Colson, Cherie Butler, Linda Brandon and Richard Ray are vying for four open positions on the committee. For more information, contact Elders Committee Chair Julie Duncan at 503-879-2233. n 503-879-1961 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
