12
S moke S ignals
AUGUST 1, 2017
Six candidates attend Tribal forum
Schlappie withdraws
from Tribal Council race
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal General Manager David
Fullerton started the Wednesday,
July 26, Candidates Forum held in
the Community Center by announc-
ing that six candidates for Tribal
Council were in attendance.
Fullerton said that candidate
Angela Schlappie had informed him
that she was dropping out of the
race and would not attend. How-
ever, because of printing deadlines,
she will still appear on the sample
ballot that appears in this issue of
Smoke Signals, as well as ballots
mailed to Tribal voters.
Schlappie declined to elaborate
on why she ended her first run for
Tribal Council when contacted on
Thursday, July 27.
The Candidates Forum attracted
approximately 40 people to hear the
six remaining candidates discuss
a variety of issues. The forum was
recorded by A/V Network Tech-
nician Wendell Olson and will be
posted on the Tribal website www.
grandronde.org under the News tab
and then Video.
After audience members were
served a meal of sandwiches, chips,
cookies and bottled water, Ful-
lerton, who also moderated the
90-minute forum, went over the
rules.
Candidates
were allotted
three minutes
each for an
opening state-
ment and then
five questions
were drawn
David Fullerton
from a revolv-
ing bingo ball
cage and each candidate had two
minutes to answer each question.
The forum wrapped up with each
candidate getting two minutes for
a closing statement.
Opening statements were made,
in order, by Tribal Council member
Chris Mercier, challengers Michael
Langley, David Lewis and Lisa
Leno, Tribal Council member Ton-
ya Gleason-Shepek and challenger
Mark Mercier.
The first question asked candi-
dates what their top two priorities
would be if they are elected and the
second question posed how each
candidate would seek balance in
the Tribe and on Tribal Council.
The third question asked what
each candidate’s most important
career accomplishment had been
and how they could apply that to
serving on Tribal Council.
The fourth and perhaps most
vexing question asked how candi-
dates would keep drug users and
drugs out of Tribal housing and
the final question asked candidates
how they would work to ensure fair
hiring practices within the Tribal
government.
During the answers to the five
questions, myriad other Tribal
topics were mentioned, such as en-
rollment requirements, protecting
the endowments, economic devel-
opment, improved communica-
tion, long-term planning, healing
relationships with other Tribes
and empowering the general mem-
bership.
Tribal Council Chief of Staff Sta-
cia Hernandez supervised the clock
and the overall atmosphere of the
forum was cordial and respectful.
The Tribally-sponsored forum
was the fourth such event for the
candidates, who also appeared
at forums held in Grand Ronde,
Portland and Eugene put on by
the Grand Ronde PAC. Schlappie
participated at the most recent
forum held in Eugene on Saturday,
July 22.
Adult Foster Program
The Tribe’s Adult Foster Care lodges are committed to offering quality
care to our Elders and helping them remain as independent as possible, while
providing the personalized assistance they need. At our lodges, a wide range
of services is available in a comfortable setting where privacy is respected
and maximum independence is supported. For information, contact Adult
Foster Program Director Peggy Shaver at 503-879-1694.
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