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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2018)
6 S moke S ignals AUGUST 1, 2018 TRIBAL COURT FACILITATION SERVICES Photo by Dean Rhodes Tribal Council candidates, from left, Steve Bobb Sr., Victor Cureton, Jon A. George, Jonathan R. George, Kristina Helfrich, Cheryle A. Kennedy, Brent Merrill and Brenda Tuomi participated in the Tribal Council Candidates Forum held Wednesday, July 25, in the Tribal Community Center. Candidates Forum filmed by Tribe’s Information Systems FORUM continued from front page Council or the membership set guidelines for membership, how to interpret the Tribal Constitution, should the membership have more say in how the endowments are managed and should Tribal Coun- cil members abstain from using drugs, tobacco and alcohol while representing the Tribe. Hernandez moderated the event while Tribal Council Administra- tive Assistant Shannon Simi served as the timekeeper. Tribal Council members Michael Langley, Jack Giffen Jr., Denise Harvey and Kathleen George at- tended the forum to perhaps get a feel for all of their potential col- leagues come September. The one issue that received sup- port from all of the candidates was fixing the split-family issue that is also one of the advisory votes on the Sept. 8 ballot, as well as finding a way to put the divisive enrollment audit behind the Tribe and promote healing. The 100-minute forum concluded with each candidate – this time in reverse alphabetical order – delivering three-minute closing statements. The official Candidates Forum was the fourth event for the can- didates. All of them attended the July 7 Grand Ronde PAC forum held in Grand Ronde while only the incumbents showed up at the July 14 Grand Ronde PAC forum held in Portland. The July 21 fo- rum held in Eugene attracted the remaining eight candidates after Peter Grout withdrew from the race on July 21. Several candidates noted that the official forum was the best attended of the four events. The Candidates Forum was filmed by the Tribe’s Information Systems staff and can be viewed by going to the Tribal website at www. grandronde.org and clicking on the News tab and then Video. Grout withdraws from Tribal Council race By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor For the second year in a row, a Tribal Council candidate has with- drawn from the race, but this year it was in time to have the candidate’s photo and name removed from the official ballot. Peter Grout, 43, sent an e-mail to Smoke Signals and posted on Facebook on Saturday, July 21, announcing the end of his first campaign for Tribal Council. He officially notified the Tribe’s election officials on Monday, July 23. “After doing some soul searching, I have decided to withdraw my bid for Tribal Council,” Grout wrote. “The short answer to why I’m withdrawing is simply because I feel that being a public figure is just not for me. This being said, I still plan to be involved with Tribal issues by attending coun- cil meetings and voicing my opinion and ideas. I encourage you all to do the same. Thank you to everyone who supported me through this process. It really meant a lot to me.” Grout is a surveillance technician at Spirit Mountain Casino and is the son of former Tribal Council member Val Grout, who nominated him on June 24. Grout participated in the first Grand Ronde PAC candidate forum that was held Saturday, July 7, in Grand Ronde, but was ab- sent from the next two Grand Ronde PAC forums held Satur- day, July 14, in Portland and Saturday, July 21, in Eu- Peter Grout gene. In his Tribal Council statement sent to the membership in the July Tilixam Wawa, Grout said he favored resolving issues that arose from the 1999 enrollment amendment to the Tribal Constitution, finalizing the current audit process and getting Tribal youth more involved. In 2017, Angela Schlappie with- drew from the Tribal Council race just before the Grand Ronde Can- didates Forum that was held in late July, but her name and photo remained on the ballot. She received 62 votes in the September election. With Grout bowing out of the race, there are now eight candidates seek- ing three seats: incumbents Cheryle A. Kennedy, Jon A. George and Bren- da Tuomi, and challengers Kristina Helfrich, Brent Merrill, Jonathan R. George, Victor Cureton and Steve Bobb Sr. Tribal Court offers Court Facilitation Services. Court staff will offer help to people who do not have an attorney and who would like assistance with court-related paperwork. Court staff are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice or assistance. This service is open to the community and is offered by appointment only from 9 a.m. to noon every Friday. If you would like to schedule an appointment, contact the Tribal Court at 503-879-2303 or by e-mail at court@grandronde.org. Court Staff May Not… Apply rules and laws to the facts of a specific case. Court Staff May… Provide basic information applicable to all parties about court procedures, rules and practices. Interpret the meaning of ordinances, statutes or rules in an attempt to explain how those rules may apply to particular situations. Refer people to specific statutes or court rules that govern routine court practice or procedures. Recommend one procedure or form over another. Provide instructions and forms developed by the Tribal Court. Substitute their own words for a customer’s words on a form or draft a legal document of their own. Indicate where to provide information on a form. Fill in blanks under the direction of a customer on forms selected by the customer. Take sides, recommend the services of a specific attorney and offer opinions about possible outcomes of court matters. Provide court schedules and information on how to get matters scheduled or refer to Oregon State Bar or local legal aid offices for legal assistance.
