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.