S moke S ignals
MAY 1, 2019
PROPOSED ELECTION
ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS
OPEN FOR COMMENT
The Tribal Council, in consultation with the Tribal Attorney’s Of-
fice, has proposed amendments to the Election Ordinance. The first
reading of the proposed amendments was made at the April 17, 2019,
Tribal Council meeting.
The proposed amendments to the Election Ordinance provide pro-
cedures for Constitutional amendments proposed by Tribal Council
and General Council. The proposed amendments address: (1) devel-
opment of proposed amendments; (2) submission to BIA for review; (3)
the authorizing resolution; (4) calling of the election; (5) petitions by
General Council; (6) designation of Tribal members for the Secretarial
Election Board; (7) procedures for preparing, assembling and certifying
election documents; and (8) duties of the Secretarial Election Board.
For a copy of the proposed Election Ordinance amendments, please
contact the Tribal Attorney’s Office at 503-879-4664. The Tribal Coun-
cil invites comment on the proposed amendments. Please send your
comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road,
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347, or by email to legal@grandronde.org.
Comments must be received by May 31, 2019.
Chinuk Language Program Students Present:
Coyote & Turkey Buzzard
The Play
Please join our program students and families in the enactment of one of our
traditional stories about coyote and turkey buzzard. Our Chinuk Kindergarten
through Fifth graders will act out the story told in Chinuk Wawa along with songs by
our Early Childhood Language Nest students. Dinner will be provided.
May 30 th
5
New study faults feds’
consultation with Tribes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Gov-
ernment Accountability Office re-
leased a report entitled “Tribal
Consultation: Additional Federal
Actions Needed for Infrastructure
Projects” on Friday, April 19, that
is the first-ever comprehensive re-
view of 21 federal agencies’ Tribal
consultation processes for the de-
velopment and implementation of
federal infrastructure projects.
The report identifies federal agen-
cies’ flawed Tribal consultation
mechanisms for development and
implementing infrastructure proj-
ects and found that many federal
agencies have neglected Tribal in-
put when making key decisions on
proposed infrastructure projects and
failed to consult Tribes until late in
the project development stages.
Ultimately, the report found that
many federal agencies lack the nec-
essary policies and implementation
mechanisms to consult Tribes affect-
ed by federal infrastructure projects.
“This report confirms what we’ve
heard from Indian Country all along,
that Tribes are often left in the dark
on projects that directly impact their
daily lives,” said Democratic Cali-
fornia Rep. Raul Ruiz. “Failing to
meaningfully consult Tribes is a clear
violation of the federal government’s
trust responsibility. The federal gov-
ernment must re-evaluate and reform
its Tribal consultation processes, and
I intend to hold our federal agencies
accountable to the recommendation
made in this report.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders,
who is running for the 2020 Dem-
ocratic nomination for president,
said the federal government can-
not “continue to trample on Native
American sovereignty.”
“We must instead fight for a new
relationship between the federal
government and the Native Ameri-
can community until they are treat-
ed with the respect and dignity they
deserve,” Sanders said.
The report recommends the feder-
al government strengthen its Tribal
consultation process, improve trans-
parency and ensure Tribal input is
given meaningful consideration.
The Government Accounting
Office provides fact-based, nonpar-
tisan information to Congress.
Need something notarized?
Starring:
Tribal gym
5:30 Play, dinner to follow
t’alapas
həm-latet
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.
West Valley Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 2003
EVENT continued
from front page
a memorial song, Tribal youth JC
Rogers will sing the national an-
them as she did in 2016, ’17 and
’18, and Grand Ronde Royalty and
Veterans Royalty will perform “The
Lord’s Prayer.”
The Grand Ronde Honor Guard
will post the colors and speakers
will include Navy veteran Sher-
onne Blasi, director of Statewide
Veterans Services at the Oregon
Department of Veterans’ Affairs,
and Army veteran Eric Enderle,
the Polk County Veteran Services
Officer.
Blasi is responsible for providing
advocacy and benefits to veterans,
their dependents and survivors to
ensure all veterans obtain benefits
to which they are entitled from
their military service.
Enderle holds both state and
national veteran service officer
accreditation through Oregon De-
partment of Veterans’ Affairs and
the American Legion. He began
working in veteran advocacy as an
intern at Oregon Department of
Veterans’ Affairs in Salem while
still in school. Prior to joining
Polk County, he worked as a De-
partment Service Officer with the
American Legion in Portland.
In addition to the aforementioned
Tribal members, names being
added to the West Valley Veterans
Memorial are Navy veterans Don-
ald Marten, Ralph Fillible, Walter
Van Orden and Mark Carl; Air
man Reyn Leno, a
Vietnam War-era
Marine Corps vet-
eran, will read the
names.
Spohn, who lives
in Roscommon,
Mich., served in the
Army from 2007 to
’14. He started as an
interior electrician
and then became a
combat engineer,
serving one tour of
duty in Iraq and two
tours in Afghani-
stan. He was wound-
ed in both countries
and is now retired,
living on disability
from Veterans Af-
fairs and the Tribe.
He is 43 and left the
military as a ser-
geant.
Kurns, 37, served
in the Army from
2001 to ’13. He was
Smoke Signals file photo
a scout and saw two
Grand Ronde Honor Guard member, Army veteran
tours of duty in Iraq,
and Tribal Elder Raymond Petite posts the Grand
including during the
Ronde Tribal flag at the beginning of the 16th annual
initial invasion, and
Memorial Day observance held at the West Valley
one tour of duty in
Veterans Memorial on the Tribal campus in May 2018.
Afghanistan. He
also was stationed
stateside
in
Georgia,
Colorado,
Force veterans Jeremy Fillible and
Washington
and
Texas.
Charles Cinnamon; Army veterans
He left the Army as a staff ser-
James E. Black, James E. Black
geant and lives in Gearhart where
Jr., Gordon Calder Jr. and Edwin
he cares of his children.
Roten; and Marine Corps veteran
Riddle, 67, served in the Navy as
Mark Dolan.
a data processing technician from
Former Tribal Council Chair-
1971 to ’81. He was stationed in San
Diego, Wales and Maryland and
retired as a petty officer first class.
“I enjoyed the 10 years I was in,”
he said from his home in Living-
ston, Texas. “I have no regrets.”
He said the highlights of his
military career were seeing many
countries while serving aboard
the guided missile cruiser U.S.S.
Chicago and touring much of
Great Britain while stationed in
Wales.
Smith served in the Marine Corps
from 1967 to ’74 and served two
tours of duty in Vietnam, where he
worked in the ammunition dump
loading bombs on to planes.
After leaving the Marine Corps,
he worked primarily as a truck
driver and lived in Lobster Val-
ley near Waldport. He walked on
March 2, 2019, at the age of 69.
The addition of 15 names brings
the number of veterans honored on
the pillars to 2,362.
The ceremony will close with Bud
Abbott reciting his traditional poem
“Remember Me, America” and Rob-
ert Thornburg performing taps on
the trumpet.
The West Valley Veterans Memo-
rial, which was dedicated in 2003,
was designed by Bobb and features
a man and a woman dressed in tra-
ditional Native clothing standing
side by side reaching to the sky.
Surrounding them are four black
granite pillars, which feature the
names of Tribal and community
veterans from Grand Ronde, Wil-
lamina and Sheridan.