SEPTEMBER 15, 2019
Newly elected Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. takes the oath of
office from Tribal Court Chief Judge Cynthia Kaufman Noble during
a swearing-in ceremony held in Tribal Council Chambers in the
Governance Center on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Giffen was elected to his sixth term on Tribal
Council on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Return of the
incumbents
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
smok signflz
11
Newly elected Tribal Council member Denise Harvey takes the oath
of office from Tribal Court Chief Judge Cynthia Kaufman Noble
during a swearing-in ceremony held in Tribal Council Chambers in the
Governance Center on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Harvey was elected to her
third consecutive term on Saturday,
Sept. 7, and was the top vote-getter
for the second time with 696 votes.
Newly elected Tribal Council
member Kathleen George
takes the oath of office from
Tribal Court Chief Judge
Cynthia Kaufman Noble during
a swearing-in ceremony held
in Tribal Council Chambers
in the Governance Center on
Wednesday, Sept. 11. George
was elected to her second
consecutive term on Saturday,
Sept. 7.
Casino losses in customers remain below projections
MEETING continued
from front page
and Ilani opening its convention
center and convenience store as ad-
ditional amenities at its Ridgefield,
Wash., gaming facility.
In reaction, renovation work con-
tinues on the lodge to ensure Spirit
Mountain remains competitive.
Lodge renovations will continue
through September 2020 because
large portions are not being shut
down, he said.
The casino also recently pur-
chased 191 new slot machines and
46 upgraded slot machines, which
represent 13 percent of the
slots on the casino floor.
“Those newer machines
produce about three times
more than the older games,
so it is really important for
us to do that,” Dillon said.
Dillon said Spirit Moun-
tain is close to renegotiat-
ing its compact with the
state of Oregon to allow it Spirit Mountain Casino Marketing Director
to offer sports wagering as
Shawna Ridgebear gives an overview of
well. Chinook Winds in Lin-
coln City started offering various marketing campaigns, including
sports wagering in August. the Tribe now having 16 billboards and six
Other new amenities to highway banners in the Portland and Salem
look forward to at Spirit metropolitan areas.
Mountain will be a 60-spot
after Ilani opened and that number
recreational vehicle park that will
stands at 21.9 percent. Overall, she
include hookups and WiFi. A com-
said, the projected 32.1 percent loss
pletion date has not been set, he
in customers is actually 8.4 percent
added.
in 2019.
Ridgebear said that casino losses
“In marketing, our goal is to ad-
in customers remain below pro-
just,
measure and win,” she said.
jections in 2019. For example, the
Ridgebear
also gave an overview
casino was projected to lose 44.3
of various marketing campaigns,
percent of its customers in Portland
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Spirit Mountain Casino General
Manager Stan Dillon said the
challenges continuing to confront
Spirit Mountain include a difficult
hiring market in which the state
unemployment rate is low and there
are a reported 30,000 unfilled jobs in
Oregon during the General Council
meeting held in the Tribal Community
Center on Sunday, Sept. 8.
including the Tribe now having 16
billboards and six highway banners
in the Portland and Salem metro-
politan areas.
“You can’t drive through Portland
or Salem without seeing our mes-
sages,” Ridgebear said.
She said that casino entertain-
ment, which has featured several
tribute shows recently, helps Spirit
Mountain provide entertainment
that can be offered at a reasonable
price. Recent tribute bands have
performed the music of The Eagles,
Queen, Led Zeppelin and popular
female country singers.
Unlike Ilani, which can leverage
its connection to the Mohegan Sun
in Connecticut in booking big-name
acts, Spirit Mountain cannot book
expensive acts and still offer rea-
sonably affordable ticket prices,
she added.
Spirit Mountain also has agreed
to co-sponsor with Toyota the
Portland Trail Blazers’ 50th an-
niversary season and is gearing
up to celebrate the casino’s 25th
anniversary in 2020.
In other action, Election Board
Vice Chair Michael Mercier delivered
the Tribal Council election results
from Saturday, Sept. 7, that saw all
three incumbents – Denise Harvey,
Kathleen George and Jack Giffen
Jr. – re-elected to three-year terms.
Iidavirre Mahto, Peter Grout
and Earnest Norton won the $100
door prizes and Tyrell Soderberg,
Connie Bobb, Wayne Peters, Nancy
Norton and Michelle Anderson won
the $50 door prizes. Bobb donated
her winnings to the Veterans Spe-
cial Event Board.
The next General Council meet-
ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday,
Oct. 6, in the Tribal Community
Center.
General Council opened with a
cultural presentation of drumming
and singing by Tribal Council
Secretary Jon A. George, Tribal
Council member Lisa Leno and
Youth Council members.
The entire meeting can be viewed
by visiting the Tribal government’s
website at www.grandronde.org
and clicking on the Government
tab and then Videos. 