Letters to the Editor - Sept. 15, 2015

Dear Tribal members:

As many of you know by now, I have been persistent in my lobbying for a pool to be put in Grand Ronde that meets all purposes. Well, this will be my last attempt to reach out to Tribal Council and our membership for support.

I will start by saying that there are, I’m sure, over 1,000 Tribal members alone in the area who this could serve. The winters are long here without many ways to pass time that are good for your health.

I do notice many Tribal members are out walking, including myself, trying hard to improve their health, but guess what? These days are about over for the next seven months and then the walking will end and all the kids will be sitting around on their laptops all day long. I will also add that swimming is the healthiest exercise there is.

I have heard a few members say they don’t agree with this because of cost and that they think no one will use it. I’m sorry, but that I just do not agree with. We have many other very expensive projects that have been approved that are rarely used at all or just a few days a year, and a pool compared to other past projects seems very appropriate as far as need is concerned. Not to mention the kids and Elders who have voiced their want for this for years now.

I will be blunt: I would like this to happen so these Elders could have a chance to enjoy it. From reading last month’s Smoke Signals, it sounds like this could go out for the membership’s opinion, so I’m just going to remind you all that this is what the area needs and it should not come down to what it does for our pocketbooks or if we live in the area or not.

Grand Ronde is the home of our Tribe and the real Indian way is taking care of our home and the many that are in need. I do know that many Tribal members are not from there, but I can honestly say if there were any other place with the amount of members we have here that needed something like this, I would support that 100 percent.

I will close in adding that I have talked to doctors and they agreed that swimming can take the place of many physical therapy issues and if a pool is built it could help save a substantial amount that we spend on our medical needs, greatly reducing the amount to be spent on operational costs, and let’s not forget what we could get in return dollars if it were open to surrounding communities.

Keep in mind the fun, competition and swim lessons that will be a plus for our membership here and for all that wish to come and visit.

Thank you very much and I hope you still stand behind me on this issue and voice your opinions.

Rex D. Haller

Roll #905

Dear Tribal members:

I am not normally one to bet. But in hindsight I would have bet that the person most eager to respond to my July 15 letter would be Leroy Good.

Some aspects of Leroy’s letter are very misleading and warrant responses. I stand by my gerrymandering theory, but more on that later.

First, when Leroy Good makes statements about not hearing “people talking,” I cannot take him seriously. He lives nowhere near Grand Ronde and doesn’t come to community events, Wednesday night council meetings or even General Council meetings. For him to make comments about what Tribal members are “talking” about here in Grand Ronde is like me telling him what Tribal members in Michigan are talking about. It is very disingenuous.

Leroy blows off the meeting back in December 2008 when several dozen Tribal members were disenrolled, saying there were no cries for them. Well, a review of the minutes on the Tribe’s website reveals not only was that one of the more lengthy council meetings in the last decade, nearly three hours, but a number of people showed up to protest what was taking place. Since Leroy watches most of our meetings online, I find it hard to believe he doesn’t know this.

I think we, as Tribal members, must be honest about our politics. We have factions. We have hot button issues. Leroy’s issue is enrollment, and by that I mean certain members of his family cannot enroll due to the 1999 amendment. I know this for a fact, because while campaigning in 2004 and during my council tenure, we heard from him constantly. Even as recently as the last election he utilized social media urging voters to support candidates who would reverse only the requirement that benefits his family while leaving other components of the 1999 amendment intact. There is nothing illegal about this. Why wouldn’t somebody want more members of their family in this Tribe, and lobby to make it happen? Lobbying is a key component of democracy, which is what we are.

But the other half of this issue is disenrollment, and that is where the relationship between he and I went sour. For years, Leroy has urged voters to support candidates who do not consider a treaty to be a record for enrollment purposes, knowing full well this will impact one specific family which he claims to have no beef with. Anybody who peruses the multiple Facebook pages will know that Leroy has devoted countless posts to his belief that this one Tribal family should be kicked out of the Tribe.

In closing, I will say this. On July 29 at a Wednesday night meeting, it was revealed that Tribal Council approved moving forward with a constitutional election to once again change our enrollment requirements. This was done without a public work session and without any knowledge of how the changes will impact our services. Furthermore, several items are bundled together despite protests during the last constitutional election by many Tribal members and council members that “bundling” separate issues is wrong.

The proposed amendments are worded in such a way that some families benefit, and others are blatantly ignored. I have a hunch Leroy Good’s family is one of the lucky ones. Which would make sense, since he publicly endorsed those council members who support fixing only one component of the enrollment requirements.

I’ll gladly take bets on this one, if anyone is interested.

Angie Blackwell

Roll #1089