Tribal Council appoints new Tribal Court chief judge

By Dean Rhodes

Smoke Signals editor

During a rare early morning meeting, Tribal Council appointed Hoopa Valley Tribal member Patrick Melendy of Springfield as the new Tribal Court chief judge on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Melendy, 51, grew up in Independence and started law school at the University of Oregon in 1993, graduating in 1996. He previously received an undergraduate degree in history from Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

He has lived in Springfield since 1997 and currently is a partner with the Leahy Cox law firm. He is a member of the Oregon State Bar and Lane County Bar Association. He also was admitted to practice in the Oregon Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

He also has volunteered with the Oregon chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. In his spare time, he plays drums in two bands, hikes and camps in the summer, watches University of Oregon football and spends time with his wife, Laurie, and two children.

Melendy succeeds Cynthia Kaufman Noble as Tribal Court chief judge. She resigned earlier this year to take a position on the Yamhill County Circuit Court and previous Chief Judge David Shaw has been filling in since March. Melendy’s two-year contact will run from Sept. 14, 2022, through Sept. 14, 2024.

The Tribal Council meeting was held at 9 a.m. instead of the usual 4 p.m. starting time to accommodate the 11 a.m. funeral service for three-term Tribal Council member Steve Bobb Sr., who walked on Aug. 11.

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Re-appointed former Oregon State Sen. Arnie Roblan and Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader to the Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees. Portland attorney Chip Lazenby will continue on the board as the governor’s appointee. The Community Fund will need to find a replacement for outgoing Oregon State Rep. Karin Power, who declined to serve another term on the board;
• Sent proposed amendments to the Tribe’s five-year-old Independent Tribal Press Ordinance out for a first reading, which will give Tribal members 30 days to review the suggested changes. The five-member Grand Ronde Editorial Board reviews the ordinance annually and suggested the amendments, which include emphasizing the Tribal press as a critical and essential service, ensures Smoke Signals staff adhere to professional journalism ethics and increases the years of experience for the editor from five to 10 years.
• Approved the fifth supplemental budget of 2022 for $570,000 that will help fund the Community Center expansion to add offices for the Warriors of Hope Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Program;
• And approved a memorandum of understanding for the Tribe to participate in Polk County’s coordinated homeless response system that will create a centralized point of contact. Other governments and entities participating include the cities of Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Willamina and Falls City, Polk County and the Mid-Valley Community Action Agency.

Also included in the Aug. 24 Tribal Council packet was an approved authorization to proceed that directs General Manager David Fullerton to establish a working group to evaluate and address homelessness and emergency housing opportunities for Tribal members among several other housing-related priorities.

To view the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Government tab and then Videos.