Siletz.Net Virtual Community Center for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

A tribal member has written to me regarding the members' desire to see the creation of an elders center, a place where elders can go during the day.

While the tribe offers outings and events for in-area elders, there isn't a place for them on a day to day basis. Elders in the tribe are diverse. Some are barely ambulatory and some are quite vigorous, but they could all benefit from a center or a place they could go on a daily basis where they can network, share thoughts and ideas, assist one another, and enjoy the company of others. Having a place for them to go on a daily basis would be a valuable service for the tribe to provide.

There are a number of ways an elders place could come about. Below are just a few examples of wasteful spending which could be corrected to free up resources for it.

The tribal government has committed over $8 Million dollars for new clinic facilities that we don't need. While some expansion could be merited and some of that funding will be provided by the Federal Government, we are about to go much further into debt to build a Taj Mahal of a health care center which can only benefit a fraction of tribal members. It's far more than is needed to upgrade our health care service.

The Tribal Council voted to take General Welfare casino profits to put in a fiber optics system for local projects, like the new gym and the USDA building, at "costs not to exceed $135,000," according to Resolution No. 2007 - 443 they passed a year ago. That's a huge amount of money to wire a gym and USDA Building for internet and I can't think of why other needs go should unmet when we spend so much for a fiber optics system.

I was present at the June 2007 Tribal Council meeting when General Manager Brenda Bremner got the Tribal Council to approve a $3000 coffee break for a conference in Hawaii. I was stunned that Brenda would ask tribal members to pick up the tab for coffee and croissants for others at a Hawaiian boondoggle. That money could have been better spent or, heaven forbid, saved. $3000 would buy furniture and a nice entertainment system for an elders center. Instead it took about 15 minutes to spend at that conference in Hawaii. Gone in 15 minutes for what? To stroke the vanity of the General Manager.

Our investment entity, STBC (Siletz Tribal Business Corporation) has apparently been hemorrhaging hundreds of thousands of investment dollars every year since its inception. If we could stem the flow of those losses, the tribe could use just a modest amount of the savings to benefit our elders and their families.

We have the means to do this now with properties like Salem Flex. We already spent millions for the Flex Building and continue to lose money on it. Why not use some of that vacant space? A small part of the building houses Salem Area Office, but most of it sits there empty, year after year. We might lower the ceiling in a section of it and remodel an area for an elders center. It's right next door to some great facilities at Hee Hee Illahee RV, which has amenities that our elders could share with the customers there.

We could also utilize room in the new buildings which will comprise the $6 million dollar museum and cultural center that is partially built near the Siletz Community Center. There are so many ways we could make an elders place happen.

There was small amount of discussion about an elders center in the minutes some time ago, but nothing lately. The plans for that seem to have drifted along the wayside. I challenge the Tribal Council to seriously reconsider it now. If we throttle back on some of the more extravagant projects and wasteful STBC ventures the tribe could afford to have one or more elders centers.

Details are sketchy, but reports are circulating that tribal gadfly Lisa Brown had to be forcibly removed from the premises during the Pow Wow last weekend. Apparently she was asking (AGAIN!!!) for tribal members to be granted greater access to financial data.

Like THAT might happen...

Brenda Bremner Siletz Tribal General Manager Salary: $114,400

Ted Kulongoski Governor of Oregon Salary: $93,600

I recently requested and received documents regarding a grant application submitted by Mike Kennedy, our tribe's Natural Resources Manager. This information is available to all Americans under the Freedom of Information Act. One of these documents, dated August 6th 2008, reports our General Manager's salary this year as $114,400.

That's more than $20,000 higher than the annual salary of Ted Kulongoski, the Governor of Oregon. A list of state governor's salaries reports the Oregon governor's salary as $93,600.

Kulongoski governs a state with a population of 3,747,455 while Brenda Bremner manages a tribe with a population under 5,000. Oregon's state budget is well over 40 billion dollars. Obviously Governor Kulongoski's responsibilities far exceed those of General Manager Brenda Bremner, but she is paid over $20,000 more than the governor.

In fact, Brenda Bremner's salary is higher than that of 22 state governors: Alabama, Hawaii, New Mexico, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Kansas, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana, West Virgina, Oregon, North Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Maine, all pay their governor less than the tribe pays our General Manager Brenda Bremner.

The same grant application lists our Assistant General Manager's salary in 2008 as $96,948. That appears to be the salary Tina Retasket was paid as Assistant General Manager earlier this year. That would mean that Tina Retasket was also making more than the Governor of Oregon when she was Brenda Bremner's assistant.

On Friday, November 14th 2008, the Election Board met with tribal attorney Craig Dorsay, so that Dorsay could explain the election ordinance to the board. Lisa Brown and I also attended the meeting. The meeting was recorded by Tracey Worman.

When they had finished reviewing the ordinance I asked Election Board chairman Tracey Worman a few questions. She told us that she had been on the Election Board in October 2007 and that she had worked with Tina Retasket then. I asked if Tina had worked on the General Election at that time, and Worman said Tina had been appointed only for the referendum. I asked how she knew that Tina had been appointed only for the referendum, and Worman said that was what General Manager Brenda Bremner had told Retasket, Worman, Cova St. Onge, and Kurtis Barker.

Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman said all of this in front of tribal attorney Craig Dorsay.

Worman said she had a memo detailing the terms of Tina Retasket's appointment to the Election Board. I asked to see it and she produced it for me, but tribal attorney Craig Dorsay intercepted it. After examining the document, Dorsay denied me access to it. He said if I wanted to see it I would have to request it from Tribal Council. He did not explain what authority he had over the Election Board or their documents. As far as I know he has no such authority.

The memo that Tracey Worman produced and described was also described for me by Brenda Bremner on November 6th when we were discussing Tina Retasket's appointment:

Lynette Warren: Why was she only appointed for the referendum?

Brenda Bremner: Because she had announced her candidacy for Council. So she could be on the General. She got elected last year. She couldn't be on the Election Board to deal with the general election.

Lynette Warren: So she didn't get a year long appointment?

Brenda Bremner: No, she got appointed only for the referendum.In my notes I specifically... in my note, in my memo I gave to them, she was notified and they were notified in Council that she would only be on there for the referendum.

Lynette Warren: So knowing that she was gonna be a candidate she was only appointed for the referendum?

Brenda Bremner: The deal was the referendum.

At the special Tribal Council on November 8th, however, Brenda Bremner denied that she knew that Tina Retasket planned to run for Tribal Council when Bremner appointed Retasket to the Election Board in October 2007. She denied this in front of the Tribal Council and tribal attorney Craig Dorsay.

Lest anyone be confused, we only have one Election Board which is charged with managing all tribal elections. By law, all Election Board appointments are for one year. By law, one cannot be appointed to the Election Board if one plans to run for tribal office during that one year term of service.

At the meeting on Friday with Craig Dorsay and the Election Board, I also got to see the Election Board's signed oaths of office for the past few years as well as resignation letters. Tina Retasket's oath of office was no different form that of other members. But while there were a number of resignations on file going back as far as 2006, there was no record of Tina Retasket's departure form the Election Board in early 2007.

On Thursday November 13th, Worman told me that she had no resignation from Retasket in ealrly 2007. She told me "That was between Brenda and Tina". Of course Brenda Bremner claims she does not oversee the Election Board so there is no legitimate reason why she would be involved in Retasket's resignation. The Election Board should have a written record of Retasket's resignation, as it has for other members, but in this case General Manager Brenda Bremner avoided leaving a paper trail which could have been damaging to Tina Retasket's political career.

Yesterday, November 13th 2008, I visited our tribal offices in order to see our election records. I asked our Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman for the Election Board minutes. I also asked to see the signed oaths of office for Election Board members from the past few years. Our Election Ordinance says:

"Upon accepting the appointment, each member shall sign an oath which shall become part of the election records stating that he or she will serve according to the best of his or her ability and shall make every effort to prevent fraud or abuse of the election process."

I also asked to see any written records of resignations from the Election Board.

Tracey Worman informed me that I needed to submit any such requests in writing to Craig Dorsay, the tribe's lawyer.

Over the past few weeks I have asked most of the Tribal Council members about access to Election Board minutes. I asked Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley and Vice-Chairman Bud Lane, as well as Tribal Council members Tina Retasket, Lillie Butler, Lorraine Butler, and Jesse Davis. Without exception, they each told me that they knew of no reason why tribal members should not be able to see the minutes of the Election Board.

The integrity of our elections is vital to the welfare of our tribe. Tribal members can only verify the integrity of our elections by examining our election records. Our election processes should be transparent, there is no excuse for keeping such records secret from tribal members.

Unfortunately, our Election Board is now adopting the posture of a criminal defendant: You want records? Talk to our lawyers!

Tina Retasket

Dee Pigsley

Bud Lane

Robert Kentta

Tina Retasket departed from the Election Board in early 2007 because of the ethical scandal associated with the campaign letter shown below.

Retasket campaigned for Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley and Vice-Chairman Bud Lane during the election she was supposed to be administering fairly. Chairman Pigsley spoke of the letter on election day in 2007 at the General Council Meeting on Februrary 3rd 2007.

Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley:

".. she didn't write the letter as a member of the election board, she wrote it as an individual. She put her address on it and it was probably a bad choice of things to do from the election board. There is nothing in the ordinance however that prohibits it. But because it just looks bad ethically she was removed from the election board.

As far as sanctioning her, I don't know how you sanction a volunteer, except not let them serve on the election board."

The letter was signed by:

Rose Bremner - Sister of Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley. Mother of Tribal General Manager Brenda Bremner (Tina Retasket's boss at the time).
JoAnn Miller - Former Tribal Council Member. Mother of Tribal Council Member Robert Kentta.
Robert Kentta - Tribal Council Member (Now, and when he signed the letter)
Alfred Lane Jr.- Brother of Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley. Father of Tribal Vice-Chairman Bud Lane.

At the General Council Meetin on November 1st 2008, Robert Kentta admitted that he had signed the letter.

Tina Retasket and Brenda Bremner

I gave the following presentation to the Tribal Council, just before they voted:

I'm here today to address growing ethical problems with the Election Board. I intend to explain why our General Manager Brenda Bremner is ethically unfit to recommend appointments to the Election Board and why Kurtis Barker and Tracey Worman are unfit to serve.

In late 2007 Brenda Bremner and Tina Retasket conspired to break our elections laws, apparently with the tacit approval of the Tribal Council.

The Election ordinance states: “Election Board members shall each serve for one year from the date of appointment and may be removed only for cause.”

And it says that no person shall be appointed who “plans to be a candidate or who has an immediate family member or resident of the household who plans to be candidate in any election during his or her term of service.”

This was our law in 2007 and it remains our law today. The ordinance clearly states that no person shall be appointed who plans to be a candidate for tribal office in ANY election during their term, and it clearly defines that term as one year.

But Brenda Bremner appointed Tina Retasket to the Election Board in October 2007, and Tina accepted that appointment, even though both knew very well that Tina planned to run for Tribal Council just two months later.

I spoke with Brenda Bremner two days ago, on November 6th. She told me that Tina had only been appointed to the Election Board for the duration of the referendum election which was held on December 8th, 2007. Brenda told me that she gave Tribal Council a memo which explained that Tina would only serve on the Election Board through the referendum because Tina planned to run for Tribal Council.

Our Constitution says that Election Board members must serve set terms of office and our Election Ordinance defines that term as one year. There is nothing in our laws that authorizes Brenda to redefine that term of office.

So even though Brenda sought to create a term tailor-made to accommodate Tina's campaign for Tribal Council, Tina's term was legally one year, a year in which both Tina and Brenda knew perfectly well that Tina would run for Tribal Council.

Again, the Election Ordinance clearly states that no person shall be appointed who plans to be a candidate in ANY election during their term of office.

Brenda and Tina both knew the law. But they violated the law in order to get Tina on the Election Board and still accommodate Tina's campaign for Tribal Council. This is punishable by up to 6 months in prison or a fine of up to $5000, or both.

Tina was sitting on the Election Board at a time when it was already engaged in it's duties supervising the 2008 General Election - the very election in which Tina planned to run.

Our campaign for that election began on November 3rd, 2007, at the General Council Meeting. Robert Kentta, Lorraine Butler, Cynthia Farlow, Lisa Brown, Eva Clayton and I declared our candidacies that day. Tina Retasket did not declare her candidacy then because she was still on the Election Board. And Tina was still on the Election Board a month later - a full month into the campaign for Tribal Council. Obviously it is unethical for a candidate to sit on the Election Board during a campaign in which she intends to run. That's why we have laws against it. The result was that Tina won a seat on the Tribal Council, edging out Lisa Brown by only 29 votes. Of course, Lisa Brown did not have the advantage of sitting on the Election Board during the campaign.

The ethical problems with Brenda's appointment of Tina run much deeper. Earlier that same year Tina had departed from the Election Board due to an ethical scandal. When we spoke two days ago, Brenda told me that she, herself, had asked Tina for her resignation at that time, and that Tina had agreed. I asked why Brenda had called for Tina's resignation. Brenda said: “There was the appearance of a conflict because she wrote a letter and sent it out “

Brenda also said that the letter had endorsed certain candidates.

We know that those ”certain candidates”were in fact Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley and Vice-Chairman Bud Lane.

Brenda told me Tina wrote and sent out the letter. This the same thing Chairman Dee Pigsley told the General Council in February 2007, although Dee failed to name Tina and she failed to disclose that Tina had been campaigning for Dee Pigsley and Bud Lane in the letter.

Brenda told me that she did not know if Tina had actually done anything unethical, but that Brenda had asked Tina to resign because of the appearance of unethical conduct.

I hardly know what to say about someone who claims not to know if it is unethical for an Election Board member to be campaigning for the Tribal Chairman and Vice-Chairman during an election she is supposed to be supervising fairly.

I can only say that such a demonstrated lack of an ethical compass should disqualify Brenda Bremner from any further involvement in our election process. Given all of this, the Tribal Council should never again consider her recommendations for Election Board appointments.

Today Brenda is recommending that Kurtis Barker and Tracy Worman be re-appointed. I will now present further reasons why these two individuals are unfit to serve.

I spoke with Tracey recently. I was astonished to hear her say that Brenda oversees the Election Board. She repeated this several times. She told me, for instance, that if the Election Board had an issue with a candidate's statement they would first contact the candidate to try to clear up any problems, then they would consult Brenda and then the Tribal Council if necessary. I asked another question about Election Board policy and Tracey told me she would have to ask Brenda, and that Brenda was away for a few days.

The problem here is that Brenda has no legitimate authority whatsoever over Election Board policies and decisions. It is an egregious violation of fair election practices for Brenda to be running our Election Board. I asked Jessie Davis about this and she told me “it would not be kosher” for Brenda to be overseeing the Election Board on such matters. Lillie Butler told me much the same thing.

But at the General Council meeting last week, right in front of the Tribal Council, Tracey confirmed that the Election Board would consult with Brenda first on matters of election policy. They don't see anything wrong with that.

On page 4 of the November issue of Siletz News there is an article by Kurtis Barker which states: "The Election Board now will be responsible for accepting and approving all candidate's statements. We have chosen to adopt many of the rules that govern statements in Siletz News. Statements will be limited to 450 words and not contain any personal attacks. One photo (optional) can be accepted with statements. Candidate's statements cannot be posted on Tribal property."

On the other hand, the Election Ordinance clearly says that the Election Board may propose rules regarding candidates statements, but the Tribal Council must review and approve such rules.

Tribal Council members Lillie Butler and Jessie Davis have both confirmed to me that the Tribal Council has not reviewed or approved the rules that Kurtis has attempted to impose on candidates. This article was of course published in our tribal newspaper by Brenda .

It is unlawful for the Election Board to impose rules that have not been reviewed and adopted by the Tribal Council. And it is utterly inappropriate for Brenda to be publishing such illegal pronouncements.

But it's hardly surprising that an Election Board which thinks it is supervised by Brenda is trying to impose the rules of the newspaper which Brenda runs, rules which she has used to reject or heavily censor my letters when I've criticized the Tribal Council.

Both Kurtis and Tracey confirmed to me that suppressing criticism of the Tribal Council was indeed a purpose of the new rules. Kurtis Barker put it most bluntly when he said: “We want articles that state why you want to be on Tribal Council, not like an attack mode where you candidates can blame the Tribal Council for what's going on. “

Brenda 's policy of political censorship of letters to the Siletz News is being extended into our election process with this power grab to control candidates' statements. Brenda is clearly orchestrating our newspaper and our Election Board in concert to muzzle political opponents of the Tribal Council. And Kurtis and Tracey have attempted to impose these rules unilaterally, without the approval of the Tribal Council, which our law requires.

For these reasons, Kurtis Barker and Tracey Worman are unfit to serve on the Election Board. Tribal Council should not re-appoint them.

If you do re-appoint these two to the Election Board, I want to be put on the agenda for the next Tribal Council meeting where I will present additional evidence of more violations of the election ordinance by Brenda Bremner, Tracey Worman, and Kurtis Barker. Also, expect to see me back in Siletz on election day explaining to the General Council why these two are unfit to serve on the Election Board and how Brenda Bremner is using them to corrupt our election process.

Lynette Warren
November 8th, 2008

I spoke with Brenda Bremner two days ago, on November 6th. She told me that Tina had only been appointed to the Election Board for the duration of the referendum election which was held on December 8th, 2007. Brenda told me that she gave Tribal Council a memo which explained that Tina would only serve on the Election Board through the referendum because Tina planned to run for Tribal Council.

Even though Brenda told me this just two days ago on the phone, Brenda now denies knowing that Tina planned to be a candidate at the time of Tina's nomination to the Election Board in October 2007.

At this afternoon's Special Tribal Council Meeting, Tina also wouldn't admit that she planned to run for Tribal Council during the time she served on the Election Board for the pay raise referendum last year.

A: Not the two people that Chairman Dee Pigsley introduced at the General Council Meeting!

Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley introduced Kurtis Barker and Tracey Worman as members of the election board, at the General Council meeting on November 1st. I asked Kurtis Barker if his term hadn't expired. In front of the Tribal Council, Kurtis Barker claimed to be still be on the Election Board.

Tribal Council members sat and said nothing when I pointed out that Tracey Worman and Kurtis Barker are in fact not really on the Election Board because their terms of office had expired.

The only member of the Election Board at this time is Teala Rilatos. She should have been making any presentation to the General Council on behalf of the Election Board.

Today Chairman Dee Pigsley finally admitted to me that Tracey Worman and Kurtis Barker were not really members of the Election Board on November 1st. Tribal Council member Jessie Davis also confirmed that their terms of office had expired in October.

At the General Council Meeting on Saturday I asked about the status of our Flex Building In Salem. As I reported here last year, we built the Flex Building in 2006 for a reported cost of $4,000,000.

Chairman Dee Pigsley admitted on Saturday that the Salem Flex Building remains vacant of paying tenants after more than two and a half years.

Our mortgage payment on this property is at least $42,000 per month based on a 15 year loan and a 5 year loan.

I visited the Salem Flex Building building again on Sunday and there are still no signs up indicating that there is space available for rent. The lack of signs was pointed out to the Tribal Council last May and they said they would take care of it. I've checked the property four times in the past year and I have never seen any such signs at the building.

We still have a nice plaque on the Salem Flex Building though, honoring our Tribal Council for this $4,000,000 money pit:

Today the Salem Flex building looks the same as it did 15 months ago:

At least they're still mowing the lawn...

Here is what I said Saturday at the General Council Meeting in my candidate's declaration:

At the General Council Meeting in August of 2007 I tried to alert tribal members to grave problems associated with our Tribal Council's bailout of the bankrupt U.S Aeroteam. I also expressed grave doubts about the viability of Siletz Aeroteam.. I presented documents showing that, at a time when US Aeroteam was 100% owned by the tribe, US Aeroteam Chief Financial Officer John Busch submitted false and misleading information to the state of Ohio in order to qualify for a minority loan for over $1 million. The application stated that our tribe would remain 100% owners of U.S. Aeroteam, when in fact the officers of U.S. Aeroteam and all members of our Tribal Council knew that 80% ownership of U.S. Aeroteam would soon be returned to Suhas Kakde and his partners. John Busch also submitted statements saying that U.S. Aeroteam had a facility in Oregon and that they were considering moving their Ohio business to Oregon, trying to secure financial incentives from Ohio to keep their business there. Our tribal council knows U.S. Aeroteam has never had a facility in Oregon and says there were never any plans to move the Ohio business here. So how can we explain these false statements presented to Ohio by U.S. Aeroteam on behalf of our tribe? Clearly tribal council was asleep at the wheel again, and was failing to do due diligence as they failed to do with River Reclamation Group. I further informed tribal members that one year earlier, in 2006, the Tribal Council had quietly made Phil Rilatos, one of their own members, the President of Siletz Aeroteam. Rilatos was paid over $30,000 a year while managing one employee half way across the country. Phil had been drawing this salary for over a year but Tribal Council had never seen fit to reveal this to tribal members.

For this I was silenced at the by General Council Meeting via a motion that Chairman Dee Pigsley ramrodded through in 20 seconds without allowing for any discussion on the motion. That was 15 months ago and the Tribal Council has still shown no interest in finding out why false statements were made to the State of Ohio on our behalf. We've seen that Siletz Aeroteam was never anything more than a pie-in-the-sky plan sold to the Tribal Council by our U.S. Aeroteam partners Suhas Kakde and Jeff Maag. Siletz Aeroteam is dissolved. There was never any reason to think our Tribal Council was competent to launch and run an aerospace company.

From the very day I was silenced in August 2007 General Council, my letters submitted to Siletz News have been regularly rejected or heavily censored by the authority of the editor Brenda Bremner, who, of course, is also our General Manager and the niece of Chairman Dee Pigsley. My letters have often been rejected without comment, in those cases I only find out when the paper arrives and my letter isn't there. I have sought clarification for over a year on why my letters are rejected and only once did I get the editors to indicate what specifically they felt was unacceptable in a letter I submitted to them early this year.. Here is the largest passage that they was deemed unacceptable for the paper:

“The Editor-in-Chief of the Siletz News is Brenda Bremner.  Brenda, as the General Manager of the Tribe, is an appointee of the Tribal Council and she is also the niece of the Tribal Council Chairman.  There are major conflict of interest problems with this arrangement.   “

I was told this passage violates the policy which says letters may not contain “profane language, libelous statements, personal attacks, or unsubstantiated statements”. No one would ever tell me how that passage I wrote violates the policy. This is censorship of a critic of tribal government, plain and simple. Tribal members need a newspaper where criticism of tribal government can be freely expressed, but we don't have one. I showed this and other examples of censorship to every member of tribal Council and none have shown the slightest interest.

Silencing tribal members in our newspaper is bad enough, but now there is a plan in motion to muzzle our candidates for tribal office. In the October issue of Siletz News you will find an announcement from Election Board Vice Chairman Kurtis Barker which announces that he will now be approving all candidates statements and they will be applying the editorial rules of Siletz News, which apparently means there is an excellent chance that my candidates statement will not be accepted. They even intend to limit candidates' statements to 450 words for the first time in our history.

I called our Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman and asked who had decided that the election board would now have authority over candidates statements. She said, “That was brought forward to council mainly because they were afraid that instead of people telling us what their qualifications were, and their stance on different platforms, that they were gonna bash other people."

Election Board Vice Chairman Kurtis Barker who was even more blunt about the new policy on candidates statements. He told me, “We want articles that state why you want to be on Tribal Council, not like an attack mode where you can blame the Tribal Council for what's going on.“

The new policy is clearly intended to prevent candidates from criticizing Tribal Council.

As I tried to learn the source of this new policy from Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman, I was shocked to hear her say that General Manager Brenda Bremner oversees the Election board. She confirmed this several times in no uncertain terms. She told me that if the Election Board had an issue with a candidate's statement they would first contact the candidate to try to clear up any problems, then they would consult Brenda Bremner and then the Tribal Council if necessary. I asked another question about Election Board policy and the Election Board Chairman told me she would have to ask Brenda Bremner, and that Brenda was away for a few days.

Here's a big problem - under our laws Brenda Bremner has no legitimate authority whatsoever over Election Board policies and decisions. Our Election Board is supposed to be an independent body, which, by law, only reports to the Tribal Council. It is utterly inappropriate for Brenda Bremner to be supervising our Election Board. How did we arrive at a point where our Election Board Chairman, Tracey Worman believes that Brenda Bremner oversees the Election Board?

As I went through the minutes of the Tribal Council meetings from the past few years, trying to discover how our new election policies came about, I saw that Brenda Bremner often reported to the Tribal Council on Election Board recommendations and decisions – she spoke for the election board. No wonder they think she's their boss!

One of the few occasions where Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman and Vice-Chairman Kurtis Barker met with the tribal Council to discuss proposed changes to election policy was in April 2008. Surprisingly this discussion took place entirely in secret executive session.. Election Board Chairman Worman told me that Brenda Bremner was also present in this session, though the minutes failed to record this. The session lasted over 90 minutes. I can't imagine any legitimate reason why the tribal Council and the Election Board should discuss election policy in secret for 90 minutes. Nor can I think of any legitimate reason why the General Manager should be present for 90 minutes of secret Election Board discussions.

I found another shocker. At the General Council Meeting in Feburary 2007, on election day, Monte Kentta asked the Tribal Council about a campaign letter sent out by an Election Board member. Chairman Dee Pigsley said the person hadn't broken any rules but had been removed because of the appearance of an ethical problem. I had seen this exchange long ago on one of our DVDs and had not thought much about it. Now I was inclined to dig deeper and I discovered that Chairman Dee Pigsley's account of the matter was extremely self-serving. In fact it was a cover-up.

What Chairman Pigsley should have told tribal members, even before the election, was that the Election Board member who had been removed was none other than the Election Board Chairman, Tina Retasket and that she was removed because she had campaigned on behalf of Dee Pigsley and Vice-Chairman Bud Lane. During the very election she was supposed to be administering fairly, Election Board Chairman Tina Retasket, who was also Assistant General Manager at the time, sent out letters endorsing Dee Pigsley and Bud Lane in the Election. The letters were signed by Tribal Council member Robert Kentta, his mother JoAnn Miller (a recent Tribal Council member), Bud Lane's father, and Rose Bremner (the sister of Chairman Pigsley and the mother of Tina's boss, General Manager Brenda Bremner). You can see a photocopy of the letter on Siletz.Net.

All of these people should have known better than to sign this campaign letter by the Election Board Chairman, but Robert Kentta's involvement is the most troubling because he was a sitting member of the tribal Council that put Tina Retasket on the Election Board.

Every member of the Tribal Council knew this had happened; they knew weeks before the election. They may think that this was not a serious matter. But that was not for them to decide, that was for voters to decide. Every Tribal Council member had a responsibility to investigate the incident and to disclose the facts of this case to the voters. But they don't care much about what the members of this tribe deserve to know, they're mostly concerned about what they can get away with. Chairman Pigsley will tell you that it's really no big deal that the Election Board Chairman was campaigning for Dee and her nephew, Bud Lane, that it's really no big deal that Robert Kentta signed that campaign letter. But what's indisputable is that she didn't give voters the chance to decide for themselves just how big a deal this was, because she didn't give voters the facts.. And we can't let any Tribal Council members off the hook on this one, they all let the tribe down.

Astonishingly, the minutes of the tribal council eight months later, in October 2007 show Brenda Bremner telling Tribal Council that Tina Retasket was back on the Election Board.

You can't make this stuff up.

In her whitewash of this affair Chairman Dee Pigsley said that working on the Election Board is a thankless job. I'm not so sure. Through the Freedom of Information Act I got a copy of a grant application submitted by the tribe which shows that the salary of our Assistant General Manager was $56,062 in 2006 and then jumped to over $96,948 by 2008. Tina Retasket was Assistant General Manager during those years. (Copies available upon request.)

I've told you how my letters to the paper started getting rejected after I criticized the tribal government. I live out-of-area so that's the worst that's happened to me so far. I know it can be a lot worse for people who live here when they criticize the tribal council. I've heard from many tribal members that they cannot afford to come forward with criticism for fear of retaliation. And they have good reason to be afraid.

Lisa Brown has been an outspoken critic of tribal government for years. Earlier this year she was in the Culture Office and asked if she could get some copies made of a petition aimed at making it easier for tribal members to register to vote. A tribal employee made ten copies of the petition for Lisa. Tribal Council Vice-Chairman Bud Lane came in and expressed displeasure that Lisa was getting copies for such a purpose and said he would report her. Lisa offered to pay for the copies if there was a problem, but this did not satisfy him. Lisa reported this little altercation on Siletz.Net the next day. Weeks later Lisa's boss called her in and handed her a reprimand charging her with theft for using the copier in the Culture department. This charge was obviously initiated by Vice-Chairman Bud Lane and it is a brazen example of harassment of a political opponent. You can read the reprimand at www.Siletz.Net. After ridiculously charging Lisa with theft for asking for copies, it says that Lisa would have 30 days to improve her behavior at which time she would meet with her supervisor for review. This happened on May 2nd and the General Council Meeting was the next day. Lisa brought the matter to the attention of the Tribal Council. She was fired upon returning to work the next week – fired for requesting copies in Bud Lane's department. On Friday she was given 30 days to shape up, but after speaking of this at the General Council meeting on Saturday she was immediately terminated. The message is clear - tribal employees cannot criticize tribal government if the want to keep their jobs.

Tribal Voters need to clean house. I urge you to vote for Lisa Brown and against the incumbent tribal Council members Frank Simmons, Jessie Davis, and Reggie Butler. They are not representing you as you deserve.

Finally I want to point out that Chairman Dee Pigsley just introduced Kurtis Barker as a member of our Election Board. In fact, his term has expired and he is not on the Election Board at this time. Kurtis Barker just said that the election ordinance gives the General Manager the power to appoint him. In fact, the election ordinance grants no such power.

10/30/08 9:00am

The Tribal Council is in the process of attempting to disenroll tribal member Tristen John. In September they requested him to take a DNA test. He exercised his right to refuse the request. Some members of the Tribal Council believe his tribal application from several years ago was fraudulent. They believe that the burden of proof is on Tristen John to prove that his application was not fraudulent by taking the DNA test. His supporters believe it is not Tristen who must prove anything and that the burden of proof is on those who are alleging fraud.

The Tristen John disenrollment attempt by the Tribal Council majority is an unprecedented event in tribal history. He has been a member of the tribe for some years and now he's embroiled in a controversy which was not of his choosing.

The time and location haven't been posted by the tribe. I've been informed that it will be a 9am hearing at the Siletz Tribal Council Chambers or possibly the Tribal Court. However, I suggest contacting the tribal court administrator, Diane McCleod, at 541-444-8228 or diannem@ctsi.nsn.us to make sure the venue has not been changed or moved.

[The following sentiments are from Tribal elders, and also the statements received in e-mail communications from Tribal Council members regarding use of Chinook Winds "comps", or providing them to friends, family and others without documentation or a paper trail to determine who actually receives these "comps"] -LB

Letter #1

Lisa,

You can share these feelings I have shared with you. I would prefer that a name NOT be mentioned, as I do not think that it is necessary to say who as it is more important to have an opinion/sentiment of "a tribal elder" speaking from their heart.

This is only because when a family name or individual name is mentioned, there are people who will turn off their hearing for that reason alone. Some are not willing to listen with an open heart because of who said it

And you know Lisa, I admire you for being able to stand up and be heard. Honestly! And I also think that there are many out there listening and understanding and saying, " you know that Lisa Brown she is making some real sense".

Hang in there & keep doing what your heart has told you to do. And always with an unselfish heart. I know you can do it. You are strong (although I'm sure there are times when you want to say screw it...is it even worth it).

name withheld at writer's request

_____________________________
Letter #2

Hello Lisa,

Yes I am an elder. Although I don't feel like it nor do I feel that I have reached that point of knowledge, wisdom or humbleness to be called an 'elder'. Being an elder is not something that is owed because we reach a certain age. It is not 'now that I reached this age, my tribe owes me'. No. Being an elder is earned. It is a reflection of how our parent(s) taught us, about respect, and about life knowledge. I can only hope to be even half the elder my mom was.

I am probably not a good person to ask this question of. I have never requested or gotten show tickets. I do think the tickets should only go to TRIBAL elders after all that is who they are allocated for. I don't think they should be able to give them to anyone else. If they don't use the tickets then it should be given back and then a tribal elder who really wants to go will be able to.

It is a sad thing what our tribe has created with these types of policies. And this happens in most all areas of this type. If there is something offered for free, the tribal people think 'I better get my share/ticket/whatever' it may be. EVEN IF THEY DON'T NEED IT OR REALLY WANT TO USE IT. But I know there are those who really want/need it and I am not talking about these people.

There is a lot of wasted costs like this. Not to mention the ones who could really use it or would like to use it lose out. And I am sure it is the same tribal elders that get these tickets most of the time.

Maybe they [Tribal Council] should consider doing it like they do the "Out of Service Area" medical allowances. That would be a real eye opener for these tribal people. To actually see what it is like to have to compete for the tickets and only be allowed this chance once a YEAR!

And besides, $100k is alot of dollars that, as you point out, non indian/non tribal people are sometimes given these tickets and that really upsets me. (do you have any idea how many tickets $100k would buy?) and if I know of anyone or anyone says anything to me about giving their tickets away to anyone other than a tribal elder, I will tell them that it is wrong and they should be ashamed.

If the tribal elders don't want to use this privilege in the way it was designed, then I say lets put the money back into something that would be more of a benefit for ALL tribal elders.

I'm sorry Lisa. But I have lost a lot of respect for my tribe and the way things are run and how it has created basically in my viewpoint a Welfare society and a GIMME GIMME attitude even tho they may not need it.

I remember what it was like "before" restoration and before "gaming" And gaming was presented to the membership as a wonderful golden money cow that would benefit us all and make us a more self sufficent Nation. But has it?? I don't think so. If anything, we are more dependent than ever.

Especially for those that can access programs and/or "know someone or from the right family". I have lived in area and out of area. And Out of area members are the most forgotten but we are remembered when the tribal government need a 'high' population count.

And lastly, I should say I don't truly think I have lost respect for my tribe....I think it is more I am sadden and angry because the true Nation we were to be has not materialized in my eyes nor in the way it was presented to me back in 1975.

I think that our leaders, who are all gone now, would have tears in their eyes to see just how things played out so far. I truly don't think this is what they had in mind when they had their meetings on how to make the Siletz people a nation again. It is sad. So sad. Well, there is my heart felt opinion 'again'. As such as it is.
________________________________

Letter #3

It has been a pleasure to be able to travel to the elders gatherings throughout the years. I am thankful that our elected leaders support funding for the Elders. I have some suggestions and observations about the program and services.

I’ve been to a few concerts at our casino, most I’ve paid for myself, or received tickets because I am a player. I did call a couple times, to get “elders” tickets, and was told there were none left. This was frustrating, because I’ve seen so many folks sitting in “those” seats, that were NOT elders.

I do know that we discuss our elders budget at the meetings, and that we pay $100,000.00 for those tickets. For elders to request these tickets and then give them to friends/relatives who are NOT elders is not right. If an elder gets 2 tickets, and wants someone to accompany them, who is not a elder, that is okay. But if they want to give both of them away, they should pay for them, and reimburse our elders budget.

Speaking of show tickets, I am appalled that the Tribal Council members each get 8 tickets, and they give them to friends and family, OVER and OVER again!!
This is ethically wrong. The Tribal Council at Grand Ronde used to do this, but they quit, because it is fraud. Those tickets are worth money. If Tribal Council members want to give tickets to friends/family, then they should pay for them. Grand Ronde policy states that the person (Tribal Council Member) who gives the ticket will receive a 1099 for the value of the item (this includes buffet tickets, VIP events, or any complimentary item). I want folks to know that it’s my opinion, that Lisa Brown had the right idea about this subject (and many others) from the very beginning.

The dollar figure that would be replaced into the Tribal Council budget or the Elders budget would be a considerable amount, and could result in an increase in per capita for Tribal members. This money could also be used as a stipend, for elders to take a special trip, or something else. For the record, this process is NOT fair to elders who live out of the area. This needs to be talked about.

I am thankful that there are Tribal members who voice their opinions about things. I just want to mention my brother Clifford Case, he was one of those folks. None of us are perfect, but we deserve to be heard. Our questions deserve answers. Our Chairman should answer these questions on our new top secret web site. I’ll be waiting.

Yours Truly,
Wayne Case, Siletz Tribal Elder
__________________________

[The following is related correspondence via e-mail]
To: nadosh2@yahoo.com
--- DELORES PIGSLEY > wrote:
Tickets are available to us for shows, VIP dinners and boxing. No one on the council that I know of has ever attended the Box in Portland that we have. I don't attend all the shows but use tickets for visiting officials, business folks, other tribal leaders, gamblers in general. Family members are prohibited, council members must pay for their ticket if they attend.

From: "Frank Simmons" To: nadosh2@yahoo.com
Cc: dpigsley@msn.com, "Lillie Butler" , jl_davis41@msn.com, robertk@ctsi.nsn.us, "Loraine Burke" , "Bud Lane" , "Tina Retasket"
I don't know why you are responding specifically to me, I didn't ask you anything.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Brown"
To: "Frank Simmons"
Cc: ; "Lillie Butler" ; "Frank
Simmons" ; ; ;
"Loraine Burke" ; "Bud Lane" ; "Tina
Retasket"
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 12:37 AM
Subject: Re: In response to your comment - Frank are you familiar with this regulation?

In answer to your question: Yes, I did attend the show on Saturday, and I paid for my own ticket, it cost me 4,000 points, but that is the way things should work. Can you tell me, how many accumulated points do the folks who you give tickets to have???
Also, can you kindly read, and express how the following policy applies to comps that are provided to "friends and family" as "friendship tokens"?
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE PART I - CRIMES CHAPTER 53 - INDIANS

Sec. 1168. Theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands (a) Whoever, being an officer, employee, or individual licensee of a gaming establishment operated by or for or licensed by an Indian tribe pursuant to an ordinance or resolution approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission,
embezzles, abstracts, purloins, willfully> misapplies, or takes and carries away with intent to steal, any moneys, funds, assets, or other property of such establishment of a value of $1,000 or less shall be fined not more than
$250,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both;

(b) Whoever, being an officer, employee, or individual licensee of a gaming establishment operated by or for or licensed by an Indian tribe pursuant to an ordinance or resolution approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission, embezzles, abstracts, purloins, willfully misapplies, or takes and carries away with intent
to steal, any moneys, funds, assets, or other property of such establishment of a value in excess of $1,000 shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned for not more than twenty years, or both.

(Added Pub. L. 100-497, Sec. 23, Oct. 17, 1988, 102 Stat. 2487; amended Pub. L. 101-647, title
XXXV, Sec. 3537, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4925.)
AMENDMENTS 1990 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101-647 substituted ''or imprisoned'' for ''and be imprisoned for''.

Thanks Frank, again for your willingness to share with me about your intent and opinions.
Yours Truly, Lisa Brown, CPS

--- Frank Simmons wrote:
If I am or was wrong I would admit it, and you know that, I have no reason whatsoever to lie about anything. You know that, too. It is very apparent that you are trying to prove innocent people of doing something wrong for some reason.

We give a friendship token to someone, it is given in a good way. A way of reaching out. "friendship".

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lisa Brown"
To: "Frank Simmons"
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: In response to your comment

As to your reference to my attending that show, it was as an escort to a Tribal elder, at his request.
As you are aware Tribal elders are eligible to request 2 tickets, for themselves, and their escort. In reference to the past year, when I attended events, yes I did pay for my ticket, either in cash, or in points! Prior to that period, I did not understand the process, and was not aware of the policy that asked elders to return tickets if they were not planning to use them.
Upon finding out about this policy, I no longer accepted or requested to use tickets belonging to an elder, as it was not morally or ethically justifiable. I am sure you are and were aware of this policy this whole time, so why would you deliberately ignore the policy? Upon realizing this, I no longer act in this manner, I was wrong, and I admit that, and won't do this in the future.

Can you say the same? This is a really silly and childish action, for you to refuse to admit when you are wrong. It makes you look bad. I hope you can admit you were wrong, and make a commitment to do the right thing next time. Thanks all the same, I appreciate your response, and hope for a different tone next time.
As ever, Lisa Brown, CPS

The current financial crisis emphasizes how important it is for us to rein in the tribal government's overambitious spending.

It's not so much about our stock market investments. The Tribal Council should give us an update on where ALL our investments stand, both those in Wall Street and those in STBC and real estate. This includes detailed numbers and, instead of rushing through the STBC presentation, they should invite and answer members' specific questions. I wouldn't criticize the Tribal Council for investing in the stock market, though. They've committed a lot of financial sins like overborrowing and buying property in a real estate bubble, but they should not be blamed for doing what the general financial wisdom dictates and this recent turbulence on Wall Street is completely beyond their control.

With of all the hubbub over the past few days, our Atalanta Sosnoff and Morgan Stanley accounts probably haven't even lost 10%, which isn't great, but it's better than most of the other deals the Tribal Council/STBC Board have made for us. And there is a good chance that over the next few days the Atalanta Sosnoff and Morgan Stanley accounts will be on the plus side again.

With all that's happened on Wall Street, the Sosnoff and Stanley investments are still the best things the Tribal Council have invested in. The Tribal Council must, however, end their practice of speculating on bad businesses like Salem Flex, Aeroteam, and Depoe Bay Seafood. Putting money into Wall Street is the least of their problems. Even now, reliable mutual funds, CDs, money markets funds are safe and continue to yield money for investors.

These are, for sure, rocky financial times. Without the $700,000,000,000 bailout bill, credit money will be tight. Which wouldn't be the worst thing for us because it would discourage STBC from borrowing so much money and it would encourage everyone to live within their means and isn't that what we've been asking the tribal government to do all along?

With a bailout, there will probably be a temporary uptick in the market, but I don't see how we can avoid heavy inflation and recession down the road. That's all the more reason we need to be cutting back on our spending, as a tribe.

It's not the time to make elaborate plans for a multimillion dollar cultural center, a new clinic, or expanding a golf course that can never achieve resort status. We need to concentrate on keeping Chinook Winds profitable and getting more of the tribal members' money back to them by way of per capita.

The Tribal Council wants to compel a Siletz Tribal member to provide a DNA sample in order to prove he is descended from the tribal member named in his enrollment application.

Tristen John, 26, was ordered to provide a DNA sample two years ago. He refused and five months of legal challenges followed. Ultimately, the Tribal Council's motion to disenroll him failed by a 4-5 vote in early 2007. However, last month the Tribal Council voted 5-4 to, once again, order the DNA test.

Kelley Ellis, Tristen John's co-worker in the Natural Resourced Department, as well as his Tribal Court spokesperson, believes there is no Constitutional basis for forcing a member to take a DNA test as a condition of remaining enrolled, but five Tribal Council members disagree with her. They are Chairman Delores Pigsley, Vice-Chairman Bud Lane, Secretary Tina Retasket, Robert Kentta, and Jessie Davis. By contrast, the four on Council who have stated their opposition to the DNA demand are Reggie Butler, Lillie Butler, Loraine Butler, and Frank Simmons.

In an effort to make it more difficult for union organizers to approach Chinook Winds personnel, the Tribal Council voted 7 yes, 1 no to pass a Right to Work Ordinance. Tribal attorney Craig Dorsay said that it needs to be passed because organizers have already gone to Spirit Mountain and they are about to make their approach at Chinook Winds.

Bud Lane was absent for the July 24th vote. Lillie Butler was the only no vote. She was concerned that the ordinance might not be in line with Chinook Winds personnel policy. She also, quite rightfully, felt the vote had been rushed and didn't meet the proper timetable for tribal members to review and comment on it. Craig Dorsay said the draft had been posted to the tribal website. He said the Tribal Council could pass the ordinance first and then amend it later if tribal members have any valid comments. However, tribal members had not been informed about the proposed ordinance before the vote. Although the draft was read at the June Regular Tribal Council meeting, it was omitted from the minutes, therefore not available for tribal members to read. It was said that it would be reformatted and published, but it was not distributed to the membership at large.

In spite of Craig Dorsay's claim that the draft had been posted to the website for tribal members to review, when I navigate through the members only and public section, I see no links to the document. In any case, I've obtained an image of the draft. It's posted it here so that tribal members will be able to read the ordinance. You may comment to Craig Dorsay and cc the Tribal Council.

A draft of the Right to Work ordinance can be read here