Siletz.Net

"My salary is $32,000 a year, for a job that's supposed to pay $180,000."
- Tribal Council member Phil Rilatos at the General Council meeting on 8-4-07

That's Phil Rilatos talking about his salary as President of Siletz Aeroteam, a job he was hired for by his fellow Tribal Council members.

Rilatos did not know when Siletz Aeroteam would be coming to Oregon, though Gregg Gubuan had reported last year in the Nesika Illahee that Siletz Aeroteam planned to begin manufacturing operations in Oregon by January 2007. At the February General Council Meeting tribal officials announced a plan to begin local manufacturing in July 2007. The move of Siletz Aeroteam to Oregon has now been suspended indefinitely.

Rilatos said that Siletz Aeroteam had recently gone through another round of interviews and that four candidates had been selected. He later conceded that none of the four had been hired, and that he did not know when any jobs would actually be offered.

Rilatos then admitted that Siletz Aeroteam only has one employee, aside from himself, and has no immediate plans to hire anyone else.

At the February General Council meeting US Aeroteam Vice President Jeff Maag told the tribe that Siletz Aeroteam had a contract this year for $208,000. Maag also sits on the Board of Directors of Siletz Aeroteam. When asked how one Siletz Aeroteam employee could be fulfilling a $208,000 contract, Rilatos revealed that the contract is actually with US Aeroteam who subcontracts to Siletz Aeroteam. When asked, he did not know how much of the profit from the contract went to US Aeroteam and how much went to Siletz Aeroteam.

Tribal members should certainly be relieved to learn that they are not paying $180,000 per year to manage this one-man operation.