Siletz.Net

The following letter from Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley was printed today:

This letter is meant to share with you our sadness, disappointment and outrage over the recent inclusion of respected tribal elder and tribal council member Frank Simmons in an inaccurate and unfairly biased article about tribal council elections (“Siletz ready for council elections,” Jan. 23 edition) on the day of his funeral.

In all my years of serving the tribe, reporter Terry Dillman has taken news articles to a new level of thoughtlessness and shows a blatant disregard for the facts. I am so disappointed in the article. To take a statement by a respected member of our community and place it in an article about a controversy that has been created by a willing newspaper editor and a reporter, and to do it on the day we laid to rest our beloved council member is disrespectful and insensitive.

Our tribe has more than 4,500 members, yet only two disgruntled tribal members are allowed an opportunity to discredit our government. Your newspaper lets this happen and never contacts anyone to validate issues or facts.

Terry Dillman's reporting is a detriment to our community and to your newspaper. Newspapers should report in a fair and honest manner. The people in our community rely on your newspaper for actual and factual news that is fair and unbiased.

Dee Pigsley

Siletz Tribal Chairman

Below is the article that Delores Pigsley is complaining about. Terry Dillman seems to have gone out of his way to keep the article in question balanced.

Siletz ready for council elections
By Terry Dillman of the News-Times
Jan 23, 2009

Eleven candidates actively campaign as they vie for three spots

Incumbents Jessie Davis and Reggie Butler Sr. face challenges from Frank Aspria Sr., Lisa Brown, Eva Clayton, Divona Christiansen, Jane John, Monte Kentta, Phil Rilatos Sr., Darlene Smith, and Lynette Warren when voters go to the polls for the Feb. 7 Siletz Tribal Council election.

In letters to the editor of Siletz News, the tribe's monthly newspaper, statements in the voter's pamphlet, and elsewhere, the candidates have shared their ideas and perspectives about what they believe are priorities for the tribe during the next 52 weeks and beyond. Economic development, health care, affordable housing, employment, and education opportunities for tribal members in the tribe's 11-county service area remain high priorities, as does government accountability, which has emerged as a prime consideration for some candidates.
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Controversy has dogged the run-up to this year's election, with accusations of improprieties alleged by a pair of candidates, along with challenges to a few decisions made by the election board leading up to the annual candidate fair, held Jan. 10 in the Siletz Tribal Community Center on Government Hill.

Brown and Warren, who sought election last year as government reformers, said for the first time ever, the tribal government rejected a candidate's statement (Warren's). And “you won't see any details of my candidate's declaration” in the Nesika Illahee - the quarterly publication for tribal members, Warren added, because for the first time in the publication's history, declarations made at the tribe's general council meeting “were not reported.”

Both Warren, who gleaned 177 votes last year as a virtually unknown first-time candidate, and Brown, who fell just 29 votes short of being elected, say it's time to put integrity back into the tribal election process. Both have remained active advocates of more open government and more accountability from elected leaders and administrative staff. Brown said it's time for a “separation of powers,” with “no more tribal council as boss of everything.”

Brown also criticized the election board's decision to not record the proceedings at this year's candidate fair, nor allow anyone else to do so. In past years, the event was recorded and copies made available to tribal members unable to attend. Brown called it another example of the lack of transparency in tribal government.

Critics of Warren and Brown allege they will say and do anything to get elected. “Every year during election time, folks will try to discredit councilmen who have worked very hard for you, just to get elected,” stated a Dec. 30, 2008 letter to voting-eligible tribal members. “The best people to serve are those who have represented the tribe in a professional manner, who are willing to make the best decisions for the majority of our tribal members.”

Signed by Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley, Vice Chairman Alfred “Bud” Lane III, Secretary Tina Retasket, council member Robert Kentta, Rosalie Bremner, and Mike Darcy - it urged tribal members to vote for current Treasurer Jessie Davis, and Phil Rilatos Sr., who has served several previous terms on tribal council, and incumbent Frank Simmons. The road to the election took an unfortunately somber turn this week when Simmons, 74, a tribal elder who was seeking re-election, died in Lincoln City Monday.

He provided a few words of wisdom about the tribe's future in his voter's pamphlet statement.

“It is important to remember what is good for the many, and when making decisions, the well-being of those generations yet to come must be considered,” Simmons noted. “It is something that I am very passionate about, and will not falter to ensure that our sovereignty and the rights of our tribal government are protected now and for future generations. I am compelled to work to protect our inherent rights that our ancestors so dearly died for. Our tribal traditions must be upheld. The dignity and integrity of our Indian people will live forever, if we represent our tribal people with respect.”

Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman certified the candidate list Dec. 26. Ballots and voters' pamphlets were mailed out to eligible tribal members Jan. 5, and Jan. 30 is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Public calibration of the voting machines is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at the tribal administration office in Siletz.

Election Day is Saturday, Feb. 7, with in-person voting from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tribal Community Center in Siletz. Deadline for returning absentee ballots is 4 p.m. that day. Photo identification is required to vote in person, with no exceptions.

Council members serve three-year terms that overlap, with elections held every year for three of the nine positions.

Tribal council members appointed Kurtis Barker, Felicia Carmona, Teala Rilatos, and Tracey Worman to the 2009 election board. They will monitor the voting and certify results. The top three vote-getters will take the oath of office at 1 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 8, in tribal council chambers at the administration building.

Anyone with questions should call the election board office at 444-8256, or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1256.

Terry Dillman is the assistant editor of the News-Times. Contact him at (541) 265-8571, ext 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.

I see nothing the least bit disrespectful to Frank Simmons in Terry Dillman's article. The funeral happened to be on a Friday, one of the two days a week the News Times is published. This was very shortly before the election and it would have been a disservice to voters to postpone coverage. And they could hardly cover the election without noting Frank's death.

Dee Pigsley is really just upset that there are channels of communication which report on tribal politics that she can't fully control. When Dee was elected in 2007 she characterized the 405 votes she received as "overwhelming support". Lisa Brown received 401 votes this year running a campaign highly critical of Pigsley, but Dee dismisses her today as one of "two disgruntled tribal members".

Note that Dee Pigsley's letter does not contest a single fact in the Terry Dillman's article. Her real gripe is that she and her niece, General Manager Brenda Bremner, did not get to control the coverage.

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UPDATE (2/22/09): It's now clear that Dee Pigsley's letter was a pre-emptive strike in an attempt to deter news organizations from covering the expulsion of Lisa Brown from Tribal Council. The plan to expel Lisa was obviously already in motion.

There was nothing the least bit disrespectful to Frank Simmons in the News Times article as any fair minded reader can see.

It is absolutely disgusting and shameful that Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley has attempted to use the death of Frank Simmons to shield herself from political criticism so that she can overturn the result of our election.

Happy New Year to All!
Another year is behind us....I wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year.

First, I thank all the Tribal employees who maximize our state and federal funding.... Thank You. For without taxpayer funding, this Tribe would not have one single program! There would be no housing, clinic, admin building, gym or wellness center. The list is too long to mention! It's difficult to imagine that this Tribe hasn't completed one project on it's own.

Like the rest of America, we need accountability! Listening to President Elect Obama this morning gives me hope that all corruption, mismanagement, fraud, and malfeasance, will soon be addressed. Every dollar will be accounted for. We won't tolerate people masquerading as a business entity that shows a 95% failure rate! The day of the Madoffs, Keatings, and Ken Lays are over!!!

We need change and experienced business people.

I will improve employee protection through a T.E.R.O. Also, time clocks (punched) and quarterly performance ratings based on competitive goals/objectives.

I propose and an ethics board separate from Administration and Tribal Council. empowered to levy fines, confinement and other sanctions. Your lifestyle will exemplify and reflect great values, otherwise, find someplace else to work!

The separation of Tribal Council and STBC (STEDCO), whatever they choose to call it. The obvious reasons...95% failure rate and no accountability whatsoever will not be tolerated.
Example: Your dentist pulls 95% of your good teeth, leaves the one that hurts....do you go back to him??? Some of you do, repeatedly!!!

I don't believe in a secret ballot. This isn't even cultural. Our history was individuals that led with strength and courage.

I would require more education of our leaders and managers...no one is "grandfathered" in. If the education/experience of those below you is greater that yours---watch out, you're about to be demoted.

We need to trim the fat, physically and financially. Our overweight members are dying too young and we are about out of options for insurance. Use the gym and wellness center, $2,000,000.00 worth of self care!

I would negotiate with with the various government agencies to create a contiguous reservation, address water rights as well as hunting , fishing, and gathering.

We have had people getting paid, for zero results, for far too long! If the program is only taking up valuable space and an employee position it should be eliminated.

No bonuses in the years that don't produce more revenue than the previous year. Pay wages so that employees aren't looking for a bonus to survive.

I would open our business meetings/ops as does the Grand Rondes'. Their plans get in the newspapers. They are very successful. And gee, no one has "stolen" their ideas!!!!
WE should follow their lead!

I would reduce all travel and training. The pay scale I see of $114,000.00 per year, you shouldn't need any further training! Or how about this scenario, you pay for your own training to retain your high paid job??? Try getting those wages in the private sector. You might get $28,000.00.

The extra T & T funds would be added to programs to better serve all members.

I would build our new clinic in Salem. This central location would offer easier access, housing for our medical staff and keep construction costs down because that is where our contractors would originate from.

No borrowing!!! we are one of only a handful of tribes that borrow funds for projects! We'll try saving our EPR and pay cash!! You know, just like you and I do. This process would eliminate all interest costs, legal and banking fees. The reason this process isn't followed is obvious...we are broke! We can't even borrow funds without signing away our sovereign immunity. If we don't borrow these funds, there would be no reason to have a "business" board. With no funds to pay them, no one would stick around. Get it now???

No golf course expansion!!! I would build a lakeside fly-in lodge with fishing, boats & swimming. A restaurant to compliment the lodge with shops for wine, cheese, deli and native crafts,

I personally could design an executive golf course that would be the toughest/most beautiful in America. I've successfully owned multiple businesses and managed a number also.

We need a change fro the "old guard". I'm that change.

Thank you,
Monte W Kentta

Early on December 24th, I submitted my candidate statement to the Election Board for publication to the Voters Pamphlet. It was submitted on time, as per the Election Board's rules, but the Election Board refuses to print it. Instead they are publishing the words, "No statement available," after my name in the Voters Pamplet. The following is my statement, as submitted to the Election Board last week.

Lynette Warren Candidate Statement

Our tribal elections are being run by individuals who do not follow our laws. At the last General Council meeting Tracey Worman and Kurtis Barker introduced themselves as the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Election Board. In truth, they were not on the Election Board since their terms had expired. Barker said the Election Ordinance gave the General Manager the authority to to appoint them to the Election Board. The Election Ordinance does no such thing, in fact it requires that the Election Board be appointed by resolution of the Tribal Council. But Worman and Barker were appointed to the Election Board by General Manager Brenda Bremner in October 2007, in direct violation of that law. They either don't care enough about our law to know it, or they don't care about breaking it. In November they were again appointed illegally to the Election Board, this time by the Tribal Council which appointed them to the Election Board for a term ending in June 2009, directly violating the Election Ordinance which requires a term of 1 year.

The relationship between the Election Board and Brenda Bremner has been especially troubling. In October Tracey Worman told me several times that Brenda Bremner was overseeing the Election Board, and that they would go to her first with questions about their duties. This was utterly inappropriate since the General Manager has no legitimate legal role in our elections. But the Election Board has considered Bremner their boss, a fact Worman confirmed in at the General Council Meeting when she admitted they would consult Bremner first on matters of policy.

Just before the 2007 General Election, Tina Retasket was removed from the Election Board because she was caught campaigning for Tribal Chairman Dee Pigsley and Vice-Chairman Bud Lane. Chairman Pigsley whitewashed the incident by failing to disclose that the Election Board member removed was in fact then Assistant General Manager Retasket. Pigsley also failed to disclose that Retasket had been campaigning for Dee Pigsley and Bud Lane. Brenda Bremner told me that she asked Tina to resign and Tina did.

But since Retasket is a political ally of Chairman Pigsley, Vice-Chairman Lane, and General Manager Bremner, there was no paper trail – there is no written record of Retasket's removal from the Election Board, although the Election Board has the resignations of other members on file. This apparently does not seem irregular to Worman and Barker.

In October of 2007 the Tribal Council illegally ducked their responsibility to appoint the Election Board and passed a resolution to have Brenda Bremner appoint the Election Board. The reason given for authorizing this was that some of the Election Board members recently appointed by the Tribal Council had resigned, including Tracey Worman and Kurtis Barker. They resigned because they were not being paid for their Election Board duties. Bremner re-appointed Worman and Barker and initiated a policy of paying tribal staff members for their Election Board duties. This was in direct violation of our Election Ordinance at the time which required that Election Board members serve without pay. The ordinance was changed in September 2008 to allow staff members to be paid, but during our last three tribal elections Election Board members were paid in violation of our law.

Bremner also took the astonishing step of re-appointing Tina Retasket to the Election Board, even though she had asked for Retasket's resignation that same year when Retasket was caught campaigning for Pigsley and Lane. And it's worse than that – Brenda Bremner told me that she appointed Tina to serve only for the referendum election in December 2007, since Retasket planned to run for General Council. Our law forbids anyone from serving on the Election Board if they plan to run for office during the coming year. Worman has stated that Retasket worked only on the referendum election. Why would that be, if Retasket was appointed for a year like all the other Election Board members? Clearly because it was known Retasket would run. And Retasket did run and win, even though she sat on the Election Board for more than a month after the other candidates had declared.

We need to clean up our elections.

There is much more I need to address as a candidate but the Election Board has now imposed a word limit on what you can be allowed to hear in these statements. You can read the rest of what I have to say on Siletz.Net.

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I sent the above statement at 12:53 AM, Dec 24. Election Board Chairman Tracey Worman confirmed that she received the statement at 8:12 AM the same day. Later that day, Election Board member Kurtis Barker sent out the following email. He didn't specify what he thought was a personal attack.

From: Kurtis Barker
Date: Wed, Dec 24, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Subject: Re: Lynette Warren 2009 Candidate Statement
To: Lynette Warren
Cc: Tracey Worman

Lynette,
Your Candidates Statement "as is" below will not be approved by the Election Board.
It violates the following rule: "Candidates Statements shall not include personal attacks on individuals."
This rule was approved by Tribal Council November 8th, 2008 with Resolution No. 2008-424.

You have three options:
1. Revise your statement and have it to the Election Board by 4pm today.
2. We can approve the last 2 paragraphs. The paragraph stating "We need to clean up our elections" and the paragraph that follows. (Let us know if you want this by 4pm today)
4. You could withdraw your whole candidates statement from the Voters Pamphlet.

If your statement is not re-submitted by 4pm today, it will not be included in the Voters Pamphlet.

As a friendly reminder- you have until 4pm today to submit a photo for the Voters Pamphlet and ballot, and you have until 4pm December 29th to withdraw your candidacy and not be included in the Voters Pamphlet.

If you have any questions, please let Tracey or I know.
Kurtis Barker
Election Board

Candidates statement (Election Board only allowed 750 words)

I will listen, and I will ask, and I will act.

NO: Golf Course Expansion
NO: 8.765 Million Clinic Construction
NO: Operating Tribal/Gaming enterprises like a government
NO: Illegal or unethical access to personal/medical/criminal records
NO: Free Payday – Instead vocational-cognitive work opportunities
NO: Outsourcing of Law Enforcement – when we have trained Tribal members

• YES: Reform government
• YES: Shareholder meetings.
• YES: Defend civil rights of members
• YES: Put integrity back into the election process
• YES: I will defend the rights of all Tribal members
• YES: Protect members rights to freedom and privacy
• YES: Improve/fund educational opportunities for members
• YES: Open Tribal member forum for discussion/questions
• YES: Separation of powers – no more Tribal Council – “Boss of Everything”
• YES: Work for healthy, safe, economically secure communities for Tribal members
• YES: Increase Per Capita – by decreasing waste/misuse of Tribal/Gaming funding
• YES: Increase funding for prevention and treatment as a means to decrease expenses related to recidivism or chronic health problems
• YES: Openly audit tribal spending to ensure gaming/program funding/opportunities are efficiently/effectively and FAIRLY administered/available.
• YES: Expand technical/vocational training so members can find a job/gain access to training materials/knowledge obtained by a select few, on a repeated basis.
• YES: Use teleconference meeting technology – decrease expense/loss of time

[2nd page]

The practice of taking and taking, from gaming revenue to funding projects i.e., Golf course expansion, Clinic construction, are not viable business decisions. Gaming revenue belongs to ALL members, and these decisions should be made by ALL members!

I will aggressively advocate for members being legally recognized shareholders of gaming/Tribal enterprises. We’re not alone in outcomes we’ve experienced, where losses have occurred. There are tribes with successful casinos still in poverty. It will take time and education, in money management, to break this cycle. Keeping actions SECRET isn’t respectful to members. TRIBAL MEMBERS MATTER and deserve to have a vote, and voice in affairs related to financial resources!

There exists for several states, legislation referred to as: “right to know”, i.e., “government should be open, accessible, accountable, and responsive”. To that end, it’s a process to ensure the public's right of access, and governmental proceedings/records not being unreasonably restricted.

Advances in technology support this requirement, providing a process to allow Tribal administration and elected officials the opportunity, to excessively decrease money expended on travel (hotel, $0.585 per mile, salary, GSA/Company vehicle maintenance] for Tribal/Gaming employees who attend meetings. The technology also records meeting content, for members who are at large, and wish to be party to the matters discussed.

The Tribe has adequate resources [$570,197.00 budgeted (2007)] to perform Virtual meetings, that will allow an open government to flow more freely. It’s long over due for this “priority” to remain an unaccomplished goal.

I’ll work to negotiate/revisit the NEW clinic building plan. 8.765 Million dollars is unacceptable, when there are alternatives, such as modular, or partnering with other agencies. I serve on the Health Committee, and I’ve listened to members medical procedures being deferred, when $3,395,611, plus $1,831,006 in “3rd Party Collections funds have been earmarked - to build the NEW clinic building. I believe a portion of this money should go to pay for medical needs of members NOW - Instead of a new building.

We’re not alone, in having to make hard decisions when it seems there is not enough money to go around. California state officials have had to take steps to halt funding for public work projects as well. Bill Lockyer, California State Treasurers’ comment sums it up: "You can't spend money that you don't have."

Funding prevention and treatment/direct services for Tribal members assists them to become economically self sufficient, it provides a process to address barriers that have prevented them from attaining success in many areas of their lives. Some barriers are due to health, legal matters, or learning disabilities.

The bottom line is that we need effective programs/staff, to provide services. At the same time, we need in depth review of programs/staffing [By an objective unbiased Efficiency Consultant] to ensure we’re not wasting our resources/funding.

The most valuable asset we have is our members. Especially the people at our gaming facility, as they are the Money Makers. It’s time to honor them, and treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve.

I can assure you, I’ll take that task to heart. The quality of a Tribal Members’ life is worth more than an expanded golf course or new clinic.

Lisa Brown, CPS
PO Box 586, Siletz, OR 97380
www.allnativecreations.com
nadosh2@yahoo.com