My First Campaign Letter

I have spent a lot of money to send out my campaign letter just to find out that it has not yet reached many people. I sent it almost three weeks ago. It should have reached other countries by now. I plan to call the mailing company in the morning to find out what is going on. Anyhow, I have added it below for my firends and family who have not yet received it.


Dear Grand Ronde Tribal Members,

My name is Toby McClary. I am running for Tribal Council in the 2009 Tribal
Council election. There are many issues confronting the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde that concern me deeply. Please consider this letter just a primer as
future mailings will get in depth.

I grew up in Grand Ronde and have played an active role in the tribe for many
years. I was here before Spirit Mountain Casino opened and I remember what a
tight-knit community it was. I remember the days of community support, lending
a hand to whoever needed it and participating in the many fundraisers held each
year. Often fundraisers were held to send our Royalty to state-wide pow-wows as
Grand Ronde representatives. I can't help but smile when I remember all that.
I'm sure many of you can relate in some way.

Over the years, Grand Ronde has seen many changes, not the least of which was
the opening of Spirit Mountain Casino in 1995. The casino has been a blessing to
our tribe and created unprecedented opportunity. Many of our benefits would not
exist without it. We should all be appreciative and thankful to our ancestors as
well the Tribal Council who have served up to now. Any concerns I have about the
tribe are not of past decisions, but rather the decisions that lie ahead. My concern
and passion are what drive me to take such a great interest in the Tribal
governance affairs and ultimately fueled my decision to run for Tribal Council.
Here are two of my issues:

Accountability:

I have spoken publicly on many occasions about this issue. I understand people
are tired of hearing "accountability" and seeing little done to correct it. First, elect a Tribal Council willing to take responsibility for their actions. This is one
promise I intend to stand by. Council should not be above reproach. Everybody is
wrong at times. Yet a leader is somebody who can admit mistakes have been
made but takes steps to correct them, somebody that apologizes for wrongdoing,
and can move on with integrity and focus on tribal business (with people they
may not necessarily get along with). I feel that council members should conduct
themselves professionally and without personal vendettas. That is not much to
ask for. These are somewhat hidden characteristics that could begin to change the
face of our council's accountability. These are characteristics that I possess and
can assure you all I will stand by them if elected to Tribal Council. As I mentioned
in a letter recently in the Smoke Signals, there are many flaws and what I
consider to be "conflicts-of-interest" in the current Tribal Ethical Standards
Ordinance. I would encourage all Tribal Members to read that ordinance and
develop their own opinion.

Communication:

Through my experiences over the last few years, the membership is clearly
hungry for information, any information regarding tribal affairs. The tribe has
many communication tools that are not fully used. Let's take the tribal website for
example. I've heard there will either be live feeds or recorded footage of the
council meetings for the last year. I have yet to see any of this posted on our
website. Certainly there are complications with streaming video sometimes and
that is understandable. All I ask is that information be passed on to the members
in a timely manner. Seems like a reasonable request. I was also present at the

Wednesday Council Meeting in May when representatives from UBS (United
Bank of Switzerland) were present to discuss the minor's trust funds. There were
more concerned Tribal Members at that meeting than I have ever seen at a
Wednesday night meeting. And believe me they were there for a good reason.
However, some of them traveled a very long distance for information that should
have already been provided in a letter or something as they watched their kids'
money plummet month-by-month.

I also feel that an uncensored Tilixam Wawa could serve as a beneficial
communication tool. After the budget issue was sent in February, 2009, I did not
receive another issue until June, which for some reason featured Council meeting
minutes from August. August 2008. That was ten months ago! I remember a
few years back when I received a Tilixam Wawa every month that contained
articles written by council members themselves. I really appreciated those
articles because council was at least trying to interact with me and keep me
abreast of major issues. I would like to see a day when we revert back to monthly
publications in addition to Smoke Signals. To me, keeping information from the
general membership insinuates that there is something to hide. Whether there is
or isn't, that is my perception and I am not alone.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my first letter. Again, there are many
issues I am passionate about and I am excited to speak more on them in future
letters, web postings and forums.

Respectfully,
Toby McClary #1471