ATNI

As I sit at the desk in my room on the 18th floor looking out over the Port of Tacoma, I am left trying to process all of the information that has been thrown my way over the last two days. It's like diving for quarters in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

I have officially been a Council Member now for six days and on Sunday I left for Tacoma, Washington to attend the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) Conference. As some of my colleagues calmly stated, "it will be a good way to get your feet wet." Getting my feet wet was clearly an understatement. However, it has been a good way to measure how Grand Ronde is doing in comparison to the other tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Please allow me to give a very brief explanation of the information I have learned thus far.

After registration, the welcoming ceremony and the update reports given by the committees within ATNI on Monday morning, there was a series of presentations that consumed the rest of the morning. After lunch, there were "Committee Meetings" or what I like to call "breakout sessions". There were nine to choose from and my first interest was the "Law and Justice" session. Unfortunately the discussion was geared more for tribes that have their own independent Tribal Police Departments. I did however get to speak one-on-one with the Chief of Police from the Nez Perce Tribe regarding gang activity on tribal lands.

My second afternoon session was about economic development. There is an assessment tool structured specifically for tribal communities titled Tribal Self Assessment Tool (TSAT) that I would like to see Grand Ronde investigate. There was also discussion about the Colville Tribe who partnered with a major construction company as part of their particular growth in economic development.

Tuesday morning looked a lot like Monday morning and also had breakout sessions after lunch. My first afternoon seesion's topic was about Indian Child Welfare/Social Services. I learned some very interesting facts regarding these programs during one of the presentations. In addition, there were many statistics given related to the state of Washington. I did get contact information for some individuals who can provide me with the same statistics for the state of Oregon. It should be interesting.

My second session of the afternoon was put on by "Native Vote" and the U.S. Census Bureau. I received great information from them and you will all see more from me on the 2010 Census. Although there were only four people in this session, (compared to 20-30 in the others), I felt it was equally as important and more informative.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be another full day of information. And although this conference has been absolutely overwhelming, the knowledge, interaction and experience will help guide me through the next three years.

Thank you for reading and remember, TOBY12!! (Is it too early for that?)

Election Results

Here are the results for the 2009 Tribal Council Election:

1. Toby McClary 359
2. Val Sheker 338
3. Cheryle Kennedy 337
4. Jack Giffen, Jr. 324
5. April Campbell 272
6. Shelley Hanson 248
7. Jackie Many Hides 188
8. Perri McDaniel 181
9. Denise Harvey 172
10. Brent Merrill 138
11. Bobby Mercier 122
12. Sam Henny 106
13. Harold Lyon 85
14. Lenny Logan 53
15. Mike Bolton 51
16. Alton Butler 46
17. Debbie Marrington 40
18. Stan Jeffers 38

Total ballots cast: 1132

I will continue to update this blog as I enter the next phase of my journey.

Stay tuned...

Voters Confused??

I have been talking to many Tribal Members and asking them if they had turned in their ballots. Some of the responses I get are entertaining as they don't have the heart to tell me no and that it's from their own sheer laziness. Many, however, state that they did not vote because they didn't get their Signature Verification Form (SVF) notarized and sent in before they received their ballot.

There has been a lot of confusion about the "SVF" ever since it went out to the membership. It stated on the document that one either had to have it notarized before being returned OR a copy of one's picture identification needed to be attached and sent back with the completed form. Although that much is true, it was not mandatory for those forms to be completed in order for one to vote in this year's Tribal Election.

That is where the confusion sets in. Many people believed (myself included) that the "SVF" had to be completed in full with the required documentation attached to be eligible to vote in this year's Tribal Election. I was so confused that I had to call the Chairperson of the Election Board to find out if that was the case. That, in fact, is not the case. Basically, these forms are going to be sent out every five years (beginning this year, I believe) solely to update the voter's information. It is not a requirement for the voters to complete them in order to vote in the election.

Due to the confusion surrounding the "SVF", I believe we will have a very low voter turnout this year. My prediction is based on the amount of Tribal Members I have talked to that have opted not to vote because they felt their vote wouldn't count since they didn't complete the "SVF".

If you're reading this and you have not voted because you didn't complete the Signature Verification Form, please vote. It will count.

I will continue to talk with Tribal Members to get this message out. If everyone reading this could do the same and let their friends and family know that their votes will count, that would be very much appreciated. Again, our right to vote is currently the biggest voice we have.

Thank you for reading and remember, "TOBY09".