Hot Topics

As many already know, there are concerns among the membership, as well as Tribal Council, that continue to surface at public meetings, private discussions and even at the Tribal Council table. Although these topics continue to be brought up, developing a way to enhance continuation and follow through seems to be our biggest challenge. It is very frustrating as a member of council to only discuss these issues when they are thrown in our face and then forgetting about them until they surface again later. They are legitimate concerns that we should all be passionate about and committed to finding resolve. And I know from experience how frustrating it is as a concerned individual of the general membership. I recently read a quote that I printed and hung in my office so I am forced to see it every day.

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." - Anthony Robbins

I want to constantly be reminded of that because I feel it rings very true and if we, as the governing body for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, are going to accomplish our goals, we have to take action. It seems that all too often we discuss the changes that need to be made, which I do feel is a good start. It's what we do with that discussion and information that proves our decision-making skills. If we do nothing with the information provided, our discussions mean just that, nothing.

With that said, Tribal Council has unitedly committed to focusing on three areas within the tribe we feel are very important. The three issues are enrollment, health-care and economic development. As Fridays are usually a bit slow around the office, we have now dedicated two hours of every Friday to each of these concerns. They have permanently been added to our scheduling sheets and will rotate throughout the month. Enrollment discussion will be the first Friday of the month, health-care on the second and economic development the third. The fourth and sometimes fifth Friday will be left open for further discussion needed in any of the three "hot topics" or any other areas identified as needing help. Trust me, I know there are other areas needing attention.

The beginning of the new year marked the implementation of these new work sessions. We had our first enrollment discussion on January 8, 2010. I felt the discussion was very productive. We had members of the Enrollment Committee, the Enrollment Department and Legal present. Each of the members of council presented a written or verbal explanation of what their personal goals were for enrollment. Each of the goals were written down in the council conference room and will be referred to in future meetings. Each of the committee members and staff members shared ideas and participated in the discussion. I feel like we are headed in a very positive direction. After our goals were presented, it seemed like there were a lot of commonalities among our statements.

On Friday, January 15, we discussed the ever-growing health-care costs and how we can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the health and wellness of our people. There were members of the Health and Wellness staff and it seemed to be a little less organized than the enrollment discussion. It was basically just an open forum for Tribal Council to listen to future challenges and share their ideas and concerns. I am hoping that we invite members of the Health Committee for the next scheduled session.

We were unable to meet on the 22nd because of an off-site meeting in Warm Springs. Our next meeting scheduled is for January 29th and the focus will be economic development. I believe this will be a productive meeting as there are some very strong advocates for diversifying our portfolio.

Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes high.

Toby