Since deciding to enter the world of politics, I have noticed that there is no shortage of rumors involving the tribe, Tribal Council and the operation as a whole. It seems that everyday there is a rumor that shows it's ugly face. I'm not saying that everything in question is false. However, in my short five months I would say that 95% of what I hear is absolutely inaccurate. More often than not, there is no truth whatsoever to the information being passed around.
With that said, please know that I was not blindsided by the amount and the inaccuracies of the rumors. Afterall, it wasn't that long ago that I was a concerned tribal member and relying on the information passed on to me as being the truth. Now I guess I am still a concerned tribal member, I just have access to more accurate information. Which, if you remember, was a platform of mine; getting more accurate information to the members of the tribe in as timely of a manner as possible. Please know that I am still committed to fulfilling that obligation and have, in conjunction with other council members, already taken steps in that direction. Also know that finding free or even inexpensive ways to distribute information to the entire membership comes with many challenges in itself. I do know how frustrating it can be at times to not have any insight on what is happening with the tribe. I have not forgotten and will not forget.
Now, back to my original point. It was not long ago that somebody asked the council at a Tribal Council Meeting if it were true that the membership was only going to get $300.00 for the March per capita payment. They had heard this rumor and were visibly upset about the amount. There was absolutely no truth to that rumor at the time it was asked. Please allow me to explain how the per capita distribution works in an attempt to bring some relief, or at least some answers.
Per capita is distributed quarterly to the entire membership with an amount based upon the revenue of the casino in a three month period of time (quarterly). Let's take this quarter for instance. The revenues from December, January and February will be added together and a percentage of those numbers will be distributed. So, it would be impossible for the amount to be decided upon before the first of March. the Finance Department will work diligently in the first week of March to crunch the numbers and present an amount to Tribal Council.
My point is that not even Tribal Council knows what the amount will be until about a week prior to the distribution date. Sometimes earlier depending on what that date is. But never before the end of the final month of the quarter.
So where do these rumors originate and why? I can not answer that question. I can only speculate that rumors like this are politically motivated or used for entertainment purposes. Either one brings a sense of unfairness to those who choose to believe what they hear.
I spend a lot of time explaining both the truths and the non-truths surrounding rumors that are brought to me. I have had to overcome many rumors about me and I know that there are more to come. It comes with the territory and I understand that.
I would like to take this opportunity to offer my time as a council member to any of you who may have heard a rumor or those that hear them in the future. I am not always available but guarantee I will return phone calls, emails or set up personal meetings to discuss tribal issues. I would also encourage anybody with concerns to contact any of the Tribal Council members in an attempt to better explain the issues surrounding our tribe. It is our job to listen to the concerned members of this tribe and we should all be committed to doing so.
Thank you for reading,
Toby McClary
Email: toby.mcclary@grandronde.org
Cell: 503-437-5368
Office: 503-879-4555
1-800-422-0232 ext. 4555
P.S. The results of my poll are as follows:
55% felt there would be less than 15 candidates
45% felt there would be 15 or more candidates
