Nine nominated to run for Tribal Council

Nine Tribal members were nominated to run for three open Tribal Council seats and all accepted at a special General Council meeting held in the Community Center on Sunday, June 29.

As of the day of nominations for Tribal Council, 3,996 Tribal members were eligible to vote in the election slated for Saturday, Sept. 6. Last year, 1,205 ballots were cast out of 3,924 Tribal members eligible to vote.

Eligible voters must be registered to vote and can register up to and including Election Day on Sept. 6. Each eligible voter is entitled to vote for up to three candidates.

Of the nine nominees, the top three vote-getters will fill three vacancies, which are seats currently held by Tribal Council members Reyn Leno, Kathleen Tom and June Sherer. All three incumbents are seeking re-election.

Following are the nominators followed by the nominees:

• Tribal Elder Ed Larsen nominated Leno, current Tribal Council chairman who is wrapping up 18 years on Tribal Council. He is seeking his seventh consecutive three-year term.
• Tribal Elder Leon Tom nominated his daughter, Kathleen Tom, a Tribal Council incumbent who is wrapping up nine years on Tribal Council. She is seeking a fourth consecutive three-year term.
• Tribal Elder Steve Rife nominated Sherer, a Tribal Council incumbent who is wrapping up 12 years of combined service on Tribal Council. She is seeking her fifth three-year term.
• Tribal Elder Evelyn Seidel nominated Brenda Tuomi, who serves on the Tribal Education Committee and previously worked in the Eugene Satellite Office.
• Tribal Elder Margaret Provost nominated Ann Lewis, who previously worked for the Tribe in the Lands and Economic Development departments.
• Tribal Council member Denise Harvey nominated Chris Mercier, who served three consecutive terms on Tribal Council from 2004 to 2013. He did not seek re-election in 2013 to attend law school at Michigan State University.
• Tribal Elder Val Grout nominated Tonya Gleason-Shepek, who serves on the Tribe's Social Services Committee.
• Tribal Elder Marcella Selwyn nominated Corey Meneley, who has worked in several Tribal departments and at the Table Games section of Spirit Mountain Casino.
• And Tribal Elder Jackie Many Hides nominated Kevin Simmons, who currently works for the Tribe as Adult Education and College Advising coordinator.

Ballots will be mailed to voters with verified signatures on Wednesday, July 23. Tribal members may create a verified signature card at any time up to and including Election Day.

Starting Monday, July 21, through Election Day, the Election Office in the Community Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a half-hour lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The office can be reached at 503-879-2271.

Candidate statements are due in the Publications office by 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, and will be featured in the next issue of Tilixam Wawa, slated to be mailed out the following week.

Candidates are limited to 600-word statements and candidates are encouraged to submit their statements via e-mail to news@grandronde.org or on a compact disc. Hand-written statements are discouraged to avoid transcription errors and late statements will not be accepted for any reason.

Candidate statements run "as is," meaning the Tribe's Publications staff will not edit the submissions in any way other than to ensure they do not exceed 600 words in length.

Candidates also should contact Tribal photographer Michelle Alaimo at 503-879-1961 or michelle.alaimo@grandronde.org to schedule a time to have their portrait taken for Tilixam Wawa, or candidates can submit their own photo.

Ballots will be counted at the Community Center on Saturday, Sept. 6, and election results posted that evening on the Community Center's front doors.