General Council briefed on Tribal investments in executive session

The Tribal membership was briefed in executive session on the Tribe’s investment portfolio during the Sunday, Oct. 2, General Council meeting held mostly in executive session in the Tribal gym.

Two representatives from Robert W. Baird & Co. – San Francisco-based Managing Director John Fitzgibbons and Milwaukee, Wis.-based Director of Institutional Consulting Patrick Cronin – gave a presentation that lasted slightly more than an hour.

The two Baird representatives also fielded about 10 questions and comments from Tribal members.

Since the meeting was held in executive session, Smoke Signals cannot report on any of the financial details discussed. However, Tribal members can contact Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Martin at 503-879-2304 or stacia.martin@grandronde.org to request a free copy of the meeting on compact disc for their viewing.

The meeting started with an invocation from Tribal Elder and former Tribal Council member Steve Bobb Sr. and cultural drumming and singing was performed by the father-and-daughter team of Brian and Kailiyah Krehbiel and Brian’s nephew, Kaikanim Mercier.

Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno struck a different approach at the General Council meeting, encouraging the membership to make motions and seconds to approve the minutes of the previous meeting instead of Tribal Council members doing so as had been the previous practice.

He also said that Tribal members wanting to provide the invocation at future General Council meetings should sign up when they arrive and a person will be picked.

In other action, it was announced that the next General Council meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, in the Tribal gym to review the proposed 2017 budget.

Winners of the $100 door prizes were Lise Alexander, George McEachren and Ernest Norton, and the winners of the $50 door prizes were Toby McClary, Stephanie Wood, Maxine Clements, Dorothy Leno and Laura Gleason. McClary donated his winnings to the Elders.

In addition, two beaded necklaces created by Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George and five donated items from Tribal member Veronica Gaston were raffled off.

An edited version of the meeting, without the executive session, can be viewed on the Tribal website at www.grandronde.org by clicking on the News tab and then Video.