We have already started plotting out a schedule for this year's Community Meetings, which have become an annual tradition. I personally advocated for some deviation from what we have done in the past, the priority lists and the sticky dots, but it was not to be. Admittedly I had some vague notions of a town hall style forum where those attending could grill us, and didn't have many details beyond that. I just like the concept, and many of our General Council meetings seem geared for "Other Business" more than any organized presentation. That is my perception anyway.
These Community Meetings have been going on for as long as I can remember. And I have been going to them for as long as I can remember. There are recurring themes raised by the membership, like enrollment, economic development, a recreation center. One year people were deadset on having a swimming pool.
Some might argue that these meetings are just a form of lip service, and I could certainly see why one might think that. But then again I've also seen pressure from these meetings make a difference. I really wonder if a Eugene Satellite Office might not have ever happened had there not been repeated calls during the Community meetings down there.
It wasn't until my first year on Council that we first started to really reach out beyong Portland-Eugene-Grand Ronde. Part of that was due to the fact that a Community Meeting in Bend in 1999 had fewer than 10 people show up. But by 2005 I think things had changed. Members outside of the area were eager to get involved.
I remember distinctly our first meeting in Tacoma in 2005. It was well-attended. We had to rethink allowing employees and committee members to enter the door prize drawings, because only one prize ended up going to a Tacoma local, which was rather embarassing. At the first meeting in Bend one gentleman came up to me and said he'd thought I would have been taller. I also remember in Tacoma 2006 when during a breakout session one fellow in the group told Wink and I he had not voted for us. Later on that day I thought of the perfect comeback, which would have been to point out to him that had we not been elected, since we advocated for expanding the Community meetings, he would have never been able to tell us to our face.
The Bend meeting in 2007 was well-attended as was the meeting in Yakima last year. The all-time worst attendance had to be Tacoma 2008, and I am convinced that was because we chose Monday night. It seems most other weekend nights work fine, though having them Sunday afternoons draw the most people.
For reasons I am not clear on last year Council and for that matter all employees were included on an email thread where evidently some local Tribal members felt Yakima wasn't really part of the community. To them I guess, the local community is the community. I've never really understood that mentality. Actually, I understand it, but can't agree. I've met far too many Tribal members living in Tacoma, Eugene, Portland, Bend and Yakima who care deeply about this Tribe.
People have their reasons for living elsewhere. Some of them have found careers and lives that simply would be much harder to establish in Grand Ronde, if not impossible. I like that we can take a sliver of Grand Ronde to its members, at least those living regionally. They are almost always incredibly grateful, and curious. Perhaps that why I look forward to our outside Community Meetings.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Media Training...again.
For about two-hours on Thursday afternoon, I was on 60 Minutes. Okay, that sounds weird. Really I found myself in a former brick warehouse in Portland's Pearl Disctrict sitting in a bare office with a former TV reporter and his staff conducting an interview of...me. The camera was rolling. For about the third time in my brief Council tenure I was being trained on the nuances of facing, perhaps "confronting" is a better word, the media.
I've mixed opinions about the media. First off, I studied and eventually received my Bachelors Degree from the University of Oregon in Journalism. So for a few years, being a part of the media is what I concentrated on. I also feel that having free and unrectricted media is what makes democracies thrive. In fact, I am not so sure a democracy exists if there is a shutdown, especially by governments, of the media.
Conversely, media and journalists do more than earn their spotty reputation, and I am talking only partially about the extremely biased media like Fox News or MSNBC, or the black eyes like Jayson Blair. The main criticism I lob at the media is more often than not they don't always have the best grip on the stories, especially when dealing with complex issues. I especially see this with sports journalists and political reporters, and often with columnists, who I've concluded are usually more concerned with meeting a deadline or furthering their agenda. And most reporters, producers, and media owners have agendas, political or personal. To me that is fact.
The former reporter-turned-media-consultant who interviewed me for our mock 60 Minutes session told me I was acting more like a journalist than a public representative with a message. I was trying to be objective instead of advocating for a side (he asked about Cascade Locks), and was being too blunt and irreverent in some of my answers. When he asked me about our Tribe's enrollment issues I made a joke about starting a Tribal member dating service and/or a sperm bank. He told me a quote like that was so colorful they would probably make it a soundbite and video clip, which also meant if, say, a reporter didn't especially like me there was a silver bullet. I can imagine the clip or headline now: Tribal Council member mocks enrollment issues. Context matters, a lot.
It is hard not to feel self-conscious while watching a video of yourself on a large (50 inch) screen. You notice your own fidgets, pantomimes, eye-rolling, and suspcious squinting. I normally think of myself as approachable, but in my video I saw somebody slightly stand-offish, weary, and even a little bit irritated by some of the questions. Plus, I understand now why major news networks have their TV guests don make-up. I could almost count the bristles my razor missed that morning.
Having to deal with the media, especially interviews on camera, is truly a learned skill. I can see why people get nervous on live national TV, and how the way a question gets asked, the motives behind reporters, and technical stuff like lighting and editing add up to a certain skill set gained through experience and experience alone. I see now why media consulting is becoming an industry all its own, and why many politicians pay for it without hesitation.
I've mixed opinions about the media. First off, I studied and eventually received my Bachelors Degree from the University of Oregon in Journalism. So for a few years, being a part of the media is what I concentrated on. I also feel that having free and unrectricted media is what makes democracies thrive. In fact, I am not so sure a democracy exists if there is a shutdown, especially by governments, of the media.
Conversely, media and journalists do more than earn their spotty reputation, and I am talking only partially about the extremely biased media like Fox News or MSNBC, or the black eyes like Jayson Blair. The main criticism I lob at the media is more often than not they don't always have the best grip on the stories, especially when dealing with complex issues. I especially see this with sports journalists and political reporters, and often with columnists, who I've concluded are usually more concerned with meeting a deadline or furthering their agenda. And most reporters, producers, and media owners have agendas, political or personal. To me that is fact.
The former reporter-turned-media-consultant who interviewed me for our mock 60 Minutes session told me I was acting more like a journalist than a public representative with a message. I was trying to be objective instead of advocating for a side (he asked about Cascade Locks), and was being too blunt and irreverent in some of my answers. When he asked me about our Tribe's enrollment issues I made a joke about starting a Tribal member dating service and/or a sperm bank. He told me a quote like that was so colorful they would probably make it a soundbite and video clip, which also meant if, say, a reporter didn't especially like me there was a silver bullet. I can imagine the clip or headline now: Tribal Council member mocks enrollment issues. Context matters, a lot.
It is hard not to feel self-conscious while watching a video of yourself on a large (50 inch) screen. You notice your own fidgets, pantomimes, eye-rolling, and suspcious squinting. I normally think of myself as approachable, but in my video I saw somebody slightly stand-offish, weary, and even a little bit irritated by some of the questions. Plus, I understand now why major news networks have their TV guests don make-up. I could almost count the bristles my razor missed that morning.
Having to deal with the media, especially interviews on camera, is truly a learned skill. I can see why people get nervous on live national TV, and how the way a question gets asked, the motives behind reporters, and technical stuff like lighting and editing add up to a certain skill set gained through experience and experience alone. I see now why media consulting is becoming an industry all its own, and why many politicians pay for it without hesitation.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hard to Avoid
More than five years ago, in what would have been my first week on the job as a Tribal Council member, something happened I'll never forget. It wasn't anything epic, in fact if Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" for some strange reason decided to increase their coverage of the Tribe it would have been the kind of thing they got a few laughs from.
I had just been elected along with Angie Blackwell and Buddy West. Spirit Mountain Casino was going through the process of hiring a new Marketing Director, and the interviews were to be held right there in Council chambers, and we were encouraged to participate. When you consider the controversy surrounding what happened earlier that year in 2004 with Angie Blackwell and her position in the Community Fund, the repeated talking point was that Tribal Council members didn't get involved in personnel issues. I suspect that was a defense from a story that even made "The Oregonian". So Angie asked the obvious question, which was basically weren't we getting involved in a personnel issue right now? Weren't we about to engage in a hiring decision? Nobody really had an answer, so Angie, packing up her folders and notepad, simply walked out, saying that there were numerous things more important to the membership she could be spending her time on. I'll never forget the look on a couple of Council members' faces. They basically said "Oh man, it's gonna be a long year."
I've thought about that incident a lot over the last 48 hours because an employment issue was brought up Sunday during the General Council meeting, and it wouldn't die. We didn't get into nearly the same level of detail as the person who mysteriously knew enough about it to raise the issue during Other Business, which I must say raises other points about how frivolously confidentiality is regarded around here. But once again the fundamental question is out there: To what degree does Tribal Council involve themselves in employee matters, or more importantly, to what degree should they be involved?
Ethics suits have arisen involving Tribal Council members and their interactions with employees, and not all gave us reasons to believe certain lines don't get crossed. But that doesn't change that we "supervise" a handful of personnel, from the Tribe's Executive Officer to our Finance Officer to our Audit Director. I use the word "supervise" because that is what we do, even though you arrive in the supervisory position by way of elections, while the Directors must apply and meet a number of qualifications from minimum years experience to degree requirements. It seems kind of an odd arrangement, but I guess it would be nigh impossible for us to avoid overseeing somebody.
On top of that, Council approves the compensation for all Directors at Spirit Mountain, which over the last year has been problematic. While we are supposed to simply approve the compensation- we're ratifying a decision already made- there have been instances of Council members trying to quash the compensation for reasons I can't prove but which reek of passive-aggression and/or politics.
Tomorrow we have on the agenda resolutions for approving the compensation for almost all of SMC's Directors. I'm hoping things have changed and employees aren't left to wonder why. Today we also discussed moving forward with a Tribal Employment Rights Office and Ordinance. I hope that cuts back on the politicization of employee matters. Office politics exist as long as you have offices I suppose, and people are people. But there is always a better way, I remain convinced.
I had just been elected along with Angie Blackwell and Buddy West. Spirit Mountain Casino was going through the process of hiring a new Marketing Director, and the interviews were to be held right there in Council chambers, and we were encouraged to participate. When you consider the controversy surrounding what happened earlier that year in 2004 with Angie Blackwell and her position in the Community Fund, the repeated talking point was that Tribal Council members didn't get involved in personnel issues. I suspect that was a defense from a story that even made "The Oregonian". So Angie asked the obvious question, which was basically weren't we getting involved in a personnel issue right now? Weren't we about to engage in a hiring decision? Nobody really had an answer, so Angie, packing up her folders and notepad, simply walked out, saying that there were numerous things more important to the membership she could be spending her time on. I'll never forget the look on a couple of Council members' faces. They basically said "Oh man, it's gonna be a long year."
I've thought about that incident a lot over the last 48 hours because an employment issue was brought up Sunday during the General Council meeting, and it wouldn't die. We didn't get into nearly the same level of detail as the person who mysteriously knew enough about it to raise the issue during Other Business, which I must say raises other points about how frivolously confidentiality is regarded around here. But once again the fundamental question is out there: To what degree does Tribal Council involve themselves in employee matters, or more importantly, to what degree should they be involved?
Ethics suits have arisen involving Tribal Council members and their interactions with employees, and not all gave us reasons to believe certain lines don't get crossed. But that doesn't change that we "supervise" a handful of personnel, from the Tribe's Executive Officer to our Finance Officer to our Audit Director. I use the word "supervise" because that is what we do, even though you arrive in the supervisory position by way of elections, while the Directors must apply and meet a number of qualifications from minimum years experience to degree requirements. It seems kind of an odd arrangement, but I guess it would be nigh impossible for us to avoid overseeing somebody.
On top of that, Council approves the compensation for all Directors at Spirit Mountain, which over the last year has been problematic. While we are supposed to simply approve the compensation- we're ratifying a decision already made- there have been instances of Council members trying to quash the compensation for reasons I can't prove but which reek of passive-aggression and/or politics.
Tomorrow we have on the agenda resolutions for approving the compensation for almost all of SMC's Directors. I'm hoping things have changed and employees aren't left to wonder why. Today we also discussed moving forward with a Tribal Employment Rights Office and Ordinance. I hope that cuts back on the politicization of employee matters. Office politics exist as long as you have offices I suppose, and people are people. But there is always a better way, I remain convinced.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
News & Notes
I've gotten into the habit of following a number of different blogs. One of them is for the Oregon Ducks through OregonLive.com, another through "Pyschology Today", several through ESPN.com, plus "US News & World Report". Blogging seems to be a journalist's dream, especially if one has a lot of readers, which many do. It would not have been possible with print journalism.
Because many blog posts consist of news, notes and links, I've decided to follow suit today. Here are some interesting stories I've either found or had forwarded to me:
Because many blog posts consist of news, notes and links, I've decided to follow suit today. Here are some interesting stories I've either found or had forwarded to me:
- Gangs in Indian country are gaining national notice, at least enough for the New York Times to run a story here. Nice to know we're not alone.
- Yay for the Shinnecocks back east, who are just about gain their own federal recognition. I found this particularly interesting because while we've publicly supported the Chinook's recognition, word is the bill that would recognize them is dying, and their biggest ally Brian Baird (D-WA) is retiring. Recognition for some but not others.
- Oregon Business Report addresses the decline of casino revenues in our state.
- Jan Michael Looking Wolf stopped by my office today to show me his new video, posted on YouTube. The main young man in the video, Ken Lewis, is one of Looking Wolf's guitarists and also the son of Tribal member Ann Lewis. There are also several other Grand Ronde Tribal members in the video, filmed in downtown Salem. The other guitarist looked vaguely familiar to me at first, and when I saw Jan's CD cover I realized he was, in further proof that the world is a small one, a classmate of mine from North Salem High 1993, Pat McDermott.
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